Engarde: CU's club fencing team ready for battle

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BOULDER, Colo. -

Tucked away in a corner of the campus' Recreation Center, University of Colorado students are preparing for battle.

Once layer upon layer of white gear -- jackets, gloves, knee-length pants and, of course, protective masks -- has been put on, it's time to get down to business.

It's time to duel.

The combatants are members of the CU club fencing team, a group allows students to practice the traditional sport, and learn and teach others.

"You can put as much effort as you want into the sport," club president Michael Laxer said.

The CU junior leads the approximately 25-member club, which has both three weekly practices as well as a regular schedule of competitions and tournaments.

Laxer said club members include men and women looking to practice, learn and enjoy the sport, while others push themselves and compete.

Because of the relatively small size of the club and the lack of a full-time coach, the fencers form a relatively tight-knit group to aid each other.

"We're a club, but we're very much a team," sophomore Emily Martersteck said. "We all have to pitch in and teach each other."

Team members experienced with the different weapons used in fencing -- foil, sabre and epee -- lead lessons on the subtleties of each form, as well as general technique and footwork drills.

After members suit up and set up the electronic scoring tools on the fencing lanes in the Rec Center gym, practice shifts from drills to battles, with plenty of members available to help make corrections.

"Since it's a pretty small club, we have a lot of one-on-one training," sophomore Max Ederer said. "People who are new really get to try the sport almost right away because they have someone right next to them helping them with the footwork and the bladework."

Success

The hands-on, self-taught styles of the club have proven to be moderately successful, too.

CU's club entered two teams -- men's sabre and women's foil -- into the West Coast Collegiate Invitational Fencing Challenge at the University of New Mexico on Jan. 24, and ended up taking the team title for each of the two disciplines.

Laxer and Ederer were two of the men who competed, while Martersteck and teammate Katherine Creel won despite not having the squad's third member due to illness.

"It was glorious," Ederer said. "We all fenced really, really well that day."

Laxer added, "We enjoy the way we teach and apparently can be pretty successful, too."

The club is hosting another tournament Saturday at CU; junior and adult fencers from area clubs are expected to compete, and Laxer said the club team from the University of Wyoming was planning to added as well.

Recruiting

More tournaments (including one more hosted on campus) will continue through the spring, but, more importantly, so will the practices that allow the team to improve -- and grow.

"Beginners should come try!" Martersteck said enthusiastically. "You don't need any experience. You don't need any equipment -- we'll supply that.

"It's a great way to meet people. It's awesome stress relief. It's just so much fun."

Laxer said he hopes more students come give the sport a shot.

"We try and stress to new members to stick with it, because it pays off in the end," Laxer said. "We're really welcoming. We love showing people what we do."