Learn to fence

“Sweat dripped down my forehead in the August heat and my heart beat rapidly from nervousness. What if no one is there? What if I make a complete fool out of myself? My mind flooded with uncertainty and questions until I finally reached my destination. Many people of different genders and ages had shown up as well, and my heart slowed to a normal pace. Coach Peter Grandbois, who teaches English and is a grandmaster fencer, started us with some basic footwork and movements, and then we suited up to get a feel for the weapons. I hadn’t known it at the time but I grabbed a foil to fence with. We were matched up with a random person to practice what we had learned and finally start fencing. A girl with long brown hair and glasses looked back at me as we waited to begin. I felt as if I could easily be the aggressor until we started and she immediately placed me in defensive mode. After a few confusing wacks with our swords, I finally hit her right in her stomach. (Maybe I wasn’t so bad after all.)”

“Coach Grandbois called for the next round of fencing, and I felt confident that I could win again. Little did I expect that she would hit me on my arm within ten seconds. I may have been a sore loser back then because right after that I questioned if fencing was for me. I left that day without a desire to fence and a big bruise on my arm. It took a little push from my friends and myself to finally join the team but I am so grateful to be a part of a beautiful sport and a wonderful team of people. I am still a beginner and pushing past the learning curve can be quite frustrating, especially with a new sport. Fencing has brought me the opportunity to make lifelong friends, gain a sense of strength in myself, and focus my mind through such a strategic sport.”