Fencing Coach: Chris Beazley

Fencing Records

The Mystery Behind the Mask

Each year, at the end of October, Sweet Briar fencers gather at Williams Gym and begin pre-season practices of footwork, stretching and bladework. They will be a diverse group, ranging from experienced competitors to students from the fall semester beginning class, but all will have two things in common: They love the sport, with all its rituals and traditions, and they want to learn more about it.

Sweet Briar has fenced foil intercollegiately since 1990, but the history of the sport at the College dates back to the 1920s. In 1995, epee was added for the first time, and sabre in 2000. With origins in dueling and the military, fencing is almost anachronistic in its reliance on formality, rules and sportsmanship. It's not unusual for two competitors to shake hands at the end of a bout, and then to hear them share information on an upcoming opponent.

A women's intercollegiate fencing team consists of nine official competitors, three each in foil, epee and sabre. Matches follow a round robin format, with each competitor fencing all three of her opponents. Scoring is done using electric equipment, five touches wins the bout, and the team winning the most of the 9 bouts is the winner of the match. Tied match scores are broken by the difference in touches scored, so the performance of each fencer is crucial, win or lose. Athleticism is important, but beside the obvious physical skills, fencing teaches concentration, strategy and resilience. And in this most intense and combative of individual sports, fencers find the rewards of teamwork.

Finally, they discover the mystery behind the mask---nothing worth doing is ever easy and sharing the journey with friends makes it all worthwhile.