Mesa Legend - News

En garde! - Fencing class provides fresh look at an ancient sport
Rachel Slagle
Mesa Legend
Beat. Attack. Recover. These are the words that Anne Stine, a fencing teacher at MCC, uses to direct her students who are learning the sport.

The sport of fencing has been around since ancient Egypt. In the Middle Ages, jousting and tournament combat were popular sports. Dueling was in decline as a means of settling disputes by the mid 19th century. That is when the emphasis shifted to defeating opponents without killing them. This is the basis of modern Epee Fencing.

The original weapons that were used in fencing were the Epee and the Sabre. The Epee is a slender, pointed sword; and the Sabre is a curved cutting-edged military weapon. Later on, the Foil was introduced as a safer, lighter training version for the Epee.

The rules of encounter are built around the idea of Right of Way. This means that if a person is being attacked, they will be safe and successful if they stop the attack before launching their own attack.

Anne Stine has been teaching fencing for at least 20 years. She was first interested in the sport when she was in college 25 years ago. In need of a change, Stine took a Fencing class as an elective. She is now a fencing teacher here at MCC.

Mesa Community College has had a fencing class for at least 25 years, says Stine. On average, there are 25 students in the class. Stine does not require a book, but she does give three quizzes. At the end of the semester, there is a tournament to test what the students have learned. “I enjoy fencing because it’s fun and you get to do physical exercise other than lifting,” says Jessica Hanna, a first time fencer.

To prepare for the class, Stine says that students should have their legs in shape and have a strong lower body. Stine suggests doing lunges to strengthen those muscles. During a traditional class, the students warm up for five minutes and then they move on to learning new moves and fencing styles. Stine says, “I enjoy teaching the class because most students come in knowing nothing. It is different from anything they have ever done. The students also have preconceived ideas of what this sport is, and it feels good to teach them something new.”

Tom Dawson, who has been practicing fencing for five years, says, “I like this sport because it gets you into shape without thinking about it. It’s also a very graceful sport.”

Some of the basic moves Stine teaches are offensive, defensive, parry, which is blocking motion of the blade, and riposte, which is the offensive action launched by the defender that follows the parry of the attack. Stine also teaches the students how to use the Foil, Epee, and Sabre weapons.

Artemis Yanez, a student in the class, says, “The class is lots of fun. You get to poke people. It also helps me build knee strength.”

Stine adds, “This is a good release class.”