My eight year old son seemed more interested in video games than athletic competition. He had become bored of little league and soccer. (I had too.) As a GeekDad, I have no issue with a reasonable amount of video game playing. But I still think it's important for kids to use their bodies and exercise. I also think it's important to experience mental and physical discipline needed in the competition of physical sports.
I sat down with a list of sports offered in the community, demanding that he pick one. His response as I read the list to him:
"No, No, No, No. What's fencing?"
"You get a sword and armor. Then you stab the other kids."
That elicited a grin. I think I had something, although I would bet he was thinking a bit more about the armor and swords we saw at the Higgins Armory. I knew there was a difference, but I knew nothing about fencing except what I told him. There must be much more to the sport than that. Off to do some research.
A local fencing club was having an open house the next week to showcase the sport. Off we went. He sat down next to one of the fencing coaches (who I later found out had competed in the Munich Olympic Games). My son sat still and enthralled as several teenagers competed in the different disciplines of fencing.
Then they let the open house attendees try out the equipment and shared some basics of fencing in small groups. Other kids left quickly, a few hung around for a few minutes. My geeklet stayed for an hour, wearing armor, sword in hand. He was hooked.
The club had a class designed for kids ages 6 to 8 to introduce them to the sport of fencing. He has since progressed to the beginner level and on to the intermediate level. In a few weeks, he will likely move into the competitive level.
Beyond his learning, as a parent I had some responsibility to learn about the sport. Most of us probably know most of the rules to the mainstream kid sports of baseball, soccer, and little league. That means we can offer some basic advice traveling back and forth to practice. But I had no clue how fencing worked.
There are three different disciplines of fencing: epee, saber, and foil. The difference is based on where you hit your opponent and what part of the weapon you can use. With the foil and epee you can only hit with the tip of the weapon. The foil is further limited in hits to the opponent's torso. With the saber, you can use the tip, flat, and back of the weapon. I have a lot more to learn about the sport.
The biggest question that I get from other parents is whether it is safe. To demonstrate in the Fence for Fun class, the coach lines up the kids with their helmets on. With a running leap he smacks the first kid on the top of the head with the sword. He barely felt the impact. And so on down the line. I think that's comforting for any kid who has taken an errant throw to the head in little league.
Is my son headed to the glory of college scholarships and the Olympics? Probably not anymore likely than your kid is to make it into MLB or the NBA. The important part is the spirit of athletic competition in a discipline he enjoys. I wonder how I would look in fencing white?
