Masked blade wielders thrust at, hacked and slashed each other during a fencing competition at Cal State Long Beach on Sunday.
CSULB hosted an open meet for the Orange Coast Fencing Division of the United States Fencing Association, an event that featured fencing participants aged 13 years and older.
Although CSULB no longer has a university fencing team, former Varsity Fencing Coach and retired CSULB professor Jo Redmon oversaw the event.
“I love [fencing] … It’s kind of a thinking man’s sport,” she said. “You can’t be too dense and be a good fencer.”
Redmon, who coached at CSULB for 38 years, said she continues to teach two fencing classes every spring at CSULB.
Participants like Katie Fisher, a member of the California Institute of Technology fencing club, packed the Goldmine Gym to practice three categories of fencing: foil, epee and saber.
“Saber is all about footwork,” Fisher said. “You have to move really fast.”
Both foil and epee blades are light and flexible, and players must use their pointed ends to stab at their opponents and score a point. Saber competitors, on the other hand, can score using both thrusting and swiping motions, meaning each round can last for only a matter of seconds.
The goal of each sword style is the same: to score the most points, usually five in a preliminary round and 15 in direct elimination play.
University of California, Los Angeles Fencing Club member Howard Chang explained the history of saber fencing.
“When you would fight on horseback, you want to kill the guy on his horse but not kill his horse because you want to take his horse,” he said. “If you capture the horse, you’ve got a free horse. That’s why in saber you only score by hitting above the waist.”
During the competition, some participants cried out or yelled after a win or loss.
“Oh, it’s passionate, but I hate yellers,” Redmon said. “I tell my kids, ‘If you want to yell you can go outside. Let your blade do your yelling.’”
Each contestant competed individually and not as part of a team or club, Redmon said. In California, fencing is most often performed as a club sport, she added.