Jennifer Oldham, at The Honved (Fencing Club), Budapest, Hungary c.2000.
“Because fencing is a lifetime sport, we teach people of all ages. Every age brings its own thrill and its own challenges for a coach.”
Young children are mostly in the moment, experiencing the joy of movement, asking “was that my point?” They learn soon that winning means something. Parents almost always direct that meaning first, peers second, and then coaches third. Fun is our primary mission we want to impress upon on our young students. Fencing is fun!
Middle Schoolers have competed at something in their life, they may have started to practice, or started to want something. This “want” for more fencing is what we seek and long to see in students who have been enjoying the sport and we have observed playing hard at it. It doesn’t matter their “natural ability.” We want students who want to learn.
Teenagers come in all motivation levels, styles, colors and attitudes. At some point, the Middle School youth come with hormones. We don’t have a “one kind fits all” model of competitive attitude or culture at our club. We have some teens where fencing is their primary social outlet. Some come to escape something else, more and more are starting to have serious fencing goals. Many have fitness goals, enjoy the workout, the environment, and the club is a place they can be themselves and be with people that ‘mostly don’t get on my nerves.’ As teens are the primary consumer in our club, we feel it is very important for this population to feel comfortable to “train,” and that means making mistakes, and offering self-correction opportunities. Their reasons for coming are a mixture of many things, but they feel accepted. It feels good to be good at something. At Mid-South, you become good at fencing.
Our Adults range from 20s to 70s, and many have come to the sport for the same reasons the kids have, they got hooked. It is often reported as way more fun than running on treadmill. Adults can get out of their bodies, lose weight, and you enjoy the company of other with similar interests. Some adults compete in local competitions around the state, but adults at Mid-South can also finish with high results in national competitions and many train and compete as highly competitive Veteran athletes.
“No matter your age, your physical ability, your athletic history, there is a place for you at Mid-South if you want to train and become a fencer.”
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