Heather tackles the ancient sport of fencing
Posted at: 08/08/2012 8:15 AM
| Updated at: 08/08/2012 8:19 AM
By: KOB.com staff
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It's an age-old sport. In fact, it's been in every Summer Olympics since 1896. It's a battle of wits and technique, with swords. We're talking about fencing.
So, we sent our Heather Mills to Duke City Fencing to test it out.
Toby Tolley, the owner of Duke City Fencing described it as, "It's a mind game that we play with our feet." She said about 25 to 30% of her students are adults. "When we have adults here, we have fun. We're playing. It's a game."
Tolley showed Mills the stance and arm positions, telling her, "I'm pulling you in. Now, I'm going to push you away. Now, I'm going to pull and push until I get you off balance and you make a mistake."
Mills laughed, "It's not going to take that long."
Tolley said, "There are three different weapons and they're all in the Olympics. There's foil. This one makes a classic swish, swish, swish."
There's also epee.
"When you fence epee, you hear that sound," she said hitting a bell. "It sounds like a bell." She added, "And sabre. In most movies they'll be fencing sabre, in pirate movies and in Star Wars."
So, with three weapons to chose from, how do you pick?
Tolley said, "Are you a patient person who likes to wait for someone to make a mistake, then punish them? Do you just want to just run screaming down the strip and hit someone just for the fun of it, or, do you want to get out there and play and argue about what you're actually trying to do?"
Mills picked foil.
Tolley said, "Because it has these rules, it lends itself to a lot of arguing. To put it simply, I've never met an attorney who didn't fence foil."
They suited up and hit the piste, or fencing strip.
And, no surprise, Mills lost.
"There's a common saying in fencing, which is, that old age and treachery, beat youth and enthusiasm," said Tolley.
Tolley says they always see an uptick in students after the Olympics.
If you're interested in fencing, check out Duke City Fencing here.
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