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It's very rare that an athlete will cite "the Renaissance era" and "a heightened level of etiquette" as his or her main motivations.
In the Chico State fencing club, there are all types of people with different levels of intensity, widespread motivational factors and overall quirkiness.
But what remains consistent is mutual respect for the art of fencing - a sport that club president Greg Haugen calls "physical chess."
"Someone who's super athletic will get beat up by someone who knows the technique," Haugen said. "You have to predict what move your opponent is going to make."
Fencing has three major categories of competition: the sabre, the foil and the epee - all named after the type of blade used. The foil and epee events both require contestants to "score" with the edge of the blade, while sabre - what Haugen called his "weapon of choice" - can be used to directly stab the opponent.
Haugen said one of the more important rules is the "right of way," where if one fencer is moving backward and the other forward and their blades collide, the fencer moving forward will receive the point.
The sabre is exactly where the club sends "hackers and slashers," said history major Daniel Cohn-Postar, a fencer who began his blade-wielding in the second grade.
"It's a way to get in touch with history," said Cohn-Postar. "It comes from the ages where people walked around with swords and there was an etiquette expected."
Cohn-Postar said the heightened sportsmanship in fencing, compared to other mainstream sports, is one of the factors that keep him involved.
"You might not like the person you're fencing, but you're always going to be polite to them," he said. "You always begin the fencing bout and end it by saluting your opponent."
For senior Jeff Rector, it's more about the raw competition that drives his interest, he said.
After being on the ultimate Frisbee team a year ago, he was ready to try something new, Rector said.
"Everybody was really helpful and friendly and got me right into it," he said, talking about his beginnings with the club.
While Cohn-Postar finds delight in the vintage nature of fencing, Rector has had to adjust to the sport's eccentricities.
"There are some people who are more into fantasy novels," he said. "It was a little weird coming into the group and having that dual aspect to it."
Rector got off to a fast start in competition, finishing fifth in the novice foil in his first tournament at UC Davis.
The club recently joined the Northern California Intercollegiate Fencing League, which is made up of fencers from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis, UC Berkeley and Sacramento City College.
Chico State competed against NCIFL teams at the tourney in Davis, Haugen said.
The club's next competition will be the "All-Cals" in mid-May, where 15 fencers from each NCIFL school, five in each category of sabre, foil and epee, will square off, Haugen said.
The club is always accepting new members and often recruits by using an information table on campus.
"The majority of our fencers didn't know the first thing about fencing when they tried out," Haugen said.
Rector, still new to fencing, seen some surprises, he said.
While watching a bout, one fencer penetrated their opponent's mask, he said. While no one was injured, the potential for danger was unexpected.
"It was just like, 'Whoa, that could've been a serious injury'," Rector said.
Thomas Lawrence can be reached at
tlawrence@theorion.com
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