Maine West High School student Andy White decided three years ago to try something that would set him apart from his peers.
It was his freshman year at the Des Plaines school, and while many of his friends were trying out for the football, soccer and basketball teams, White was looking for a different sport.
So with visions of swashbucklers in his head, White opted for the medieval and mysterious sport of fencing.
As any competitor will tell you, fencing doesn’t spark quite the same zeal as other high school sports-no frenzied fans screaming your name during packed competitions, no chanting cheerleaders spurring you to win and no college recruiters hounding you with scholarship offers. But fencing does carry an image of genteel barbarism, a certain fearless gallantry.
While many fencers may fancy themselves a ’90s version of Zorro, Sinbad or even Erroll Flynn, White said the sport offers some very practical benefits. It develops concentration and strategy skills, as chess does. It strengthens leg muscles, as track does. And it combines agility and speed, as boxing does.
What’s more, you’re never too short or tall, fat or thin, young or old to play.
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“It’s a challenge every time you go out there,” said White, 17, a senior at Maine West who competes mainly with a three-sided sword blade called an epee. “The difficulty level moves up as you move up in the ranks.”
Fencing, the art of swordsmanship, matches two dueling opponents who brandish 3-foot blades during bouts. The object is to score five touches against the adversary. Players are outfitted with protective gear, including mask, chest pad and gloves.
Nationwide, fencing is growing in popularity among youths, a direct result of the U.S. Fencing Association’s effort to recruit younger players.
One indicator of the sport’s growth is the association’s annual junior olympics event in Colorado Springs. Last month, 925 youngsters ages 6 to 18 participated, compared with 100 in 1972.
In the Chicago area, the growth of fencing has been slower, even though interest is high. Fencers said the supply of coaches hasn’t kept up with demand. While more park districts are offering programs and new fencing clubs are opening, only a handful of high schools sponsor fencing teams, including Maine West, Stevenson in Lincolnshire, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora and New Trier in Winnetka.
Over the last several years, many high schools, such as those in Palatine-based District 211 and several Chicago Public Schools, have dropped their fencing programs because coaches who retired were not replaced and interest among students fell.
Some fencing coaches and students said the cost-$150 for sword and protective equipment-may keep many youths away. They also attributed the slow growth to misconceptions that the sport isn’t fun.
Youngsters “think it’s boring, compared to football and basketball,” said Adam Theros, 17, a senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. “But kids here think it’s pretty neat.”
To reverse the trend, some fencing enthusiasts are promoting the sport.
At the Mathematics and Science Academy, students in 1991 pressed school officials into starting a team after their bus driver explained how enjoyable the sport is. Since then, the number of players has grown to 35 from the initial 6.
“I’m very surprised that this caught on,” said Michael Sloan, adviser for the school’s fencing team. Starting the fencing program “was totally student-motivated. Our kids are now promoting the sport with kids in their own communities.”
To help meet demand in Chicago and to attract newcomers to the sport, fencing enthusiasts Jesse and Diane Dominguez opened the Fencing 2000 Club at 321 S. Jefferson St. in January.
“We’re getting kids as young as 7 from the city and suburbs to come out for lessons,” said Tim Glass, the club’s head coach, who won a bronze medal in the sport at the 1983 Pan Am Games.
“We’re getting dozens of calls a week from (adults) who want to take lessons,” he said. “I could probably do this six days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. if I wanted to and still not meet the demand.”
And to help spark interest in the northwest suburbs, Tom Slota, president of the Illinois Fencing Club, a few years ago started teaching the sport twice a week at the Lions Recreation Center in Mt. Prospect.
He offers lessons on the basics of lunging, blocking and forward-and-backward footing to students as young as 8, and he helps high school players brush up on their techniques.
“People of any body type, if they are willing to work hard and practice, can excel in it,” said Slota, 38, who has played the sport for more than 20 years. “It’s very good exercise.”
The Mt. Prospect program draws fencers young and old from all across the Chicago area.
“I get a lot of satisfaction from (fencing),” said Anne Hoos, 16. “I like the competitions and going to the meets.” The junior at New Trier practices regularly at the center.
Bernie Fishman, 71, a Buffalo Grove resident who has been in fencing tournaments since his teenage years during the Great Depression, said, “It was just a sport I felt was everything. You didn’t have to be 7 feet tall. You didn’t have to weigh 300 pounds.”
Because so few fencing teams exist in the Chicago area, student players compete mostly out of state.
But that doesn’t matter much to students.
“You’re competing against yourself. It’s like running,” said John Bishop, 17, a senior at New Trier, who hopes to continue the sport in college.
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Still, coaches can’t help believing that visions of a chivalrous, 15th Century-style adventure must play some part.
“I think in every kid there’s that innate desire to be a swashbuckler,” said Karen Kenyon, who has coached 50 to 70 students each year for the last 23 years at Maine West. “I think everyone wants to be a sword fighter deep inside.”