The Jackim family has a rule: Everyone has to play a sport.
Rich Jackim’s daughter, Skyler Jackim, tried soccer, basketball, and other team sports and “she just wasn’t really intrigued,” Jackim recalled. “When we took her to a trial class … of fencing, she fell in love with it. She said, ‘Dad, I think I found my people.’
“All the people shared the same interests, watched the same movies and read the same books,” said Jackim, operations manager at the Great Lakes Fencing Academy based at the Libertyville Club, which also features tennis and fitness.
Jackim, of Libertyville, with his daughter and others, also helped establish the Thundercats fencing team at Liberytville and Vernon Hills high schools. Skyler Jackim also has taught at the academy, which provides instruction to youngsters from about ages 10 through high school. Private lessons for adults can be arranged.
Fencing equipment and lessons are not inexpensive, and it’s not for everyone — but the sport is perfect for someone who wants to engage in a thoughtful activity. “Fencing is a sport that seems to appeal to nontraditional athletes,” Jackim said.
“We get a lot of kids for whom fencing is the first sport they’ve ever really tried. They’re not basketball players or baseball players. They’re kids who march to their own drummer. It gives them an athletic outlet. It intrigues them. It’s as much as a mental game as a physical game,” he said.
Private and group lessons are offered to youth; an open gym time for fencing with random opponents is in the works — and any youth who would like to try it can come to a free first lesson.
Fencing has three different weapons — epee, foil and saber, which are flexible and made of metal. In the Olympics, tournaments are scored electronically; special weapons and uniforms are created for that purpose.
Each weapon involves different rules and styles and appeals to kids with different personalities, Jackim said.
At the academy, “we focus on foil and saber. We think those are the two that are most appealing to the young fencer,” Jackim said.
“Foil is the classic dueling weapon you see in a lot of movies — it was developed historically as a weapon used to settle a dispute. The target for foil is just the torso. It’s a very precise kind of sport. You can only use the tip of the weapon. It appeals to kids who like to think strategically. There’s gamesmanship in luring your opponent in and distracting him to score a touch, Jackim said. With saber, the target is anything above the waist except for the hands. Students at the academy begin with foil fencing.
With an epee weapon, points can be made by touching any part of the opponent’s body with the weapon’s tip.
When Skyler attended middle school and high school, she fenced at the national level and qualified for Junior Olympics. Skyler is now a freshman at Ohio State University, where she joined a fencing club and participates in tournaments, Jackim said.
Fencing is a nontraditional sport because you don’t have to lift weights or run to train, he said. “A lot of it is flexibility and agility and having bouts of stamina. There’s hand-eye coordination training, and 70 percent of your success as a fencer is based on footwork. It almost looks like you’re at a dance class. The coach will call out a combination of foot moves.”
One of the hardest parts of creating a fencing club is finding a good coach, Jackim said. “That’s been our challenge.”
Luckily Jackim met Alex Nudelman, a coach who teaches beginning foil at the academy and fenced for many years when living in Belarus before immigrating to the United States in 1991 when he was in his 20s.
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“When I was growing up, I attended one of the best fencing schools in the world. I just remember my parents brought me there and I liked it,” Nudelman, of Vernon Hills, recalled.
Nudelman trains youngsters both at the academy and at Vernon Hills High School, where his daughter, Jessica Nudelman, fences.
“Before high school, I wasn’t really involved in one particular sport. I wanted to try something new,” Jessica Nudelman said. “My dad was a fencer when he was younger, so I thought I’d try that. I really like it. It’s a lot more inclusive than a lot of sports. The environment is great. All the people are really great to be around.”
The high school senior likes fencing because it gets her into a zone, she said. “No matter what you were feeling before, when you’re fencing, it’s a really good feeling.”
Her father said he’s proud of Jessica, who won the bronze medal in women’s epee at the 2016 Great Lakes High School fencing conference.
At the academy, the first thing Nudelman teaches beginners is that fencing is not about being physical. “It’s not about being fast. It’s about brains and self-control and discipline. We prefer to start about 10 or 11 years old. You have to be physically strong enough to handle the weapon,” he said.
Beginners borrow equipment from the academy, if they advance to intermediate or higher, they need to purchase equipment, which can range from about $200 and up, said Jackim. They can also take private and group lessons.
Nudelman said fencing is hard work and requires practice.
But there’s a definite payback, he said. “When I fence, everything else disappears,” Nudelman said. “I can focus on that only. I can switch my mind and turn everything else off. It’s a rest from everything.”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Great Lakes Fencing Academy at The Libertyville Club
Activity: Fencing
Where: The Libertyville Club, 1030 S. 4th Ave., Libertyville
Hours: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday -Tuesdays; 7-9 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday; 5-7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday
Cost: Free first lesson; beginners $160 for eight 1.5-hour sessions; gear provided free; intermediate and advanced class costs vary
Information: 847-362-5553; greatlakesfencing.org