What is the MHS fencing club?

Hidden in the aux gym once the final bell rings on Monday, the Madison High School fencing club gives students the chance to try something older and far more elegant. The club has about 8-10 active members who often meet to learn the beauties of dueling with a blade in a welcoming and relaxed environment.

Students looking to try a unique sport or just to swing a sword at someone ‘legally’ the club offers a sharp alternative to our average Idaho sport.

The coach, Mr. Call mostly serves as an overseer and peer to the students which makes the club very lighthearted and mellow but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the tenacity of any other physical sport.

Karter Cook, one of the senior fencers, focuses on Saber, one of the main fencing weapons which is a curved sword based on ancient calvary battles, one of the two main fencing disciplines that the club practices.

Then there is foil, fencers score points by hitting an opponent’s torso with the tip of the blade, emphasizing precision and control with a sword originally intended to decide who was the better man, Saber allows points to be scored with the edge of the blade and especially targets everything above the waist, making it fast paced and more aggressive which is Karter’s specialty.

This club is mostly non-competitive. There isn’t  pressure to win but there’s students learning skills, improving footwork, and enjoying the sport altogether.

Karter said, “I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve been doing it for multiple years and it’s a thing that’s been a really big part of my life and I really like it.”