En garde! Fencers carve out own space in Chelsea

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En garde! Fencers carve out own space in Chelsea

By Judith Stiles

When Lowden Charles was a youngster, he never was Zorro for Halloween and never owned any toy swords. So in middle school when he was encouraged to play a sport, his mother and teachers were astonished when he started brandishing a saber and took up fencing.

According to his mother, Fern Charles, “Lowden just loved fencing right away because he is quick on his feet and has great hand-eye coordination.”

Over several years, young Charles worked his way up to the highest level of fencing, becoming a class-A fencer at The Fencers Club, at 119 W. 25th St. The facility boasts 14 full-length training strips and the highest-quality electronic scoring equipment. Founded in 1883, The Fencers Club is the oldest continuously running fencing organization in North America, and it has produced champion fencers who have represented the U.S. in the Olympics, such as 1960 saber bronze medalist Albert Axelrod.

Most notably, The Peter Westbrook Foundation began at The Fencers Club, founded by United States Fencing Association Hall of Famer Westbrook, who was a 13-time U.S. national men’s saber champion and a bronze medalist in the 1984 Olympics. Westbrook is remembered as the kid who got into frequent schoolyard fights, until he was enrolled in a fencing class by his mother. This began a lifelong passion for fencing and when he retired, he started a foundation with an emphasis on teaching the sport to inner-city youth. His devotion to fencing and his journey as a young African-American athlete is chronicled in his memoir, “Harnessing Anger.”

Anger is definitely not the driving force behind fencing for Lowden Charles or his brother Bolivar, who also fences. On the contrary, it is joy that lights up his energetic smile as he describes similarities between fencing, chess and martial arts.

“After the first two touches, I know a lot about my opponent, and as with chess, fencing requires a feel for complex strategies,” says Charles, thoughtfully stroking his chin. He adds, “I learned a lot about discipline and patience from martial arts, which definitely helps in fencing.” Before the end of 2006, 19-year-old Charles will compete in a tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., and on Nov. 9 he will fence against athletes from New York University, as he represents Stevens Institute of Technology on the fencing team, where he is an engineering major.

At N.Y.U. and all over the world, fencing bouts are held on narrow, 14-meter-by-2-meter strips, where the dueling opponents move back and forth. A fencer wins a point with each touch to the opponent, using a foil, epee or a saber, which are the three most common fencing weapons. A wire runs from the weapon up the fencer’s sleeve and into the jacket, where it connects to a retractable cord (enclosing the wire) that is hooked up to a scoring box.

On almost any day at The Fencers Club, 26-year-old Erinn Smart can be found practicing and perfecting the art of fencing. Under her sparring garb she dons a plastic chest protector, a shieldlike bodice that is designed for women. She has been fencing, specializing in foil, for 11 years. Smart proudly represented the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics, and then again in 2004, when the Olympics were held in Athens. She studies her opponents’ styles and never allows herself to get into a recognizable or predictable pattern of fencing.

“When I went to Greece there were noticeable different styles of fencing. For example, the Italians were smoother with their hands and I would say the Germans were more aggressive,” notes Smart, as she eagerly puts on her gear to begin an early evening match.

Smart fences at the club a minimum of four days per week, with an average of 2 to 3 hours at a time, but the hours she puts in are not for a specific goal. She loves the sport and firmly declares, “I am in it for myself.” She likes to approach each encounter with a partner like a “physical chess game,” which means for every action of the opponent, she has to be prepared with a reaction; and, as in chess, she likes to set the opponent up for a misstep.

These days at the Fencers Club there is a high-energy hustle and bustle of activity at any given hour, where even ordinary onlookers are getting the urge to try their hand with the sword. There are individual and group classes for beginners, recreational fencers and serious competitors in all age groups, seven days a week. And for those who are timid about trying a touché with wires running through the fencing garb, no need to worry. The emotional electricity may be palpable in the atmosphere, but the only zing or shock a novice fencer can expect will be from the thrill of winning a bout or two.