Oakland University’s fencing club competed in a national competition at Notre Dame University this past weekend. The competition featured a chance for fencers to compete in individual and team categories. The team ended their season strong by placing high in the rankings against other clubs and NCAA-ranked teams.

“The whole competition is a huge learning experience for us,” coach Mike Christofis said. “It was nice to see our hard work get put into action.”

The team had an eventful year competing in other tournaments, but none that are close to the caliber of the Notre Dame competition.

 

Growing in numbers

The fencing team has not always been the driving force it is today. Membership and practices did not begin to grow until about 2010, according to Christofis.

Since then, the number of members continues to grow. The team currently consists of 15-20 players.

“Everyone has different expectations when they walk through the door,” Christofis said. “We do our best to find a place for everyone to do their part for the team.”

Membership to the club is free and all who are interested are welcome. No experience is required to join.

 

Behind the scenes

Practice is a key issue when trying to prepare a team to compete, according to Christofis. As a club sport at Oakland, the fencing team is still a reckoning force.

“We find our practice team to be the most valuable asset we have,” Christofis said. ”Sometimes it’s hard to find the space, but being flexible is something that can also be useful.”

The team practices regularly between the Recreation Center and the Oakland Center. Even with all the challenges they face, including finding a good balance between team building and physical practice, the team still has plans to strive.

“The amount of dedication on this team is wonderful,” Christofis said.

”It’s great to see how much their work pays off in the end.”

 

 Teaming up

Team morale has the ability to make or break a team. Keeping it high not only benefits the team’s ability as a whole but that of the individuals as well. While fencing may be more of an individualistic sport, the team does not let that stop them from acting as one big family.

“We welcome everyone who walks through our door as a friend,” said Ryan Hole, vice president of the fencing team. “It’s a great way to easily welcome someone into our group.”

The team enjoys themselves by spending time together on and off the strip.

“Even though we see each other at practice, it doesn’t stop us from spending even more time together,” Hole said. “It’s great to see everyone interact and build relationships.”

 

Looking to the future

Since 2010, the team has grown not only in size, but in power by pushing it’s members to their full abilities.

“We have drastically improved since last year,” said Thomas Liptac, president of the team. “It’s a great feeling

to have other schools compliment on our skills.”

While the season is almost at its end, the team is already making plans to improve for next year.

“The drills we do combine with the dedication of the team are sure to help push us forward,” Liptac said. “I’m sure in a bit of time we’ll be miles ahead of where we are now.”

The season will start back up in the fall with motivation to attract more members to the group.

 

Bringing it all together

When being part of fencing, there are many techniques and abilities the team must learn. This does not stop individuals from putting their own touch into their bouts.

“One of the biggest things that come out when someone is fencing

is their personality,” said fencer Jeremy Johnson. “It’s interesting to see who portrays what.”

The team competes in five of the six areas of fencing: men’s and women’s foil, men’s and women’s sabre and men’s épée. Even with emotions high and exhaustion setting in, the team walked away from the competition in high spirits.

“As a coach I wanted to see the progress over last year,” Christofis said. “With the amount of talent we have, we should have no problem carrying on a legacy for years to come.”