Swordplay didn’t die with film actors Errol Flynn or Stewart Granger.
Members of the Four Corners Fencing Club are helping keep alive a sport that developed from probably the earliest form of self-defense – with the exception of sticks and stones.
The club – its full name is Four Corners Fencing-Pentathlon Club – was formed in 2009 by Jennifer Thurston and Art Olson, each with a long history in fencing, one component of the modern pentathlon.
Thurston took up fencing in 1972 at Colorado State University as part of training for pentathlon competition.
“Pentathlon in the U.S. was a military sport that started with Gen. George Patton and was limited to men,” Thurston said. “I could practice but not participate in competition in San Antonio, Texas.”
A decade later, when the sport had been opened to women, Thurston competed in the Pan American Games in Mexico City in 1983.
Olson, who has been around fencing for 60 years in the Four Corners, at one time was fencing coach at Fort Lewis College.
Olson also was instrumental in organizing club fencing in Southwest Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico and creating a monthly tournament in Silverton that lasted several years.
An Internet search reveals that references to fencing date to the 12th century although the only surviving manual dates to around 1300.
The pentathlon, derived from ancient Greece, has mutated over the centuries. The modern version (Patton was the lone U.S. competitor at the inaugural modern pentathlon in 1912) involves, besides fencing, equestrian skill, running, swimming and pistol shooting.
At their weekly practices, Four Corners club members work individually with Olson or Thurston on details of style as well as pair-off for real swordplay. The goal is for each member to practice with every other member during the two-hour training.
Members learn the secrets of three fencing weapons – the épée, foil and saber, each of which has its own rules and strategy.
Scoring, traditionally done by judges, has given way to electronic scoring. Metallic protective gear and sensor-tipped weapons connect via an electric cord to a scoring box that lights up in red or green to register touches.
Durango High School senior Angela Grogan, 17, has practiced fencing for five years and has competed in tournaments from Massachusetts to California.
“I like the competitive aspect of fencing,” Grogan said. “It’s a mental game in which you try to outsmart your opponent.”
She is looking at colleges that offer fencing but won’t make a decision until she can compare financial-aid packages. She is leaning toward FLC and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
For the Stechers, fencing is a family affair.
Marty, Denise and sons Teslin, 13, and Gray, 10, have attended club practices, which takes place at the Durango Sports Club, since last year.
“The boys have always been fascinated with sword fighting,” Denise Stecher said. “They joined the club last year and enjoyed it so much that Marty and I became intrigued and started a few months later.
“It’s a sport that you can do at your own level,” Stecher said. “I like the idea of going at your own pace and skill level.”
Seamus Millett, 14, a sophomore at Durango High School, practices fencing as part of being a pentathlete. He was a member of the U.S. youth (ages 13-14) pentathlon team that competed in Cuba in 2013 and in April will wear the U.S. colors in international youth (ages 15-16) competition in Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs is the center of U.S. fencing training, as Indianapolis is for track and Atlanta is for bicycling.
Finn Bridgham, 11, saw a fencing demonstration a few years ago, then forgot about it in the rush of other youthful activities.
A recent visit to a museum in Los Alamos, N.M., where he saw photos of fencers from almost 100 years ago joggled his memory.
“I remembered,” said Finn, who joined the club about six months ago.
Bryce Ward, 15, a sophomore at Animas High School, said her enrollment in the club seemed to come out of nowhere.
“It sounded like fun, and my dad found out about the club,” Bryce said. “I tried it, and it’s cool.”
daler@durangoherald.com
