At the Syracuse Musketeers Fencing Club, located in Shoppingtown Mall, fencers of all ages are sharpening their skills in preparation for the Spring Open Epee Tournament they are hosting on Saturday, April 2. The United States Fencing Association (USFA) recognizes competitors based on letter ratings. Unrated, or “U” competitors, must earn an E rating at a qualifying event in order to take the first step up. After earning an E, fencers aim to progress further up toward the top rank of A.
Although the Syracuse Musketeers Fencing Club (SMFC) hosts tournaments each month, the Spring Open Epee Tournament is the first of their events in which unrated fencers have a chance to earn that coveted E. The greater the turnout of fencers, the higher the tournament rating. With two young fencers already nationally ranked, the SMFC continues to build its reputation for training highly skilled athletes.
Lubomir “Lu” Kalpaktchiev is the head coach at SMFC. After winning numerous gold medals at the national level in his native Bulgaria, he brought his talents to Syracuse and has earned several more golds in the Empire State Games and in the North Atlantic Section Senior Championships. He now focuses his energy on passing on the tradition of fencing to students at SMFC.
“It’s great for the kids here to have fencing because it is so different from the other sports,” Kalpaktchiev said. “It’s a noble sport. You remove your glove to shake hands with your opponent.”
He instructs classes nightly Mondays through Thursdays and, contrary to myth, his students aren’t wearing puffy-sleeved shirts but rather close-fitting white jackets and masks wired to sense a hit. Starting with a quick warm-up, students ranging in age from teenagers to baby boomers practice lunges, blade work and hitting padded targets on the wall.
“Do eight, then six!” Kalpaktchiev called out to the class. “You’ve got to take the weak part of the blade!” Stepping between pairs of students, he takes a hands-on approach, moving both blades to show precisely how to disarm an opponent or render a hit. Drilling specific combinations reinforces the meticulous techniques. The result is a sport with the detail of ballet blended and the precise force of boxing.
The metallic ting of blades ceases and Kalpaktchiev moves his students to the strips. This is where the magic happens. Wires and pulleys hang systematically from the ceiling, attached to opposing sides of several narrow runways, called strips, on the floor. Each pair of fencers must stay on the strip while they duel.
The fencers pull on jackets, helmets and gloves, then plug their blades into the sensor unit on their strip. The practice room looks like several rows of one-on-one Wii. It only gets more complicated from there.
Modern fencing blades are electronically configured to detect when a fencer has rendered a blow to his or her opponent. Each blade connects to a wire on one end of the strip, which powers a sensor that keeps track of who has been hit.
Fencing blades come in three types—foil, sabre and epee—and matches in epee are the least restricted in terms of physical contact. Fencers may target any area of the body, whereas foil and sabre matches only recognize touches to the chest or upper body.
Every strip at practice is spoken for, two fencers to a strip. Some parents linger to watch their children with pride; others have opted to try their hand at the sport. It is not uncommon to see a father and son battling on the strip.
“Usually, the child starts and the parents end up following not long after that,” said Linda Kellish, whose husband and son, Jeff and Jeffrey, are practicing epee skills. Kellish’s son, Jeffrey, 14, is excited to compete in the Spring Open Tournament. “One of Jeffrey’s old opponents will be there, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compete this time,” said Kellish.
Recently returned from a tournament in Long Island, Jeffrey Kellish began fencing two years ago. Kalpaktchiev gave a fencing lesson at a meeting of his Boy Scout troupe and Jeffrey was hooked. “All the parents looked at Lu and thought he was just going to talk about fencing or give a presentation,” said Linda Kellish. “When he showed up with all the equipment, ready to go, those boys were so attentive. They thought, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to fence if we behave!’” Recently, Kellish’s husband began to fence as well. Now, father and son even fence in the kitchen. They, like most of those practicing at the SMFC, respond to the passion for fencing that Kalpaktchiev fosters in each student.
“He’s the best fencer around here,” said Phillip Thayaparan, whose son Aadrien is among those competing in the Spring Open in the Youth division. “He’s made the transition from fencer to teacher and his passion for the sport is so strong. We’re very fortunate to have such a talented coach.”
Thayaparan recognizes the sense of responsibility and commitment that fencing provides.
While lessons and team sports of any variety are frequently associated with this, fencing, in particular, is unique in its history and personality. “As parents, we get headaches. We worry, we stress about how our children are doing in school, in games, in matches. {Lubo} teaches them to work hard and live passionately,” said Thayaparan.
Although members of the SMFC will compete against each other, practice time is focused on technique rather than rivalry. Fencing’s reputation as a gentleman’s sport applies at all times, not only when a letter is at stake.
The tournament will host roughly a dozen youth, and between 20 and 30 adults during the mixed open. Matches begin at 10 a.m. with the Youth divisions, followed by the Senior Mixed Epee at 1 p.m. Those interested may register and find more information at http://askfred.net. Admission is free for spectators.
SMFC is located in the Dick’s Sporting Goods wing of Shoppingtown, across from the gymnastics facility. To contact head coach Lubo Kalpaktchiev at the Syracuse Musketeers Fencing Club, call 447-8618 or visit www.syracusemusketeers.org.
—Jessica Zurell
En garde: (photo above) If you look closely, you will see the tethers coming from each fencer that attach them to sensors that keep track of contact made, which translates to points scored. You can get a live-action look this Saturday at a tournament at Shoppingtown Mall.
