Dr. Svetlana Staub (facing camera) fences Emma Kuntzig at the YMCA.
sports, fencing serves as an outlet to try something different while mak-ing
friends. Such is the case with 10-year-old Caden.
It’s the last night of the first session of the youth class. Caden’s mother,
father and grandparents are in attendance, watching him fence. Caden
originally came into the sport after trying soccer. He’s a sweet, shy type
who says he prefers reading books to playing traditional sports. But he
loves fencing.
THE SPORT OF FENCING,
with its varying sword sizes,
is accommodating for both
children and adults. Most
beginning fencers start with
foil, the smallest and easiest to hold. During a
Tuesday evening practice at the YMCA, some
Wilmington Fencing Club members fence sabre
while most fence épée.
Dr. Svetlana Staub, a pediatrician by day, helps
coach both the youth and adult class held at the
Y, and she’s always willing to bout (and practice)
against some of the class’s youngest members,
including 11-year-old Ava.
Ava has been fencing with the Wilmington
Fencing Club since she was 8. She’s quick on her
feet and took to the sport naturally. So much so
that she was in the adult class by age 10.
She’s charismatic and enchanted by fencing.
Once the mask goes on and the bout begins,
her natural precision with the sport and sword is
evident.
While fencing might be traditionally viewed
as a male-dominated sport, it’s both fluid and
adaptable for men and women. Staub grew up
fencing in Ukraine at a time when women were
only allowed to fence foil. Now she fences all three
swords as well and assists young fencers like Ava
in their skill.
Ava was instantly captivated after her first-ever
class.
“I remember feeling very invigorated,” she says.
“I had met Chase for the first time and of course
he beat me and I remember going home and
thinking, ‘I gotta beat that kid.’ I’m very proud of
doing fencing because not a lot of people do it.”
Parents with children in the program often say
the desire to fence began with watching movies
like “Robin Hood” and “Star Wars.” Ava’s mother,
Kathy Rayle, says for Ava it was “The Princess
Bride.”
“There’s a great fencing scene, and she loves
that movie,” Rayle says. “It just gave her the flicker
of the idea, and she had a real knack for it so she stuck with it.”
Rayle researched fencing programs in Wilmington and found Rea. His
club provides all weapons, a bonus for those who just want to try the
sport once and see if they like it. Rea also attends every competition,
usually held in Fayetteville, and remarkably refuses to take any pay for
his coaching.
For many children who have yet to find their niche in more traditional
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WBM february 2018