Fencing club hosts competition in Hillcrest

HILLCREST Fencing Club hosted a fencing competition on recently.

Stuart Gibson, the founder of the Hillcrest Fencing Club, said their membership has begun to recover from the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Operating from the Centenary Hall at Highbury Preparatory School, the club is the only fencing club in the Highway area.

The competition was the third in a series of four annual ranking events held in KwaZulu-Natal. Four fencing clubs participated in the competition. Fencers represented the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Maestro Fencing Club, Midlands Fencing Club and the Hillcrest Fencing Club, who were the hosts.

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Participants competed in three weapon categories. Gibson gave an overview of the weapons and scoring process used.

“Three weapons were used in the competition. The first, the epee, is a stabbing weapon, and the whole body is the contact area, from head to toe. The second round involves a stabbing weapon called a foil. The contact area is the upper body, the torso. A special conductive jacket is worn, and only if the weapon hits the conductive jacket will the competitor score a point. The third round features a sabre, which is a cutting weapon, and the entire upper body is the target. The waist and up, including the arms, are fair game,” said Gibson.

Fencing developed from military training into a sport in the 15th century, when swords became commonplace amongst civilians.

A fencing bag, donated by the Real Estate Company, Durban Property Finance, and Vishal Singh, was raffled and won by Amelia Chiang.

Fencing is a sport for all ages, and the Hillcrest Fencing Club has members between 10 and 80. They train twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 17:30 to 19:00, at Highbury Preparatory School in Highbury Road, Hillcrest. The club offers a free trial to prospective members.

For more information, find Hillcrest Fencing Club on FB, email hfc@fencingkzn.co.za or contact at 082 462 3788.