Elegant sport offered by SKIESUnlimited

Sgt. Mark Miranda/5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The screen of a protective mask hides the expression on his face, but Thomas Bingman’s stance and the way he holds his weapon speaks with challenging, restrained aggression.

Fencing requires finesse, after all. Normally bursting with energy, the discipline needed to handle his foil (a thin, ball-pointed sword) has 10-year-old Bingman’s undivided attention.

Keeping the attention of children as young as 7 years old when they have facemasks and swords in hand requires skilled communication and focus on safety.

Andrew Glynn is a patient instructor. A former combat medic from Brooklyn, N.Y., Glynn teaches children Olympic-style fencing Tuesday and Thursday afternoons after school at Carter Lake Elementary School. His fencing class is a course offered through the JBLM Schools of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration, and Skills Unlimited (SKIESUnlimited) program.

The cost of the fencing class is $46 monthly or free to those dependents with a parent currently deployed.

“The fencing program started about a year ago, and is geared towards children 7 to 17 years old who want to try something new,” Glynn said.

Fencing combines fitness, confidence, physical awareness, concentration, positive social skills and creative problem solving.

Glynn, 57, started fencing with the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club seven years ago. As a certified Olympic fencing instructor, he’s called a Moniteur de Fleuret and also teaches the Tacoma club’s adults through private lessons.

“For me, it was an alternative to my boring, repetitive, non-stimulating workouts,” Glynn said.

There are few fencing clubs in Washington. Aside from the Tacoma club, there are organizations in Seattle and Bremerton, and Glynn hopes to expand awareness of the sport.

“I’ve always had a fascination with sword fighting, and this was a chance to learn how to do so in a safe and supervised way,” said Heather Smith, one of Glynn’s students.

The program provides the gear for students to use, much of it donated by the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club.

“It’s a cool sport, and growing up we were fans of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, any books or shows about knights with swords. We were always play-fighting with one another. It would be great if more kids got involved, since this is a lot of fun,” said James Smith, Heather’s younger brother, also a student in Glynn’s class.

Beginning students start out on a type of sword called a foil, as skills learned on it are transferable to the other types of swords seen in fencing, namely epee blades and sabers.

“It’s a full body workout that uses your core muscles, and the footwork required is great exercise for your legs. Fencing uses lightning-fast mastered movements. It makes you move and think, concentrate on the blades, and come up with strategy on how to defeat your opponent. You can’t bulldoze your way through it,” Glynn said.

Beyond the classes, Glynn offers his students the chance to participate in bouts through the Tacoma Fencing Club.

“Doing so is invaluable experience, and the best way to enhance fencing skills. On average, I’d say it takes around three years to learn,” Glynn said.

“Like anything, if you want to master it you’re going to put in 10,000 hours — like piano, but this is a full body sport. A lot of times, kids that want to be really good really fast don’t get that,” Glynn said.

Due to military Family moves, there’s a constant rotation of students in and out of the program and class sizes tend to run small, creating a more personalized instruction ideal for beginners.

In Glynn’s classes, fencing swordplay is done safely, making injuries extremely rare. He uses equipment meeting strict protective guidelines and sticks to rules that emphasize safety above all else.

“Good sportsmanship is a traditional and honored core value in fencing that emphasizes mutual respect. Body contact in fencing is to be avoided except as incidental and then there are penalties for this rule infraction. Good fencing is taught as finesse fencing, and this helps to ensure safe fencing,” Glynn said.

At the end of each class, students salute their instructor in traditional fencing manner, and shake one another’s hands in a show of camaraderie and appreciation.

Those interested in letting their children participate in JBLM fencing can contact the SKIESUnlimited program at 966-3539.