October 8, 2004
By Bafana Nzimande
A SMALL group of Sowetans has thrown down the gauntlet to black communities to take up the challenge of expanding their sporting prowess, this time into the halls of fencing.
The small Soweto Fencing Club, set up in 2001, is making marked strides in the sport, with three of its members ranked in the top 40 of the country's fencers.
The club - based in Orlando Power Park in Orlando East - has 15 members from around Soweto and holds training sessions twice a week.
Some writers on the sport describe fencing as "chess with muscles", highlighting the careful strategies and mind games that go into duelling. The object is to score 15 points in a knockout tournament, or five points in a round-robin tournament. Fencers accumulate points by breaching their opponent's defences and scoring a touch.
Mpho Nkoane's careful coaching backs the thrust and parry of the sword fights in the Power Park community hall.
Nkoane, while delighted at the success of the club's members, believes much work still needs to be done to develop fencing - particularly in black communities
"Most people living in the townships are exposed to fencing only through television," says Nkoane. In fact, very few local residents are aware that there is a club in Soweto.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 3.30pm to 5pm the hall is abuzz with energetic youngsters perfecting their skills: advancing, retreating, lunging.
Dressed in white tight-fitting trousers, padded white jackets, worn-out running sneakers and huge helmets with net facemasks the group work hard - pushed on by Nkoane.
Fencers need to be quick - mentally and physically. "The tactical sport of fencing is very much about fast thinking. If you are a fast thinker you can easily succeed as a fencer," says club member Thabo Mpiti.
Various websites point out that the sport of fencing can trace its roots right back to ancient combat, with the Egyptians turning it into a sport in about 1200 BC.
During the Renaissance fencing came to be considered an art form, with masters passing their skills on to a select few apprentices.
Later the rules and regulations were written down, covering the scoring system as well as the equipment.
Fencing was an obvious sport to include in the modern Olympic Games.
Mpiti, who is ranked among the country's top 10 fencers, says his ultimate aim is to represent his country at the Olympic Games.
"I started fencing in 2001 and I feel that was the best decision of my entire life, because fencing is definitely my passion."
Coach Nkoane wishes the club members could put in more practice, but "we have to share the hall with other sporting codes, that is why we train only twice a week".
While the club received a donation of equipment from the Swedish government when it began, it is looking for sponsorship. It can cost as much as R2 000 to equip one fencer. For the past three years the Soweto Fencing Club has relied on donations from the South African Amateur Fencing Association.
For more information about the Soweto Fencing Club call 072 826 1892.
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