Learning to Fence at Heaton.

Fencing at school is a very fun experience. Diane, our coach, talked to us about 3 different techniques; foil, epee and sabre. All of us started to learn foil, because it's the lightest.

Weapon: we were learning the basics of fencing like the correct feet position and how to hold your weapon properly. We got to do some sword fighting against other Heaton people which was really cool.

Did you know:

• Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the starter of the modern Olympic Games, was a fencer.
  
• The tip of the fencing weapon is the second fastest moving object in sport; the first is the marksman's bullet.
  
• Fencing is one of only four sports to be included in every modern Olympic Games since the first in 1896. Fencing was also a sport in the original Olympic Games in ancient Greece.
  
• Fencing is known for being the only combat sport with no weight classes.
  

In Foil you can only score with the tip of the sword and fencers can only score by touching the opponent’s chest and back

In Epee, my personal favourite, you can score anywhere, even the shoe, helmet, arm, legs, chest and back but you can only score with the tip.

In Sabre, you can only be hit from the waist up but unlike the other two you can score with the side of the blade.

We have really enjoyed our fencing lessons at Heaton. Some old Heaton students who started fencing at Heaton came back to help us. They are still fencing.

Andrew, Room 14

If you are tempted to have a go, why not go along to United Fencing at Shirley Intermediate School. They meet on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. You will find quite a few Heaton students there.

For more information contact Mrs Taylor, taylorf@heaton.school.nz