SEATTLE- Stepping onto the floor, freshman Charlie Miller dawns his mask and stands before his opponent. Surrounded by a sea of students, each one of them watches in anticipation for their first moves. No one in the crowd had ever participated in a fencing match, let alone seen one. But for Miller, this was his passion. And today was the day to share it with the rest of the school.
Ever since 5th grade, Miller has been an active participant in fencing. After getting bored of soccer, he looked at other sports that he could possibly play.
"I wanted to do something different that not a lot of people did, something that didn't have a massive time commitment," said Miller.
Miller is a member of Washington Fencing Academy as a Cadet, and is inspired by his coach who played for Team USA, Olympian Mark Lundborg.
"Since he is an actual fencer, he isn't a dedicated coach. He teaches a little bit different. It lets me be more unique compared to other fencers my age, which can give me an advantage."
Out of the 3 different swords that can be used in a match, his favorite is the saber.
"I picked the one that looked like actual sword fighting, and I've gone from there since."
In fencing, practices look a little different compared to other sports. Rather than improving raw strength and conditioning, they work more on technique.
"There's a lot more focus on how fast you can hit you combinations and being able to predict your opponent."
After a warm-up, fencers practice their lunges and advances on dummies before working with a partner for offensive and defensive moves. Then, they practice these moves in a mini-tournament against each other.
"There's a lot really unique moves in saber, but my favorite move would be the five step fake because there are a lot of moves you can do from it."
His efforts have been successful, as Miller has achieved high placements in many of his tournaments.
"I've gone to about 4 or 5 tournaments this season, but my best placements in my career are a 1st, a couple of 2nds and a 3rd."
For those entering the fencing scene, Miller recommends working on improving reaction time and adaptability.
"The most important part of fencing is the step that happens at the very beginning [of the round]. Focus on predicting what your opponent is going to do and reacting to it."
Next year, Miller hopes to spread his passion and start a fencing team for O'Dea for the winter season. He introduced the school to the sport through an assembly, and captivated the entire student body fencing his mentor. Although he is still trying to find a coach for the team, he wants to share the sport with others. Miller loves the comradery, and treasures all his time spent within the fencing scene.
"It's a great community, I love the people there. There's people of all ages, and I made friendships with people I never have talked to.
After beating his opponent, Miller removes his mask, watching as each row of spectators stands to applaud him. It was an unofficial match, yet the crowd of students were on their feet, cheering him on. Miller bows, knowing that his mission to share his love for fencing was only getting started.
Watch him this Saturday, January 25, at Rain City Fencing for the Battle in Seattle!
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