Blade Society

Any student, faculty, or staff of UMAINE may join the Blade Society, provided they have health insurance.

The Blade Society primarilly sport fencing at basic and intermediate levels. THe club promotes interest in the use and history of blade weapons while providing a fun and safe environment for the UMaine community. No experience is necessary and equipment is available through the club. We work to meet the goals of eachindividual fencer, whether that be competence in recreational fencing or competition on the national level.

The Blade Society is a Recreational Sports Club of The University of Maine that teaches sport fencing,and occasionally other forms of bladed combat recreation. We are a club open to all students, faculty, and staff. Dues are only $10 per semester. The Blade Society is gearded towards instruction in beginning and intermediate fencing, yet anyone of any skill level is welcome. We want to help all fencers reach their goals, whether that is fencing recreationally or competitively. No experience or equipment is needed by the beginning student. THe only requisite is a willingness to learn and participate in Blade Society activities. Unfortunately, we cannot have everyone fencing the first preactice that they come to. Learning how to fence safley can take time, but the rewards that come from the experience are well worth it. Please stop by; see what we do, and try it out.

We want to expose students to the basics of fencing. The basics take about a semester. At that time students are encouraged to start developing their own style and specialize into thier weapon of choice. Above all else, we want to make sure that as a member of the Blade Society, you are having fun while learning.

The Blade Society owns all the major equipment that a fencing student may need. If a student decides to stick with the club and advance into intermediate and advanced techniques, we recommend that they consider purchasing their own equipment. However, this is by no means a requirement of the club, and not owning equipment should never interfere with club membership. For basic clothing, students must have all skin covered when fencing. The fencing mask, gloves, and jacket that the club provides cover the upper body. A good T-shirt should be worn underneath. A pair of shoes with good traction and ankle support are recommended. No open-top shoes or sandals. Full length pants are also a requirement. No shorts. Female fencers are required to wear a chest protector. Male fencers it is strongly recommended, but not required, to wear a chest protector and a cup. If you do not fall into either of these categories, use your best judgement to cater to your needs.

Currently, the Blade Society focuses on olympic sport fencing as its main style of martial sport.

We start off all new fencers in foil, the traditional practice weapon. We then spend several weeks practicing the foil basics. Experienced fencers are welcome to fence their choice weapon in open fencing. We then participate in a few weeks of sabre (the other right-of way-weapon), and then teach a few weeks of epee. After an introduction to each of the weapons, new fencers are encouraged to pick a weapon to focus on and join that training group.

Blade Society meets Tuesdays at 7:00 pm and Friday at 6:00 pm in the Foster Room of the Rec Center. Practice runs 90-120 minutes, and we conclude with open fencing.

We also partner with the Down East School of Fencing for our more advanced fencers.

Blade Society participates in USFA events. We host 3-4 of our own tournaments in the spring semester. We encourage our fencers to participate in local and national tournaments.

Brenda Jones

President

brenda.jones@maine.edu