The Paw Print

By Macarena Ugalde Bada, Staff Writer

In this year’s seminar selection, yet another combat seminar has been introduced. In addition to Taekwondo, Walter Payton College Prep now offers its first-ever fencing seminar.

Fencing is still somewhat of a niche sport. Currently, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system only has one official team, and the midwestern conference consists of primarily suburban high schools. Two sophomores, Ana Beckman and Sylvia Urdaneta Largura, who both fence outside of school, were interested in bringing their skills to the Payton community. Their goal was to gain a substantial following and, eventually, establish a real team.

In an interview, Urdaneta Largura said “ I’ve been fencing since I was eight or nine years old… and I always said that if my high school didn’t have a fencing club then I would start one”

Each practice begins with a variation of tag, followed by a general warm-up that ensures everyone is ready to move. Given that most seminar members have limited prior fencing experience, they must stretch before practicing to prevent injuries as much as possible.

In the first few weeks of the seminar, coaches Beckman and Urdaneta Largura made sure to spend most of the time teaching footwork. It’s a fundamental part of fencing, as players must have quick reaction times and strong agility to attack and retreat their opponents. 

After practicing footwork, they complete drills that improve spatial awareness, agility, and basic movements they would encounter in competition. 

The actual game is very entertaining. Fencing employs three different weapons, with foil being the most popular and the focus of the seminar. In a bout, or battle, the goal is to hit your opponent on their target with at least 500 grams of pressure by using the tip of your foil. The pressure is measured with a button on each opponent’s target that only compresses when the 500 grams have been reached. Only then does it send a signal into a box that lights up as you get the point. Players attack and retreat as they maneuver their foil to hit their target. 

The seminar is entirely student-led, and supplies are generously provided by RedStar Fencing Club. Everything has been either donated or used, and the leaders transport equipment  between the club and Walter Payton College Prep for each use. RedStar washes the equipment each time, however, it’s a lot to ask for, especially for a long period. Ana and Sylvia are aiming to get enough support so that they can buy their own supplies and establish a team long-term. 

Overall, seminar participants have enjoyed the experience and appreciate how organized it is. “ The cool thing is that they bring the equipment,” said sophomore Issac Doi. “So you get to have the full experience with the weapons, they’re also really good at coaching, so basically you’re having real fencing bouts.”