The Rice University fencing club is in a stage of rebirth. After being abandoned for a number of years, it was restarted in Fall 2006. Currently, we are putting all our effort into recruiting new members. Are you a fencer at Rice? Have you never picked up a foil, but want to try? This is the right place.
While our member base is currently small, we have the equipment for all three types of fencing- foil, epee, and saber- and people who are competent in each one. The club has spare equipment, and can lend jackets, gloves, and masks to anyone without their own gear. We own electric equipment as well, and are in the process of digging through the old club's leftovers to find out what works, what needs to be fixed, and what needs to be bought.
If you are interested at all in our club, come to a meeting! The RFC meets on Tuesday nights at 7:30 and Saturday afternoons at 3:00 in the Autry West Gym, and some members go to our faculty sponsor Mauro Hamza's private fencing clubs on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00. Check out our Practices page for more information. Get in touch by emailing us at rfc@rice.edu.
Many people know nothing about the sport of fencing. In essence, it is very simple: you poke your opponent with a metal rod before he pokes you. There is far more to it than this one barbaric guideline, though. The three types of blades have different rules regarding their use, and so the styles in which they are used vary significantly. To learn about the weapons, and to discover the subtleties of poking with a metal rod, wisit the US Fencing Association or come to a club meeting.