This quarter, Sinclair Community College students are participating in a sport that has been around since the 12th century—fencing.
“It’s great mental exercise, as well as physical. They call it ‘chess at 200 miles an hour,’ ” said William DeVan, who teaches fencing at Sinclair. “You have to probe their defenses, you have to attack from different angles and try different moves. And if they don’t work, you have to be able to adjust your movements to compensate for it.”
This is the first quarter that fencing has been available at Sinclair, according to DeVan. He added that his students have been very enthusiastic about the class, but prospective students should be aware that fencing isn’t like what you may see on the silver screen.
“A lot of people come into this thinking Hollywood or Jedi or something like that,” said DeVan, who has fenced for 10 years. “If you are not willing to get bruised, you’re not willing to work hard, physically, it really isn’t the right sport for you.”
DeVan said that for people interested in finding out more about fencing should visit fencing.teamusa.org.
DeVan began fencing after he saw a flyer that was offering classes.
“I saw a piece of paper, that was stapled to a stop sign, that said ‘Hey, try (fencing) out,’” DeVan said. “ So, I did. And loved it ever since.”
His connection with Chair of the Exercise, Nutrition and Sports Sciences department, Billie Sanders—DeVan gave Sanders’ daughter fencing lessons—led to the idea of having a fencing course at Sinclair.
“I went to Billie Sanders… so, we had discussed opening up a class (at Sinclair), and I was fortunate enough that she wanted me for the job,” DeVan said.