The University of Central Missouri’s Fencing Club gears up for another semester of showcasing their skills across the state of Missouri. The Fencing Club is slated for another semester of sharpening their skills and strengthening their team bonds. Preparations for upcoming competitions have begun, while they also prepare for the upcoming Amateur Fencing Association Guild tournament hosted at UCM.
President of the fencing club, Lauren Channel, has been with the club since she started as a freshman. Now, as a senior, she is in charge of running the club and preparing the team for tournaments. Channel teaches basic techniques during practice with the help of the other officers.
“I try to let the other officers take the role of leading the practices since I’ll be stepping down after this year. Other than in the club, I also help set up tournaments and keep contact with the other schools that host tournaments” Channel said.
The club travels across the state to compete in three tournaments a semester amongst other schools in the Amateur Fencing Association Guild. As president, Channel is in charge of deciding what month and weekend the tournament will be held at UCM.
“We start with figuring out what school gets what month and from the
n on we decide what weekend we want. I typically try to avoid any big things happening like football games or huge concerts that are going on,” Channel said.
Julian Anderson has been the Promotions Representative for the club since he started at UCM two years ago. He works with the officers to teach during practice as well as helping the club run fundraisers to get money for equipment and travel.
“The largest part of starting a fundraiser is getting permission from the university. The main part is reserving the space, making sure people are okay for us to do this. The second largest part is making sure we can get the supplies,” Anderson said.
Freshman fencer, Ava Neidt started with the club last semester and has become very dedicated to fencing and plans to continue to be involved with the club while attending UCM. She has gone to every tournament so far and is a big supporter of the club.
“We all come together and have fun and learn new things. Tournaments are completely optional, you are never required to go, and we had some people before me and even now who just come to practice,” Neidt said.
