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NOVEMBER 23, 1992
SPORTS 11
Black fencing members excel in a ‘different’ sport
By TJ Stancil
Staff Writer
Fencing—the ultinfiale sport!
Well, at least it is to some and
surprisingly more people than you
would think. The University fenc
ing team is a national power in its
sport, and annually has AU-Ameri-
cans and Top 10 finishes.
The surprising thing about fenc
ing is that a significant amount of its
top athletes are black, and this is no
exception here at UNC. Reggie
O’Rourke, a senior from Raleigh;
Andre Walker, a sophomore from
Jacksonville; Kim Barnes, a junior
from Raleigh; Keona Parker, a
sophomore from Angier; Delwin
Elder, Knoxville; and David Karatz,
a native New Yoricer comprise the
black fencers at the University.
“There has been fencing at UNC
for 25 years, all coached by Dr. Ron
Miller,” said O’Rourke, captain of
the team. “The fencing team has the
highest grade point average (of a
varsity sport) on campus, and we
have had many Fencing All-Ameri
cans.”
“There are three
weapons in fencing:
the epee, the foil and
the saber. Men use all
the weapons, while
collegiately, women
use just the foil. The
foil is used for the
torso, and the saber is
used for the waste up.
The epee is a full body
weapon.”
These three weap
ons are used in the dif
ferent fencing compe-
titions called dual
meets which are indi
vidual bouts to five.
There are some
risks in fencing, but
so are there in any
physical contact sport
All equipment must pass an exten
sive safety test before competition.
Fencers use bulletproof under
arm Kevlar, as well as heavy duty
masks used to endure lots of pres
sure.
Most of the protective gear is
perhaps overcompensation, which
speaks volumes for the safety of the
m
BLACK INK
Black fencers head up a team which is a perrenial national p«>ver.
fencing sport.
t his year's team is made up ot
about 5 5 fencers, around 20 of which
are women. There are two ACC
schools that field fencing teams, the
BLACK INK/COREY BROWN
Senior captain Reggie O’Rourke
other being Duke. The majority of
fencing teams are in the Northeast
and Midwest, with a few out West.
When asked how people reacted
when they found out about the black
fencers. O’Rourke said, “People
were surprised and made a lot of
jokes. Someoneeven asked me, ‘Do
you steal stuff?’”
Andre Walker stated: “People
tell me Uiey didn't know we had
one. More people need to come out
and see what it (fencing) is all
about.”
Many of the fencers
took different routes to
fencing. Kim Barnes
stated,‘This is a varsity
sport. There were open
tryouts and the Fencing
team here has a great tra
dition.”
“I needed a P.E., and I
couldn’t find soccer so a
friend convinced me to U7
fencing.,” O’Rourke ex
plains.
“I was a spectator and
the girlfriend of a fencer,”
Keona Parker jokes. “I
took the class to find out
what it was all about. I
found out it was lots of
fun and very competitive.”
Their are usually
around 120 who try out
for fencing, with about 85
to 90 making the final cut
The fencing team has a national
schedule including stops atTemple,
New York University, Chicago,
Penn State and Boston. Their first
team competition is Nov. 7-8 in
Philadelphia at the Temple Open.
Their first home event is Jan. 9-10,
and I know they would be glad to
see any supporters-especially some
black laces.
my
/ / .// /
/>y /
“One of the best sabcrmcn is 5-
time Olympian and Bronze medal
ist Pete Westbrook. He was black,”
O’Rourke noted.
“At NYU, Peter Lewison is a
former top (black) foilist who
teaches fencing to underprivileged
kids.” And so there could start the
next generation of black fencers.
It seems that any sport, no mat
ter how disciplined, African Ameri
cans have found a way to excel in it.
Fencing is no different.
As Kim Barnes explains, “Fenc
ing is not hard to understand. There
is always someone there to ex
plain.”
Coach Miller added, “We have
tryouts at the beginning of every
year, a fencing class (a P.E. elec
tive), and a Fencing Club every
Tuesday and Thursday nights from
7:30 to midnight.”
So for all you undiscovered po
tential fencing superstars. Coach
Miller has a foil for you.
//
MARCEL MARCEAU
D«cenilier 9
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