Enfield Fencing Club To Open Facility In August

ENFIELD, CT — The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games are set to commence this weekend, with competitors from around the world vying for medals in 33 sports. Five of those sports have been contested in every Olympiad since the institution of the modern Games in Athens, Greece in 1896: athletics (track and field), cycling, gymnastics, swimming and fencing.

There are three forms of Olympic fencing: foil, a light thrusting weapon; épée, a heavy thrusting weapon; and sabre, a light cutting and thrusting weapon. Fencing is a Western martial art which is now done primarily for sport.

In addition to its competitive side, fencing is also a great outlet for physical fitness and mental acuity for children and adults of all ages. Those factors have driven three area residents to form the Enfield Fencing Club, which will be opening in August in the Stop & Shop Plaza, at the site of the old Executive Valet Cleaners.

Gherardo Mauri, a native of Rome, Italy, has been fencing competitively in Europe and the U.S. for 35 years, actively coaching for over 20 years, and is currently ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. in veteran men's sabre. Outside of fencing, he is a project manager in the high rise construction industry.

Joyce Bolanos, a native of Peru, has lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. A lifetime fencer, she has represented Puerto Rico as a member of the national fencing team, and has competed extensively in the Caribbean, South America and Europe. She is Secretary General for the U.S. Virgin Islands Fencing Federation, a member of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Promotion, Communication, and Marketing Commission, and teaches Spanish at Suffield Academy.

Dr. Ian Tucker has been fencing for over 25 years, and was a member of the Cornell University varsity fencing team. With his medical background, he is an ambassador of the health benefits of the sport for all ages. He runs a family medicine practice in Somers.

"The sport is open to anyone from age 6 to 100," Mauri said during a recent visit by Patch. "It's really a sport you can start at any time in life. It's a great workout for people who find the gym boring. It gives you competitiveness, it's very safe and friendly, and it teaches you sportsmanship and respect for your opponent."

Bolanos said, "It's a lifestyle; it keeps me agile and flexible. I'm a veteran fencer now; I would never stop fencing just because of my age. To me, it's like going to the gym every day."

The sport itself was described by Tucker as "physical chess."

"You're thinking ahead of the game - what you're going to do, how you're going to respond - in microsecond bursts," he said. "If you've clever and able to think quickly, you can succeed very nicely. At any age, as long as you have your wits about you, it's a lot of thought - not a lot of grunt or strength or speed."

Benefits of participating in fencing include strength, endurance, anaerobic and aerobic fitness, agility, flexibility, mental alertness, cardiovascular health, balance and coordination.

The studio will be the first of its kind in Enfield. The nearest fencing centers are located 45 minutes to an hour away.

Masks, weapons and jackets are available for use when a person first joins. "People who want to start off with us don't need to worry about spending a lot of money to see if they like it," Tucker said.

When the center opens next month, the first class for all visitors will be complimentary.

More information may be obtained by emailing enfieldfencingclub@gmail.com.

To register for free Enfield news alerts and more, click here.