You surely love fencing! Of course you do, right? It’s amazing! For those of us who practice fencing, our enthusiasm can be quite contagious, and we tend to get pretty excited about it. It’s not long before we start to think that everyone should be fencing, and that it’s absolutely the perfect pastime for all of the people in our lives.
But reality is that fencing is so much of a niche sport that many people don’t even know how it really looks beyond what they’ve seen in the “Princess Bride.” Often they aren’t even sure whether the weapons are sharp or not! If you want to share your enthusiasm with them, then the first thing is most likely to be that you need educate them a bit about fencing.
The question is, how can you share your love of fencing with your friends with enthusiasm but without getting away with yourself? Here are some ideas.
Talk About Fencing
One of the best ways to share your love of fencing with your friends is to simply talk about it! While the super secret thing is a lot of fun for Batman, you don’t need to have a secret fencing identity. Share your love of fencing with others by simply bringing it up in conversation and sharing it on social media. If you did well at competition, then let them know!
Sharing what you love isn’t bragging about it as long as it’s done in the spirit of enthusiasm and joy. Talking about fencing as the sport of your choice and your passion is one of the best and most natural ways to get the word out!
The most important point when you talk about fencing is to focus on educating your friends about what fencing really is: fun, exciting, challenging, safe. This is opposed to what fencing is not: dangerous, boring, dueling, easy. Dispelling stigma is the first step in sharing your love of fencing with others.
Invite Them to the Club
Invite your friends to come to your fencing club. For people who haven’t had much exposure to the sport, just watching practice is pretty exciting. (It’s pretty exciting even if you’re an experienced fencer!) Many people are intimidated when they think about a fencing and feel nervous about just walking into a fencing club. After all, most people aren’t accustomed to being around swords and their first impression about fencing that it is dangerous and that the weapons are sharp! It’s always surprising to those of us that have been around it, but truly your friends are very likely intimidated by the very thought of a fencing club. Be warm and invite them out, explain how safe fencing is and why it is so much fun!
You might also invite them to open events at the club. Sometimes there are movie nights or parties, open tournaments or other kinds of events. You can also certainly invite your friends to local fencing tournaments, especially if you’re competing in them. There’s no doubt that fencing competitions are exciting, which is of course a big reason that we all love them. If you do invite them, explain to them what is going on, about the flow of the events and how to follow the action. Do not assume that it is self-explanatory, because it is not. So invest in their education to keep them interested in the competition. It’s always more fun with a friend!
Fencing Home Events
If you love fencing, then another way to really share and have fun with it with your friends is to invite them over for a fencing event at your home. You could have a fencing movie marathon or watch some professional fencing on television (BTW, there is a fantastic Finish movie that is Golden Globe nominee and is Finnish entrance for the Oscars. If you support their campaign now, you can even get a DVD as a perk!). Fencing of course doesn’t just happen at the club, it happens everywhere! Organize a gathering with your friends to spread the word and to share some of the cool things that you really love about fencing with them. Doing it at home takes some of the pressure off.
Fencing Demos at School
This is one of my favorites. During a week when my kids were VIP in their class, they shared with their classmates their fencing stories, and even demonstrated their skills to the entire grade. Not only did they become to be “mini-celebrities” in their grade, they started to feel very special and much more enthusiastic about their own fencing, and of course their school friends got a demo that ignited their interest as well.
School Projects
This one is of course for school aged kids. So often there are projects at school where you get to choose your topic. And isn’t fencing a great topic to choose? When you have the chance, choose a great fencer for that history project and share it with your class. How about a science fair project on force and impact in fencing? Or a book report on a great book about fencing? If you’re keen to share your love for the sport, then do it at school!
Wear it Proud
Wear your fencing proudly! This means those club t-shirts and jackets that declare your fencing love, as well as other kinds of fencing gear that you might have around like school supplies or cool things that you’ve picked up at tournaments along the way. Don’t hide your fencing pride – show it!
How do you share your love of fencing with the people in your life? Let us know in the comments!
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