Fencing is not just a sport that we love, it’s a sport that we live. World Fencing Day is a fantastic moment to celebrate fencing and to join the wider fencing community. This year, it falls on September 10, 2022, and we’re incredibly excited to have a reason to share our sport!
Fencing is for Life
The message this year is “Fencing is for Life”, which is such a heartfelt message, and it’s one that fencing families can relate to. This sport gets into our blood and bodies and enlivens our spirit. Though we might only be at the fencing club or the tournament for a few hours a week, the lessons and fortitude that we gain from fencing spill out into our lives in the most positive ways.
Fencing fills us with a bright hope and a feeling of mastery that allows us to reach higher and be more confident. There’s power in holding a sword, and there’s even more power in pursuing this sport in a supportive environment. We build community, both in our clubs and around the world.
One of the best things about fencing is the international community that it’s a part of. In fact, World Fencing Day is celebrated all over! FIE, the international fencing body, has affiliates on every continent (except Antarctica). We are truly a global sport, with a community that is varied and incredibly diverse.
This is a universal sport, and one that reaches everyone, no matter what age they are. Competitive fencing goes from eight years old all the way to eighty years old and beyond. When we say this sport is for life, we mean your whole life. It’s accessible, and it’s remarkable.
Celebrating World Fencing Day
How can you celebrate World Fencing Day 2022? Here are some ideas!
Sign up for a fencing competition.
If you’re already competing, then look over your fencing schedule and plan your next competition. If you’ve never competed before, then this is a great reason to sign up for your first tournament.
Read up on fencing
There are some amazing books on fencing, like Nadi on Fencing by the legendary Aldo Nadi, the manga Fence Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat, and we have to include our book From Cool Runnings to World Superpower: The Rise of American Fencing. Though we usually practice fencing, going deeper with a book, even with fiction, can give you a whole new level of understanding and excitement.
Pass along outgrown gear
If you have gently used fencing equipment, it’s a great time to pass it along to someone else in your club. Check through your closet for old knickers or jackets, and offer it up as a donation to your fencing club or even sell it as used equipment. This is a great way to give back to the sport and to clean out your closet!
Talk to someone about fencing.
This is a meaningful way to celebrate World Fencing Day, and it is sharing our love of the sport with others! Talk to someone about fencing, and maybe invite them to come to your fencing club to try an intro class. You can also ask friends and family to come support you at your next local tournament. This doesn’t have to be with the specific intent of getting someone to start fencing, but you never know if you’ll be the person who sparks someone’s interest in developing a passion for this sport!
Watch a film about fencing
There are so many classic fencing films, from the perennial favorite The Princess Bride to the classic Zorro to the heartwarming recent film The Fencer. Curling up with some popcorn and enjoying a fencing movie is a great way to celebrate World Fencing Day!
Engage with the global fencing community
Sometimes we get so focused on the fencing that’s right in front of us that we forget how widespread this sport is around the world. World Fencing Day is a great time to watch some videos of international fencing, learn more about how the global competition circuit works, and also familiarize yourself with the players ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. There’s a huge, amazing world of international fencing to take part in!
Share fencing on social media
This is one of the best ways to share your love of fencing! FIE has created social media friendly banners and images that are easy to share, or you can of course share one of your favorite pictures from your time fencing. It’s a fun day to make a quick video if you’re on #fencingtok on Tiktok, or to post a memory of fencing that you love. Be loud and proud for the world!
Submit photos and videos to FIE.
FIE is asking for submissions of photos and videos to their social media for them to post! This is an incredible way to share your love of fencing and to be a part of the bigger community. You just have to tag your pictures with #fencingisforlife #worldfencingday2022 and FIE will choose amongst the photos and videos with the tag to reshare!
Fence!
We can’t forget the best way possible to celebrate fencing – by practicing fencing! Look for an open fencing time, or maybe take a drop in class on September 10th, if your club supports it, to join in the sport that we all love so much. If your club doesn’t have an opportunity, then you can also try some backyard fencing drills or practice with the blessing of your coach.
Fencing supports our future
Fencing gives us a way to build towards a future that’s exciting and also attainable. It’s not about becoming something more than we are so much as becoming the best version of ourselves. Athleticism, mental engagement, and most importantly, connection are the things that keep us coming back again and again.
On this World Fencing Day, we thank you for sharing this sport with us at AFM on this blog. This is our humble way of contributing to the community and legacy of this sport, and we hope that you, our readers, enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy creating this content.
For our whole community – parents, referees, coaches, fans, athletes, and everyone – we are so thankful for this sport and for the good things that it brings to us all.
R
Your photo brings to mind “In an old house in Paris, That was covered in vines, Lived twelve little girls, In two straight lines…and the littlest of them was Madeline.” 😉
Igor Chirashnya
It’s like fencing is poetry. Going to write such a blog 🙂