Rockville Fencer Competing in Croatia

A cadre of veteran fencers, including a Rockville resident, are in Croatia this week to match their skills against the best fencers in the world over the age of 50.

Jim Adams, of Rockville, and two teammates at the in Silver Spring—Kazimieras “Kaz” Campe, of Edgewater, and Valerie Asher, of Bethesda—are competing against other veteran fencers in the international tournament.

Though most fencers specialize in one weapon, Adams, who has been fencing for more than 50 years, is a master of all three in the fencing arena—the épée, the sabre, and the foil.

“At the highest level of fencing, nobody fences more than one weapon,” he said. “But veteran championships are not quite the highest level. I use all three weapons. And [in Croatia] Kaz and Val will have one event each. I have three.”

The blades look similar to the naked eye, but they’re used differently in competitions. The épée is much more free-form, whereas the foil is associated with a strict rule set, in which judges keenly watch the flow of combat. A professional saber user will wield the blade in a different fashion than both of the other blades, using strokes instead of jabs.

Historically, points were scored in the sport by drawing blood. After all, it began as a way to settle disputes. But times have changed. In modern fencing scores are kept using electric signals to detect each successful hit. Fencers are equipped with a uniform layered with thin metal.

When the point of the blade touches a contact on the uniform for a few milliseconds, a small charge is sent from the handle of their weapon along a thin wire that ultimately leads to a scoreboard overhead the duelers.

Fencing will take you on a tour of the world, if you’re among the best. Asher has participated in championships in Cuba, Italy and Istanbul, but her trip to Croatia marks her first international competition. She just reached eligibility to join the veteran circuit, which starts at age 50.

Among her fellow veterans, Asher has the least experience. She gave up the sport for 16 years before returning to it in 2000. The time away gave her a fresh perspective, she said.

“I’m an incomparably better fencer now than I was,” she said. “I have a good mental game, and I’ve had the luck to have been paired with some good coaches. They don’t go easy on me because I’m a middle-aged woman. They keep expecting more.”

Campe is among the oldest and most experienced of those at the club. He paces along the floor in strides, thrusting outward with his épée, a shorter, lighter version of the traditional foil. Though he’s in his 70s, Campe is squaring off against a teenager. That’s how training is done at the DC Fencers Club.

Training with a diverse age group strengthens fencers, as each age has something to teach the other, said club fencing master Janusz Smolenski.

A veteran is a professional fencer over the age of 50. Campe has been fencing for more than 40 years, and this year’s tournament will be his 10th international competition.

He said he’s not sure what has kept him involved in the sport for four decades, but it has something to do with the feel of the blade in hand, and the thrill of dueling.

“I’m a very competitive individual. And though I do fence with teams, eventually it comes down to an individual sport. I liked that,” he said. “But another thing that drew me is that this is truly a lifetime sport. You can do it if you’re in good shape indefinitely.”

Somewhere along the tournament bracket, it’s almost inevitable that Campe and teammate Adams will square off, Campe said. Over the years, the two have become great friends, even though they can often be found at opposing ends of their blades.

Campe said he’s felt a genuine sense of camaraderie in fencing that’s unlike other sports.

“Shaking hands at the end of a game of basketball or baseball, it’s somewhat artificial,” he said. “But in fencing it’s not unusual for two competitors who fiercely contest a bout to hug each other at the end, and congratulate each other. There are few sports you see that in.”

The DC Fencers Club is open to nearly all ages. For more information, visit their website at www.dcfencing.com/.