Wheelchair Fencing

An Excuse to Play with Swords

I have been fascinated by sword fighting since I was little. The idea that disagreements were settled by a simple game made a lot of sense. I watched fencing matches and wished I could learn. I thought it was so graceful. I didn't think I would be able to do it because even if I could hold a sword with my dominant hand, I would have fallen on my face if I ever attempted to fence using my reverse walker. I settled for watching matches and learning about the sport on the internet.

Then in college, I discovered we had a Fencing Club at my school. My first college was known for its accessibility, and I was hoping I would find other wheelchair users who wanted to learn to fence. I didn't find my fencing nemesis, but I did find a ton of people who were willing to help me learn.

Wheelchair fencers are separated into categories based on their weapon (Foil, Sabre, and Epee) and the level of impairment to the fencer's sword arm. The two fencers' wheelchairs are positioned and locked into grids on the floor. The first to get 15 points wins.

The rules don't change much between wheelchair fencing and regular Olympic fencing. The target area changes for Epee to exclude everything below the waist, but otherwise, the rules stay the same. The biggest difference is the distance between the fencers to accommodate for their disabilities.

There are various wheelchair fencing clubs across the country. It may not seem like much because you are just moving to avoid being touched. My main teacher always said fencing is like a game of chess. You have to keep an eye on your opponent's weaknesses while making sure they don't see yours. It's also one of the oldest sports in the Paralympics, and who doesn't want to play with swords?

Photo by HPDorn courtesy of Pixabay

Stephanie Wyatt has Cerebral Palsy and uses a manual wheelchair. She spends her free time hanging out with her best friend Carmen and her dog Ama Angelica.