There was a time when fencing was near the forefront of sport at Queen’s and after a pair of bronze medals at this summer’s Provincial Championships, we might see fencing reclaim it’s title as one of the most intriguing and inclusive sports on campus.
Recently, at the Senior Men’s Provincial Championships, Queen’s Fencing Head Coach, Rodney Carter, Nurs ’02, finished third place in the Veteran Men’s Epee, with Queen’s student Tia Gayowsky also finishing third in Senior Women’s Sabre.
Fencing at Queen’s is a sport less followed by the general student body, however, the opportunities for both competitive and recreational engagement with this historic and interesting sport should be recognized for the potential benefits it provides students. Carter has been coaching fencing himself for the past five years, after fencing at Queen’s from 2000 to 2002. Prior to fencing at Queen’s, Carter had no experience with the sport but his athleticism and desire to compete was enough for the Head Coach, Henk Pardoel, to bring him on board.
Carter went on to grow alongside the fencing program at Queen’s, eventually competing at the OUA championships and earning bronze. Since then, Queen’s has grown as a destination for fencing in Canada, hosting an annual invitational tournament, named Hugh Munby Queen’s Fencing Tournament, named after former Queen’s fencing coach.
The Queen’s team offers 48 varsity roster spots, divided equally amongst men’s and women’s teams. The teams practice, compete, and travel together aside from the OUA championships. “We do have people who have never fenced before, you don’t know a whole lot about fencing, well, not many people do. It is a fairly niche sport, but everyone’s sort of familiar with fencing. You know, sword fighting in general, whether it was Princess Bride, Star Wars, or whatever, everyone likes the swashbuckling kind of thing.” Carter said in an interview with The Journal.
Fencing at Queen’s is an opportunity for students of all levels of skill and athleticism to try something new, aiming to find a new hobby or ion. “We show them what fencing is all about, and we let them try it. We teach them the basics and then we pick our varsity team from that, and over the past two years, we’ve started a recreational program again, we lost that before COVID, but recreation has been great, we’ve had some excellent learn-to-fence sessions, and some people who tried that ended up making the varsity team,” Carter said.
Carter also opened up about an incoming student-athlete from British Columbia, who competed as a sabrist on the Canadian junior national team, Florella Peng.
The addition of young fencing prospects is not only a testament to the attractiveness of the fencing program here at Queen’s but a direct communication of the excellent opportunity posed towards all students as a suitable destination for anybody to pick up a new hobby and develop some serious skills.
While the official season won’t start until the fall, Carter disclosed the presence of Q Camps available during the summer in which kids can learn fencing skills in an entirely recreational setting. Carter’s story, from unassuming Queen’s student, to varsity fencing athlete, to OUA medalist, and then to community member, where he volunteered for the program while living in Kingston, eventually making his way up the ladder to Head Coach, serves as a strong testament to the obsession and connections that can come from picking up a new sport.
This year, Queen’s has been selected to host the Women’s OUA Championships from Feb. 8 to 9 at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC). A testament to both the excellent facilities Queen’s has, and the strong fencing program that’s beginning to regain its momentum.
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