En garde!

The masses may hear “fencing” and think immediately of the Three Musketeers. But fencing is a sport that has acquired a massive fan base across the country and abroad. Often referred to as “physical chess,” it combines both physical prowess with intense mental focus. Arsenal Fencing Club, is now bringing this multifaceted, demanding and unanimously enjoyable sport to East Cobb.

Invented in Europe in the 18th century, fencing evolved into a competitive sport and its popularity is growing. Now, American fencers compete in tournaments all over the world. Berwyn Lu represented the US National Team at Havana, Cuba for the Pan-American Championships in March 2017, earning silver. Daniel Mogilevsky is the 2017 U.S. Fencing Association National Champion of Division II.

Both Berwyn and Daniel are fencers at Arsenal Fencing Club, training under Coach Maksim Lahotska, former head coach of the Belarus Fencing Team. He is also an internationally recognized referee and judged the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics.

Michael Fazylov, a junior at The Walker School, began fencing two years ago at Arsenal and is hooked. His coach, Ievgenii Maksymov, the former Turkish National Team coach, has worked directly with Michael, who has excelled at an amazingly quick pace. Dedicated coaching and hard work landed him a silver medal on Team USA at the summer tournaments in Israel.

“I absolutely love it. It is challenging, sometimes mentally draining but importantly, fun. I plan on continuing to compete in college as well,” said Michael.

Fortunately for fencers like Michael, most competitive colleges, including all Ivy Leagues, have fencing teams that actively recruit fencers. Colleges find fencers especially attractive because of the mental discipline the sport imparts. Furthermore, fencers receive more collegiate scholarships than most other NCAA athletes, showing how fast the sport is growing.

Fencing lessons are open to all ages, and Arsenal Fencing Club invites the community to learn more about fencing at its open house on Saturday, September 23 from 1-3pm. Join the club for competitions, an extra-curricular sport, or fun. Refreshments will be served. Arsenal is located within EC Sports Center, 2550 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 230 in Marietta, 30066. For more information call 770-756-7110.