The UH fencing club competes in the Southwest Intercollegiate Fencing Association competition against other major Texas universities like Rice and Baylor. | Courtesy of UH.edu
The fencing club may not be well known on campus, but it has made its presence known at several competitions by winning many awards.
The club participates in the Southwest Intercollegiate Fencing Association tournaments along with other schools like Baylor, Texas Tech and Rice. Last year, the Saber team won first place overall and has placed in previous SWIFA tournaments.
“The purpose of the club is to educate the UH students about fencing, give them examples, give them the opportunity to join the club, participate in the sport and grow and get better at it,” Oppong Hemeng, treasurer and two-year member of the club, said.
Hemeng said the best part of the sport is that fencing requires both strength and logic.
Second year member Eric Coffy said he likes the strategy aspect behind fencing, while club secretary and second year member Michael Harris likes how intense a fencing match can become.
“I’d say there’s a learning curve,” Coffy said. “There’s more technique that goes into it than you see.”
For anyone interested in joining, there’s no need to bring equipment. The club has all of the necessary items for fencing such as the sword, the mask and the jacket.
“Just come with some athletic shoes; that’s all you need. We provide the rest,” Hemeng said.
The fencing club meets every Monday and Wednesday in Multipurpose Room No. 1 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Club membership dues are $50 per semester or $85 for the year. Anyone interested in joining can try free for a semester. Those interested in joining at the end of the free period will have to pay dues for the trial semester to stay in the club.
