HB Blades members Sophi Lee with coach Baz Clark (left), Olly Styles, Tyler Kelly, Ethan Hedge and Sam Miller preparing for the NZ Central Open fencing tourney in a fortnight. Photo / Paul Taylor
Lee with coach Baz Clark (left), Olly Styles, Tyler Kelly, Ethan Hedge and Sam Miller preparing for the NZ Central Open fencing tournament in a fortnight. Photo/Paul Taylor NZ Central Open Hastings, fencing Anendra Singh
They hide behind masks but there's no disguising what fencers intend to do once they welcome you to the fold — that is, stab you.
But it's all in good spirit in an ancient sport that promotes the disciplines of sabre as theatre, foil as art and epee as a moment of truth.
"Fencing is described as physical chess," says Hawke's Bay Blades secretary Olly Styles before they host New Zealand's Central Open at the Havelock North High School gym hall on the weekend of October 12-13. "It's strikingly the obvious joy of running around whacking other people with swords in a safe and happy environment."
Styles says it offers a full-body workout, demanding a broad use of motor skills once the 14m x 1.5m wide piste is rolled out to define the boundaries of engagement.
"When you get into competing it uses your intellect and all the little parts of your brain so that's one of the most fantastic things I really love about it," says the 39-year-old before the club hosts the province's first national-level tournament in decades.
"Each time you come up against an opponent you have to unlock a whole series of things and come up with plans and things."
The winemaker/media monitor from Hastings is expecting more than 30 competitors of myriad ages from throughout the country to attend the event, which is usually staged in Wellington towards the end of the code's annual competition calendar.
Some enthusiasts were making all the right noises about establishing a club last year before Styles and nationally accredited coach Brain "Baz" Clarke got the ball rolling, as it were, with the help of treasurer Lanna James.
"Basically I turned up last year on the very same day on which Baz turned up," he says of a code considered to be fringe but boasts Olympic status.
The interest in the club is good but the intention is to double the membership. Clarke, who is ranked in the top five of the disciplines in the sport nationally, harbours a desire to start a club in Napier, harking back to the 1950s and 60s when the province boasted bases at Hastings, Taradale and Napier.
"I did a bit of research and they used to do the national meets, shifting it between the two [cities]," says Styles who settled in the Bay with wife Amy Hopkinson-Styles, from Wairarapa, soon after they got married in 2012.
The club, which was incorporated in May this year, comes under the umbrella of Fencing New Zealand which lists 26 affiliate branches in the country.
Says HB Blades president Jules Congalton: "This is a great opportunity for us as a club both to cement our presence in the national sphere and to raise our profile — and that of fencing — locally."
Adds Clarke: "I'm really keen to bring in anyone who might be interested in this fantastic sport — even if they just want to try it out — and I don't want the distance between Napier/Taradale and Hastings/Havelock to be an issue."
All three weapons will be used at the Central tourney which will also include the speed format comprising teams of three to four. On reaching semifinals, the disciplines may be split into gender categories, depending on numbers.
Styles says everyone's keen on foil while epee incorporates elements of the foil discipline.
"Sabre is the cutting weapon — the slashing, dashing fast, furious weapon and the target is anywhere from the waist up so you can potentially swipe your opponent," he explains.
It is imperative to establish who is the attacker or defender although counterattacking is part of the repertoire.
However, it's a format females tend to shy away from although Styles emphasises anyone intending to commit to sabre has to invest in different equipment so that can put off some enthusiasts.
From Oxfordshire in England, Styles started fencing in 1998 after picking it up at the University of London following enjoyable stints with cricket and rugby in school. It was simply a desire to do something different.
"I thought if people can play with swords then I want to be part of that," says the bloke who had attended the College of Holloway. "I think like a lot of kids who get handed a sword they love weilding it and charging about, you know, hitting your friends and things like that."
A chuckling Styles self-effacingly reveals he was the "weakling" in the university team that had competed nationally.
"They had me in there because I could crack jokes and was, generally, a good companion."
Styles is ranked No 21 in New Zealand for sabre, No 40 for foil and 59 epee.
"Foil is my weapon of choice, generally, so I'm a little disappointed at where I stand so there's room for improvement," he says, revealing that's the report after three rounds only.
Athletes can rack up to five meets or more but they also have the option of competing in Australia, something Clarke does.
Cost, he says, isn't an issue initially because the club will supply the gear, something he had to do with every club any time he started out with them.
The HB Blade members train from 5.30pm to 7pm on Thursdays and three hours on Saturday mornings before competing.
"The first few times are free but if you're keen to join then we'll bring you in to join the obvious cycle of four semesters."
The season goes into recess next month and resumes in late January.
Styles welcomes people to watch the NZ Central Open where they will also provide some food.
Wellington coach Robert Gastaldo-brac will headline the elite fencers alongside Clarke while referee Nicola Shackleton, also from the Capital City, will preside.