What age did you start fencing?

[lfortier]

anyway my coach said i'm too old for foil. said i should change to epee. sobz!

You should fence the weapon YOU want to fence, not your coach (even if he does train the national team) you started a bit later than most people did, but you're still young to do what you want, so you can be atleast decent; whats the purpose of being good at something if you dont even enjoy it? Besides, it's great he thinks epee would be better, but what about YOUR fencing career?

[FrankV]

I agree, you should do what you feel is right for you. No harm in trying them all to see if maybe sabre is the right one for you.

[FrankV]

Oh yeah, I started at 17, 30 years ago and I've never looked back. Took me about 1000 years to get my A in epee in '87 but I have never lost it since. Doing something right I guess.

[Homeschool8768]

16 is when I started... which was 6 months ago... and I am loving it more and more!

[anisa]

Awww.... a bell shaped curve.....

Yes, I noticed that too... nice, isn't it?!
But ofcourse I'm a statistician by profession...

[Downtown]

I started at 51.

[Mizore]

I'm just starting out at 41. Buying my kit this weekend and starting lessons on the 5th. Fencing has been something I've wanted to do for years. No classes at my Uni so took up figure skating and too busy with music after Uni. Just lucky to find a great local club in Tokyo with a very friendly group.

And thanks for this thread!!! I can't imagine taking up skating at 41 so I was very worried that fencing, as sport with even more finess and detail, may be out of reach too. But on this site I have read so many posts from older fencers realizing the same dream around the same age. It was the last push I needed to stop worrying and just go out and finally do it. Looking forward to the hard work, good exercise and great fun. Thank you!!!

Mizore

[AutoPilot]

I'm starting at 10. at 17 I stop, and at 25 I start again

[poskat]

at hte tender age of 18. and i love it, eventho im pretty bad at it...however, my badness reduces by 0.000000000000000000000001% each time i go fencing...
ah well
one day ill be able to beat that 8 year old

[esquila]

Started fencing when I had just turned 16, only a few months ago... Now I'm completely addicted.

[Li'l Bebe]

I started at 14 (now 15). I'd like to say that I'd wanted to fence since I can remember, but.....I haven't. I was so obsessed with horses when I was little, that there was no room for anything else. After my horse died a year or so ago, I decided I needed something to fill in the hole in my life. I have 3 older brothers that would do light saber fights in the back yard, and I guess that subconsciously I've always wanted to beat the crap out of someone with a sword, so I decided to try out fencing. I just fenced casually at first, only doing local competitions, but then I went to Sacramento because the idea of hanging with my favorite people for 4 days without my parents or family sounded really cool. Got inspired, and now I'm totally obsessed. Weirdly enough, I guess my horse dying was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I wish I'd started earlier though.

[veeco]

Oh yeah, I started at 17, 30 years ago and I've never looked back. Took me about 1000 years to get my A in epee in '87 but I have never lost it since. Doing something right I guess.

Wow, who would've thought you're that old FrankV!? BTW, what is the color of your hair these days?

I started at 12, and pretty much never stopped since then. That makes me about 16 years old in terms of fencing age...

[ShadyLane]

Started when I was 19. I would have started it back when I was in my first year of university but I chickened out Still regretting it...

I always wanted to fence when I was a kid but never knew where to start or where to go to for lessons...

[Zhi]

I started when I was 17 years old. A friend of mine asked me to join the fencing squad in our university when i was on second year college.......
It was FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Andromeda]

I started when I was 19, I took a class in college, loved it and then got involved with the college club.... now almost 3 years later I have spent an ungodly amount on all my gear but still am having the best time of my life

[agooding2]

Started fencing in 5th grade, went until 8th grade and discovered girls. I foolishly took almost 25 years off (if you don't count a few practices in college) and am starting again. Glad to see some muscle memory is still there.

-- Andrew

[Joe biebel]

I started fencing when I was 16 years old. How many of you started with the kerosene powered scoring machines?

[Inquartata]

You had kerosene? LUXURY! We had to stop after every phrase to wind up the scoring box with a key!

[Black Jeebus]

You had a key! My god we had use a crank off of an old rail car, and it powered a machine that took up so much of the gym we only had half a strip to fence on!

[Downtown]

I started fencing when I was 51. I am 53 now. I often wonder why more people my age do not start fencing. Finding a" passion" at any age is a blessing.