Greece, N.Y. — A unique, first-of-its-kind fencing tournament is coming to the Rochester area next month.
Forever Sporting’s over-60 fencing tournament will only feature fencers who are 60 years old or above. It’s being held Saturday, April 4 at the Ludus Fencing Studio on Arcampus Drive in Greece.
Organizers said it’s just as much of a mental exercise as it is physical.
“The sport is like chess in motion. Its very strategic,” said Tomi Lahcanski, founder of Forever Sporting. “You have to expect the moves and anticipate the moves form the opponent, try to get him off his game, and impose your strategy and your move. So it is really chess in motion, on top of being very aerobic and anaerobic.”
Some participants gathered for a practice session Monday night, when they could spar with anyone at the facility.
“In any one day, I could be fencing with somebody (who’s) a high school kid or somebody who is older than me, and they’re just as competitive,” Lahcanski said. “That’s the beauty of the sport. Doesn’t matter if you’re a man, woman, kid — it’s competitive.”
The group behind the event said its mission is to create opportunities for competition, camaraderie and active living among older athletes who refuse to stop moving.
“It keeps you sharp,” said Semion Kiriakidi, owner and coach at Lodus Fencing Studio. “It keeps you physically, mentally, emotionally active.”
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Some athletes are no stranger to the sport.
“I fenced in high school and I fenced in college,” said fencer Steven Susman. “I stopped when I was 25.”
“I started fencing again at 65, and I won’t tell you how old I am, but (it’s) more than 10 years since I’ve been doing it again.”
Other said they’ve grown to love it.
“The very first time I did it, I hated it. The second time I did it, I hated it,” said fencer Ron Kirshner. “By about the third or fourth time, I kind of still hated it, but not as much. So if you go and do it, you have do it with the idea that it’s a brand new thing, so you have to give it time. It looks simple, just poke somebody, but it’s not simple at all, and that’s really one of the lures of it.”
Either way, organizers hope they can inspire everyone to try something new.
“My advice to anybody over 60 or even younger is just get into it,” Lahcanski said. “You can start appreciating and having fun with very little skill and you build on it.”
Competitors will also have the chance to square off against fencing master Thomas Mahnken. If someone beats him, they will win the “Spolia Opima” distinction, and will take Mahnken’s mask cord and donate it to Forever Sporting, where it will be preserved and displayed at future events.
CLICK HERE to register.