LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — A new fencing academy is bringing an old art form to Land O’ Lakes.
“For this club in particular, I try to make it a little more competitive-oriented,” coach Alexander Kossmann said. “Not to say the last one wasn’t. But, I want my fencers to go compete more in tournaments.”
Kossmann began the Land O’ Lakes Fencing Academy over the summer. He’s been competing in fencing for most of his life and now coaches both new and experienced fencers.
“At the local level, someone that just got off the couch can do it and do pretty decently,” Kossmann said. "Once you get to the regional and national competitions, then, okay, these are the athletes.”
Fencing is more than a physical sport. It requires strategy and quick thinking.
“I think you have to have good point control, good footwork, you have to think in order to win,” Arianna Bobe, 10, said. “You have to know what the opponent is doing to hit you.
“Compromise and discipline,” Miguel Marquez, 69, added. “It’s a difficult sport to learn because of the different rules. You have to learn to dance on the script. Each weapon has a different set of rules that you need to master.”
The academy has about a dozen members so far, and they practice on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center.
“I want to be the biggest club, quite frankly, in the state. It takes time,” Kossmann said. “I’m not expecting it to blow up out of nowhere.”
