Bringing Fencing to Campus

UNSW Fencing Club

Being an avid lover of fencing and not seeing it on the long list of sport clubs when starting her degree at UNSW, student Sam Sieber took matters in her own hands and created the newly affiliated Arc Sport Club, UNSW Fencing.  

Sam never took much of a liking of the typical sports that other kids played at school, like soccer and netball, but instantly signed up to fencing classes when a studio opened around the corner from her house at the age of twelve. 

“Fencing is a mix between martial arts and ballet, just with a sword. It is quick and elegant. To beat your opponent, you must make your move at the right moment. Personally, it makes me focus, it allows me to get out any frustration and I stay fit”.  

Last year she decided to start UNSW Fencing Club to bring all fencers together at campus, as well as offering other students the opportunity to try the sport too. 

“We spent the first months working hard to get the Club up and running to show that it would be viable, and that other student would enjoy it”. 

In mid-2018 they hosted their Inaugural General Meeting, where the official Executive Team of the Club was elected, and their Constitution signed. Since then, they have hosted regular fencing classes on campus for all fencing enthusiasts at UNSW, with three sessions per week. 

The sessions aim to cater to the main disciplines of fencing with their differing rules – sabre, foil and épée – including a sabre training session on Tuesdays while focusing on foil and epee on Thursdays. Sam is currently teaching sabre as this is her specialty and is on the look-out for fencers who can train foil and epee too.  

Every Friday, there is also a more social event, called Fight Night, where members can fight if they wish to or simply hang out.  

“I have met almost all of my close friends through fencing, and so the aim of the Club was not just for other students to practice the sport, but also to create a really positive community to meet new people”.  

As the Club is still in its early days, Sam and the rest of the Executive Team have many hopes and dreams of what the Club can become. 

“We want to cater to all disciplines and all levels of fencers. Because we do not have all the required equipment for more competitive fencers at the moment, we are looking to use our funding from Arc Sport to get the right equipment and be able to grow our Club further”. 

In growing their members, they are also looking forward to the upcoming Arc Sports events Day of Play on Feb 26 and She Can on Mar 7 and Mar 14.  

“These events are great for anyone who is interested but who wants to try before they sign up. I hope we’ll see lots of new faces!”. 

Weekly Training Sessions

Group training sessions catering to a broad skill range, from beginners to intermediate sabre fencers.

- Tuesdays 2-4pm

- Saturdays 3-6pm


Follow UNSW Fencing here

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