Fort Bragg now offers youth fencing program

All American Fencing Academy

The Army has a long history with the sport of fencing going back to when Gen. George S. Patton competed in Stockholm as a fencer in the first modern pentathlon. As a lieutenant, Patton was made the Army’s youngest-ever “Master of the Sword” at Fort Riley, Kan.

Today, young fencers in the Fort Bragg SKIESUnlimited fencing class are following that tradition.
Fort Bragg is one of very few Army Installation SKIESUnlimited programs offering fencing. Other locations include Fort Dix, N.J., and Fort Belvoir, Va., where fencing is more prevalent in the local communities.

However, the sport of fencing has started to take root in North Carolina and a few youths are determined to “get to the point” in Fort Bragg’s new SKIESUnlimited fencing class.

The class meets each week at the All-American Fencing Academy in downtown Fayetteville. Students in the age 7 to 11 class meet on Tuesdays from 4 to 5p.m., while the students in the 12 to 18 class meet on Thursdays from 4 to 5p.m.

Kathryn Akers, age 7, the youngest fencer in the SKIESUnlimited program, is excited about attending class each week and looks forward to seeing more kids join her class.

According to Megan Connell, All-American Fencing Academy Assistant Coach, she has been working on a lot of footwork and building the groundwork for future complex moves and tactics.
“My favorite moves are the cross advance and the cross retreat because they are fun to do and they’re cool looking,” said Akers.

Aly and Chris Van Roosen are in the age 12 to 18 class.

The siblings note, “Our grandpa fenced at West Point and he really enjoyed it, so we always found it fascinating.”

“Fencing is a good athletic sport. It’s interesting and very different from other sports like swimming or soccer. You get to use a weapon, how cool is that?” Alley added.

Their favorite part of the class is when they get to fence each other and bouting.

The Fort Bragg SKIESUnlimited Class is accepting new students in the fencing program. For more information about the SKIESUnlimited Fencing Program, call Paul Driessen at 396-KIDS.