Against the fence
Kaley Chicoine is a sophomore at Penn State University and also the Treasurer of the Penn State Fencing Club.
She grew up in the small town of Des Moines, Iowa where the fencing community is very small. So she always had an opportunity to grow in her techniques.
Kaley was inspired to Fence during her freshman year of high school and she has been in love ever since. She has now been fencing for 6 years, and has competed in about 5 National competitions and over 100 local competitions.
Fencing is the very classic sport of fighting that uses swords. The most common version of fencing today is divided into three categories Foil, Sabre and Epee.
Foil is a sword that targets the torso, neck, and groin, but not the arms or legs. Sabre is a light sword that targets the entire body above the waist, excluding the hands. While epee is a much heavier sword. In épée, the entire body is valid target.
Techniques or movements in fencing can be divided into two categories: offensive and defensive. Certain techniques are used offensively, with the purpose of landing a hit on your opponent while holding the right of way others are used defensively, to protect against a hit or obtain the right of way.
Kaley hopes that Fencing will remain apart of her life forever, by shinning light on her dark days.
Slideshow- Behind the action
This slideshow demonstrates the different techniques and preparation in the art of fencing.