Over the last couple of years, the sport of fencing has seen increased interest in Thunder Bay.
That boom has been noticed by the Superior Fencing Academy, which is the only fencing club in Northern Ontario.
“We had this big gym space in 2021, but there was just a couple of us using it,” Superior Fencing Academy president and founder Philip Contardo said.
“We all thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we could fill this space?’ So we started with one night of practice a week and a couple of students coming, and now it’s just grown from there.”
The club has expanded having 40 members, five coaches and runs two nights of practices a week at the basement gym at Our Lady of Loretto Church.
A recreational and advanced adult class runs on Tuesday evenings, with a beginner youth class and a recreation adult class taking place on Thursdays.
“What I hear from a lot of people is, ‘Oh, I never knew we had a club here, and I never knew this is something I could do here in Thunder Bay,’” Contardo said.
“When I was a child, there wasn’t any fencing at all in Thunder Bay, and I didn’t get to try it until I went to the University of Western Ontario. When I came back here back in 1995, I saw something like the Academy as a way to share the knowledge that I had learned and also teach people how to fence.”
Contardo moved to Toronto a few years later, and the Academy sat dormant during that time.
When he returned home, he started up things again, and a Kijiji ad caught the attention of Michael Ciancone, who previously fenced in Hamilton and moved up to Thunder Bay back in 2017.
“Once I knew there was fencing here, I was pretty excited,” said Ciancone, who is now the club manager and serves as one of the coaches at Superior Fencing Academy.
“It’s been nice to see us kind of take off here, and I think that’s because it’s a niche sport that most people have never thought about doing here in Thunder Bay. It’s something new and something fun that people want to try.”
Ciancone says that fencing can be a bit for people to get used to at first with how different it is to regular sports and that newcomers often say it’s different than what they thought it would be like.
“I think a lot of people anticipate more protective equipment than what it is actually worn, but it’s quite a safe sport statically,” Ciancone added. “They are prepping to get hurt but it doesn’t actually happen.”
Contardo noted that the other surprise for newcomers is just how much of a workout one gets while fencing.
“I’ve had people tell me, ‘I’ve never sweated like this,’” Contardo said.
“I think it is one of the best cardiovascular workouts next to hockey. Everything is done in very small and fast bursts of energy and it’s done in such precise movements that you don’t realize the amount of energy you are using.”
With more people getting involved in the Academy, Ciancone and Contardo are looking to add sabre and épée weapons to go along with the foil discipline they mainly teach.
The biggest goal for this year is to have fencers travel to Winnipeg to compete at tournaments.
“We have a few adults who are hoping to get back to that competitive level after a few years away and some kids who want to get started,” Ciancone said.
“We won’t have anyone from the Academy competing at the Winter Games here in February, but we’re hoping that they can learn a lot from that experience, and we start that process of getting people from Thunder Bay to quality for the next Winter Games.”
More information on the Superior Fencing Academy can be found on their website.