THUNDER BAY – When Alex Khabad was a kid, he loved playing with toy swords.
Clearly, he wasn’t alone.
The 15-year-old was one of two local athletes taking part in the fencing competition at this year’s Ontario Winter Games, a sport that has grown to about 50 local participants and is currently on a wait list, mainly due to a lack of equipment.
Khabad said it’s exciting to get to compete at the provincial level.
“I didn’t really know there was a Winter Games, until it was here, but once I knew about it I realized how much of a big deal it is,” he said.
Khabad has only been fencing for a little more than a year, so it’s not all that surprising that he, and his teammate, Christopher Nixon, didn’t make the podium.
Both athletes need more experience in the sport.
The community is small and new, he said.
“But it’s growing slowly and we’re getting more and more exposure.”
Being a pioneer on the local sporting scene is also pretty cool, said Khabad, who took part in the singles foil competition on Saturday and will be part of the team competition on Monday, all matches taking place at Confederation College.
“I think I’m one of the first people to compete in this club,” he said.
The club in question is Superior Fencing Academy.
Nixon is trying to master the sabre and at 14, said he had no idea he’d be able to compete at the Ontario Winter Games.
“When I was informed, I was really excited and it’s been a really good experience for me, the training and the experience in competition,” Nixon said.
The results weren’t all that important, given the small numbers taking part locally.
Nixon said he only happened on the sport by accident.
“My friend was looking into it and he recommended it to me. I decided to do it too and ever since I started it, I loved it too. That was probably one-and-a-half to two years ago.
The fast pace of the sport is what keeps him coming back.
“It’s really great that this is happening right now and I’m really looking forward to the next one because this has been great for me,” Nixon said.
