Gibsons Jonathan Hutchinson is off to Texas this weekend seeking success in his latest fencing competition.
The talented 16-year-old Elphinstone Secondary School student has been competing for nine years and, through hard work and dedication, has seen a fair amount of success. He has more than 30 medals in solo competition and has been a provincial champion for the past three years. He took bronze at the Western Canada Games and placed fifth at the nationals last year.
This weekend he's in Texas for the North American Cup, which is drawing competitors from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. He'll be competing in the U16 men's épée division, which will have more than 100 competitors and in the U21 division. Following this competition, he's off to the Canadian national championships in Saskatoon and another major event in Montreal.
Hutchinson was introduced to the sport at a very young age and took to it instantly.
"When I was young I would sword fight with my grandfather, just playing around a bit," he recalled. "Then when I was seven years old, he passed away from leukemia. I recall my Mom saying, 'You don't have anyone to sword fight with anymore. Do you want to give fencing a try?' It turns out there was a fencing coach here on the Coast. I checked it out, and instantly I was hooked."
With no formal club on the Coast, Hutchinson travels for practice sessions on Fridays and Saturdays with a club in Richmond. He has also started coaching here on the Coast. But his training is not limited to the twice-weekly sessions in Richmond. He does martial arts and weight training, two things he feels has allowed him to be a better well-rounded competitor.
"Where other people have the ability to fence every night, I might have the ability to do other stuff that is less conventional that makes me stronger in different ways," he said. "In fencing you are really strong with one side of your body - you fence with your prominent arm and you push off your back legs - so that means you are really one-sided. But if I do martial arts, I switch. If I do weight training, I switch, so by equalizing my body I find it makes certain moves easier and it allows me to get a better sense when I compete."
Fencing is a modern combat sport that is deeply rooted in European history and has been included in every summer Olympics since the start of the modern games in 1896. Using bladed weapons and protective gear, fencers score points by hitting set target areas on their opponent.
When a touch is scored, the electric circuit running through the bladeis broken and triggers the scoring mechanism. A white or yellow light appears for an off-target touch (in foil) and a red or green light appears for on-target touches, depending on which fencer scores a touch.
The épée (pronounced "EPP-pay" - literally meaning "sword" in French) is the descendant of the duelling sword, but is heavier, weighing approximately 765 grams, with a stiffer, thicker blade and a larger guard. As in foil, touches are scored only with the point of the blade; however, in épée, the entire body, head-to-toe, is a valid target -much like in an actual duel.
"For me right now, I would like to qualify to attend worlds. I would like to say that I could make the Canadian National Team, but funding is a major issue. I'm fundraising now to attend all of these events, and the Canadian team does not subsidize any of this," he said. "To qualify for the worlds, you have to accumulate a certain number of points at competitions, so if I do well at these three events, I could get the points.
"Fencing is my sport of choice because there is such an honour behind it. I grew up in a way where honour was a focal point in my upbringing. Fencing is just for me - it's my sport."
