To make a point

Army OCdt Ben Dietwheler, who placed eighth in the men’s ranking at the ANU open foil competition, takes a stabbing point from Air Force OCdt Adam Brown, who placed fifth. Photo by Pte Shannon Joyce, Army newspaper

By Pte Shannon Joyce

THREE Defence Members from the ADFA Fencing Club (ADFAFC) thrust their way through the Australian National University (ANU) Open Foil Competition in Canberra last month.

Army OCdt Ben Dietwheler, Air Force OCdt Adam Brown and Sqn-Ldr Michael Spencer from DMO Air Command Support System Project Office, competed in individual bouts against competitors from a variety of Canberra and Sydney-based fencing clubs.

Placed eighth in the open men’s, novice fencer OCdt Dietwheler said there were about six Defence members in the ADFAFC who trained for a few hours, two nights a week, both in drill training and bouts with electrics.

“There is a lot of fitness involved in the sport and because the fighting stance is squatting down, you build up your quads very quickly,” he said.

“There’s the mental fitness, the strategising; always thinking about where your partner is, where you are, and how far away you are from your opponent.”

Placed third in the open men’s competition, ADFAFC Armourer Sqn-Ldr Spencer said the level of fencing in the competition was exciting to watch, both from behind the mask and on the sideline.

“The sport of fencing promotes skills in observation, development and application of tactics, hand-eye coordination, agility, as well as fitness and teamwork,” he said.

The ANU open competition was limited to foil, which is regarded as the entry-level weapon for conventional fencing. The other two are epee and sabre.

ADF Fencers with club experience interested in forming a Defence sports interest group, can contact Sqn-Ldr Spencer by e-mail at michael.spencer@defence.gov.au.