Mississippi Blade Rollers Introduce Wheelchair Fencing at State Games

Eliminate fancy footwork from the sport of fencing and you might expect to sacrifice some excitement. But that’s hardly the case when the swords are in the hands of the Mississippi Blade Rollers.

Members of Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s wheelchair fencing team say their sport features the same thrills as traditional swordplay and may actually be more combative. “It’s in your face,” says 30-year-old Joey Brinson of Brandon. “You can’t run anywhere.”

The sport was in the spotlight on June 17 when it became part of the competition at the State Games of Mississippi in Meridian. David Williams of Ridgeland — a volunteer coach for the Blade Rollers and fencing commissioner for the games — added the sport to the competition roster for the first time this year.

“I think it’s a real good addition,” he said. “When you work hard and train a lot, it’s sort of a reward to go to a tournament.”

Pete Collman, an internationally ranked competitor and former captain of the Shepherd Swords team in Atlanta, helped introduce wheelchair fencing in Mississippi via a July, 2006, clinic hosted by Methodist Rehab.

“We’re always looking for new activities and fencing is one that suits a wide variety of wheelchair users,” says Ginny Boydston, Methodist Rehab’s therapeutic recreation director. “The sport is suitable for amputees and paraplegics and can be adapted for some quadriplegics.”

The rules of fencing are the same for disabled and able-bodied competitors, with a few exceptions. Wheelchair fencers lock their chairs into metal frames to avoid tipping over, and they’re expected to stay seated and keep their feet on the footrest during competition. The fencer with the shortest arms decides whether the playing area will be at his distance or his opponent’s. Scoring is done electronically, and points are awarded when the weapon touches a specific target area.

“In some ways, wheelchair fencing is faster and more intense,” says Richard Jones of Clinton, the chairman of the Arkansas-Mississippi-Louisiana division of the U.S. Fencing Association, a volunteer coach for the Blade Rollers and a Methodist Rehab employee.

“Able-bodied fencers use their feet to gain distance from an attack, while wheelchair fencers are confined in a chair within reach of their opponents. It’s more like a close-in fighting position and that ups the intensity.”

That intensity appeals to Brinson, but he says he also has come to appreciate the intellectual nature of the sport. “Physical chess is a good way to explain it,” he says. “It requires a lot of thinking and strategy. It makes you use your brain. That helps me in my other sports, too, because I tend to be impatient.”

Boydston said funding from Methodist Rehab, Ameristar Casino Vicksburg and the Mississippi Paralysis Association made it possible to purchase the wheelchair frames, swords, scoring equipment and uniforms necessary for the sport. And she says the team is also fortunate to have volunteer coaches like Williams and Jones, who are from the Clinton Fencing Club.

The State Games wasn’t the first competitive arena for the Mississippi Blade Rollers. The team recently participated in the Dixie Games in Birmingham, and Boydston says the group “held their own.” “We competed against Shepherd and it has several Paralympic wheelchair athletes on its team,” she said.

Since that tournament, team members have been meeting weekly to improve their skills. “It takes a lot of practice,” says 25-year-old Dejuan Surrell of Jackson. “But I want to be the best I can be. It’s making me feel more confident showing people I can do this.”

 Wheelchair Fencing

History

This sport was introduced at the 1960 Paralympic Games in Rome and there are 24 countries practicing Wheelchair Fencing today.

Weapons

Weapons include the foil, epée and sabre, which are the same equipment as for able-bodied fencers. Fencers who have a significant loss of grip or control of the sword are allowed to attach the sword into the hand using a bandage or similar type of wrapping.

Clothing

Fencers must wear protective clothing, including a mask, a jacket a vest and a glove covering the sleeve opening. For foil events, a protective cover is placed on the wheelchair to prevent hits on the chair from being recorded. In epée, a metal covering (an “apron”) must be placed over the athlete’s legs for added protection.

Competition

• The wheelchairs are fixed in place to the ground by metal frames and the chair is preferably clamped to both sides of the frame to keep the chair from tipping. The fencer with the shortest arms decides if the playing area will be at his distance or that of his opponent. One hand holds the fencing weapon and the other is used to hold onto the chair when lunging and recovering.
  
  
• The target for foil and sabre competitions are exactly the same as ablebodied competition. In épée competition, the target is everything above the waist, with an apron being worn below the waist to aid in cancellation of these touches. Feet must remain on the footrest and the fencer must remain seated (no space between the fencer’s buttocks and the seat of the chair). The chair must be fixed at a 110-degree angle to the central bar.
  
  
• Individual and team events are included in foil and epée for men and women. Sabre events (individual and team) are limited to men. The main object is the same as able-bodied competition. Athletes are connected electronically to a signal box that records the touches of the weapon. A point is awarded when a fencer touches the opponent in the target area.

Source: Paralympic.org