ANCIENT SPORT GETS A MODERN RENEWAL BURBANK FENCING STUDIO PART OF A GROWING TREND.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer BURBANK - Tim Weske turned in the keys to his chain of traffic schools 14 years ago to pursue his life's passion - to own his own fencing studio and teach the sport he loves. Inside his SwordPlay Fencing Studios in a downtown Burbank brick building, Weske gives lessons in Olympic-style fencing - foil, epee and sabre - and stages combat for film and television to more than 100 students, from beginners to advanced ages 6 and up. ``I was dying creatively. I had to get out,'' said Weske, who's been fencing for 20 years and has earned the distinction of ``Hollywood swordmaster.'' ``Words cannot describe how I feel now. I'm alive again. I have a life back.'' His club is one of dozens in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, at a time when fencing is becoming more and more popular. Since it opened, Weske has watched his business grow from five students to the more than 100 he has now - 15 of whom are ranked in the top 20 in their class nationally. ``I shoot for perfection,'' he said. Fencer Loy Grotts, 51, of Sylmar, a set-dresser and former member of the women's U.S. Veterans World Championship team two years ago, said fencing is taking off. ``There are definitely more clubs than back when I first started fencing in the '70s,'' she said. ``There weren't any clubs. You fenced in parks. Now you can fence all week long, instead of Tuesday and Wednesday between 7 and 9 p.m.'' The Colorado Springs-based United States Fencing Association The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic has grown from 12,000 members a decade ago to about 25,000 members today, 765 of whom are in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area, said association spokeswoman Cindy Bent Findlay. There are 25 member clubs - Weske's among them - in the L.A. area. It holds between nine and 14 North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. cups - national-level tournaments - for various ages and skill groups every year. The growth is attributed to the explosion of clubs set up by domestic coaches and an infusion of imports from Eastern and Central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. In addition, Northern, Southern and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe. . ``Both American and foreign coaches have been growing their clubs diligently over the past decade,'' Bent Findlay said. ``They're really entrepreneurs who start clubs, some as businesses and some of them as labors of love. But every single one of them is introducing hundreds to the sport.'' Many people don't even know there's a fencing club in their town, Bent Findlay said. Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). has two or three, and there are clubs in places as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. Fencing is one of the original sports practiced in the Olympics of ancient Greece The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. 750 BC[1] (the archaic period) to 146 BC (the Roman conquest). It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western Civilization. . It's been practiced since the first modern Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in 1896 in Athens. The U.S. Fencing Association is not only growing, but the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is getting stronger on the international scene. It had its first gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize in 100 years in 2004 in the Olympic Games in Athens when Mariel Zagunis won the gold and her teammate, Sada Jacobson, won the bronze in the women's sabre event. While he's no Olympic athlete, actor Phillippe Chang comes to SwordPlay to practice his stage combat. For the last six weeks he has been perfecting his parry and thrust for the infamous duel with Laertes in a stage production of ``Hamlet'' at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood, which runs through March 19. Chang's passion for Shakespearean acting bloomed 15 years ago in his home state of New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , and he has played in various swashbuckling swash·buck·le intr.v. swash·buck·led, swash·buck·ling, swash·buck·les To act as a swashbuckler, as in a movie or play. [Back-formation from swashbuckler. scenes ever since. He said Weske has a deep affection for acting, which helps him give Chang's sword-fighting authenticity. ``I've done the fighting with these type of weapons before, but he really gets down to the nitty-gritty, the fundamental of the thing, so I can really excel at it,'' said Chang, who will wield both the rapier and dagger in the play. ``It looks so easy when you see it, but when you actually do it, there's so many little details. It's very intricate. There's a lot of precision to it. The art of anything is making it look easy. I believe we're ready to go.'' Jason Kandel, (818) 546-3306 jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) SwordPlay Fencing Studios owner Tim Weske offers pointers to actors Viv Weatherall, left, and Phillippe Chang, who are both playing roles in ``Hamlet.'' (2 -- 4) Above, Viv Weatherall, left, stares down Phillippe Chang during practice at SwordPlay Fencing Studios in Burbank. At right and far right, the two actors work on their swordsmanship. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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