Rising SA fencing star eyes Olympics

IT’S no surprise Rachel Aistrope is a Pirates of the Caribbean fan. Wielding a sword is natural to her as the state’s best under-23 female fencer.

Out of Left Field series - fencer Rachel Aistrope

IT IS no surprise Semaphore’s Rachel Aistrope is a Pirates of the Caribbean fan.

Wielding a sword is natural to her as the state’s best under-23 female fencer.

Yet if she had not chosen to research fencing for a school assignment on Olympic sports ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games, Aistrope, 17, may instead be playing social netball.

“I thought fencing was different and when I did enough research in it, I told mum and dad I wanted to do it,” says Aistrope, ranked third in SA among open women.

“My family thought I was a bit weird.

“It’s not stabbing people, but it’s a fun, more tame swordfight.

“I love Pirates of the Caribbean – I love the swordfighting.”

The Portside Messenger is at North Adelaide Primary School, where Aistrope trains four times a week with Adelaide Swords Club, for its monthly Out of Left Field series.

The concept shines a light on stars of lower-profile sports across Adelaide.

On this night, about 15 fencers are warming up in the school’s gymnasium by sliding one foot at a time across the floor, as if holding an imaginary sword while engaged in a bout.

20/05/15 - Emerging fencer Rachel Aistrope, who has just returned from competing in Uzbekistan Picture Dean Martin

“You need to have quick thinking and also move quickly,” Aistrope says.

Fencing may fly under the radar in Australia but in parts of Europe, it is so big its top competitors front TV advertisements.

Aistrope has travelled to Bulgaria and Uzbekistan for world championships, Sweden for a world cup and United Arab Emirates for the Asian titles.

Her face mask resembles a passport because it is littered with quirky stamps from major competitions’ uniform checks, including a skull and crossbone from a national titles.

“I’m considering doing a sporting or studying exchange in Europe so I can compete while I complete my (university) schooling,” says Aistrope, a Year 12 student at St Mary’s College.

SA has not had an Olympic fencer since Andrea Chaplin, who competed at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Games.

Aistrope, who was second at last year’s national under-17 titles, is hopeful she can reach the sport’s pinnacle one day.

“I’ve been thinking about it my whole life so to get there, it’d be my ultimate dream.”

Is it dangerous?

PEOPLE are always curious when they learn Rachel Aistrope is a fencer.

“They expect it to be dangerous and wilder than it is,” Aistrope, of Semaphore, says.

“(People ask) ‘are the swords dangerous’? Are they sharp?”

To outsiders, the swashbuckling sport may appear risky because the aim is to score points by hitting an opponent with your sword.

But the weapons do not have a sharp tip, rather a spring-loaded, blunt button, which is connected through a wire to a scoring system and activates when it comes into contact with someone.

Fencers require little power to register a hit and tend not to feel the prodding because they are concentrating on the bout and wear a thick, metallic vest called a lamé.

20/05/15 - Emerging fencer Rachel Aistrope, who has just returned from competing in Uzbekistan Picture Dean Martin

“You’re not trying to injure them, you’re just trying to get your point and make the light go off.”

There are three types of fencing swords, all slightly different in design: foil, épée and sabre.

Fencers tend to master only one because they are each used for their own events with a specific set of rules.

Aistrope specialises in the épée, a sword with a larger hand guard wielded in bouts in which competitors can score with a hit anywhere on the body.

She can only recall one fencer injuring themselves with a sword during training or competition.

That was someone who was not wearing the thick, protective socks fencers are expected to wear and received a minor cut.

“If you’re not wearing the safety gear, you’re a chance to get injured.”