Sports on the Fringe

by Erin Thursby
Perhaps you’re looking for something fun and physical to do, but you don’t want to go in for a conventional sport. Whether you’re looking for an excuse to socialize, enjoy the thrill of competition or want to try something the whole family can enjoy, you may find that a non-mainstream sport fits the bill. I spent time checking out three of these sports here in Jacksonville and the people who play them.
Fencing
When you think of Jacksonville and sports, the first thing that comes to mind might be the Jaguars. But don’t be fooled. Competitively speaking Jax puts its best foot forward in a number of sports, including one that has been a tradition here since the 1950s–fencing.
Before I visited the Jacksonville Fencing Club, I had to do some research on fencing and its history as a competitive sport.
After all, the only thing I knew about the sport was that the players tended to wear white with metal baskets over their faces. I soon learned that the vast majority of fencing clubs use electronic scoring, so each vest is hooked to a scoring machine. This isn’t anything newfangled. Fencing has always been an incredibly fast sport, so it’s difficult even for a sharp-eyed judge to catch every hit. Since the late 1930s some competitions were already using a combination of judges and electrified counters to determine scores.
I also pictured practices in erudite, manly settings, as in Die Another Day, where James Bond battles his nemesis in what looks like one of those exclusive English men’s clubs of the late 1800s, but somehow includes Madonna as an instructor. I was wrong on a few counts. First, the Jacksonville Fencing Club space is much less intimidating. It looks more like a small specialized gym, with tracks for each set of fencers. If James Bond had followed the rules of fencing, he and his competition would have been penalized for leaving the tracks (among other offenses).
I also learned that fencing isn’t exclusively man’s sport and it hasn’t been one for quite some time. Women had their own foil category in the 1924 Olympics. It did begin mainly as a man’s sport, when the weapons were designed to harm your opponent and they could be used for duels in matters of honor, but as the weapons became lighter and were no longer edged, women began practicing the sport as well. You need some strength to wield the blade over a long practice, but precision and speed are most important.
“What’s good about the sport,” say fencing coach Raul Toro, “is that it teaches discipline and it teaches you to use your mind, kind of like chess with your feet. Not only are you getting that good workout, but you’re also getting a workout with your mind. You’re constantly analyzing.”
Princess Simpson Rashid, member of the Jacksonville Fencing Club (and a local artist as well) has won several medals in national competition. The club has also sent junior members to the Olympics. Outside of these, the club has racked up numerous medals. Men, women and even kids as young as eight participate at the club. It’s clear they have a lot of fun, but they are also a focused group that enjoys testing their skill against others.
(www.jaxfencingclub.org)

Kickball
World Adult Kickball Association or WAKA Kickball is almost more of an excuse to socialize than it is a sport, though some teams are earnest enough to get to the playoffs. But the rest have whimsical names such as Drunk and Looking to Score or Thundercankles. They cook up barbecue on the back of trucks before the game and hit their sponsor bar post game.
Most of the players are young professionals from about 20-40. Some join because they love sports, some join because their friends asked them to, but most joined to meet people in the area and have a good time. Many members came from another city and used the sport as a way to connect to the area.
“I joined for the ladies,” says WAKA player Chris Aubrey “And, as side-effect, another excuse to drink during the week.”
Although they have uniforms, they vary, from tie-dye to graphic art and even plain colors. One member wears his kilt to every game and another never wears shoes. “I hate shoes,” Shoeless ‘Packy’ Shields explains, “I’ve got to wear a suit and shoes at the office all day.”
The variety is such that the guy in the pirate hat on the sidelines nearly blended in with everyone. His team, he informed me in a terrible piratey accent, was the pirate team– aptly named Surrender the Booty. I half-earnestly asked him if there was a ninja team. “Arr,” he answered, “That be Cobra Kai.”
This was a team I heard mentioned several times throughout the evening. Cobra Kai was the team that took things a tad more seriously. In any case, they were competitive enough to have made it to the Vegas playoffs and the top of the league twice. Neck and neck with Cobra Kai was Surrender the Booty: they placed second in the league last year. I was a tad disappointed upon meeting the leader of Cobra Kai because he wasn’t dressed like a ninja. It’s possible my pirate was being figurative rather than literal.
The outfits also vary from week to week. Each week there’s a theme; G.I. Joe, St. Patrick’s Day, Cops & Robbers, Rock Band. Players participate if they feel like it. Some people just focus on the kickball or the after-party.
In the end WAKA seems like a jolly cross between Halloween, kickball and a touch of Mardi Gras—if you throw in socializing at the bar afterward. Head to their website at www.kickball.com/ for more info if you’re interested in joining.
(www.kickball.com)

Archery
I’d never thought of archery as a family oriented activity until I followed the Loudermilk family at Tillie K. Fowler Park.
The whole family was participating in the 3-D Unknown Range competition hosted by the North Florida Archers. Instead of the traditional archery set up, with clear targets over an open field, these targets were faux animals, placed in the woods, at such a distance that I began to understand the need for binoculars.
“It’s competitive for the kids,” says Janice Loudermilk, “but not as openly competitive like softball or football. It’s more personally competitive.”
Janice, who used to compete but now only uses the bow for hunting, keeps score as her husband and son walk from range marker to range marker.
Game hunters that use the bow to hunt their quarry can be found honing their skill. It creates, Janice asserts, “an intimacy with the game” that you can’t get with a rifle, namely because you have to get closer to the animals. The arrow is a more silent weapon than the bullet, so good archers who understand how to walk softly in the woods often bag more game in less time than hunters that use guns.
Not all archers are destined to bend their string in search of prey. Some just enjoy targeting on the range and competing. The majority of the archers are men and boys, but there are many women who love the sport.
The club often works with youth and disadvantaged groups. If you or your family is interested in the sport visit the North Florida Archer’s website at www.northflarchers.org/