Fencers hold outdoor Bastille Day tourney
Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Sports/67309/
SPRINGDALE — Iliya Mechkov was preparing his mind and body this time 12 years ago for his home country Bulgaria in the Olympics.
Physicality and smarts are needed in the fencing world, and a little money if you’re wanting to qualify for the national team. Mechkov didn’t have the money but he had the skill, which propelled him to the pinnacle of his fencing career.
He lost his first bout in the 1996 games in Atlanta, but the experience stuck with him.
“ I still like to watch clips of tournaments on the Internet, ” Mechkov said. “ I’m still a big fan and I’m always following the results. I want to know who is on top. ”
Today, Mechkov, along with his lifelong friend and fellow fencer, Nadia Paunov, teach kids at the Arkansas Fencing Academy. Mechkov, 38, rarely competes competitively now but, still in good shape, said he may attempt a run to make the Olympic team for the 2012 games.
“ That’s still a long time from now, ” Mechkov said. “ Right now I’m enjoying teaching and watching the kids get better. ”
The club’s annual Bastille Day, which celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, was held Saturday at Tyson Park in Springdale. Competitors ranging in age from 9 to 70 participated in an Aristocrats against Peasants format with divisions of foils and epee. Mechkov and Paunov, who is the club’s head coach, judged the bouts.
“ This is fun for them, ” Mechkov said. “ We see them three days a week, and everything is really serious, but today is just a time to have fun and barbecue. ”
Paunov has competed competitively as a foil for more than 30 years. At the age of 8, Mechkov remembered, was when the two Bulgarians met a fencing club in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ten months ago, Mechkov moved to Arkansas and is now attempting to gain residency while volunteering teaching time at the Fayetteville club.
The kids and all age ranges, including a senior group that is led by longtime fencer Neal Picken, gain practical experience in the fencing arena three times a week. One of Picken’s athletes, Margaux Isaksen, will compete in the Olympics in Beijing, China in the modern pentathlon on Aug. 21. Isaksen, 16, will become the second youngest person to compete in the event in modern Olympic history.
“ It’s very challenging, ” said Paunov, who tried her hand at figure skating and swimming once. “ You have to be smart. It’s fast action and I love it. ”
The Bulgarian duo teach about 30 fencers at the club in association with the Arkansas Fencing Academy and many of the Bulgarian fencers of their time now do what they do in the United States.
“ I’d say about 80 percent of our generation are here as coaches, ” Paunov said. “ It was a good generation. We’re still very good at it, too. ”
Beginner’s classes start every six weeks at the academy, with the next scheduled to begin July 23 at 5 p. m. More information can be found online at www. arkansasfencingacademy. com or by calling 283-2841. The Fayetteville Fencing Club competes regularly in regional tournaments in addition to the Fete de Fleuret tournament and the more laid back, Bastille Day.
“ Really, it’s all about getting together and getting a cut from stress, ” Paunov said. “ Everybody needs that. ”