Cheyenne Fencing Society Denver

I had been toying with the idea ever since the movie "I Love You, Man" came out in 2009 and Paul Rudd's character is a fencer.  My daughters were born and I thought about getting them involved.  However, 5818 East Colfax was just enough of a hurdle that I never followed through.

From time to time, I would see something about pentathlon or biathlon and be intrigued again.  This time the impetus was laser shoot and I wanted to try out some of the equipment.  I called over there and Elain Cheris was very friendly, welcoming and encouraged me to drop in during her usual hours of 4-6PM M-F and 10-12 Saturday.

I finally made it over to Cheyenne Fencing Society of Denver on Thursday around 3:45 PM.  There is some construction on Colfax so parking was a bit of a bear.  As I drove by, Elaine seemed to be wandering around outside and was still doing so when I parked and walked over.  As I arrived, she greeted me and suggest we walk over to the juice place to meet the proprietor.  After chatting about cold pressed juices, she introduced me as her new fencer.  We then went on to do the same thing at the nearby Mexican restaurant and truck topper yards.  It was a bit surreal, but shows her ties to the community.  She has been in the same spot since 1981.

The facility itself shows its years and looks as much like a second home as it does a business.  Her dog was there roaming around, along with several birds (in cages), a large macaw and a ferret.  The entry way has a host of plants.  The facility itself feels cluttered with scores of water bottles, coffee cups, makeshift desks, loads of training equipment, random conditioning equipment and a chalk board.  There are bicycles and a scooter piled along one wall.  There are lots of sofas.  The upstairs has a number of sofas, pantry, prep kitchen and several pianos.  Decoratively it is history come alive with Olympic and World Championship posters, testimonials from athletes including Neil Diamond.  She is a big fan of Neil Diamond and he came up several times on the playlist. 

There was only one other student.  Steven dropped off his five-year-old son Logan.  Her son and granddaughter were there for a little bit, but were not training.  

Eventually we did start warming up (around 4:15 PM-4:30 PM) with "circuits" which consist of rounds of push-ups, sit-ups, star jumps, burpees, jump rope, power jumps and bounding up the stairs.  I did not even get a chance to change into sweatpants and just kind of emptied my pockets and got rolling in jeans.

I did get to work with the EcoAims laser pistols.  She gave me some tips about foot position, locking my back, bringing the pistol up quickly and squeezing as I am on target, leaving it on target and then bringing the pistol down smoothly to the table to reset and restart.  It could have been the sights or just me, but I had to move up pretty close (2-3 meters) to consistently hit the target.  Competition is 10 meters.

Then we picked up swords and started on a trainer where a light comes on and you poke the corresponding box with the aim being quickness.  I was averaging around 0.6 seconds with fastest of 0.26 seconds.  It resets after 99 hits.  Eventually, she started correcting how I hold the sword, my stance, bending my knees, keeping the back straight and poking with my arm rather than reaching in.

Next we did the same thing with golf balls suspended from the railing.

Logan spent most of the time with a tummy ache and was not in the mood to train.  Eventually we did run outside.  These 40 yard efforts felt silly, but Logan was going full send while I trotted behind him.

Finally we wrapped up with Elaine throwing dive rings which I tried to catch with my sword.  I had a success rate of 10-20%.

Around 5:15 PM I was ready to be done and Elaine was good with that.  Unfortunately she had misplaced her keys and we spent the next 15 minutes wandering the entire facility until she realized they were in her pocket.  I learned how to lock the back door, get the birds water, lock the front door.  The music stays on.  There are workbenches in the back for assembling equipment and a second office. There is a small half bathroom and laundry machines for jackets.

Finally locking up, she gave me a hug and asked when I would be back.  I hedged and said that I would text her and let her know about next week.  To get better, I would have to start by practicing at least 3 days per week and focus on fencing.  I am not ready to take on a new hobby.  Especially one that is 20 minutes from my office and 40 minute from my house.  Elaine is certainly a talent and an icon in the sport.

This is youtube video from 4 years ago and the place was certainly cleaned up for the shoot.  

The full house in the video may still happen and Elaine did mention that sometimes there are several athletes and sometimes just a few.  We never got around to talking price, but she is willing to work around my schedule within reason if I want to learn to fence.