The Ravens’ Nest was alive with the clashing of swords and bursts of cheers while Carleton hosted the Canadian Fencing Championships Nov. 26-29.

The university fencing club, along with the varsity fencing team, played host to more than 20 different fencing clubs from all over the country, competing for bragging rights and the opportunity to be recognized for upcoming prestigious events, including the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Carleton was represented by a number of athletes with years of internationalexperience, including national fencers Ben Riley, Kelleigh Ryan, Scott McNeil, Wesley Ross and Kyle Girard.

Eli Sukunda, Raven head coach for the varsity fencing team, said he was very proud of the team’s performance.

“Generally we have a strong team every year in terms of quality,” Sukunda said.

This year, the senior men’s sabre team finished second in the country.

Carleton’s fencers performed well over the weekend, including an eighth-place finish in the junior women’s sabre from Adrienne Sukunda, and a seventh-place finish in senior women’s foil from Kelleigh Ryan.

Ryan said she is proud of the work that she and her teammates did over the course of the weekend.  She and her foil team are working towards going to the 2012 Olympics.

“It won’t be easy and we have a lot of work to do,” Ryan said. “But we have a chance in making it. Our team has won team nationals twice in the past.”

The Canadian Fencing Championships is the largest fencing tournament of the year in all of Canada. 

Although the Ottawa community is familiar with hosting fencing competitions year round, Carleton is only the second Ontario University Athletics (OUA) school to host a competition of this magnitude.

Coaches and fencers alike were very happy with how the university handled the event.

University of Toronto fencer Andriy Mnih said he was impressed with the school’s facilities.

“Clearly Carleton has a lot of resources and support for sports. This is one of the nicest facilities I have seen,” Mnih said.

Scott McNeil, a competitor on both the national team and Carleton’s varsity team said he is grateful for the school’s ongoing support. 

He said the hope was that an event like this would strengthen ties between the fencing club and Carleton’s athletic department.

Coach Sukunda said Carleton’s athletic director Jennifer Brenning has been extremely supportive.

“It’s really evident of the relationship that our program has with the department,” Sukunda said.

Brenning said that bidding for national events like the fencing championships – as well as having hosted both volleyball nationals and flag football nationals in previous years – help to build more credibility for the school.

Through showcasing the athletic facilities to the community and visitors alike, Brenning said Carleton is able to attract high-calibre athletes to train here.

“We show that we have a role to play, that we have the facilities and that we support their training and competition,” Brenning said. “Carleton is a great location for that.”

Assistant coach for and competitor for Carleton’s varsity team, Wesley Ross, agreed.

“Hosting the event draws people in and gives all of the teams exposure, including the ones that don’t qualify for nationals,” Ross said.

Riley, who placed eleventh in the senior men’s sabre event and achieved a personal best, said universities and clubs all over Ontario and Quebec have pulled together to help Carleton make this a success, including sharing equipment and referees.

Ryan added that her and her teammates have becoming extremely close.

“It’s part of the athlete’s life,” Sukunda said. “They travel together and bond and compete together, and that’s the thing we want to keep going.”

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Fencing…

1.    You actually have to be athletic to do it.
2.    You don’t actually get shocked by the electric equipment.
3.    The worst injuries you can get from the equipment are bruises (and lots of them).
4.    It’s not a sword: it’s a sabre, épée or foil.
5.    You can’t try to escape your opponent or run circles around them – you can only move forwards and backwards.