SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- A thrust, a dodge, a gold medal. Kendric McIntyre, an eighth-grade student in the Schweinfurt community, was named Bavarian champion fencer for his age group at the Bavarian State Fencing Championship March 21 held in Feldkirchen, Germany.
McIntyre, who fences with the TG 1848 Schweinfurt Fencing Club, which competes in the Bavarian Fencing Association, exuded crafty swordsmanship and sheer talent to overtake his competitor.
"I've been fencing for eight years. When we first got here, my mom thought I might be into it, so we went and I tried it out. Ever since then, I've been into it ... it just gets better and better," McIntyre said.
Demonstrating his expertise of the sport, McIntyre explained the three different types of swords and style of fight involved in fencing: the foil, sabre, and epee. Each category entails a different sword and diverse rules of the game.
For McIntyre, the epee remains his forte, where he maneuvers a heavier sword and receives points by hitting his opponent anywhere on the body. Epee sword-fighting requires agility, skill and tactic to not only score points, but to successfully defend as well.
"To train I go one-on-one with my coach to work a little extra and do exercises so my legs get stronger," McIntyre said, explaining how he prepares for competitions.
Competitions occur sporadically throughout the eight months of the fencing season, requiring McIntyre to travel all over Germany. It was this most recent competition that rewarded McIntyre with the gold medal.
"Out of my eight years of fencing, that was the first time I got first place for singles," McIntyre said, adding that he got first place for the team last year, but has never won in an individual competition.
After a first round ranking him third place, and a win in the second round of which he deemed a "slow match", McIntyre qualified into the final round, dueling a fellow Schweinfurt fencer.
McIntyre remembered thinking, "I have this. This is my chance to get first," as he readied himself for the championship match.
The final fight remained close to the very end. At a score of 9-8 in a match to ten, McIntyre explained his final move of doing a flash, where he ran at his opponent.
"I didn't realize I hit his hand, but all you heard was 'ding' and I just saw him get upset and say, 'Yeah, you won.' My heart was pumping so hard. I can't explain it, I was just so happy," McIntyre said, shaking his head, at a loss for words.
With the fervent support of his family, friends, and teammates, McIntyre will remember that winning moment as he heads to the German championship in May.
"The first five from the tournament qualified to go to the German championship," he explained, "My dream is to become German champion."
"All his hard work paid off. He deserves it. He's a good teammate, a great brother and son. We're so proud to see him rewarded for his hard work," added his mother, Claudia.
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