Photos by Charlie Leffler
From left: Family members Shane, Bobby and Jenna Robinson form the foundation of the Mechanicsville Fencing Academy. Below: Bobby Robinson, left, challenges his daughter Jenna in a match with foils. Bobby is one of a dozen C-rated fencers in Virginia while Jenna is currently ranked in the Top-32 nationally among fencers 16 and under. Bottom: Bryce Rogers, left, and Jenna practice.
Normally, charging at one of your children with a pointed weapon would be considering socially unacceptable. However, for Mechanicsville’s Bobby Robinson, it is not only tolerable, it is common practice. In fact he has been doing it for quite some time now.
But Robinson is not a villain or criminal. Instead he is a fencing instructor and for the past five years, he has run the Mechanicsville Fencing Academy. Through his teaching Robinson has developed some of the top members of his craft in the state of Virginia. However, Robinson is not alone in his skill with a sword. Leading the list of talented students is his daughter Jenna and son Shane.
Robinson got his start in fencing nearly two decades ago at VCU before transferring to Brigham Young University where he made the fencing team. Following college, he moved to North Carolina and did not compete for 13 years. But five years ago, while his children were taking karate classes TaeKwon-Do Works, he decided to return to the sport he loves. “I went up to the guy and said, ‘hey, do you mind if I try to start up fencing?’” Robinson said. “We got it going to where now we have like 25 kids who come out regularly.”
Two years ago, as part of a community outreach program for local youth, the club moved to the basement gymnasium of Walnut Grove Baptist Church. With the support of Walnut Grove, Robinson wanted to give young people a place to learn and grow as individuals because even though the sport involves weapons it teaches character. “It’s considered a gentleman’s sport, saluting your opponent before hand,” Robinson said. “You have to shake hands afterwards. There’s just a lot of etiquette to fencing that makes it unique.”
And while some may think a sport that involves weapons would be dangerous it is in fact very safe. The blades are blunted and protective clothing, gloves and masks are worn. The worst injury his daughter Jenna has ever suffered, aside from bruises, was a broken toenail when she tripped.
Along with the move to Walnut Grove the club set a standard for excellence while competing in the Back to School Brawl in Charlottesville. Out of 30 competitors, the Mechanicsville club took the top three spots. Current James Madison rising junior Bryce Rogers took first, Ben Berumez took second and Robinson’s son Shane claimed third, quickly showing that he had inherited some of his father’s skill.
Shane, who will be a freshman at Lee-Davis this fall, felt excitement when he first saw the sport. “I was, ‘oh, I’ve got to do that’,” he said.
Why does Shane enjoy the sport? His reply was of typical masculine fashion. “It’s a sport where you get to hit people,” he said. “You’ve got weapons…hey.”
But daughter Jenna has far from fallen into the shadows of her father and brother. She is currently ranked among the nation’s Top-32 in the 16 and under category. Jenna, a rising senior who is home-schooled through courses from BYU, followed in her father’s footsteps when the Mechanicsville club first came into existence. “I thought I looked pretty neat so I started doing it,” she said.
What some people may find surprising is that in most cases Jenna does not compete in separate gender categories but rather against male opponents, which both siblings said is actually more sedate than strictly female tournaments.
“The girls’ tournaments are pretty intense,” Jenna said.
Shane agreed. “The girls tournaments, they have to be the worst,” he said. “For some reason they all like to scream, like when they hit someone.”
Last month Bobby met a mark of personal satisfaction when both father and son competed in a Prince William Fencing Club event in Manassas; Shane in foil and Bobby in saber. Out of 28 competitors in the foil event, Shane moved through both the pool and direct elimination matches without a loss to take the title. Like his son, Bobby cut a swath through the 16 competitors in saber also without a loss to also take the title.
The event was a milestone for Shane because he attained a national D-rating as a result of the win.
Fencers are rated in categories from E to A with A being of Olympic quality. According to Bobby, there are currently only two A-rated and four B-rated fencers in the state of Virginia.
Bobby himself, like most instructors is an upper level C. “C’s are really good fencers, but the consistency factor is what hurts,” he said. “It’s hard to make the jump from C to B.” Including women, Bobby said there are approximately a dozen C-rated fencers in the state.
With a D-rating, Shane is considered a fencer of experience. “D’s are people who have fenced quite a bit, learned a few moves and can execute those moves really, really well,” Bobby said. “That D is that nice level where they’re actually becoming good fencers.”
Jenna is considered an upper level D and along with Rogers will soon be testing for a C-rating.
For more information on the Mechanicsville Fencing Academy, call the School of Dance Arts at 804-559-6786.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
