Fencer hits the mark
Niagara Falls teen compiles 11-2 record on way to winning Ontario sabre title
Pranav Parakh doesn’t mind sabre-rattling, just as long as he is on the side of the sabre doing the rattling.
On the receiving edge? Not so much.
However, after four years in fencing, the past two spent specializing in sabres for the Brock Fencing Academy, the 14-year-old from Niagara Falls has come to appreciate the sport can be mentally demanding as well as physically draining.
Knowing the upper hand an opponent is trying to achieve with a stinging slash across the wrist or a whack to the side of the head is big part of the learning process.
“You have to keep calm whenever you’re hit hard. You don’t want to lose to your emotions,” said Parakh, who in September will be entering Grade 9 at A.N. Myer Secondary School.
He was able to do just that at Ontario Youth Championships in Markham, where nearly 200 of the best fencers competed to be best in three under 15 categories: foil, sabre and epee.
After going 8-2 in pool play, Parakh was just as dominant in winning three direct-elimination matches on the final day of the tournament.
The final against Noah Jewel of London, Ont., was a rematch against a fencer who beat Parakh in pool play.
Jewel jumped out to an early lead, but history didn’t repeat itself as Parakh came back to score a 15-9 victory and the Ontario championship.
Both fencers knew what to expect heading into the final, and both were looking for weaknesses as they peered through heavy mesh covering their faces.
“You have to be able to analyze your opponent’s moves, while adjusting your own to his style,” the soft-spoken son of Dinesh and Deepali of Niagara Falls said.
“You have to focus on a person’s facial expressions and body language.”
Given the protective material that covers fencers from the bottom of their torsos to the tops of their heads, catching a fleeting glimpse of fear or a split-second sign of apprehension is easier said than done. A lot easier.
“You have to remember, you’re actually looking through two masks — your opponent’s and your own,” Parakh said pointing to the metal that covers the front of his helmet.
Parakh, who played baseball and soccer and is still into squash, tennis and wrestling, picked up a foil for the first time when he and his sister Nanadana, 16, were enrolled at a fencing camp at Brock University.
They both fell in love with the sport almost immediately.
“When they left they grumbled ‘Why do we have to try this?’ When they came home, they couldn’t wait to go back,” their father recalled with a laugh.
Pranav Parakh likes how fencing keeps him so totally engaged.
“I really love how it gives me a physical and mental challenge,” he said. “It involves both parts of my body, not just one.”
“Mentally, there’s a lot of strategy involved.”
Tim Stang, head coach of both the Brock University fencing team and the Brock Fencing Academy, said a good way to describe the sport would be to call it “a chess game while sprinting full out at the same time.”
While one of the original Olympic sports is as old as the hills — Mount Olympus, to be exact — it’s as state-of-the-art and interactive as a video game since the swords are electrified as is the protective equipment, including the helmet.
Touching the edge of the sword on an opponent completes the circuit with the resulting point registering almost immediately on the scoreboard.
“The feedback is instant,” Stang said. “If I could put a coin slot on those machines, I would be a rich man.”
Parakh won’t necessarily move into epee now that he’s tried foil and sabre.
“They’re different swords, and each is a separate discipline,” Stang said. “You tend to pick up the sword that speaks to you.”
The fencing seasons runs September to June, but there will be no off-season this year for Parakh. He intends to help out at the summer camps taking place this month at Brock University.
The next session starts Monday and runs until Friday. Ages seven to 10 receive instruction from 9 a.m. until noon, with the 1-3 p.m. sessions reserved for 11- to 15-yearolds.
More information and a registration form is available online at https://onlineca.activecommunities.com/brockuniversity/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp.