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Fencers Grow In Dallas

By Courtney Roberts, KERA News

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-893383.mp3

Dallas, TX – Compared to basketball or even hockey, fencing seems little known except during the Olympics. But this past weekend, more than 1,000 athletes competed in the United States Fencing Association's North American Cup tournament in Dallas.

Also unlike those better-known sports, U.S. Fencing referee Gerrie Baumgart says her competition sees all ages.

Baumgart: Fencing is in essence a forever sport. You start when you're kids, we have under 10, and then now we're having veterans, which are 70 plus. So it's a lifetime experience.

Despite the tough economy, Baumgart says more people competed this year than in the last North American Cup. Association numbers have also grown dramatically, quadrupling over the last 4 decades.