All-American fencer Ruth Schneider '06 closed out her collegiate career this weekend with a 24th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Texas. It was her third time qualifying for the national championship, her career-best finish coming sophomore year, when she placed fifth. This season, Brown's first competing in the Ivy League, Schneider earned first team All-Ivy honors by going 13-5 over the two Ivy meets.
Herald: How did you get involved in a sport like fencing?Schneider: I have an older brother and he wanted to play hockey. My parents were convinced it was way too violent and bloody. So my parents told him that fencing would be equally violent and brutal - which it's actually not. I mean you show an 11-year-old boy a sword and he gets pretty excited. And so he started and I followed him in. It was convenient: The club was right down the street from my house.
How old were you?I think I was about eight (and in) second grade.
When did you start competing?Early on, the youth circuit wasn't as well developed, but they had competitions at a fairly young age. I was probably 10 or 11 when I started going to nationals. When I was younger I went to local ones.
Did it set you apart from your friends?The fencing community is not very big anywhere. In Rochester, (N.Y.); it drew a diverse group of people from all over. They were not my classmates. It's good because it's all different ages and schools.
Did you have two different groups growing up? Fencing friends and school friends?No overlap at all. All of my close friends went to suburban schools. And it's a fairly big time commitment when you travel with them a lot.
You grew up in Rochester, N.Y., is that any type of mecca for fencing?(It) used to be a really big hub for fencing. We had a lot of Olympians go in (1996) and 2000 that trained at Rochester for a while, because we had some top-quality coaches. Not many people fence, so when you have good people at one club you attract more.
How did you decide which weapon to specialize in?Generally when you start off. you fence foil. I started off foil and switched to epee, and did them concurrently for a while and then just epee. They're very different weapons, the speed and the timing and the target is entirely different.
How has competing in the Ivy League made this year different from previous seasons?Our schedule didn't change that much. We have the two Ivy League meets. We dropped one meet, so we fenced more than we usually do, and we fenced the New England Championships, but it's great for Brown to finally be in the Ivy League.
What's the most uncomfortable part of the gear?Every weapon has knickers and a jacket. Underneath the jacket there's an underarm protector, and for women a breast protector. The blade is blunt but if the blade snaps you have a jagged edge and it can puncture your equipment if you're not wearing your underarm protector. My brother's teammate at Columbia had a ball punctured because he was not wearing a cup.
Whoa, near-castration?It was unfortunate.
Have you ever had any injuries?Bruises here and there, a sprained ankle, nothing serious.
Were you ever scared of fencing?I don't think there's anything to be scared of in fencing.
Growing up were there any big stereotypes about your sport? Frustrations with people not knowing what it is?Some of the college club teams tend to attract the Dungeons and Dragons fare. People who want to reenact or role play. So sometimes when you're trying to take it as a serious sport it doesn't attract the necessary population.
D&D isn't your cup of tea, but have you ever considered jousting?Jousting?
Yes.I can't say I've ever had the opportunity, but I wouldn't turn it down. I've never ridden a horse so I don't know how that would fare for my jousting career.
What about depiction in movies of sword play?That James Bond with the car on the ice ("Die Another Day") had a very dramatic fencing scene in it, people leaping over chairs and swinging from chandeliers, it's not very realistic, it's made for stage. "(The) Princess Bride" is another favorite fencing movie. Do you know that scene?
Yeah, how realistic was that?Well, better than others, but still pretty bad.
What about "Pirates of the Caribbean?"If it's a pirate movie, chances are no.
Who would win a sword fight, you or Captain Jack Sparrow?You can pick, I haven't seen the movie.
Well I wouldn't want you to mar Johnny Depp, maybe a cut here or there but nothing on the face.Or below the belt.
