Piste Partners
One Member and his daughter have found companionship through swordsmanship at the Club.
When her dad’s distracted, Claire Finck can’t help but give him a playful poke with her foil. She may have only flown back from France the day before, but it’s done nothing to dampen the 9-year-old’s energy.
“Of course, we’ve [sparred before],” says Member Jérôme Finck.
“I beat him,” interrupts Claire. “Because I was faster. And better.”
“And maybe because Daddy’s kind,” adds Finck, 41.
Skipping between French and English, father and daughter share an infectious repartee. For the last year and change, they’ve perfected their rhythm as classmates in the Club’s Monday evening saber lessons.
After a friend introduced her to her first fencing lesson, Claire decided for herself that she wanted to give the sport a try. But it was Dad who jumped at the chance to pick up a new hobby with his daughter, even if that meant rearranging his work schedule.
“Claire’s growing up,” says Finck. “I wanted to do an activity together from scratch.”
Once a week in the Gymnasium, former Japan Fencing Federation director Koji Emura coaches the pair in the finer points of saber swordsmanship (Claire also takes foil classes outside the Club). Lessons start with stretching, pushups and sit-ups to keep the body agile for the rigors of the Olympic sport.
To Claire’s chagrin, her dad has a knack of arriving from the office just after the warm-up wraps up.
On the piste, Claire prefers feints to direct moves. Still, she knows she needs to stay focused and determined for her attacks to land. During matches, Claire taps into a fortitude her dad is always gratified to see.
“She really wants to get at it,” he says. “She’s really trying to improve, to beat her opponent. I discovered a face of her I knew existed, but I don’t see very easily or very often.”
At a full-day foil competition last year, Finck watched his daughter fall to the losers’ bracket after a tough morning of bitter defeats.
“She was really not good at all,” he says, prompting a wry look from Claire.
When matches resumed in the afternoon, Claire defeated one of the top-ranked fencers in the competition to reset the bracket and keep her hopes alive. While she didn’t top the podium, the comeback proved a confidence booster.
This month, Claire will step onto the strip at her first saber competition, another opportunity to show her fearlessness and grit. What more could a father want a hobby to instill in his daughter?
Claire says her training partner deserves at least some of the credit.
“I can be more aggressive with my dad because he will not cry,” says Claire, giving her father a reassuring pat on the arm. “Or if you do cry, Mommy will say, ‘It’s OK.’”
Words: Owen Ziegler
Image: Kayo Yamawaki
Adult & Youth Fencing
Mondays | 5:30–6:30pm (beginner & intermediate); 6:45–8:15pm (advanced) | Details online
