Whatever strikes your fancy

One's socks really stand out in a fencing match. And for Woodbridge resident Sara Moore, the socks she's wearing depends on her mood.

During a recent tournament, the 13-year-old amateur fencer sported a pair of pink socks with black horizontal stripes -- quite a contrast to the all-white uniforms her competitors wore.

"I probably have three pairs the same as this," Sara said. "I have got my bones socks, my star socks. ... I have a lot of socks."

"Sometimes they will wear two totally different socks, which could be more of what they find in their bag," said mother Lynda Moore, who runs the Prince William Fencing Academy in Manassas where her daughter fences.

Sara has a quiet intensity and competitiveness, which drives her to improve, Lynda Moore said.

Unfortunately, Sara's fancy footwear couldn't help her on a day filled with losses and disappointment. Like the bruises and bumps she incurs during matches, losing stings Sara's ego.

On this particular day, she didn't win a match during pool play, which pairs people of various skill levels.

But that's how it goes in this centuries-old sport.

"You can be the best rated fencer but have a bad day and lose to someone, or you could be just starting out, have a really hot day and knock someone out," Lynda Moore said.

That "hot" scenario occurred at a recent Super Youth Circuit tournament in Louisville, Ky. In direct elimination, the seventh-seeded Sara edged her second-seeded foe.

"She tied it up with one second left, and won in overtime," Lynda Moore said. "...That was an awesome, awesome bout."

Staying mentally sharp is something Sara said is difficult but crucial in fencing.

"It's really hard to keep going when you are down, but I think the best way to overcome that is just do your best not to pay attention to what the score is and just fence, and fence one touch at a time," Sara said.

That positive mentality has helped Sara become Virginia's novice women's points leader (out of 55 competitors). Her goal is to eventually make the Olympics, but she knows she has a long way to go.

The top fencers in the state typically aren't on the points standings lists because they compete outside Virginia, and often, internationally.

Fencers are rated by letters. An A rating is the best followed by B, C, D, E and U, which stands for unrated. In just more than a full year of competitive fencing, Sara is rated an E in foil and is a U in epee, two of three categories of fencing.

In foil, competitors use a light blade and one can only receive points by striking the front and back of the torso but not the head. In epee, a heavier weapon is used and the entire body is fair game.

In sabre, which Sara has not competed in, competitors use a curved weapon and can only strike the torso and head. It originated from knights on horseback where the goal was to knock your opponent off his mount.

GETTING STARTED

In 2007, Lynda and her husband, Jonathan, opened up their Manassas facility, located at the back end of a commercial strip mall near Osbourn Park High School (off Kao Circle).

Part of their motivation can be credited to Sara's older sister, Kat Moore, who signed up for a fencing class offered at Dale City Recreation Center when she was in middle school.

A self-proclaimed nerd, who helped design artwork on the wall of the facility, Kat, now 19, liked the uniqueness and individuality of the sport.

"[I said], 'Oh, sword fighting, that's an interesting and archaic sport,' " Kat said.

As Kat grew older and her interest in fencing waned (she will be a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design this fall) Sara's began heating up. If she is not dancing jazz or tap or doing her homework, Sara is working on her fencing skills, often acquiring bruises, which looks like abuse, Lynda Moore jokes.

Even non-fencing friends at school tease her.

"They think it's kind of crazy," Sara said. "They say, 'So what happened?' and I say, 'I fenced this weekend.' "

FENCING 'FAMILY'

Lynda Moore has a saying -- fencers on the strip, friends off the strip.

This is definitely true at the PWFA, which is like an extended family, welcoming all kinds of personalities and ages, including an autistic boy with a service dog and a spry 68-year-old named Ed Sady.

According to mother and daughter, Sady is still delivering painful blows during competition -- which is surprising due in part to his advanced years and uncanny similarity to the Moore children's grandfather.

Assistant coach Garrett Casey is also part of the "family." Casey, who lives with ADHD, lived with the Moores for awhile.

Reflecting on Casey's early days at PWFA, Lynda said it's difficult to believe she not only hired him as a coach, but came to love him like a son.

"Fencing has just been amazing for that boy," Lynda said. "Because it has made him focus. And giving him the responsibility of coaching, he just kind of stepped up to that."

"Like any martial art, you learn how to channel the things that you are feeling constructively," Kat Moore added. "So if you are having a really bad day, you can beat up on the dummy over there or beat up on someone else, who's not going to care because their only goal is to keep you from beating up on them."

And it can be done wearing whichever socks strike your fancy.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.