Indianapolis may be the thirteenth largest city in the country, but it doesn’t feel like that. Most would not expect it to be the fencing capital of the world. Many do not expect it to have any fencing.

Fencing in most areas is small in size and budget. The Internet has certainly been one of the best things that happened for both sport fencing and historical fencing.

IUPUI was originally the Normal College of the North American Gymnasts, an American Turners run organization steeped in its German heritage and managed for a long time by the Vonnegut family. Indiana University bought the normal college in 1947 and began the migration to today’s IUPUI. The physical education side of IUPUI is the direct descendant of the Normal College and claims to be the oldest continuously operating physical education program in the country.

In 1888, the Normal College migrated to its final home in Indianapolis. Fencing was always a part of their program. In those early years they brought in George Heintz, fencing instructor at the Annapolis Naval Academy during his breaks. The program has continued uninterrupted since.

Digging into the archives I found great photos of fencing classes from the early 20th century, yearbooks and other materials. In the 1930s and 1940s the Normal College was competing against the local YMCA and Butler University and the Indianapolis Fencing Club. This was not the same Indianapolis Fencing Club of recent history. This was some previous incarnation.

It is not easy to find material. Fencing was not advertising in the local newspaper or having many stories written about it. Certainly now fencing clubs are getting more savvy about getting press where we can, but the roads to uncover our fencing history are often unused and overgrown. We're still trying to find the pathways to our fencing heritage.

Fencing has continued to be taught at IUPUI continuously. Everywhere else it dissappeared over the years. In 1978, the Indianapolis Fencing Club was reformed seemingly without being aware of the previous incarnation. The IFC was a recreational club there to provide a place for fencers. They were the center of the Southern Indiana Division of the USFA.

However, the division faltered and dissolved. The IFC had a couple of splits in the 1990s to fracture the club. Pieces of it fell back together and they continued on as a mostly foil club into the 2000s.

Phenomenal growth in sabre took plance in the 2000s in seperate programs from the IFC membership. The strain of growth caused another fracturing of the IFC in 2005. Alexander's Fencing Academy, the child of the IFC moved to our current location in October of 2005. The IFC subleased from us for its small membership. It has since lapsed into a dormant stage and has no place of its own.

In April of 2008 the Academy again took a turn under new ownership with a new name and a new mission. The head coach of Alexander's Fencing Academy decided to relocate to California. Bladepoint Fencing Academy was born and took over where AFA left off.

Bladepoint is set take off and develop programs in all weapons. We are entering a period of phenomenal growth and great opportunities in fencing.

Come join us on the strip.