​Off Guard (Excerpt)

(Editors note: This article was sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods)

_All photos by Anthony Blasko. _Words by Tim Struby.__

On a late June afternoon in west Harlem, New York, students slowly trickle into the Democracy Prep charter school gym. The 34 x 72 foot space is down in the basement and features a yellow floor, a pair of basketball hoops and a handful of championship banners hung on the wall: middle-school soccer, girls varsity basketball, girls volleyball. By 1:30, there are twelve girls and eleven boys, representing grades 9 though 12. They sport t-shirts and sweats and sit on the floor, talking and laughing. A casual observer might think this is the start of a gym class, or maybe even a theater rehearsal. But when Democracy Prep's athletic director Dennis Wolfe marches in, that casual observer might not believe his or her ears. "Okay everyone," Wolfe barks. "We're ready to start our fencing tournament."

Fencing? In Harlem? Three years ago, organized dueling in an inner-city gym would have seemed about as likely as a polo match. But back in 2013, a non-profit program called Fencing in Schools began introducing the sport to some unlikely participants, and a quick glance along the gym's back wall reveals a carefully laid out array of protective masks, padded white jackets, gloves, breast plates, and a row of metal sabers, one of the three types of fencing blades. Wolfe, with his shaved head, large tattoo on his calf, and the overall build of a small offensive lineman, now points to the tall stranger beside him. "This is Tim Morehouse, the man behind Fencing in Schools," he says. "He's going to give us a few tips today before the tournament. And listen up, because in 2008, he won a silver medal at the Olympics."

On a late June afternoon in west Harlem, New York, students slowly trickle into the Democracy Prep charter school gym. The 34 x 72 foot space is down in the basement and features a yellow floor, a pair of basketball hoops and a handful of championship banners hung on the wall: middle-school soccer, girls varsity basketball, girls volleyball. By 1:30, there are twelve girls and eleven boys, representing grades 9 though 12. They sport t-shirts and sweats and sit on the floor, talking and laughing. A casual observer might think this is the start of a gym class, or maybe even a theater rehearsal. But when Democracy Prep's athletic director Dennis Wolfe marches in, that casual observer might not believe his or her ears. "Okay everyone," Wolfe barks. "We're ready to start our fencing tournament."

Fencing? In Harlem? Three years ago, organized dueling in an inner-city gym would have seemed about as likely as a polo match. But back in 2013, a non-profit program called Fencing in Schools began introducing the sport to some unlikely participants, and a quick glance along the gym's back wall reveals a carefully laid out array of protective masks, padded white jackets, gloves, breast plates, and a row of metal sabers, one of the three types of fencing blades. Wolfe, with his shaved head, large tattoo on his calf, and the overall build of a small offensive lineman, now points to the tall stranger beside him. "This is Tim Morehouse, the man behind Fencing in Schools," he says. "He's going to give us a few tips today before the tournament. And listen up, because in 2008, he won a silver medal at the Olympics."

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