Throughout the Fall 2023 semester at West Liberty University (WLU), the fencing club has nearly tripled in size with the assistance of Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Toward the end of the Spring 2023 semester, the fencing club had about five people showing up to each club meeting on average. Now the club has an average of sixteen members showing up to each meeting.

SCA has assisted the club by providing mentors who can teach the new members about fencing. As well, mentors are encouraging other fencing clubs in the area to show up and spar against the west liberty fencing clubs members. SCA and the WLU fencing club are separate communities which share a common passion for historically styled fencing. 

Both comminutes use fencing gear that are accurately represented to the medieval ages with the goal of re-enacting the medieval styles of combat. This is often referred to as historical european martial arts or HEMA for short. While SCA and the fencing club may be separate clubs, many members of the fencing club enjoyed SCA. So, many members from the fencing club actually started their own chapter of SCA on campus.This comradery between the two fencing communities is only one of a few reasons for the west liberty fencing clubs sudden growth.

During an interview the clubs professor Shannon Halicki attributes the bulk of the clubs sudden growth to their incredible student leadership. Additionally, their push to spread the word about the club via social media, school fairs, and other events on the campus quad. 

The former president of the club agreed with professor Halickis’ statement. The former president had stated that he “believed that part of their growth was due to the west liberty students finally beginning to recover from the social changes that resulted from the covid pandemic”. 

He believes that students are just now becoming more willing to join clubs which is another reason for their dramatic growth.

All and all the west liberty fencing club has been doing better than ever. Due to the sheer increase in their numbers, they are having to order additional fencing gear just to support the amount of members that are participating. The club values having fun and teaching local community members all about fencing. As well, they are still actively encouraging new people to join their club.