Seniors in Australia have taken up fencing to keep fit.

MELBOURNE (AFP) - It’s bye-bye bingo, and so long sewing, the old folks at an Australian seniors home have found a new activity to sharpen their wits and steel their bodies—fencing.
The group at Melbourne’s Catholic Homes Corpus Christi, most of whom are retired priests and nuns, have spent the past nine months studying swordplay and are learning to leave their walking sticks behind and lunge like Zorro.

The home’s lifestyle coordinator Patricia Boyd said she never intended to offer fencing as one of the home’s activities but was convinced by instructor Joseph D’Onofrio who came to work at Corpus Christi as a volunteer.

The residents were also hesitant, until D’Onofrio spoke to them about the sport and how it would be almost impossible for them to get hurt.

“They thought fencing? No, that was quite strange,“ Boyd said.

“But Joseph came along and he spoke to them and he actually went into how it’s very spiritual.

“It just went from strength to strength and they’ve become very good at it.“

About 16 residents aged over 80, including 93-year-old Sister Delores Kirby, now take part in the Monday sessions.

“It’s very unusual at our age,“ Kirby, a retired nun from the Faithful Companions of Jesus order, told AFP.

“It’s a challenge. I’m always a bit afraid I might fall over.“

I love the picture with this one.

You know, at first I thought, *are they trying to get rid of these folks?*, but the more I looked at the photo after reading about it I realized that this IS brilliant!  Particularly because interests at even advanced ages are still as varied and as numerous as they were when these same people were 15 years old….......and that certainly was NOT confined to sewing or other sit-down-barely-move activities!

About 16 residents aged over 80, including 93-year-old Sister Delores Kirby, now take part in the Monday sessions.

Go Sister Delores Kirby!

Oh sure.. it seems fine now, but give ‘em a few weeks and we’ll have broadsword-wielding octogenarans stormig the local pharmacies…

Hmm…well our lot of sword-wielding seniors at tai chi haven’t started doing that, yet…

That you’ve seen.. they’re practicing their ninja skills.

I’m just worried about when they hand out the lightsabers… Yoda was 900 years old, and look what he could do! These folks are a tenth his age, there’ll be no stopping them!

I feel really lame now that I quit fencing because it was just too much for me.

MadCarlotta - 12 May 2008 05:28 AM

I feel really lame now that I quit fencing because it was just too much for me.

  Don`t feel bad about your self that`s my job.Is n`t fencing dangerous?something tells me it wont be such an exciting sport anymore…

MadCarlotta - 12 May 2008 05:28 AM

I feel really lame now that I quit fencing because it was just too much for me.

*patpat*

silver caliber magnum - 12 May 2008 05:51 AM

MadCarlotta - 12 May 2008 05:28 AM

I feel really lame now that I quit fencing because it was just too much for me.

  Don`t feel bad about your self that`s my job.Is n`t fencing dangerous?something tells me it wont be such an exciting sport anymore…

Foils aren’t dangerous if you’re properly fencing. About the only thing you can hurt is your eye and the mask protects that, they bend on impact which you can’t feel due to the tunic and unless you fence sans protection or whip someone with your sword it’s hard to get hurt.

Sabres, on the other hand, you can probably hurt somebody with them. I awlays wanted to learn sabre fencing but nowhere near here does it. It’s all foils.

And that’s terrible.

Come on down here, Ren.  I can at least teach you a bit of sabre work…dunno about fencing, yet.  Haven’t learnt that myself since I missed the workshop that taught that.

Renquist - 12 May 2008 02:23 PM

I always wanted to learn sabre fencing but nowhere near here does it. It’s all foils.

Take a rapier along to your next fencing session, and hope no one notices.