Locking swords in a heated duel might not be what many envision for their golden years, but for one 76-year-old fencing is more than an outlet to stay physically fit.
Marvin Fine, a Rexford resident and psychologist, snagged the gold medal in the over 70-year-old division at the World Saber Championship in Porec, Croatia, on Sept. 28 of last year. There were a total of 23 fencers from nine countries vying for the category’s top spot, but Fine’s persistence and determination had him wielding his saber to victory.
He started fencing late in life, at 59 years old, following in the footsteps of his stepson, Michael Fiske, and his wife, Katherine Wardle, who is also a psychologist.
“I was attracted to it because they were doing it,” Fine said. “I had always played high school sports and was a runner … at the point they took up fencing I thought, ‘This is neat’ and ‘I’ll give it a try.’”
When Fine started fencing he was a professor at the University of Kansas, and had the fortune of being coached by Vladimir Nazlymov, a three-time Olympic gold medalist from Germany.
“He is the real McCoy,” Fine said of Nazlymov. “I trained with him for three years and he gave me a good foundation.”
Fine now fences at Beaches Saber Club in Troy and has been coached for the last several years by RPI Fencing Club Coach Rod Meagher. Fine practices tow to three times per week and outside of practice he tries to work out for around 30 minutes daily at a local gym.
“To be my age and be physically active and be in a competitive sport is terrific,” Fine said. “There is nothing magical about staying in shape … you work out a routine that is going to be a good routine for you.”
Despite having three stents in his arteries in addition to knee and back surgery, Fine said he’ll keep fencing until his doctor tells him its time to lay down the saber.
Outside of the health benefits, he said there is a great sense of camaraderie within adult divisions of fencing. Teenagers, he said, are “out to kill” with hopes and dreams of making it into the Olympics, while for the older fencers it’s more social.
“The camaraderie aspect of it is really important,” he said. “I have made some very, very close friends.”
Actually, the man he went on to defeat for the gold medal in September was his friend. The two men were even sharing a room while participating at the competition.
Fine came from being down by 6-9 in the gold medal match to beat Wolf Nettingsmeyer, of Germany, with a close finish at 10-9. At previous world championship competitions, Fine had won three silver medals and a bronze medal. He also is a dual United States and Canadian citizen. He currently is the top ranked over-70 saber fencer in the United States, Canada and in the Commonwealth Fencing Association.
Fencing can be as much a mental game as physical, Fine said, with it commonly being referred to as “physical chess.”
“The challenge in fencing was facing myself and learning to fence strategically,” he said. “It is a skill sport, so you have to learn patience with yourself, you have to strategize … those are challenges.”
He encourages anyone interested in fencing to give it a try, especially older adults, because in his words, “any older athlete knows that the often-said expression, ‘use it or lose it’ is very appropriate.”