New Yorkers get fit with fencing

In the sweltering heat, the 14 fencing novices advanced and lunged their foils outside the New York Public Library, taking advantage of free lessons being offered by the city this month.

"It's awesome and fast," said David Guadeloupe, 19, of Brooklyn, after finishing his lesson Wednesday. A John Jay College student, Guadeloupe said he made a special trip to Manhattan for the lesson.

"I just heard about it and thought it would be something different. I never did it before," he said. "It was really cool and invigorating -- it's like going into battle."

"He never wants to lose," said his cousin and dueling partner, Gregory Guadeloupe, also 19, of Brooklyn, a student at Buffalo State University.

"Yeah, once I got into it I didn't want to stop," David Guadeloupe admitted.

A quick lesson on advancing and lunging had group members stepping up for more and vowing to come back next week.

The city Parks Department is offering free exercise lessons for its summer BeFitNYC promotion at city parks. Yoga and zumba exercise classes, for example, will be offered at Bryant Park near the library.

It's part of a citywide effort to promote physical fitness, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said.

"New York City is the ultimate gym . . . hundreds of parks, playing fields and athletic facilities along with thousands of miles of sidewalks, walkways and bike lanes," Benepe said. "I challenge all New Yorkers to get outside this summer and get active."

The one-hour fencing lessons are held weekly at the front terrace of the library on Fifth Avenue at 1 p.m., through June 22. The lessons are organized by the Manhattan Fencing Center, the U.S. fencing Olympic team home club in Manhattan.

Dubbed "chess in motion" fencing requires strategy and calculation, said fencing coach Tomer Or, 32, who competed on the Israeli Olympic fencing team at the Beijing 2008 games.

"You have to be smart and be able to think and combine good physical coordination with eye contact," Or said.

He started fencing at 8 years old and became the world junior champ in 1998 at the Venezuela World Cup.

"The kids love it because it's like playing swords and they like the costume of the mask and vest," he said. "It's reliving the days of duels and knights."

Gael Schaefer, 52, of Manhattan, an actress, said: "I like sport fencing because it's fast and since I am a performer I can observe how people fight and get the feeling of an attack or hit." Smiling, she said, "It's like it gives you that 'Pirates of the Caribbean' feeling."