Best Place to Play with Sharp Objects

All for one, and one for all! The Pacific Fencing Club may bring to
mind swashbuckling Musketeers with flashing epees, sabers, and foils,
but it is the spirit of camaraderie that makes this place special.
Maestro Harold Hayes directs fencers from the novice level to
high-level competitors in a handsome third-story studio. The center’s
philosophy states that they provide “a mental challenge, a physical
discipline, and guidance in sportsmanship, self-reliance, cooperation,
and problem solving.” As impressive as the skills being developed is
the code of honor and chivalry that are as much a part of the learning
program as thrusts and parries. Watching the sparring partners, it is
clear that the other part of the Pacific Fencing Club’s mission
statement, a commitment to “interesting and creative play,” is what
draws the children and adults who fill the floor to don their masks,
raise their swords and smiles, and announce to their grinning
opponents, “En garde!”