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Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP
In this Jan. 29 photo, Chris Barrilleaux, 27, left, fences with his coach, Sam Aldridge, at the Salem Fencing Club in Salem.
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Wheelchair fencing a joy to man with cerebral palsy
By ANNA REED
Statesman Journal
C
hris Barrilleaux leaves his
home once a week.
Every Friday night, the
27-year-old has a half-hour fencing
lesson. His mother, Julie Miller,
prepares him for the outing. It
takes her nearly 20 minutes to put
on his leg braces, tennis shoes
and protective fencing jacket. His
wheelchair is lifted into the back
of their van for the half-hour drive
from their Aurora home to the
Salem Fencing Club.
Barrilleaux lives with cerebral
palsy. The neurological disorder
causes limited muscle coordination
and involuntary movements.
He was born with the condition,
though it was likely worsened
after surviving meningitis as an
infant. Because of the limited
muscle control, he cannot speak or
control the volume of the sounds
he makes.
He is dependent on a
wheelchair and the help of his
mother for everything he does.
Everything except fencing.
The sport allows Barrilleaux to
compete one-on-one. Both fencers
sit in wheelchairs a sword’s
length apart. The short bursts of
swordwork let his muscles have
breaks between movements. And
because fencing is just as much
about the mental challenge as the
physical, Barrilleaux is able to use
his quick thinking to act and react
to his opponent’s moves.
———
Modern-day fencing is the
evolution of centuries-old sword
dueling and sword military
training. Because duelers
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Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP
In this Feb. 12 photo, Chris Barrilleaux looks back to his mom and their two dogs, Dually and Truck,
at their home in Aurora. Barrilleaux, with cerebral palsy, is dependent on his mom and a wheelchair
for everything he does, except fencing.
traditionally wore white so the red
could easily be seen. The white
uniform has lasted into today’s
bloodless version. Fencing became
an organized sport in the 14th
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1896 Olympic games in Athens.
There are three standard
weapons in modern fencing. The
foil is the lightest sword and was
originally used as a training tool.
Its target area is the body; no arms,
legs, or head.
The epee was originally used
for traditional duels. The target
“I know that it’s given him a lot of confi dence
of just getting out and being able to do stuff.
So that way it’s really been huge.”
— Julie Miller, Chris Barrilleaux’s mother
area is the entire body.
The sabre was used in the
military as a cavalry weapon,
so the target area was anywhere
above the waist. Unlike foil and
epee, points in sabre can be earned
with a touch from the entire length
of the blade, not just the tip.
Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP
In this Jan. 29 photo, Chris Barrilleaux gets a fi nal look at his dog, Dually, before his mom, Julie Miller,
closes the back of their van and he heads inside the Salem Fencing Club for his weekly sabre lesson
in Salem.
All three weapons are wielded
today in Olympic and Paralympic
fencing, in which there is almost
no distinction between able-bodied
and wheelchair fencing.
“Essentially there is no
difference, apart from the
wheelchair fencers can’t move up
and down the strip,” said Samuel
Aldridge, Barrilleaux’s coach at
the Salem Fencing Club.
“If there is one fundamental
difference, it’s that wheelchair
fencing is about three times faster
than standard fencing, because
you don’t have all the preliminary
moving back and forth before the
sword work can happen.”
Because of the speed of the
blades, fencing is just as much
a physical sport as it is a mental
one. Decisions about how to attack
and to react must be made in split
seconds. As in chess, competitors
must always think several moves
ahead to stay in the match.
———
Barrilleaux’s hand moves
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control his left hand enough to
type a few letters a minute.
He spends most of his time
writing stories. His long-form
fantasy tales revolve around
pirates, knights and other sword-
bearing characters. A couple of
years ago, he and his mother saw
a bit on the local television news
See FENCING/9C