GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- It wasn’t Randall Hinds plan to open a fencing school.
He saw a need for it when the places he went fencing five nights a week, sometimes multiple times a day, couldn’t open during the pandemic.
“I think I had lost my way a little bit. My wife, maybe she took a little pity on me and let us start to look for an investment, and long story short, we found this place and we took the plunge and here we are,” Hinds said.
He opened Greensboro Fencing Academy on East Wendover Avenue in February.
Opening a fencing school is what Hinds needed and as he found out, others needed too, particularly families looking for ways to connect over a common interest.
Jayson Vergara learned fencing in the Philippines.
Now he enjoys it with his daughter Jaden and son Jace.
“This is the main outlet they have right now,” Vergara said.
Cameron Paschall has been fencing ever since she discovered it as an elective at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
She’s now a coach at the academy where her son Walker recently learned the sport.
“For him to have the opportunity to find something he enjoys at this age, it's wonderful, and it's time I get to spend with him. It's kind of like our thing and I couldn't ask for anything better,” she said.
Parent Blair Weikel appreciates how it’s something people of different ages and skill levels can do together.
She has developed an interest after seeing how much her children enjoy it.
“It’s such a smart sport which I think is really worth a lot in this time where it's you have to think,” she said.
Hinds says there are about 11 family combinations at the school, which make up 25% to 30% of the current enrollment.
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