South Houston High School Fencing

It is an amazing feat.

In the Houston area, fencing has existed, grown and thrived in exactly one high school for over a decade. Yet fencing has not taken off in the private schools of the moneyed elite of River Oaks and similar neighborhoods. Fencing has found it most fertile scholastic ground at South Houston High School.

Begun a dozen years ago by Jerry Dunaway, South Houston fencing has grown from a small after-school club to a varsity level sport. In addition to holding their own tournaments, for the last decade South Houston fencers could be found competing in some of the most prestigious tournaments in the state, including the Poujardieu Memorial near San Antonio and the Van Buskirk Memorial in Houston. Fencers from South Houston High School have fenced at the Junior Olympics and at the National Fencing Championships.

South Houston fencers have also proven themselves to be significant contributors to the health of the sport throughout the Gulf Coast Division. The program's members have gone on to help create the fencing club at the University of St. Thomas. Their past members include coaches at the Clear Lake Fencing Club and current members are even now developing as USFA rated referees at competitions throughout the Houston-Galveston area. Their contribution was integral to helping the Galveston Fencing Club inaugurate the Naomi Abbott Memorial last December.

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