History:
The Jacksonville Fencing Club has been a first coast secret for years. The club started in the 1950’s in Jacksonville and didn’t become an official club under the United States Fencing Association until 1960. The club during the beginning stages of existence would meet at the old YMCA. During the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s the club thrived with a great membership. The club struggled during 1992-1995 until a man by the name of Raul Toro resurrected it in 1995.
Toro has been fencing his entire life, even during his childhood in Brentwood, New York. In 1995 Toro became the president and head coach of the Jacksonville Fencing club. Toro would base the club out of Clay County at Ridgeview High School. As word got out about the club and its success, more people in Jacksonville wanted to fence. The club had three locations across the city until Toro decided to move the non-profit club to Riverside where it still is today. Toro made that move because he wanted to be closer to the city of Jacksonville.
The club did very well in its new location having around 100 members coming to their facility. When the economy tanked in 2008, the club lost a lot of their members. They dropped from 100 members to around 50-60. This drop did not stop Toro’s drive to make this club nationally recognized.
The club not only competed nationally, but did a very good job competing as well. They would win over 100 medals a year in competitions all over the country. In fencing, there is a ranking system A-U for fencers A being the highest rank. Toro’s club had the most A ranked fencers in the state. They dominated for a long time.
One competitor that stood out to Raul Toro was Princess Rasheed, a student who had incredible success under Toro. In fencing, there is three ways to fence, foil, saber and Epee. In 2005, Princess Rasheed went to the national championship and finished top eight in foil. In 2006, she went back and won a national championship in epee. Raul also won the national coaches medal that year. In 2007, Toro challenged Rasheed to compete in saber the third of the fencing types. She lost in the national championship on a pulled hamstring by the score of 15-13.
After all the success and versatility that Rasheed gave Toro he knew she was the right person to hand the club over to when he was ready to move on. In 2016 Raul Toro retired as president and head coach of the Jacksonville Fencing Club and handed it over to Rasheed. She is still the head coach today and hopes to bring more competition and success out of the city of Jacksonville.
About:
The Jacksonville Fencing Club is out of Riverside at 3955 Riverside Ave. –Suite A, Jacksonville FL 32205. The club is a non-profit organization for all ages. A membership fee is $100 per month. The head coach is Princess Rashid who has been with the club and fencing for many years.
Jacksonville Fencing Club Hopes to Make Comeback
Written by: Ryan Hennessy
Photography courtesy of jaxfencingclub.org
