Clicking, squeaking, buzzing and occasional shouts emanate from the corner of the New Weave building on evenings and weekends, piquing interest from passersby. These are the sounds of fencing lessons and competitions at the Savage Fencing Club. In operation for less than four years, this hyper-local small business epitomizes the unique trajectory that many tenants have followed to land at Savage Mill. We spoke with co-owners Bruce and Lauren Milligan to learn more about the sport, the serendipity that brought the club to Savage Mill, and the creative touches they bring to their operation.

There’s a famous quote about fencing: “In fencing, as in life, timing is everything.” How did you get into fencing?

Bruce: When I was in junior high school, I wanted to be a basketball star. Although three of my best friends were on the fencing team, I never asked them about it. But then Allan, my older brother, whose history teacher was the fencing coach at our high school, essentially dragged me down (the team practiced in the school basement) to practice, and I loved it from day one. I ended up coaching fencing at the high school level (3 years) and college (7 years) before working at a club in Baltimore for 20 years.

Lauren: Fencing was offered at my college, and I loved it from the moment I tried it. I was never good at any other sports, but fencing was beautiful and thrilling. I have been fencing off and on for almost 20 years, and I am still as excited about the sport as I was that first day. I can’t dance either, so this is about as close to dancing as I am ever going to get :).

What attracts you and other fencers to the sport?

Bruce: In my experience, everybody has different motives. For me, it is the excitement of being in an individual sport, where if I win, it is because of my efforts, and if I lose, it is because I did not fence well enough. Having also been a high school football player, where if I had a terrible day and my team won 30-0, or if I had a great day and we lost 30-0, I like the fact that it is me, and only me, who causes my result. Plus – at my age – knowing I can still compete, both with older fencers and young ones, is a great thing. Most people my age find their sports, and their adrenaline, vicariously by watching their favorite teams play. I can do this myself.

Lauren: For me, fencing is both an individual and a group sport. I like that I can have individual goals but get to work with other people to achieve them. This sport has helped me learn discipline and respect, and these are tools I can carry to my everyday life. It may sound odd, but I find fencing relaxing. No matter what other stress has been going on in my life, when the mask comes down, my whole focus has to be on the next action. 

What are some fascinating, little-known facts about fencing?

Bruce and Lauren: Here are some of ours:
– Fencing was one of the very first Olympic sports.
– The United States won its first Olympic gold medal in 1904, when Albertson van Zo Post won not one, but two gold medals (and two silver as well). We then went exactly 100 years without another gold medal, until 2004, when Mariel Zagunis, a saber fencer of Greek descent, placed first in women’s saber, at the Athens Olympics. After this victory, fencing took off in this country, and the number of competitive fencers more than doubled, up to over 70,000 today.
– Fencing is a sport which is suitable for all ages, from seven and up. We have national championships for those as young as eight, and national and world championships for fencers aged 70 and up.
– Fencing has a ratings system, somewhat similar to the belts in martial arts. The prime difference, as far as I know, is that in some, or perhaps, all of the martial arts, it is your instructor who decides whether or not you deserve a belt. In fencing, to earn a rating (from E, the lowest, to A, the highest), you must compete in a tournament with a certain number of fencers, and, for most ratings, you have to finish higher than at least two people who already have that rating.

What are some aspects of fencing that are more difficult than they look to be?

Bruce and Lauren: Footwork is by far the most important, and in some ways the hardest, thing to learn. But tactics and technique are also much more sophisticated that what you might see on TV or in the movies.

How did you decide to open your fencing club here at Savage Mill?

Bruce and Lauren: We were not planning to open a club at all, until the club where I (Bruce) had taught for 20 years – the Baltimore Fencing Center, in Columbia – shut down permanently after the owner went to China and never returned. We started looking at other local clubs to join, but they were either too far away or didn’t have the vibe we were looking for. We live just up the street, and one day we walked over to Savage Mill and noticed a For Lease sign on a space in the Cotton Shed building. We met with Adam, the Leasing Manager, and although that space wasn’t large enough to accommodate the regulation 46′ long fencing lanes (or strips/piste), there happened to be another space in the New Weave building that was about to be vacant. Fast forward a few years and we’ve expanded to the space next door, doubling our space, plus added a back storage area and an annex down the hallway. We now have 145 members (we just added ten in the past week), and have a goal of 200 students by the end of 2026. Being inside a retail space presents some unique challenges but also opportunities. We love the size of the space and how personalized everything is.

What are some aspects of your business of which you’re particularly proud?

Bruce and Lauren: We are quite happy that after just a bit more than 3 1/2 years, we have gone from just the two of us to about 150 members, with a staff of half a dozen coaches and event managers. We also are very happy with the appearance and ambience of the club, which often draws praise from visitors and fellow fencers who come to the club for tournaments. We work to attract both experienced fencers, who come for the coaches, and those new to fencing, who are drawn to the look and feel of the club.

What is it like to own a business as a married couple?

Bruce: I never imagined it would work as well as it has. We each have our roles. I have a background in marketing, writing, editing, and game design, so I handle things like the marketing and executive matters as well as coaching. Lauren still works full time (she has a doctorate in virology), but she handles the finances and working with the parents and kids, as well as coaching.

Lauren: It has been an incredibly rewarding experience for us to have opened Savage Fencing Club. Bruce’s philosophy on helping others has been a huge influence on me. It has been such a blessing for me to work with Bruce in helping others achieve their goals through fencing. We have complementary skills that have played out well on the business side, and it has been a joy to create this fencing community together. No matter what the challenge, we face it together, and it always ends up okay.

How do you attract younger participants?

Bruce and Lauren: One thing we offer to those both young and old alike is a free 30-minute demo lesson with one of our coaches. We also structure our beginner classes so that siblings, or parents and their children, can be in the same beginner class. The “observation gallery” at the main entrance to Savage Mill is also a great asset to our recruiting efforts!

Tell us about some of the special events you organize such as the upcoming Vets for Vets Fencing Tournament.

Bruce and Lauren: Vets for Vets is a tournament we founded last year. It’s taking place again next weekend, November 15-16. The purpose is to honor those who serve our country in the military. In the sport of fencing, a “vet” is a fencer who is 40 years old or older. Military veterans fence in this tournament without paying our $50 registration fee, and we donate $10 per participant to a relevant charity (last year it was the USO, and this year it will be Disabled American Veterans), regardless of whether or not they paid to fence. This tournament has attracted attention not only from clubs around the country, but from our national governing body, USA Fencing, and we are hoping that eventually it will be emulated elsewhere.

Other themed events we host include our recent “Oktoberfecht” which, with over 70 fencers, was the largest event we have held to date. In February we host the “Choco Therapy” open, which we’ve been running for over 25 years (starting at our old club). For this tournament, in addition to engraved medals for the top eight finishers, we also offer a nice box of chocolate truffles (from Sweet Cascades) to the top two men and the top two women in each event, keeping to our Valentine’s Day theme. We also bring a lot of less expensive chocolate — including, of course, Three Musketeers bars! — for the rest of the fencers.

Finally, another themed event, held in the spring, is our “Drinko de Mayo” vets event for fencers 40 years and older. Here, the top two men and top two women in each of our tournaments receive a bottle of our custom “Drinko de Mayo” cabernet, which comes from Boordy Vineyards, a well-known Maryland winery.

What else would you like us to know?

Bruce: I’d like to give a shout-out to Lauren, who was the best student I’ve ever had! She’d studied fencing some before we met at the Baltimore Fencing Club, where I was her coach. Since then, she’s placed second twice in the National Foil and Epee Veterans category. My dream is to one day coach her in a world vet championship.

On more practical matters, we are open Monday-Friday evenings, as well as Saturdays till around 1:30 p.m. We are on Facebook and Instagram and have our own YouTube channel as well. We welcome anyone who wants to learn more about our sport and our club.

Lauren: Fencing has given us both so much, and we are thrilled to be able to share our love of the sport with others. Stop by anytime and say hi!  You may just end up a fencer!