LOCAL SPORTS

Luke Kinney signs fencing pact with Air Force Academy

Wilson Hall senior Luke Kinney, left, competes last year at the 2018 USA Fencing National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
Wilson Hall senior Luke Kinney, left, competes last year at the 2018 USA Fencing National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
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When he was about nine years old, Luke Kinney knew there were two things he wanted to do.

"I wanted to fence, and I wanted to fly airplanes," Kinney said.

Kinney got into fencing, joining a club in Columbia not long after he decided it was something in which he wanted to proceed. It is something he has vigorously pursued ever since, becoming good enough to earn a berth in the USA Fencing National Championships last season.

Because of his skill as a fencer, Kinney is now going to get the opportunity to learn how to fly an airplane.

The Wilson Hall School senior recently signed to be a collegiate fencer with the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"This is really something that I've been working toward," Kinney said. "I've always wanted to fence at the collegiate level, and to be a part of the team at the Air Force Academy is great."

Since fencing competitions in the Southeast are limited, Kinney has spent a lot of weekends traveling to competitions around the country through the past several years.

The hard work he has put in working on his own and with his coach, Patrick Lausi, has paid off in a big way last summer at the national championships held in St. Louis.

Kinney was named to the USA Fencing All-American Team for achieving a "C" rating in both Foil and Epee, two of the fencing weapons.

There were over 5,000 fencers participating in the 10-day event. Kinney competed in five individual events and two team events. He was in the Junior Men's Foil, Division II Men's Foil, Division 1A Men's Foil, Junior Men's Epee and Division II Epee.

His best finish came in Division 1A Men's Foil. Kinney defeated the No. 15 seed and reached the Round of 64. He finished 63rd overall.

"Luke works very hard at this," said Lausi, who has been Kinney's coach since 2015.

Kinney was one of just 12 fencers who achieved the "C" rating in two weapons.

Kinney said the sport of fencing always intrigued him.

"I've just always been interested in medieval times, sword fighting," he said.