Max Greene En Guarde for Greatness

Max Greene fencing during the Virginia Tech Open on September 28, 2025

Photo submitted by Max Greene.

Ria Titus, Staff Writer for the Powderhorn

When people think of sports, it's usually basketballs swishing through nets or baseballs cracking off bats. Rarely do they picture the flash of a sword or the precision of a lunge. Fencing, often dismissed as something from the past, is alive and thriving for freshman Max Greene, who devotes countless hours to mastering the art.

“I think it's underrated. I get why a lot of people don't do it. It can be kind of costly, but I really love it. Fencing is a great sport. It's a great martial art,” said Greene. “It really pushes me both as an athlete, but also just as a person. It's just nice to have a passion that you can train for”.

The training can be tedious, especially in a small town that doesn’t have a lot of opportunities. In Boone, there isn’t an abundance of places that offer fencing, so Greene found it hard to continue his passion when he moved to Watauga County from Fayetteville.

“When I first started fencing in Fayetteville, there was a club there, and then I had to move to Boone. Boone just had a fencing club open, and it was a meet once a week and fence for an hour. Not a whole lot of actual coaching or lessons going on, which was not great,” said Greene. “Then we moved venues a ton of times. We went from Deer Valley Athletic Club to some random spots to the Rec Center, and now to the Methodist Church”.

Fencing is a sport where you practice with a club team but compete individually. You advance through the rounds by yourself, although your team is there to support you. 

“I do honestly think the individual aspect of it is part of what makes me love it so much. Because it is difficult to find a sport where you do not have to work with other people,” said Greene. “I do enjoy working with other people, but when it comes to a sport like that, I find it easier to be able to work on stuff that is on an individual level. It's individual, but you have teammatesou have your club mates, who you root for and who root for you. Victories are both your own, but you can also share the victories with your club mates without actually having to work with them.”

The victories for Greene have been of great multitude. He has triumphed through multiple issues and has competed in numerous competitions. Greene even qualified and competed in the national competition in 2024, located in Ohio.

“[Nationals] was very intimidating. I got to see fencers around our age, fencing at a level that I had not actually seen in person before,” said Greene. “It was just huge. The competition was very rough. If you were in the bottom 20% of fencers in the pools, you didn't get to fence in the actual tournament at all. I, luckily, was not one of those people, but I got absolutely swept in my first bout against someone who was a fantastic fencer. I think that competing with these super, high-level fencers that you don't even stand a chance against does help you grow in a way, though.”

As Greene excels through bouts and tournaments, his skills get sharper, but his body unfortunately pays the price. Fencing requires a lot of agility, which means having to do a lot of asymmetrical and sudden movements. The quick-paced sport does not offer much time for recovery and puts considerable pressure on joints, particularly the knees, in Greene’s case.

“I have suffered knee problems for a long time. It got so bad to the point that I took an extended break from competing in fencing competitions, because the pain would become just that bad,” said Green. “When it came to Nationals, I was just so demoralized. The actual fencing part became a little unbearable. But I tried my best. I did try and push through, but I didn't get that far. I have started to try and compete a little more now that my knee problems have gotten a little better”.

Greene pushed through his problems and endured many challenges to play the sport he loves. Fencing is a sport that deserves much more recognition. The players of this niche sport put in a lot of effort and make significant sacrifices.

“Fencing is probably one of the best things that's ever happened to me,” said Greene. “Everybody needs passion, and fencing is how I found mine."