Patrick Gettings was looking for a winter sport during his freshman year at Stevenson but didn’t want to try out for the basketball team.
His biology teacher, who doubled as the school’s fencing coach but has since retired, suggested the lanky Gettings–who said he didn’t think he had a shot at playing basketball at the 4,000-plus student school–could be a successful fencer
“When I first heard about fencing, I just knew it involved swords but didn’t even know there are three different weapons,” Gettings said. “I didn’t really know anything about fencing. I think I’ve come a long way.”
When he was a sophomore participating in the Junior Olympics, he faced Ben Solomon, now a freshman at Princeton and the No. 1-ranked epee fencer in the nation.
“He beat Patrick 5-2,” Gettings’ father, Tom, remembered, “but others said simply scoring two points against Ben was great.
“That’s when I first thought he might be decent.”
Now a senior, the 6-foot-1-inch, 145-pounder is arguably Illinois’ best fencer for his age. Ranked 199th in the world by the France-based Federation Internationale Descrime in the under-20 Junior Epee division, he is 33rd in the same division in the U.S. Fencing Association rankings. And of those ahead of him nationally, many are in college and have been in the sport for up to 10 years. He ranks among the top 20 high school epee fencers nationally.
“He is very, very emotionally balanced, and fencing is a very emotional activity,” said Boris Lukomski, a three-time world champion with whom Gettings trains year-round at the Fencing 2000 club in Chicago. “So to be emotionally balanced is very unique, very good for a fencer.
“I’ve seen him improve [so that] he is now starting to think about his actions and plan his actions–and that’s very good for a fencer.”
Gettings competed in the Junior World Cup last September in Louisville and the Junior Olympics last February in Columbus, Ohio. He finished 21st in both. Next up are the Junior Olympics again–Feb. 14-17 in Colorado Springs.
“I don’t really know why I’m so good, or why I got so good in such a short period of time,” said Gettings, who is 105-9 in four seasons of high school matches.
He will showcase his talents Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m., at the New Trier High School Team Competition, which will feature the host school and the three other Chicago area high school fencing programs: Lake Forest’s, Maine West’s and Marian Central’s.
Gettings is 15-1 in dual meets this season. His lone loss was to a nationally ranked fencer from Culver Military Academy of Indiana. Gettings finished among the top eight in last year’s Midwest High School Championship, losing to the eventual winner. He also was the overall winner, after back-to-back second-place finishes, in the fencing competition at the Mayor Daley Sports Festival in December.
Gettings credits Lukomski, a Russian immigrant, for his success, and said he instructs him by showing, not screaming.
“He just makes everything seem a lot clearer,” he said. “He makes it very simple to understand, makes me more aware of what I should be doing.”
Gettings, who will continue his fencing at Notre Dame (third at the 2002 NCAA championships), has logged more than 10,000 miles driving to regional and national tournaments the last three years and has flown to about 10 others. He has showcased his lightning-quick reflexes and footwork and significant reach advantage in events from South Carolina to California.
“He has great potential because mentally and physically he is very advanced,” Lukomski said. “In a couple of years, I think he might easily make the [U.S.] national team and stay on it for at least five years–if he continues to train regularly and improve as he has.”
Gettings is as disciplined in the classroom as he is during a match. He’s a Stevenson Gold Honor Roll student (4.0 grade-point average) who will graduate as an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction.
“I’m not the big man on campus like [football stars Joey] Bonadonna or [Bobby] Giannini, but that doesn’t bother me,” he said. “Obviously football has more of a place in America.”
He really only hits the radar screen when he needs to miss class for an out-of-state tournament.
“A lot of my teachers don’t even know I fence, or that I’m pretty good,” Gettings said, “until I need them to sign a permission slip.”
