How two fencing rivals stay razor sharp

The differences between the two are stark. One is tall and lithe. She has the body of a dancer, tousled blond hair and a Zen-like calmness. The other is shorter and sturdier. She has dark hair, the quadriceps of a powerlifter and a voice that is often hoarse from shouting while she spars.

Jane Eyre and Delia Turner, two of the world's best veteran saber fencers, are a study in contrasts. And yet, the two share some similarities. Both have fierce competitive streaks tempered by a sense of graciousness toward their competitors. "I know how difficult it is to train at our age," Eyre said, "so anyone who has the guts to get out there and put her butt on the line and compete has my total respect."

Both women would like to bring home a gold medal in saber fencing from the 2006 World Veteran Fencing Championships, which will be held Sept. 1 to 3 in Bath, England. The 52-year-old Eyre is the reigning female champion in the 50-59 age group, having captured the gold medal last year. Yet it is Turner, the silver medalist, who has since sliced up the competition at the major veterans fencing events. Turner won first place at the North American Cup tournament in December in Pittsburgh and again in March in Reno, Nev., while Eyre took third in both.

The 54-year-old Turner hadn't beaten Eyre for two years. But Turner is not one to back down from a challenge. "I'm the kind of person that if I take something on, I'm going to do well at it," she said. "If I'm playing Whack-A-Mole, I'm going to try to beat that damn mole into the ground."

Turner and Eyre live just 20 miles apart, Turner in Philadelphia and Eyre in Medford, N.J. Both took up fencing in their early 40s. Eyre spends solitary days working as a children's book illustrator, while Turner teaches English to rowdy middle-school boys. Turner took up fencing because she couldn't stand to be on the sidelines watching her teen-age daughter fence. "A lot of parents like to live vicariously through their kid's sporting events," she said. "But I'm not good at vicarious."

For Eyre, fencing offered redemption. Growing up she had been a natural competitor. Her classmates at Kingsway Regional High School in Swedesboro, N.J., voted her Best Female Athlete. But this was before Title IX, and no college recruiters came offering scholarships.

To prepare for this year's world championships, Turner and Eyre train six days a week, three to four with their coaches and cross training the other days. Both expect to be in top form next month for the world championships and both are hungry for gold. Still, no matter who wins there will be no hard feelings. And that, Eyre and Turner said, is the beauty of competing at an older age. "This (rivalry) is such a wonderful problem to have," Eyre said. "She makes me better and I make her better."

MONDAY: Eyre always starts her days with meditation, sometimes waking as early as 4:30 a.m. Turner also rises with the sun to be at her job at The Haverford School. After meditating, Eyre heads to her drawing board. Late in the afternoon, she pops in a Mari Winsor Pilates DVD and spends 50 minutes strengthening her core: abdomen, lower back and hips. Having a strong core, Eyre said, gives her better stability and balance on the strip. After school, Turner heads home for a quick dinner before arriving at the Philadelphia Fencing Academy by 6 p.m. for a four-hour workout. Most evenings Eyre stretches. One of her favorite stretches involves lying on her back with her knees bent and feet planted on the floor. She puts one ankle over the opposite knee, grabs the back of the leg that is still planted and pulls it up toward her chest. "That loosens up my hips and keeps me from throwing out my lower back," she said. At the academy, Turner suits up for a one-on-one lesson where she'll work on technique, speed and execution. After that are high-speed drills, where she practices accelerating and retreating on the strip. Then she spars with the other fencers, reserving the last part of the evening for a lesson with her coach Mark Masters, who was a champion collegiate fencer.

TUESDAY: At 4 p.m. Eyre heads to the Fencing Academy of South Jersey. She has a private lesson with her coach Andy Ma, who fenced for China in the 1988 Olympics. After that comes her footwork class. During the last hour, she fences with the other students. On Tuesday evenings, Turner does 40 minutes of intervals (one minute sprinting and four minutes jogging) on the treadmill, training her body for the short bursts of intensity needed in a fencing match.

WEDNESDAY: Eyre does 20 minutes of Pilates along with her usual evening stretching. For Turner it's back to the academy. On this night, she spends most of her time sparring, sometimes for as long as three-and-a-half hours.

THURSDAY: Eyre returns to the Fencing Academy of South Jersey for three hours of lessons and bouts. Turner takes the night off to spend time with her husband.

FRIDAY: Today is a rest day for Eyre but a busy one for Turner. After school, she goes straight to the academy to spar with the teen-age saber fencers. Afterward, Turner goes to her health club where she uses either the elliptical trainer or the stationary bicycle for more aerobic conditioning. She also lifts weights, performing leg presses, curls and extensions to keep both quadriceps the same size. Fencers need strong arms and fingers, Turner said, so their weapons feel light in their hands. She works on her grip by squeezing a tennis ball and then does biceps curls and pullovers for her arms and reverse and regular curls for her wrists.

SATURDAY: Weekends are usually when competitions are held. If she's competing, Eyre will perform visualization techniques. "I'll visualize my goal (what it feels like to win) and then detach from the outcome," she said. "I have to be willing to lose then I can win." When not competing, Eyre takes another three-hour fencing class while Turner does another 40-minute interval session on the treadmill.

SUNDAY: Turner has her weekly Pilates class. Eyre also does Pilates on Sundays. She'll do 20 minutes unless she's starting a week that will end in a competition, in which case she kicks it up to 50 minutes.