Uncharted Territory

Columbia senior James Williams took his position on the fencing strip in front of a raucous crowd, nothing out of the ordinary for one of the top men's sabrists in the U.S. He lunged toward his opponent, arm extended, aiming for the upper shoulder. A clean strike would win the bout and move his team up in the standings. But Williams felt the side of his opponent's sabre penetrate his vest at the stomach, and his match was done. This time, however, the crowd wasn't in stunned silence-they were in a full uproar.

The stands were covered in Iranian flags and, as reality set in, Williams sat down on the bench next to fellow Columbia senior Alex Krul. The two were competing for the U.S. national team in Iran, a country with which the U.S. is currently at a political stalemate. The only stalemate Williams and Krul were concerned with, however, was the one between them and the Iranians on the strip.

"It was kinda funny," Williams said. "We actually had a team match against Iran, and it came down to the wire. We picked up this early lead and it should have been an easy put away, but our last guy wasn't fencing the way he normally was. We finally won 45-43, but everyone was watching that match."

Williams and Krul, who are both members of the U.S. Senior World Team , took a historic trip over winter break-their competition in Iran marked the first time a U.S. fencing team competed on Iranian soil. The two Columbia fencers traveled to Kish Island, a tourist location off the coast of Iran, which was the stage for the World Grand Prix during a 12-day Middle East tour that also took them to Dubai and Istanbul.

Even in a place deemed more commercial and friendly to Americans, the cultural differences were apparent to both Williams and Krul.

"I was really struck by the pervasiveness of religion there," Williams added. "Immediately when we got off the plane, there were a bunch of Filipino women who worked in Dubai and were renewing their visas. When we got in, they split the men and the women into two lines for passport control, and beyond that the women had to keep their hair covered the whole time because it is against the law."

Throughout their time in Iran, Krul and Williams received massive media attention from both Iranian newspapers and television stations. Many of the questions they fielded had nothing to do with fencing and all to do with politics and tenuous relationship between the two nations.

"There was a lot of press-interviews, Iranian newspapers, television. It got a lot of attention," Krul said. "We got a lot of questions about what we thought about Bush and policies. I went a little overboard and said a few things, but everyone else just told me not to say them in that way."

"We left all the USA paraphernalia at home, we were very discreet about it," Williams added. "Everyone there was overly polite and very cordial, and there were no negative experiences whatsoever."

When it came to the actual competition, the meet had both an individual and team portion. Everyone fenced during the individual round, and the top four fencers from each nation would then represent their countries in the team event. Although Krul did not place high enough to break into the team competition, Williams did, and with his help the U.S. came in ninth out of 20 teams.

"Obviously, there are always things we can work on," Williams said, "but I think we did a really good job coming in ninth place in such a high-profile competition."

The facet of Iran that both Williams and Krul said they noticed the most during their short stay was that Iran did not seem to be far off from becoming a thriving economy in the Middle East.

"The place has a lot of potential," Krul said. "It could be just like Dubai or any cool place like that, perhaps, with a different government."

Following their competition in Iran, the team traveled to Istanbul for another international battle, and there the U.S. had an easier time. Four of the sabrists made the top 10, including a bronze medal for Ivan Lee and a 10th-place finish for Williams.

Although their time in Iran this trip was short, both Krul and Williams could be back for longer stays next year when they attempt to qualify for the Olympics. For now, they are grateful to have had the opportunity to compete in such a unique atmosphere.

"I was very thankful I got the experience to go there," Williams said. "Not many people get that chance."