SILVER SPRING, Md. -
Kaz Campe has a bad back and arthritis.
"When I have a stereotype image of a 75-year-old, I don't see myself in it somehow," Campe says.
But Campe is taking a slice out of a lot of stereotypes.
A double take. That's the response an Anne Arundel County man usually gets when he tells people he's a fencer. And not just any fencer. Campe was atop the medal stand at the USA Fencing National Championships earlier this month. He won gold in the Veteran's Men Epee division.
"You're constantly solving a puzzle when you're fencing," says Campe. "Some refer to it as physical chess."
It's all about tricking your opponent.
"You say - I'm going to go here to draw them in and then you go this way," says Campe.
He practices with his coach, Janusz Smolenski, at the DC Fencers Club in Silver Spring.
He first tried the sport 40 years ago.
"I was hooked from the first week. I said this is it," says Campe.
Campe worked as a nuclear engineer for the federal government.
"A lot of times people, after working for many years, when they retire, there's this instant vacuum. For me, I have more time for fencing now," he says.
Campe is not as fast as he used to be - especially after two fusions in his lower spine. But he's tough enough to qualify for the world tournament in Austria in October.
He won a world title in 1998.
"It's not me. I'm representing the U.S. It's a different feeling," says Campe. "If you win, they raise the flag and play the national anthem. It's euphoric."
And he likes that, win or lose, every bout ends with a handshake.
Online: http://dcfencing.com/ For more information about DC Fencers Club
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Kaz Campe
Kaz Campe
