Brother, sister out to prove a point
What started as sibling rivalry has produced two of the State's best fencers.
Rockingham's Felix and Freya North-Hickey have risen to second and third in the State respectively since they took up the sport a few years ago.
"My brother first found out about fencing and I joined so I could hit him with a sword," Freya said.
They are testing their skills against the country's best at the Cadet National Fencing Championships in Sydney.
The championships, which run until Wednesday, mark the first time the pair has competed nationally.
WA Cadet Fencing Team state manager Hugh McCrackan said this year's team was the biggest ever group travelling to the event.
"There are 27 of us altogether, aged 10 to 17," he said.
Freya, 16, and Felix, 14, train at Excalibur Fencing Club in Fremantle, which attracts a wide range of fencers.
"The age range at the club is from eight to 80," Mr McCracken said.
"It's something you can do all your life."
Mr McCrackan said the sport required a lot of stamina and dedication from competitors.
The North-Hickeys spend up to nine hours each week practising the sport.
Freya said she was excited about the opportunity to compete at such a high level and was confident about the team's ability.
"We are a pretty good standard," she said.
Felix first became interested in fencing at age nine, after he watched The Pirates of the Caribbean.
"I remember watching old movies and new movies with fencing in them, which made me want to do it," he said.
