Maestro Evangelista offers private, individual instruction set up by appointment. The cost: $15 per half hour lesson. Most students begin with half hour lessons. Students pay for four lessons at a time ($60). Longer lessons, if desired, are subject to the student’s desire, income, and availability of time. Equipment is provided to beginners.

Says Maestro Evangelista, “While my continuing students invariably purchase their own fencing gear, I don’t believe that a newcomer to the game should have to shell out money for the necessities until he or she has decided that fencing is right for them. So, I always have a good supply of weapons, gloves, jackets, and masks on hand.

“I should add, for those with thoughts of instant swashbuckling, I lay down a strong foundation for each student before anyone is allowed to cross blades with an opponent, who is always me to start with. Actually, I make it a practice to fence with all my students regularly. This gives me a chance to continually assess their skills. Moreover, everyone begins with foil—French foil--before they move on to epee, and finally sabre. This order of attainment is not negotiable. First, I want my students to really know how to fence before they fence. Second, each weapon, in its proper order, sets the foundation for the next. And, third, safety is only attained through proficiency. With that being said, I have never had a student injured on the fencing strip in forty years of teaching. I think the best way to deal with fencing injuries is to not have them.

Periodically, we hold our own tournaments, rather than participating in the United States Fencing Association, preferring the rigors of standard weapons and having to prove touches through skill rather than relying on the artificiality of electric scoring machines. It is a choice that keeps the fencing honest and clean, following the Logic of the Sharp Point.