The boy who looks like a pirate chases his friends through the gym with a foam sword. It is an archetypical scene of high school horseplay except for one glaring difference: soon the foam sword will be replaced by a real sword.

Garrett Casey, with a hoop earring and wisps of a Captain Jack Sparrow goatee, is a member of the Green Ronin Fencing Club. The name comes from a combination of "green," the color of Woodbridge Senior High School, where most of the members attend, and "Ronin," a wandering samurai from feudal Japan.

Casey, 16, purposefully dresses like a pirate, and when he holds the actual fencing sword - in this case a foil - the effect is intensified. Despite his goofball demeanor with the foam sword (a gift from coach Daniel Brown), Casey understands the serious nuances of the sport as well.

"When I lose, I only disappoint myself," Casey said, adding that he plans on continuing fencing. In a moment, he loses any pretension of seriousness.

"I'm gonna go fence them chicks over there," said Casey, as he approaches two dueling girls, in full fencing gear.

"That's Garrett, the village idiot," said freshman Kat Moore, now without a fencing partner, with a roll of her eyes. Within moments David Morales swoops in. He is a bit more tactful when approaching sparring partners.

"I was going to ask you if you want to fence," Morales said and coaches Kat through some moves.

A junior with a muscular build, Morales is the Ronin's president. He has been involved with the team since its inception in 2005.

The Green Ronin Fencing Club, which grew out of a summer camp, practices twice a week at the Chinn Aquatic Center. More than 30 students participate in the fledgling club, which is racking up some serious accomplishments. The Ronins finished second overall in the Under 19 Men's Foil at the Virginia Team Championships on March 5 at the Virginia Academy of Fencing in Springfield.

"I originally did it to improve my footwork for boxing, but I fell in love with the sport," Morales said.

He added that there is a huge social aspect to the sport as well. Morales said fencing has allowed him and his teammates to meet people from all over the country, as well as become friends with people from his own school that he would not have normally spoken with.

At the age of 16, Morales will soon get used to the queries into his post-high school plans. Regardless of where his college search takes him, he plans on fencing, as well as writing - his other passion. Schools on his radar include University of Mary Washington, the University of Virginia, and Penn State. Morales added that Penn State has the No. 1-ranked fencing team in the nation.

Green Ronin is not a male-dominated club, either. In fact, a third of the club - including one of its best fencers - are girls.

Elizabeth Agnew, a sophomore, is the only female member of the team who competes in the United States Fencing Association and is currently ranked eighth in the state for Novice Women.

"That category is limited to women of any age who have fenced for any number of years, but have not been competing in USFA for more than a year," said Brown, a science teacher at Woodbridge. "Elizabeth has only been fencing since last summer."

Other students are just now finding their footing.

Victoria Owens, a sophomore, was a ballet dancer for eight years and is adjusting to the different footwork required for fencing. She loves the sport and plans on continuing through college.

The love, however, is not entirely for the thrill of competition.

"You get to stab people and get away with it," Owens said, with a smile.

Practice paid off. On Wednesday night, Owens won an end-of-season tournament within the club, without losing a single bout.

Owens' victory is just another example of how quickly novices find success in the sport. Sophomores Matt Farmer and James Andrew Hjort-Michel won their "E" rating (a level of ability, working backward from the alphabet from "E" to "A," similar to the belt system in karate). Hjort-Michel also finished first at the Cavalier Novice tournament on Oct. 16, 2005, in Charlottesville.

Of course, there is always room for improvement.

Morales and Brown demonstrate a move in slow motion to the club called the "fleche." This is an explosive running attack, which if executed correctly, gives the defender no time to counter.

In a blur, it's over.

"That was slow motion?" said one student, in disbelief.

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at (703) 878-8072.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

- Interested in joining? Contact Coach Daniel Brown at coachbrown@greenroninfencing.org

- On the Net: www.greenroninfencing.org