Scholar In Focus: Rachael Adams

It's a pleasure to speak with you Rachael, could you tell us about yourself and how you got into your sport of fencing?

I’m from Bristol originally and I started fencing through a morning primary school club that my first coach set-up. After those initial sessions, the coach invited me along to some of the club sessions outside of school and from there my passion for the sport grew and I started competing.

What was/is it about the sport that you enjoy?

To me, it doesn’t really feel like a sport in some ways! It’s obviously very physical, but the mental aspect to achieving within fencing it is huge. You must have an understanding of what your opponent is scheming and constantly analyse and compare that with what you’re doing to try and win the point. You’re focusing less on the actual movements which are quite natural anyway, so I really try to emphasise and enjoy the mental challenge of the sport.

My family weren’t really too aware of the sport and I really enjoyed the fact that fencing became ‘my thing’ so to speak. They’ve always supported me however they could, even if they didn’t really understand the rules! Having said that, my mum has recently started learning how to fence in September and I’ve tried to give her a few tips so we will see how she gets on. She did set herself the goal of trying to win 5 points against me this past Christmas, but it didn’t happen so she has a way to go!

When did you realise that you progressing to quite a good level, and began starting to think about where it could take you?

For me, it was post-Covid. That was when I was able to start competing more and achieve better results each time. During the lockdown, my coach and I would go through virtual sessions where we would go through footwork drills, and I also made myself a practice target to hit. Once we came out of lockdown, I really think that my work then began bear fruit.

I competed at the UK Fencing Senior Nationals in 2023 and I think that my performances at that tournament really affirmed that belief because I went into it with the mindset of just gaining experience and having fun, but I had a fantastic tournament and ended up finishing third in a really close match.

What drove your decision to move to Nottingham to continue studying alongside your progression I the sport?

A lot of the national training camps take place in Nottingham, as well as cadet and junior tournaments, so I had been here quite often before moving to study. However, knowing the standard of facilities and set-up here, speaking with our head coach (Paul Sibert) – it just made a lot of sense for me really.

What has the experience of being a part of the University of Nottingham Fencing club been like so far?

Well, I think that we have the biggest university fencing club in the UK so it’s really good! I’m a first year student, but fencing is typically quite a niche sport so I knew a decent amount of the members of the club before I started. The fencing club is a great community where everyone knows everyone and it’s been great to make new friends through the club.

How has the BUCS season gone so far for yourself and the women’s first team?

I think it’s been good – we’ve had a few ups and downs as a team, but I think that we are quite happy with our performances in the league and there’s obviously always things we can work on. However, our path to BUCS Big Wednesday looks good at the moment and that is the aim!

What are your thoughts about representing the university and competing individually at BUCS Nationals?

I think that it’s going to be really fun! It’s a new environment for me that I’m looking forward to competing in. I will be entering the foil competition as that is my main weapon. I always go into competitions with the aim of enjoying myself and having fun – my mum always tells me that I fence at my best when I’m happiest so I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. However, I think that if I compete well I can achieve a top eight finish and maybe challenge for a medal. Let’s get through the poule stage and see what happens! Even though it’s an individual tournament I’m very excited to travel and compete alongside many of my teammates from the fencing club and hopefully it’s a very successful weekend all round.

Away from the fencing piste, what are you studying at the university and why did you choose that specific course?

I was quite excited about studying something that I’ve never studied before, and when I went to open days it was a subject that piqued my interest, so I decided to go with it and I am really enjoying it!

Having been here for five months now – how has your overall experience been at the university?

I think at university, you really need to throw yourself into the experience and get involved in all that is on offer. That’s been a big learning experience for me, but I’ve really enjoyed my time studying and competing here so far. Combining academics and my sport has been a great experience - especially being a sport scholar because aspects of psychology support, nutrition, lifestyle advice, are all are new things for me, and working with those specialists have been a real help.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not fencing or studying?

I’m actually a really keen baker, but I’m living in catered accommodation here so I don’t have an oven! That’s an unexpected outcome of university so far, and now I always look forward to going home so that I can bake. I think my family enjoy it too because I end up stacking up a lot of recipes whilst I’m here in Nottingham and then bake them all when I’m home!

We thank Rachael for speaking with us ahead of BUCS Nationals, and look forward to supporting her and all of our fencing athletes in Sheffield, as well as during the rest of the BUCS season in the run-in to BUCS Big Wednesday. Keep up to date with Rachael's progress at BUCS Nationals 2025 by following us on social media here, or by checking our dedicated Nationals web page.

You can find out more about our fencing programme here; Performance Fencing, and you can find out more about the sports scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham here; Sports Scholarships at the University of Nottingham.