It's Friday afternoon and the final bell rings at Patuxent Valley Middle School. A sword duel is about to begin.
The clash of steel rings in the school's gymnasium. "No shoulders. No arms. We have a restricted target area," a bearded Bobby Mitchell, a volunteer instructor, shouts to the 11 boys and one girl gathered for Patuxent Valley's intramural fencing program.
It's one of a half-dozen fencing programs at Howard County middle schools.
Few schools have fencing programs because of the costly equipment -- about $125 for gloves, foils (or swords) and face masks for each student. But the schools with them sometimes attract crowds of interested students.
"It's very popular with middle school kids," said Don Disney, the school systems coordinator for athletics. "It's different and something they don't see every day. I think a bit of their motivation is associated with 'The Three Musketeers.' "
"En garde!" Mr. Mitchell shouts as 11-year-old Abigail Keller -- the only girl in the school's intramural fencing program -- waves her sword at her opponent.
"The Lone Ranger again," Abigail says about being the only girl present, and then she cracks a smile. She relishes breaking barriers.
"I'm trying to get other girls to join the fencing class," Abigail said. "I thought it would be interesting. I like sword play."
Her duel is just minutes long. She hits her opponent three times before he can strike her and wins the match.
"In fencing, the boys and the girls can compete equally," said Mr. Mitchell, a former fencer on Northwestern University's fencing team in Chicago.
He began volunteer work with the school's fencing program four years ago, seeing it as a way to maintain his interest in fencing and to relay some of his enthusiasm about the sport to youth.
"I missed fencing when I left college," Mr. Mitchell said. "Fencing is one of the things that kept me sane in college. It is a good way to wear off some aggression. It's a lot of fun."
At Patuxent Valley, students train and compete during a 25-week program each winter. The program has attracted 10 to 25 students each year since it began six years ago.
The students mostly learn a style of fencing called foil, which uses a round-edge blade that can't cut. The target is the opponent's chest or abdominal area.
For safety, the end of the blade has a little ball -- about the size of a gum ball -- and each student wears what resembles a smock, a glove and face mask for protection.
"My friends used to say fencing is dumb, but they should try it out," said 13-year-old Kazz Austin. "The sport of it is just a lot of fun."
One of Kazz's heroes is the sword-fighting fourth Musketeer, D'Artagnan. He said watching "The Three Musketeers" piqued his interest in sword fighting and then his swashbuckling hero, D'Artagnan, compelled him to try the sport.
"He saved the girl and fell in love with her," Kazz said. "I like him."