Christianson Gym is starting to resemble the closing scenes of Shakespeare's Hamlet as much as it is a wrestling showcase. Amid cutlery long associated with epic battles of the storied rich and famous, students are wielding sabers, masks and protective vests whilst sword-fighting under basketball hoops.
Indeed, fencing isn't North Idaho's stereotypical PE class, but its popularity is growing, thanks to the efforts of instructor Noah Buntain.
In a school obsessed with wrestling and a town with football, Buntain's class of 16 is proving that even nontraditional sports can succeed.
"A lot of kids come to fencing because they're not attracted to other sports," he said. "Traditional sports just didn't do it for them so they find fencing attractive."
Born in Kansas and raised in Iowa - not exactly hotspots for the sport - it wasn't until his sophomore year at Northwestern University that he garnered the craft. A bachelor's degree in English and three years on the club team later, Buntain and his girlfriend packed up and headed west.
Much to his chagrin, however, an English degree wasn't enough to land the type of job that he desired. Either overqualified or under, he spent one year working a mundane job before returning to college and building his portfolio.
Meanwhile, his yearn for fencing grew. Fencing clubs at the time were sporadic, to say the least, but during Art on the Green one year he stumbled upon two fencers in the park.
After learning about Coeur d'Alene's fencing club, Coeur d'Escrime (means "heart of fencing"), Buntain expanded the organization from five members meeting once a week to 30 meeting three.
Once the club was set up, a class at NIC would follow. But it wasn't easy.
"I thought about getting a course here for a couple of years," he said. "People had suggested it to me, but I knew it was a long process, and I just dragged my feet for a while."
Then he talked with Paul Monzarto, division chair of the physical education department.
"It's not a hard process," adds Buntain. "It's just a long one. Paul and I got it started last October, and it came to fruition this fall."
Sixteen people jam-packed the class instantly when fall registration opened last spring. There was a waiting list over the summer, and the current roster lies at 14.
Pre-nursing major Beth de Tar, 23, Post Falls, underestimated the rigors of the course before signing up: "It's very aggressive," she said, "so it's taken a while to get used to. It's a lot faster and more athletic than I thought it would be."
Many still think of fencing as an elitist sport. Yet Buntain, while at Northwestern, watched the sport grow from the East Coast through Ohio State, Notre Dame, Northwestern and onto the Midwest.
There are even club teams at UI, WSU, Montana and most Seattle-area schools.
"That was the old stereotype, this private school kind of thing," Buntain said. "But it's moving down into public schools and into the high schools."
And finally, NIC.
Sophomore Rachel Waldo, pre-med, was excited for the chance to sword fight.
"I just wanted to take a fun class to get all the stress out," she said. "And what better way to do that then to stab people. I'm a killing machine now."
The class has proven so popular that next semester will have two sections for Buntain to teach twice as many people. For information on the club: coeurdescrime.com
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