When Jake Harbour and Gavin Medley, both 16, were little boys, they used to think sword fighting was the coolest thing ever. Jake preferred sword fighting of the pirate variety and Gavin was more into Zorro.

"I always loved old Zorro movies and pirate movies," Jake said with a smile. "Sword fighting seemed like a lot of fun. I was a pirate for Halloween five times in a row."

"We were like the two kids who got in trouble for fighting with sticks in the playground," Gavin said. "I dressed up as Zorro for Halloween like three years in a row."

One year, Jake had a theme birthday party where there was a teacher giving a fencing lesson. The two best friends took to it and enrolled in classes with New Mexico Fencing Foundation coach, James Odom.

Now, after eight years of hard work, the pair are nationally ranked — Jake, first and Gavin, second — in epee fencing by the United States Fencing Association, separated by only five points out of a possible 2,000.

"They've been doing that ever since they started fencing," Odom said. "They would switch back and forth, who was ahead and who was right behind ... they've always been even the whole time."

They are one competition away from being members of the World Team, a prestigious honor Odom said no two fencers from the same club have ever had at the same time.

Both Jake and Gavin said they didn't start fencing for the competition, but ended up being good enough to compete.

For his first competition, Jake remembers he was extremely nervous. He had already been fencing for two years, but he still had the jitters for Friday Night Fights, held at the Foundation's temporary location.

"I just wanted to do it for fun, and I never wanted to compete because I was afraid I wouldn't do well," Jake said. "I was really nervous, but I ended up winning my first competition."

Gavin's first competition was a different story.

"Jake started competing and won his first three tournaments in a row and in some ways it made me more nervous and in some ways it was like, 'It can't be that hard,' " Gavin said with a laugh. He started fencing foil, one of the three types of fencing taught at the Foundation.

He traveled to Los Alamos to compete and had no expectations.

"Jamey basically told me I should get my ass kicked the first time," Gavin said, "and I did."

Now they both compete in epee, the type of sword and scoring system that has the least amount of rules than the other two types of fencing — sabre and foil. In epee, you have to strike straight on and the button at the end of the weapon is electronically connected to the scoreboard. The first person to strike makes the point, which is automatically registered once the button at the end of the weapon is pressed.

Today, the two teens are competing in the Junior Olympics at the Convention Center in downtown Albuquerque in the epee category in the Cadet age group for those under 17.

If they place in the top three this weekend and are deemed worthy of the World Team, they will represent the United States at the World Championships in Belfast, Ireland in April.

Odom has been coaching the two boys for eight years.

"I was with them when they were little kids, so I got to see all the stages, and it was fun watching them grow up," Odom said. "As far as fencers go, they just had a progression that was very, very steady."

They've traveled all over the United States and ventured to Germany, Hungary and, most recently, Sweden. On Feb. 1, the pair competed in the Vigor Challenge World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden. Jake placed fifth and Gavin placed ninth out of 175 competitors from all over the world.

"They were phenomenal," Odom said. "We were hoping to do well ... we were hoping to make top 32 but they just kept going. They have always exceeded my expectations. I tell them 'Have a good time, no expectations,' and they win the tournament."

Both Gavin and Jake plan to continue fencing in college and are looking at schools where they can do that. The two have been inseparable since they were 2, Jake said. They met in day care, and attended elementary and junior high together. The high-school juniors were attending different schools until recently, when Gavin transferred to Santa Fe Preparatory School.

Although both are a little nervous about the Junior Olympics, they aren't fretting over whether they'll make the World Team.

"It's mathematically possible that we can get knocked off, but it probably won't happen," Gavin said.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.