The Girls and Boys Varsity Fencing Teams defeated Mamaroneck 6-0 this Monday. It was a friendly match, Coach Alejandra Teran-Eligio said, as the Mamaroneck team was new to the sport and are not a part of the school’s league.

Team energy was high during the match, as those who weren’t actively fencing cheered on their teammates, team member Harry Cottrell (12) said. 

Zhong was nervous for her first bout but gained started to build confidence during the second because her teammates such as Madison Xu (12) helped her feel more comfortable, she said. “I get scared when I don’t get points, which make my hands get very shaky, which hurts my performance as I can’t get my blade to touch in the target area,” Zhong said. “I know I can be fast, but sometimes I shy away from the attack because I don’t believe I can.”

During the match, Calvin Huber (10), typically on saber, competed on epee. “[Huber] had scored a point called a ‘flick,’ where one whips the blade at someone and pulls it back at the last second, bending the blade in the air so that it bounces back and hits them,” Cottrell said. This was an especially impressive move to execute, as Huber is new to epee.

Fencers’ tactics differ depending on their individual style, Teran-Eligio said. “Every person is different –– some people like to attack and some people like to defend. At this point, we are trying to help the fencers grow up into their own style.“

Up until mid-January, the team’s practices were centered around technique, conditioning, adjusting, and learning the fencing style, Teran-Eligio said. “Now, it is just fence, fence, fence.” They have also developed and familiarized themselves with their own styles and improved dramatically since November, Teran-Eligio said.

Cottrel said that the team must improve further in order to advance in the upcoming Independent School Fencing League Championships (ISFL). “I keep attacking someone even if I am winning, which gives them more chances to get points off me rather than me just standing still,” he said. “So, I have been working on staying on my side of the fencing court and playing defense rather than just attack, attack, attack.”

Specifically in saber, it is important to start with a preparation move that allows the fencer to assess what is going on and then accordingly play defense or attack, Andrew Ogundimu (12) said. “I want to get more comfortable with keeping things simple and going for open attacks more frequently.”