Claire Fahy
Asst. Sports Editor
The fencing team is back training for another season and are preparing to battle for their third-straight All-City Jamboree win led by students with national and international experience.
Junior Izzy Pinard says she was named captain at last season’s close due to her support of her teammates and perfect attendance. As team leader, Pinard is responsible for a team with many members that are new to the sport, motivating her pre-season training sessions.
“I want to train [the team] on footwork, their core, arms and a lot of squats — a good fencer never stands up straight while they’re bouting,” Pinard said. “Core because of balance and arm work because the blade is heavy.”
The Cubs fencing team won back-to-back All-City Championships in 2009 and 2010, lead by sophomore Eliza Klyce and Beth Levin (‘10), who placed first and ninth, respectively, in the State Championship last year. Klyce brings experience and leadership to the team due to her international fencing career.
“I think that because I do travel more and fence more seriously outside of school I am able to see things on the [fencing] strip that others might miss,” Klyce said. “I notice patterns or mistakes quicker simply because I have seen them done more often before. It all just comes done to experience though, and I know that all the other girls on the team could reach that level of thought if they continue working diligently.”
Pinard, an accomplished fencer headed to the Junior Olympics next week, knows that repeating last year’s success will not be easy.
“It’s going to be a really tough season,” Pinard said. “Most of the girls on other teams have been fencing longer [than ours.]”
Klyce, however says with a little positivity, the team still has the potential to go far.
“In my experience it is very possible for an inexperienced fencer to beat a very experienced fencer simply because he or she had a better mind set,” Klyce said. “Don’t think of mistakes as failures, think of them as steps leading closer to success. I know that sounds extremely cheesy but it really does work.”
