Fencing, basketball, winter track and wrestling are the sports for this season to look forward to. Fencing is played by both boys and girls they can fence all genders. It is not prominently played like other sports where girls play girls and boys play with boys. The fencing coach is Jared Hammond. Fencing has three swords. Foil, Epee and Sabre. Foil is a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button. Epee is a sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade. Sabre is a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade. Senior Catie Buteau fences foil and is the captain of the girls fencing team and just committed to duke.
“I am very excited for this season to start. With a lot of our girls graduation and our team ending the season in the final four and me personally winning states, I can’t wait wait to see how we are going to do this year. For me, the best thing about fencing is the travel and getting to meet and experience all these new things, people, and places. I have traveled to places internationally Shanghai, Bratislave, and Timisoara to compete either in Junior World Cups or Grand Prixs and I love getting to explore the cities on my day off with the rest of the US team and try the food unique to the place and meet new people from around the world during the competitions it’s always exciting seeing my friends from across the nation. Just last weekend I was in Kansas, Missouri and I got to hang out with my friends from California and Texas that I wouldn’t get to normally get to see or even have meet without fencing.”
“I think Haley Hahn is really going to step up next year once I leave. She has really matured since freshman year and is pretty dedicated to practicing and competing. She’s great friend to turn to for comfort after a loss because she is great at brightening everyone’s mood and she also is very serious about competing.”
Catie said “My biggest accomplishment was winning state individuals. Only three people have ever won from Bernards and while I was considered to be one of the stronger competitors going in, I don’t think that results and make allstate’s first team again as well.
Based on what Catie said, I believe that the girls fencing team is going to to a great season. Paul Casella fences foil for the boys team.
Paul said, “I am very excited about the new season. We have a great group of guys, this year we have the skill to take the team far into the season and be successful. My favourite part of fencing is fencing with my friends at practice.We push each other hard so that we are ready for our meets. The meets are a great time especially when the score is close. There is nothing like being on the strip in a tied match.”
Paul said “Some of the big players when I leave will be Kieran Farrell and Graham Brady of the foil squad, Michelle Buteau from Saber and Zack Young from Epee.”
Paul said, “We made significantly better placement in the major tournaments and we had several sophomores and freshman place top ten in the division.”
From what Paul said, I believe that the boys fencing will have a great season. Both of the fencing team will do really well this year.
