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By Administrator
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Oct. 18, 2003 |
En garde resonated throughout the gym as junior Shaswato Sinha faced his opponent with his foil drawn. As Sinha dashed forward to attack, his opponent quickly parried to avoid the foil. Unfazed by this setback, the relentless Sinha advanced again with a newfound fury against the helpless Bulldog, landing a decisive attack that contributed to a second-place win at the AAA championships on April 26.
Following this extraordinary match, the fencing team had high expectations for the championships. However, these hopes were only partially fulfilled when the team fell short of claiming its highly coveted championship, finishing the season in second place, behind Galileo.
"We earned two first-place trophies, but I would have liked the all-around trophy as well," coach Kathy Krusen said. "We were so close to defeating Galileo. The results didn't reflect our strengths."
Junior Samantha Yu added: "I was a little disappointed that we did not beat Galileo this year. Otherwise, we rocked."
Besides earning the second-place overall trophy, the team also captured a first-place win in both the male and female individual tournaments.
As the nearly undefeated season came to a close, the fencers reflected on a great season.
"I feel that the season went well for the kind of team we had this year," senior Elisa Yim said. "We won some tournaments and did well overall."
Despite having a plethora of graduating seniors, the Cardinals have high expectations for next season.
Yim called these departing seniors "the icing on the cake," noting that the entire team has strong skills. The returning players "might feel inadequate initially, but they'll all find strength and win," she added.
Yu said she expects returning players to be "as energetic as they were for my first year of fencing. I hope the team will win first place next year and get more people to compete in All-City."
Krusen shared these ambitions. "Next year, I hope to bring home more medals," she said. "I'm tired of sharing them.
Fencing MVP Michael Pearce
The team is still looking forward to the All-State match at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Lowell.
Sophomore Michael Pearce, seemingly in a class by himself, has earned this year's title of most valuable player.
Much of the fencing team's success this year was a result of Pearce's efforts. He placed first in All-City and captured a spot at All-State.
"He has a lot of energy, and he has helped lower our anxiety during competitions," junior Samantha Yu said.
Coach Kathy Krusen added, "He instills confidence into the team and, through his performance, he eases pressure on his teammates."
Pearce shocks many of his opponents with his swift, superior handling of the foil, his control is unmatched on the fencing strip.
"Mike has just been strong all year round and has matured as a competitor," Krusen said. |
