Many members of the team agree that Ho’s effort to fence to the best of her ability has proved her worthy for MVP. “I like her attitude,” fencing captain junior Weina Zhao said. “She’s down to earth and unassuming.” Lowell fencing coach Scott Cunningham also recognizes Ho’s commitment to the team. “Her rate of improvement was phenomenal,” he said. “She’s gotten so much better over the season. She’s consistent and reliable in her performance.”

The criteria for choosing MVP not only depends on performance, but also on team spirit and dedication. During the regular season, Ho put in as many as four hours of practice a week to refine her fencing, including extra sessions at Halberstadt, a private fencing club, three times a week. “I feel like I’ve done five years of fencing in this last season alone,” Ho said.

Natalie Ho, Fencing MVP

Ho attributes her improvement to the help and encouragement she received from her coaches. “I’m an easily discouraged person, but I got a lot of help through coaches like Scott, Peter (Burchard) and Kathy (Krusen) who really motivated,” she said.

This motivation helped Ho develop since her freshman days. “I remember fencing all the other older seniors fencers and getting my butt kicked like 5-0,” Ho said. She explained that she originally started fencing because of the influence from classic movies. “You watch those Zorro movies and those old school movies and you just get interested,” she said. “I just thought it was cool that you get to poke people, but I wanted to try a new sport too.”

The fencing season for the Cardinals is over, but not for Ho –– she has more ambitious fencing goals for the summer. “I plan to double my hours (of practice) in the summer,” Ho said. “Fencing during the school year takes a lot of effort and you have to make sacrifices. In the summer, I can really pick up my fencing.”

Ho’s aspirations do not end there –– she has already set her goals set for future tournaments. “For public tournaments, I would like to get to the top three; for private tournaments I would like to get a C-rank, (a rank equivalent to a third place),” she said.

Ho will definitely be one to watch for the next two years.