| Lady Cardinals' fencing rools, male fencers get rocked at Wash. | | Print | |
| Written by Bonnie Tong | |
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In medieval Europe, knights jousted in the name of a fair maiden’s honor and eagerly rushed forward to save damsels from distress. But for Lowell fencers, the roles were reversed on Feb. 13. The girls’ division won a close match, 5-4, while the boys suffered from a 3-6 loss to Washington.
Despite suffering their first loss of the season, beneath each outfit of not-so-shining but rather padded armor, the fencers remained strong and more determined than ever. The boys proved themselves in a 5-4 victory on Feb. 21 against Balboa with the girls continuing to triumph, this time 9-0. Such triumphs over adversity are helping the Cardinals gain more experience and improve their techniques both individually and as a team. “This year’s team has a good sense of cohesion,” head coach Scott Cunningham said. “There’s a strong unity, and everyone is getting along with each other. Before, the team was cliquey, and people were always in their own little groups during practices, but now it’s a whole group.” Sophomore Melissa Louie agreed that the team is organized and consistent. “We communicate pretty well,” she said. “We have a lot of fun, but when we need to concentrate, we are easily able to.” Several members of the team continue to prove themselves as prominent and outstanding leaders during practices and matches. Junior captain “Natalie Ho is easily our strongest fencer,” Cunningham said. “She’s had lessons outside of Lowell before, so she has more experience than anyone else. She easily assists me in whatever I need to get done.” In addition to Ho, senior Weina Zhao and Louie are also the starters for the girls’ team. “Melissa is really driven,” Cunningham said. “She tries, listens and works hard. She’s getting better at a steady rate.” Zhao, last year’s captain, “has both good leadership and fencing skills,” Louie said. The boys’ division starters are senior Austin Lau and sophomore Arlo Lobascio. “Arlo is our anchor,” sophomore David Seeto said. “We can depend on him for at least two out of three wins. (Both Lau and Lobascio) work really hard and put a lot of time into fencing.” Louie, too, was impressed with the guys’ progress. “The guys are actually better than I expected,” she said. Even the beginners, who are working on the “basics,” are a crucial part of this strong team, according to Seeto, “Many of us came from the fencing club, so we’re pretty into” the sport, he said. Cunningham added that the majority of the team “shows up all the time and they want to fence. That’s what you really hope for as a coach.” The most recent match of the season was yesterday, against Lincoln, too late to go to press. Come witness the Cardinal fencers’ journey toward a high place in next month’s All-City and All-State competitions at their next match against University High School on April 4 at 3:30 p.m. at University. |
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