By Zoe Staum
Photo Courtesy of Noah Weiner
Where any student can become a division-I athlete, Lafayette’s varsity fencing team is the embodiment of the idea of a student-athlete. The fencers came to Lafayette College for the education; participating in an open varsity team is a bonus.
Fencing, a co-ed sport, has no cuts, making it unlike any other varsity sport at Lafayette. Head Coach Tom Gauntner ‘04 said the team hasn’t made cuts since 2003, when one athlete was cut due to a disciplinary issue. Gauntner explained, “If somebody wants to dedicate the time and work hard, I’m going to give them a chance to prove themselves.”
“If people did not want to be there to compete, then they wouldn’t show up,” Makenzie Danis ‘15 added. “Everyone is there because they are devoted to the team.”
Fencing is also unique for its lack of a recruiting process. According to Zachary Roberts ‘12, Gauntner does not speak to admissions about recruiting.
“We all had to take the initial step,” Co-captain Noah Weiner ‘12 said, of joining the team.
All the players found fencing to be a valuable alternative to other, more common sports. Alexandra Knobel ‘12 described it as a very intellectual sport.
The fencers refer to their sport as “physical chess.”
“You need to anticipate your next five moves,” Co-captain Bridget Greeley ‘12 said. “With every action you are trying to confuse your opponent. It’s a huge mind game.”
Roberts continued, “everyone makes different movements and most have a tell before they are about to attack.”
On November 11, Lafayette won five of its ten matches on November 11 in Haverford, Penn. The men’s and women’s teams each had impressive victories over Maryland and Virginia.
According to Gauntner, the fencing team has improved due to its recent gender split.
“We are still considered co-ed,” Gauntner explains, “but since we have full positions filled by each gender, I am able to split them into men and women squads.”
This allows the team to qualify more people for the NCAA Regionals.
Dan Robitzski ‘15 appreciates the change, saying that the smaller squads give people more opportunity to compete and force everyone to play an active role on the team since nobody is sidelined. Roberts adds “Its an advantage for the girls since they get to practice and compete against both guys and girls.”
Even though fencing is largely an individual sport, the increase in competitiveness this year hasn’t changed the positive team dynamic. Gauntner travels with everyone on the team, believing that “our biggest strength as a team is that we push each other as a team. They are all each others’ biggest cheerleaders.”
Danis thinks the team’s mentor system, where Captains assign each freshman to an upperclassman, promotes a supportive environment. “Noah [Weiner] is my mentor,” she said, “even outside of fencing, he helps me pick classes and keeps me calm. It’s great to have so much one-on-one attention.”
After break, the team heads to West Point for the Army Invitational on Saturday, January 21.