Volume 67, Issue 7

Fencing Team Fights Hard But Falls to Hunter at Home
by Avi Mermelstein

Lines of blue and white tape criss-crossed along the floor of the Max Stern Athletic Center.  The tape covered wires that ran from an outlet in the wall to two transmitters on the floor that faced each other across a 50-foot strip.  On one side, the transmitters connected to a computer that flashed red and blue lights while sitting on the table overlooking the middle of the strip.  On the other, retractable wires stretched from the transmitters to the backs of fencers who were lighting up the computers by touching their opponents with metal weapons to complete the circuit.

That was the scene on the afternoon of Sunday, December 8, when Yeshiva hosted Hunter in its first and only home fencing match of the season.  A fair-sized crowd of parents, alumni, and fencing aficionados lined the near-side bleachers, while groups of curious onlookers peeked through the doors and drifted in and out of the gym during the three-hour match.

The athletic department and the team combined to hand out explanatory programs, give a pre-match fencing demonstration, and post knowledgeable alumni in the stands.  These measures were, according to Coach Peter Rosas, part of an overall attempt to be “spectator friendly.”  To aid the novice spectators’ understandings of the intricate sport, the programs explained the different natures of the three weapons, foil, sabre, and epeé.  In addition, the team put on a demonstration during which the coach used the public address system to explain such ideas as the “three touch rule” (a preliminary crossing of swords not unlike a Nok Hockey face-off).  Curious spectators could address any other questions to the YU fencing alumni in the stands and near the scorers’ tables.

Soon the preliminaries ended, and the action began in the first of three rounds.  Yeshiva’s epeé squad opened the round with three consecutive victories, capped by Ariel Weinstock’s come-from-behind thriller.  Coming back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1, Weinstock tied the score at 4 to send his game to a one-minute overtime.  Winning a coin toss that gave him “priority” - his opponent needed to score within the overtime or lose the game - Weinstock waited for his opponent to attack, then struck home the winning touch to escape with an exciting victory.

From there, the teams split into foil and sabre squads, with sabre occupying the near side and foil moving to the far side.  In fast-paced sabre, a slashing, charging, fist-pumping David Ratzker quickly got two points up on his opponent, then drew the next couple of points before finishing off the match in style.  Ratzker, a senior, went on to win his other match in the later round.

At the end of each round, the squads changed places, allowing each weapon to take center stage in turn, before the other two squads broke off to opposite sides of the gym.  The new round also gave opportunities to some fencers who had yet to play.

In one of the later games of the final round, Captain Alon Kol took an early lead in foil.  Kol allowed his opponent back in the game, ceding a tying fourth point before scoring the decisive fifth point in the final minute of the tense game.

Despite these individual triumphs, when the victories were tallied up, the final score was Hunter 14 Yeshiva 13.  Coach Rosas remained upbeat.  “I was very proud of my gentlemen,” he said.  “We are a young team, and I thought that we fought hard and showed a lot of team spirit.”

Rosas emphasized that this year is a rebuilding year for Yeshiva, and he thinks the team is “getting better.”  The improvement began in the preseason, where Rosas changed the team’s training program.  “As opposed to just fencing,” the coach concentrated on cardiovascular work and specific training in fencing tactics.

With the loss to Hunter, however, the team has yet to win a match this year.  At this point, Rosas and Kol believe that the team simply lacks experience, having lost many of the fencers from last year.  Others note that the team is still recovering from last year’s departure of former head coach Arnie Messing. Still, as he prepares for the January 26 tournament at Haverford College, Rosas feels the young team is progressing well and hopes it can improve through the combined efforts of the players and coaches.

“When you talk about a 100% effort, it’s 50% player, 50% coach,” he explains.  “110% is when each gives a little extra.”♦

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