CHS Girls' Universe Shaken by Oak Knoll

By Steven E. Brier

SUMMIT, NJ (Feb. 11, 2008) – When you’ve just clinched yet another conference championship, are undefeated in dual-meet competitions, more than half the starters haven’t lost all season and even the girls on the bench have more wins than some opponents’ starters, you get used to a certain order of the universe. The three sabers are supposed to come out and get several wins, the three foils come out and get several more wins and then the three epees come out and get yet more wins. The first round ends with a five-, or six-, or seven-bout lead in the best-of-27 meet. Lather, rinse and repeat for the most of the second round, start sending in the subs to rinse, repeat and pick up some experience in the second and third rounds, shake hands and go home.

Columbia knew the meet against Oak Knoll would be tough. Coach Holly Buechel is an Oak Knoll graduate and warned them. Two of the nine starters were out sick. A top sub was out sick and another had just come back from being sick. But when you’re the king (or queen) of the hill, you’re the king (or queen) of the hill. Things are just supposed to follow a certain order.

Either the girls at Oak Knoll didn’t know the drill or they ignored it. It wasn’t just that they weren’t going to give up without a fight, they were planning to win.

Kathryn Steck, Columbia’s A-strip sabre, usually sets the tone with a quick win. Sabre bouts are quick, slashing things, usually over before anyone realizes it started. The first fencer to slash, stab or slice the opponent five times wins (legally please, bleeding, piercing and dismemberment are for the movies). Steck’s opponent, Kiara Moore, got the first touch and Steck quickly returned the favor. Moore got a second and Steck again responded. And again, tying the bout at 3-3. Moore got two more touches and Columbia was behind 0-1. Not normal, but not unheard of.

Faizah Muhammad, Columbia’s B-strip sabre, stepped up to fence Chelsea Rosenbauer, and tie things up but it was lather, rinse, repeat for Oak Knoll and Columbia was behind 0-2. Again, not normal, but not unheard of.

Juliet Turalski, Columbia’s C-strip sabre, came out and quickly got two touches. Her opponent, Rachel Ford, responded, they traded touches and the bout quickly went to 4-4. In a 4-4 bout, whoever gets the next point wins, whoever makes the first mistake loses. It’s a big psychological thing, and one that the CHS teams practice (and practice and practice and practice). Columbia wins more than 70 percent of its 4-4 bouts and this went as expected. Turalski got the fifth point and Columbia was finally on the scoreboard.

Next up were the foil squads, with Columbia’s Becky Grohman on A-strip facing Oak Knoll’s A-strip, Quinn O’Neill. Grohman got the first touch, but O’Neill responded with one and then another to gain the lead. In the three weapons, sabre, foil and epee, the fencers and their equipment are tethered to electronic sensors that trigger flashing lights and buzzers as the fencers fight away. Sabre and foil are faster and harder to follow then epee, and flashing lights don’t always mean someone has a touch. There are lights for being off (or on) target, the fencer has to be on the attack (or counter attack ) and spectators (and the fencers) have to follow the director’s cryptic hand and arm gestures to determine who – if anyone – got the touch. This bout was typical with lights flashing, buzzers buzzing, teammates screaming and parents perplexed as the duo went up and down the strip attacking, retreating, parrying and thrusting as the director’s movements indicated the touches canceled each other out or that Grohman had gained one. After much to-ing and fro-ing – who knew a 3-minute bout could last so long – Grohman had the fifth touch and the teams were tied at 2-2.

Ricki Drattler (14-0 in conference dual-meet competition) came in as Columbia’s B-strip foil and true to form racked up three quick touches. Her opponent came back with four of her own to get the lead 3-4, Drattler responded, tying it at 4-4. This time, despite Columbia’s emphasis on the 4-4, it went the other way and the CHS girls were behind again 2-3.

Karin Oxford came in for CHS on C-strip foil. Sometimes a sub, sometimes a starter, she was covering for the ill Stephanie Schneider. Going 12-0 in conference dual-meet competitions, Oxford has a record starters on other teams would love to have. Her opponent, Elizabeth Miniet, got the first two touches, but Oxford picked up three. Miniet picked up two more to go ahead 3-4 and Oxford brought it to 4-4. Once again Columbia lost the 4-4 and the CHS girls were behind 2-4. This was not the natural order of the CHS girls’ universe.

It was the last third of the first round and the epees, lead by Tiffini Austin-Ginlock on A-strip, were up. Epee is much easier to follow. There is little of the rapid rushing and slashing that characterize sabre and foil. Instead the fencers move up and down the strip, using small movements to push each other off target and create an opening. On epee, you can get a touch when attacking or retreating and every part of the body is fair game. Just get close enough to your opponent, push their weapon off target, stab, push it far enough to trigger the sensor and back away. Although it sounds easy, it’s not. Epee bouts often go the full three minutes and, if tied, go into a one-minute sudden death overtime. (Unlike golf or football, sudden death means something in a sport played with long, pointy weapons wielded by sleep-deprived high school girls.)

Austin-Ginlock is used to the universe being in its own natural order and came out to put things right. She and Oak Knoll’s Marissa Gabela double-touched, or hit each other at the same time, to open their bout at 1-1. Austin-Ginlock slowly got the next three touches to go up 4-1. The duo again double-touched to give Austin-Ginlock the winning touch and bring Columbia to 3-4.

 

Michelle Micallef, right, moves in for the touch against a Mendham fencer on Saturday. Photo by M Grohman.

Michelle Micallef on B-strip was up next. It was another typical epee bout, with the fencers moving slowly up and down the strip, looking for an opening. Micallef got an early lead, 2-0 and Oak Knoll picked up a touch. Micallef got another and then a double touch to make it 4-2. The Oak Knoll fencer got two more to tie it at 4-4. This time the 4-4 went to Micallef and the teams were tied at 4-4 and the universe was closer to where it was supposed to be.

Substituting for the ill Margaret Brier, sophomore Rebecca Wenoker came in on C-strip. Wenoker, despite being a sub and a sophomore, is 9-1 in conference dual-meet competitions and no pushover. Oak Knoll’s Grace Ragold on C-strip got the first touch, quickly followed by three double touches, which put the score at 3-4. Wenoker got the next touch to tie it at the 4-4. The two then had a long string of double touches. The score stayed at 4-4, pushing everyone’s stress level into the danger zone before Ragold got an unanswered point to win the bout, ending the first round with the CHS girls in an unaccustomed trailing position, their universe well out of whack.

In the first round in fencing, A-strip fencers face A-strip fencers, B-strips face B-strips and Cs face Cs. In the second and third rounds, one team will rotate its fencers. Team 1’s A-strip will fence Team 2’s B-strip, 1B will fence 2C and 1C will fence 2A. In the final round 1A fences 2C, 1B fences 2A and 1C fenced 2B. That way, no fencer faces the same opponent twice in a meet and strengths – and weaknesses – on a team are averaged out.

In that mode, the second round began with Steck, Columbia’s A-strip sabre, going against Rosenbauer, Oak Knoll’s B-strip sabre. It was a typical sabre bout, with the two moving quickly up and down the strip, attacking and retreating, faking attacks, faking retreats, deliberately lowering their weapons, taunting and trying to trick the other into a mistake or create an opening, lights flashing, buzzers buzzing and the director’s arms gyrating to signal the results. In this case, Steck got the first touch, Oak Knoll came back with two, Steck got three, Rosenbauer got her third and then Steck got the fifth, leaving the teams tied at 5 bouts each.

Muhammad was up next, fencing Ford, Oak Knoll’s C-strip. Muhammad got the first touch, Ford the next. Muhammad got the next three to make it 4-1. Ford got the next two before Muhammad ended it at 5-3 and put Columbia ahead 6-5.

Turalski was up next, fencing against Moore, Oak Knoll’s A-strip. Turalski got the first touch and Moore came back with her own. Turalski got a second and Moore came back again. Turalski got two more, going up 4-2. Moore came back with two of her own, tying it at 4-4 and then won, 4-5, to tie the meet again at 6 bouts each. Things at this stage were seriously out of whack for CHS girls.

It was hard to tell, though, that CHS was the visiting team. Oak Knoll is a small school, and has a small fencing team. The Columbia girls nearly outnumbered, and were far more vocal, than Oak Knoll’s fencers, coaches and parents combined. From screams of excitement, encouragement and shouts of tactics, there was a wall of sound emanating from the Columbia side of the room.

It was back to foil, with Grohman emerging from the wall of sound to taking on Oak Knoll’s B-strip. The Oak Knoll fencer got the first touch and Grohman responded with two of her own. The Oak Knoll fencer got a second and Grohman responded with a two more. After a brief time out while the two referred with their respective teammates and coaches, it was back to the strip where Grohman got the deciding fifth touch and put Columbia up 7-6.

Drattler was up next, fencing Oak Knoll’s C-strip, Miniet. Despite a time out from Oak Knoll and a number of changes in tactics, Drattler ran off five unanswered touches to win the bout and increase Columbia’s lead to 8-6.

Oxford was up next against Oak Knoll’s O’Neill, who racked up three touches. Oxford got the next three but O’Neill got the next two, winning the bout 3-5 and closing the overall score to 8-7.

That brought up the epees again. By this point in most of this season’s matches, the Columbia girls already have the 14 bouts needed to clinch the meet, the starters are replaced by the subs and world is spinning in its groove. Not so at Oak Knoll. The girls were barely ahead, the Oak Knoll team was determined to win and with the difference of a touch here or a touch there, Columbia could have been in a serious hole.

Austin-Ginlock stepped on to the strip, ready to take on Oak Knoll’s B-strip. Austin-Ginlock seemed much more aggressive than typical, forgoing the usual small slow moves, instead quickly slapping at her opponent’s weapon, moving her back down the strip and getting three unanswered touches. There was a double-touch to make it 4-1, the Oak Knoll fencer got another to make it 4-2 and Austin-Ginlock came back with a final touch, winning 5-2 and putting CHS up 9-7.

Micallef on B-strip came out to fence Ragold, Oak Knoll’s C-strip, and promptly got in a big hole. After a quick time out to regroup and get some advice she got a touch but was behind 1-4. A quick double-touch later and she was out 2-5 and the meet was at 9-8.

Wenoker was back on C-strip against Oak Knoll’s A-strip. Despite a valiant effort, going slow, steady and staying on pace, Wenoker lost 3-5. That left the score at 9-9 and the CHS universe decidedly off kilter.

Steck started the final round determined to put things back in their rightful order and Oak Knoll’s C-strip was to be the sacrifice. This time, things went according to plan, with Steck getting five unanswered touches and Columbia’s universe, at 10-9, a little less wobbly.

Muhammad was up next, facing Oak Knoll’s heretofore undefeated A-strip, Moore. Muhammad got on the boards early, with two touches, but Moore came back with two of her own to tie the bout. Muhammad came back with another, as did Moore to put the bout at 3-3. Moore then got two more for the win, ending her night undefeated, putting the meet back into a tie at 10-10 and once again setting the CHS universe awry.

Turalski came up to finish the sabre’s appearance for the night, taking on Rosenbauer, Oak Knoll’s B-strip. Rosenbauer got on the board first with two touches but Turalski came back with two of her own. Turalski came back with two more then Rosenbauer got her fourth to tie it at 4-4. Once again the 4-4 went to Oak Knoll and Columbia was behind 10-11.

Grohman came out to put things right, facing Miniet, who got on the board first, followed by a second unanswered touch. Grohman came back at her, running off five touches to win the bout and tie things again at 11-11.

Drattler, Columbia’s B-strip, was back to try for the go-ahead win, this time against O’Neill, Oak Knoll’s talented, tenacious A-strip. O’Neill came out fighting, picking up the first touch. Up and down the strip the two went, as Drattler picked up two touches and O’Neill responded. Despite all the flashing lights, few points were actually awarded by the director and the bout was tied at 3-3 when Drattler picked up first one touch and then another to end it at 5-3 and put Columbia up 12-11.

Columbia was still two bouts shy of a clinch and three of CHS’s remaining four fencers had been struggling.

By this point, the JV bouts on the adjacent strip had all but stopped. Other than the fencers on the strip, anybody not hoarse from yelling was in heart-attack mode.

Oxford, 0-2 for the night, came out to face Oak Knoll’s B-strip, Amy Johnston who was 1-1.

Oxford got the first touch and Johnston responded. Oxford got a second and Johnston responded with her second and then a third. Oxford tied it at 3 and Johnston came back with another to make it 3-4. Oxford came back to tie it and went into CHS 4-4 mode, picking up the fifth touch to put Columbia within one win of the clinch.

It was up to the epees to finish putting things right.

Austin-Ginlock came out and went right after Ragold, Oak Knoll’s C-strip. A couple of quick flicks to knock the weapon away, a couple quick attacks and the score was 2-0. Ragold took a time out to seek advice, and came back to pick up her first touch. Then it was a double-touch to put the score at 3-2. Austin-Ginlock came back with a fourth and then a fifth touch and the CHS girls erupted.

For now, at least, all was right in the universe.

In a best-of-whatever series in baseball, the losing team slinks away as soon as possible. Not so in fencing dual meets, which are scheduled to have 27 bouts. Three weapons times three fencers per weapon times three rounds. Though the first team to win 14 bouts wins the meet, the losers stick around and keep fighting. No wimping off to the golf course here. There were two more bouts to go.

Micallef stepped up to fence Gabela, getting the first touch. The two double-touched, then Gabela got her own to tie it 2-2. Then came a series of double-touches. After the first two, the bout was tied at 4-4. The score, along with a number of hearts, stopped, stuck at 4-4 as the duo worked up and down the strip, double-touching a total of six times before Gabela slipped her blade past Micallef’s for the final touch to win the bout.

The score was at 14-12. Columbia had won, but there was still one final bout. For pride, if nothing else.

Wenoker hit the strip to face Oak Knoll’s B-strip. Oak Knoll got the first three touches and Wenoker called time to consult with Coach Buechel and her teammates. She came back to a double-touch and then a single, bringing the score to 2-4. Alas, the next was a double and Wenoker went down 5-3, ending the night.

Though Columbia’s universe was spinning properly, not clinching until 14-11 and finishing 14-13 was a wake-up call for the team.

Both teams now go off to the Sweet Sixteen playoffs. If, as expected, they win their respective first round meets, they will face each other in the second and do it all over again.

Columbia’s first meets of the playoffs will be at their home-away-from-home, the New Jersey Fencing Alliance at 50 Burnett Avenue, Maplewood. The girls fence Wednesday, Feb. 13 (weather permitting) at 7:30 p.m. against Watchung Hills. The boys fence Thursday, Feb. 14 against Hackettstown.