Fencers Prepare To Defend Reputation As Team To Try To Beat

By Steven E. Brier

Last year, the Columbia High School fencing teams came in first (boys) and second (girls) in the state. The boys team lost only one bout all year, to Newark Academy. The girls were undefeated until the state championship, having gone 179-10 since 1994, They had won the previous four championships and eight of the previous nine.

Then, nine of the 18 starters graduated and one of the coaches bowed out to start a family. Recipe for panic? Not hardly, according to the teams’ three coaches.

Boys coach Daryl White, with two state championships in his two years at CHS, certainly isn’t ready to hit the panic button.

“We have a great group of kids, working hard, dedicated to the sport, they realize the tradition at Columbia and want to keep it going,” White said while keeping an eye on an early Saturday practice.

The new girls coach, Holly Buechel, a championship epeeist in her own right, isn’t ready to hit the panic button.

“We have a strong sabre team, epee looks good, foil lacks a little depth†but I think it’s going to be a really good year,” said Buechel, a South Orange native and championship fencer at Oak Knoll and University of Pennsylvania.

And volunteer assistant coach Arthur “Doc” Paulina says the teams really are in good shape.

“The only weapon we don’t have depth in is women’s foil,” Paulina said, “and there we have three good people and a couple of promising freshmen and an experienced sub, Ginevra Czech.”

Columbia has a history of pulling starters early to give other fencers on the team a chance.

“We sub kids not when the match is out of control, but when the match is in the balance,” White said. “It’s part of our success: We have kids that have been in tough situations so they’re not intimidated when it’s time.”

That philosophy gives the teams a solid group of fencers to flesh out the ranks of the nine remaining starters.

Paulina knows that fencers graduate. Every year for the team is a rebuilding year. Paulina keeps a close eye on the fencers in the pipeline and of who is capable of what. After all, the team has to field three starters for each weapon, epee, foil and sabre. They also typically have three subs for each weapon. Throw in a boys team and a girls team and you have to have a lot of people in that pipeline.

Though far from complacent, the coaches seem to have the turnover under control.

“Sabre is very strong. Epee team should be as well,” Paulina said.

“In women’s sabre, we have (seniors) Kathryn Steck, Juliet Turalski and (sophomore) Faizah Muhammad back,” Paulina said. “Faizah has been fencing all year round, and all three have national rankings.”

The women’s foil team is the weak spot, but even there the coaches seem sanguine.

“Foil has only one returning starter, (senior) Becky Grohman, but (junior) Ricki Drattler fenced a lot last year and we have a lot of freshmen who will grow real fast, varsity-wise,” Paulina said.

On women’s epee, there are two returning starters, seniors Tiffini Austin-Ginlock and Michelle Micallef to anchor the team. “We also have (senior) Margaret Brier, who has three years fencing, and four sophomores,” Paulina said. “Michelle is a two-year starter, Tiffini a three-year starter. We’ll have to figure out who will be the third starter,” he said.

The boys team lost five starters to graduation, the best in sabre in foil, the second-best in foil and epee and the third in sabre. Time to panic? Not here.

Paulina is most pleased with epee. “Russell Valle (senior) is coming back. He’s on first team all-state and third in state individuals. Matt Heffley (senior) is a starter on the state championship team, and three quality juniors – Jackson Huemer, Ben Gold and Sam Williams – are all back,” he said. “This should be a strong epee lineup, our strongest weapon.”

But don’t think that means the other weapons are weak.

On sabre, the team has seniors Chad Attenborough, James Thomas and Darnell Ross back, along with juniors Michael Brenner, John Gay and Aaron Wiener. “Attenborough and Thomas will be starters,” Paulina said, “and the third starter will come from that group of four.”

As for foil, it’s not quite like having a secret weapon, but freshman Brian Kaneshige is nationally ranked as an A-strip fencer. “Having Brian helps us,” Paulina said. “When you already have your A, it’s easier to find your B and C fencers.” Paulina said that Matt Noll would be be the B-strip fencer and either of his two best sophomores, Geoff Marino and Falcon Reese would round out the starters.

As for how the teams would fare this year, the coaches are optimistic but not ready to jinx the season.

“After all,” Coach White said, “everybody plays above their level when they play us. We’re the team everybody wants to beat.”