Philip Jamesson is a sophomore on the NYU men's fencing team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2010-11 season.
Posted December 20
Our meet in Connecticut (Sacred Heart University) had its strong points and its weak points, and I think as a team, we’re stronger because of it. There were some rough patches, but the main problem we had as a team was that, individually, our strong points weren’t aligned with each other. We noticed this throughout the day, and although as a foilist I’m unable to always watch epee or sabre as much as I’d like to, I know that all the squads did this to some extent. I spoke with captain Ben Radding and senior Hugo Rodrigues on sabre at one point in the meet, and even though we had just lost a match they both were confident that we were going to win the next one.
And we did. That next match was Vassar, and in foil, captain Oung-Jo Yuh, freshman Christian Vastola and I all spoke with each other before the match started. We motivated each other and made sure we were going to be able to not only beat Vassar, but do as well as we can- our goal was a 9-0 sweep. The final score for the foil squad was 9-0.
I know that there was some difficulty in a couple of those bouts- in fact, two of the three that come to mind in that match were my own bouts. But I think the reason that we all scored the final touch in the 4-4 matches (fencing bouts go to 5 touches) is that we were very focused on our goal and we achieved it to perfection.
We had some hard fights go on in the day and a few brilliantly fenced bouts. In foil, sophomore Ken Sin had a number of close bouts against experienced opponents- many of them ending by just a one-touch lead. Freshman Eric Ching had a spectacular bout against Michael El-Saleh from Penn State, wiping him out 5-0. Senior Ted Rizzo put up a great fight against Penn State’s Anthony Green in epee, as one of the only bouts from epee or sabre I was able to see throughout the day.
As a whole, there were many strong individual performances, and I think that come NYU invitational this January, those individual performances will be molded into a much stronger team performance.
Ben Radding is a junior on the NYU men's fencing team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2010-11 season.
Posted December 20
Our last competition was at the Sacred Heart Invitational in Fairfield, CT, on December 5 (a town that looks like a miner’s town but is actually the dogwood capital of the world).
The men’s sabre team started with losses against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Ben Radding loses all of his bouts, Hugo Rodrigues loses most of them, and Kyle Wilson suffers a headache. In the universal, the team gets spanked by Harvard and loses closely to UNC, partly the sabre boys’ fault. Coach takes them outside into the lobby of the venue and sits them down.
Of what did they speak?
Of risking and losing, mostly the former, but with the former comes the latter. Of going out like a lion instead of a lamb and fist-shaking and begging for touches; of convincing the referee with indignation and silence as opposed to shouting obscenities and making violent gestures; of the pecking order when two seniors and a captain sleep in the same room, concerning who gets the two beds (consensus: none—one of the athletes must volunteer to sleep on the cot/floor/bathtub); of waking up from whatever malaise they were suffering from and fence, win or lose.
What did they do when the talk was over?
Kyle changes; his day is over, his head feels like someone threw a wrench into it and Vincent Dodson is put in his place (who, later, will surprise everyone with his speed and ability). Ben and Hugo go back and speak to no one, opting to put on their headphones, sit on the bleachers and mope.
What did they listen to?
For Ben, a combination of Slipknot and Enya, both psyching himself up and calming himself down, a musical speedball. For Hugo, progressive house music—the heavy bass rumblings keep his eyes glossed and his leg shaking.
How did they feel?
Ben: self-hatred, disappointment at not fulfilling his captainly duties in terms of victory-getting. Hugo: weary, being a senior and having spent many early mornings trying to fence and, as the A-strip fencer (the best, or at least consistently best, of the three), pressure. Kyle: hurting, as if someone took his brain, threw it into the wall and put it back in his head.
And when it was time to fence again?
Captains Amanda Rysling and Oung-Jo Yuh want Ben to deliver a speech from Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.” Instead, when the team huddles, he delivers a simpler speech: “Listen, you idiots, I didn’t come here to f–––ing lose.”
Did they lose?
Yes, a few, most even, but like lions instead of lambs.
Oung-Jo Yuh is a senior on the NYU men's fencing team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2010-11 season.
Posted November 22
We’re 2-0 baby. That’s what I’m talking about. That is exactly how we wanted to start the season off.
We came firing out of the gates against Stevens Tech. To be honest, I am always a little nervous before matches; especially against teams that we are supposed to beat. When my inner critic starts to get loud, I put on my headphones and play my “Pump Up” play list. This year I have added “Only Girl (In the World)” by Rihanna, “Television Rules the Nation” by Daft Punk, “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida, and “Take it Off” by Kesha. Yes I have “Take It Off” on my iPod. Don’t get me wrong, the song isn’t very good. But, it has a good beat and bass. The beat and bass set a rhythm for me while I warm up.
As co-captain, it is my responsibility to get the team psyched and pumped. Now, did I pull a Ray Lewis routine or quote an emotional movie line to rally the troops? No. The night before and even minutes before the match I was trying to plan the most inspirational speech for the huddle. Nothing seemed right or “cool” enough. Then I realized that I was putting too much thought into it and as a result psyching myself out. I gave a simple speech, spoke from the heart, and we put our hands in and sounded off. I will have many more opportunities to give a “Braveheart” or “Any Given Sunday” caliber speech.
I would like to congratulate Phil Jamesson for his 6-0 performance against Stevens Tech. Phil is only a sophomore, but he is performing like a seasoned veteran. Ricky Woodward might have missed the UAA Athlete of the week Award, but he too also deserves a lot of credit for our success. Not only was he 5-1, but he also stepped it up as a great strip coach. Kornel and Lauren weren’t there, so Ricky and other upperclassmen (Jason Sokel and Ted Rizzo) jumped in to fill that role. I would also like to give mad props to freshmen foilists Eric Ching and Christian Vastola for their perfect records.
The story of the match would certainly have to be Enrique Cavazos. Now he may have only went 2-2, but his second win against Stevens junior Charlie Steiner was a match to remember. Steiner beat Enrique easily in the first match. We had already won the match at that point, but I saw Enrique was determined to get Steiner in the second match. Enrique adjusted his game plan and even with time running out in the second match he was able to beat Steiner. I am very impressed with Enrique’s mental toughness and ability to keep his cool under pressure. I think everyone can take something from the Cavazos School of Mental Toughness.
Great job, team. I can’t wait for December 5 when we travel to Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, to face some really tough teams. Warning: The NYU Fencing Team is a force to be reckoned with.
Oung-Jo Yuh is a senior on the NYU men's fencing team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2010-11 season.
Posted November 16
Wow! This is my last fencing season. Time sure does fly. I remember when I was a little freshman walking into the fencing salle for the first time feeling really nervous like it was yesterday.
This year the coaches have given me the honor to lead this team as one of their male co-captains. My only goal as captain for this year is to lead and inspire my teammates on and off the fencing strip. I’ve been fencing since I was seven-years-old and since that time I’ve experienced a whole lot of fencing stuff and non-fencing stuff. I said it at the first fencing meeting and I’ll say it again here on the fencing blog: I have an open door policy. I don’t care what time it is. If any teammate has a question, problem, or concern they are always free to call/text/facebook me.
Being captain is similar to being a director on a movie set. At times I will have a million people come up to me and ask me a million questions at the same time. At first it was a little overwhelming. Now that the fencing season is a month-and-a-half old, the captains have learned to delegate responsibilities. For example, Amanda Rysling (senior women’s co-captain) was in charge of equipment distribution this year and I was in charge of Thursday captain’s practice. Just like a director sets the tone of his or her movie set, the captains set the tone for the team. I am confident in this year’s captain squad. I am also confident in our team. We have a lot of returning starters who will set a good example for the freshman and first-year members of the team.
This year’s men’s foil team is looking really good. I think out of my four years on the team, this foil squad might be the best one. Not because we have a super star Olympian on our team, but because we have depth. Having a solid starting three is important. But, having good fencers come off the bench for match-ups or to giving a starter a rest is also important, especially at the long multi-match meets when we fence seven schools. For example, we can substitute for a fresher and rested fencer against the other team’s tired fencer. A fresh set of legs will always have the advantage over tired legs. Depth is something that we haven’t had in past seasons. This year’s freshmen (Christian Vastola, Eric Ching, Justin Kim, Joe Wu, and Michael Lui) are essential weapons for our plan of attack this season.
The schedule is set. We know what must be done. As long as we continue to practice hard every time and execute on the fencing strip, this team will compete at a very high level. 1-2-3 NYU Violets!!!
