New weapon, no problem for W. Fencing

When women's sabre was introduced to intercollegiate competition last year, Penn fencing coach Dave Micahnik was suddenly faced with a daunting challenge. He had to find three women willing to make the transition to sabre or risk forfeiting valuable points in competition. Making that transition is no easy task. In a highly instinctive sport like fencing, where each weapon is very different, switching weapons means sacrificing results. It means abandoning years of training with no guarantee of success. And the Penn women's sabre squad certainly faced their share of rocky times last year. The sabres were perhaps the weakest link in last year's 8-8 Quakers squad. "Lots of times, it was hard for us to pull our weight," Penn sophomore Christina Verigan said. Now, a year later, the sabres have turned things around. They're no longer the weak link. And at times they've even carried this year's 9-5 Penn team. Against Stanford, the sabres compiled a 7-2 record, pulling the Quakers within one point of an upset. And in last weekend's win over the Tigers, the reigning Ivy League Champions, Penn's sabres went 8-1 to propel the Quakers to a 15-12 victory. While every member of the women's sabre squad has shown remarkable growth since switching weapons, their motivations for switching were not all the same. For Verigan, fencing sabre meant a world of opportunity. A foilist in high school, she was fascinated by the speed and aggression of the sabre competition. Verigan adjusted well to the change, as she posted a 26-22 record at sabre last season to win the team's Most Improved Fencer award. Freshman Daphne Conde knew she wanted to fence sabre the first time she saw it at a fencing camp five years ago. Having previously fenced both foil and epee, Conde preferred the faster pace after "losing a lot of touches by being impatient". Meanwhile, juniors Abby Lifter and Mindy Nguyen made the transition to sabre because the team needed them. "We had a team meeting last year and when I asked who wanted to fence sabre, everyone pointed to Abby," Micahnik said. And Lifter agreed to switch. Micahnik approached Nguyen about switching to sabre last year after she "picked up a sabre for the first time, kind of goofing off at practice" and did surprisingly well. Though none of the members of the sabre squad have looked back since switching weapons, they all admit that learning to master the sabre has been quite a challenge. In addition to faster-paced bouts, the sabre is a heavier weapon that must be held differently. Attacks consist of a slashing motion rather than hitting with the point of the weapon, as in foil and epee. "Getting used to the tempo was the hardest thing," Verigan said. "Some of the actions felt very unnatural at first. But I have made greater strides in the last year and a half that I have in four years of foil." "I can't even tell you how many times I've jammed my thumb because the weapon is physically so different to hold," Nguyen said. "I still use my sabre like an epee sometimes." However, it is these challenges that make fencing sabre so satisfying for the Penn sabre squad. "Everything in this weapon is a challenge to me and it's all new, Nguyen said. "That's what's so exciting about sabre. If Dave gives me a lesson, I'm never sitting there saying to myself 'Yeah, I know this.' I'm sweating and hurting." Micahnik expects the sabre squad to continue improving --and to continue playing a strong role in the Quaker's success as a team. "Fencing sabre takes instincts," Micahnik said. "[When fencing with other weapons], certain techniques become intuitive and you still see them revert back sometimes. But success breeds motivation breeds success."

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