As of writing this article, marking period 2 has just ended, and winter sports have just come to a close. As a fencer myself, I am sad to see the fencing season end, even though it has been a marvellous experience. But, as I am a freshman, I still have three more years to fence. However, many members of the fencing team are seniors and will be graduating, marking their last season of fencing at Morris Knolls. There are a total of 11 graduating seniors, and I was lucky enough to get to interview a few of them about their fencing experiences. 

Elliot Yap is the captain of the foil team who joined in their freshman year. When asked why they joined fencing, they replied with “I joined probably [because of] marching band, to be honest, because… literally everybody I was friends with in marching band was on the fencing team and so I joined. That’s why I also joined foil because my friend Wyatt, head of the brass section, was also a foil and he was like ‘you gotta join.’” When asked why they stayed, Elliot commented about  how “…the fencing community is one the biggest groups of kind and strong people I’ve ever seen. It’s just a lot of fun to hang out with them and the atmosphere is fun.” They are also really upset about it being their last year of fencing, but they are planning to come to meets next season to see others fence. Elliot isn’t sure if they will be fencing in college, so they feel like it is a chapter of their life closing. As Elliot was the captain of foil for the 2023-2024 season, of course we had to get their input on how they felt about it. When asked how Elliot was chosen as captain, they responded with how they were really surprised when they were asked to be captain. ”…Going into my junior year, we had fencing summer practices [over the summer] and Coach would call out random people to act as captains and call out footwork and I was picked, and I was like doing it… I think it was kinda a test and then later I got an email to be captain.” It was just as simple as that! Elliot enjoys being the captain as they find it fun to teach others in a sport they really enjoy, and they find joy in helping others.

Next, I spoke to Diana Quintuna. Diana is an épée who joined fencing junior year. When asked why Diana joined fencing, she responded with, ”I joined fencing because I wanted to try out a new experience and also my friend, Krisha, recommended me joining it.” She followed up with how the positive experiences she’s had with fencing and the fencing team made her want to come back. I also asked her how she felt about this being her last year fencing for Morris Knolls, and she told me, “I’m happy about the time I had over here, though it will be very upsetting to leave because it’s really fun.” Diana is also happy with her fencing this season, and she feels like she ended her high school fencing career off well. 

Peyton Trillich is an épée who joined in sophomore year. She says she joined fencing because her friend roped her into it, and it turned out to be a really fun time. She said she also wanted to bridge the gap between her two sports that were in fall and spring, so she chose fencing to do in the summer. When asked why Peyton decided to continue fencing into her senior year, she responded with “Honestly… the people. Fencing has brought me so many friends and everyone is like super supportive of each other and it’s just like super fun to fence.” But she says that she feels sad about it being her last year of fencing at Morris Knolls because “[she’s had] a very short time here.” She doesn’t know if she’s going to be fencing in college, but all in all, Peyton is proud of where she has come from, since she had no experience in fencing coming into it, so she feels she has grown strong in her fencing skills.

Lastly, I spoke with Shannon Dawson, an épée who joined in her senior year. When asked why she joined the fencing team, Shannon responded with how she joined because her friends convinced her to join, and it seemed fun. She also commented on how “It [the fencing team] was a really good environment and everyone was so welcoming.” Shannon is not sure if she will be fencing in college, even though it’s been a good season for her. She says, “I’m sad it’s my last year at Knolls but I’m glad I joined fencing this year. If I could go back I would join it earlier, but I’m glad I joined this year.” 

The four seniors I interviewed all admitted to joining the team because their friends  helped convince them to join, and they all really enjoyed their time as fencers. Diana, Elliot, Peyton and Shannon are unsure if they will be doing fencing in college, but nonetheless, they have made the most of their Morris Knolls fencing experience.