With this winter season right around the corner, all eyes are on sports like basketball and hockey. However, one of the most successful up-and-coming teams this year is Fencing. Coming off of their most successful season ever, these guys will look to build on their previous success and continue the momentum of last season. One sophomore in particular, Cole Burlage, is looking to make a major impact after a successful freshman year. I recently took the time to ask Cole some questions about his outlook for the upcoming season.
What made you decide to give fencing a try last year?
“At first, I decided to try fencing just because it would look great on a college resume and was something active to do, but as the season wore on, I realized I would stick with it as the encouragement I got from the upperclassmen and my fellow sophomores gave me the motivation to continue.”
What are your personal and team goals this upcoming season?
“We had one of our greatest seasons in a long time last year but tournament-wise, we definitely could have done better. Personally, I am just trying to compete with my other saber Sophomore, but teamwise I would love to give more encouragement to the new fencers and support their growth as well as getting an even better record than last season.”
What was your best memory from last season?
“My favorite memory was our win over Newark Academy. It was extremely close (1 point difference), and we only won because of our epee team. (Thank you, Alex Martini).”
You lost four seniors last year, how will the team recover from this loss?
“Even though we lost a solid chunk of our epee team and a great asset on our foil team, the new fencers, especially our new foil, Sicat, will surely make up for that loss.”
What have you done over the offseason to improve your skills?
“Honestly, I could have done more. I went to a club for a month and a half to improve but other than that I haven’t done the most that I could have.”
Are there any schools that you look forward to competing against?
“I am looking forward to not so much the singular schools, but the tournaments. Last year I didn’t get to partake in any of the tournament matches as I was still only a month into fencing, but this year I should be able to get at least 1 match in if I’m lucky and I might be able to get a ranking which I am extremely excited about.”
Where do you see the team finishing this year?
“Last year we finished with 5 wins out of our 11 matches. I see ourselves at the very least, with 9 wins.”
Any final thoughts?
“I hope to see more of a crowd at our home matches and I am extremely proud and excited for our team and the upcoming season.”
Come out to support the Rams at their home opener against McNair Academic on January 16 at 4:30 in Bain. With a successful season last year, and new up-and-coming talent, expect big things to come for the fencing team.
