The past two seasons have been disappointing for the DLSU Fencing Team as both the Green Fencers and the Lady Fencers have failed to bring the championship home to Taft. The Green Fencers finished Season 78 and 79 at fifth place, while the Lady Fencers dropped to fourth after ending Season 78 at third.
Dethroning the UE Fencing Team in both divisions will be difficult as the Recto-based squad will be seeking a sixth consecutive title in the men’s division, while the Lady Warriors will be searching for an incredible 11th straight championship. Even though the Green Fencers and the Lady Fencers have yet to win a championship in the event, team captains David Lumahan and Pat Eusebio are hopeful to break that barren run this season.
Preseason preparations
“The past few months, we’ve been training really hard and extra effort talaga kami,” shares Eusebio, the Lady Fencers’ team captain. She states that the entire fencing team was fortunate enough to participate in a lot of competitions recently and it was a vital experience for the team as it helped their confidence coming into the new season. “Mas maganda yung preparation namin this season compared to before.”
Eusebio also indicates that aside from joining three preseason tournaments, the team also showcased their talents in non-formal tournaments. “They just hold [what] we call [as] ‘opens’, parang rankings. A lot of schools get together here [in ULTRA Fencing Hall] and then we compete with one another, then lalabas yung rank mo, then you’ll know your performance for the month.”
When asked how the Green-and-White usually fares in this kind of ranking tournament, Lumahan, the Green Fencers team captain, indicates that some players really excel and get high rankings. “Yung average na player ng La Salle is mga nasa Top 15 hanggang 5.”
Al Vizcayno, one of the coaches of the team, says that the team training is going well even though the training venue is away from the school. They often go to Pasig and use the huge Fencing Hall in order for them to polish and improve their skills. Even though the training venue remained the same for the team, Vizcayno pointed out that the training method from last year has changed to match the skill level of his players and to add a few techniques to their arsenal. He also emphasizes the challenge of adjusting the practice sessions in order for the athletes to accommodate their duties as a student. “Hindi naman kami yung sobrang patayan eh dahil sobrang dami rin naman ginagawa ng players eh. Binabalance lang namin pero hindi ko masasabing sobrang hataw, sobrang relax.”
(We don’t overdo training because the players themselves have a lot on their plate, aside from being athletes. We balance the level of difficulty but I’m sure we’re not over-training or over-relaxing.)
New outlook
This year, a lot of players left the team for a couple of reasons, one of which is due to graduation. May Montenegro, the Lady Fencers’ team captain last season, won’t be eligible to play in this upcoming campaign after playing five years for the Green-and-White. Another reason as to why a considerable number of players left the team was due to personal reasons as stated by Eusebio in the interview.
Fortunately for the team, it was able to recruit new members that can help the team improve its finishes from its last campaign. Eusebio says that the newcomers outnumber the old members but she does not see this as a drawback for the team. “A lot of them already know how to fence so that’s another advantage.”
Lumahan also comments that the new recruits transferred from other schools, which means that they already have experience at the collegiate level. Due to the large departure of players from last year’s team, Lumahan expects a lot of the newcomers to perform well and help the team achieve greater heights this season. “Sa nakikita ko ngayon, kailangan talaga nilang mag step-up sa game nila para ma-bring yung name ng La Salle sa UAAP fencing.”
Team goals
Last season, the Green Fencers and the Lady Fencers finished at fifth and fourth respectively, and Vizcayno does not expect the team to grab the title away from the defending champions this season.
Although the team acquired an ample amount of recruits in the offseason, Vizcayno believes that the number of players currently at his disposal is still less compared to the other schools that are competing in the event. He also states that the other teams play exceptionally better due to the fact that they train almost every day, while his team trains less. The fencing coach also adds that the fencing programs of their opponents are already established at the collegiate level. Despite the disadvantages that Vizcayno mentions, he shares that if the players would listen to the coaches and follow the game plan, they might keep pace with their opponents this season. “Feeling naman namin may magiging magandang result ‘pag nakinig sila. Yun lang naman.”
(We have a good feeling that there will be great results for us, just as long as the players listen. That’s all.)
Contrary to the expectations of Vizcayno, Eusebio and Lumahan have high expectations for their team. “Ang expectation ko sa team namin is to be first runner-up after this season or magkaroon ng championship,” says the Green Fencers’ team captain. Meanwhile, the Lady Fencers’ team captain hopes that their performance this season will be exceptional. She feels that her team is well prepared and observed that they were showing signs of determination during practice. “You can really see that everyone is really working hard to attain this goal that we all have, so that’s really nice.”
The DLSU Green Fencers and the Lady Fencers will start their respective campaigns tomorrow, February 8, 8am, at the PSC Fencing Hall in Pasig.
