After strong finishes in their respective UAAP Season 87 Fencing Tournament campaigns, the DLSU Green and Lady Fencers put out all the stops in hitting their strides, striking while the iron is hot as their UAAP Season 88 campaign wraps up.
With Season 88 coming to a close, the Taft-based squads have achieved promising results and made noteworthy progress throughout their run; moving onward to new obstacles, familiar rivalries, and further refinements, while building on their momentum and aiming for impressive finales to reign supreme in Season 89.
Sharpening their form
Putting the previous season behind them, the Green and Lady Fencers focused their offseason preparation on honing their skills and mechanics, as cleaner footwork can translate into better performance and execution of the game plan. They also worked on improving their mental strength, which hindered them in achieving their goal. “Meron naman kaming what it takes pero kulang lang is mindset. This season, binago na rin talaga namin ‘yung mindset namin,” Lady Fencer Co-captain Mharla Jade Ortula echoed.
(We got what it takes, but what’s missing is the mindset. This season, we’ve changed our mindset.)
To stay in shape, the Fencers participated in a pre-season tournament before the main competition. “Meron pa kaming checkpoints na inaabangan,” Lady Fencers Team Captain Krupskaya Ednilag mentioned, hinting at the challenges ahead. Veteran Ortula added that the competition was no easy feat, underscoring that every match in the offseason served as a preview for the battles to come.
(We still have checkpoints that we’re anticipating.)
Surging for victory
Making their way into Season 88, both Green and Lady Fencers look to rise to the tribulations on their quest for redemption. “What we’re trying to aim for is to get the gold medal, the highest medal for each player and category,” Ortulo emphasized.
Coming off their second and third runner-up placements, both teams are pushing to improve, aiming to clinch their respective championship titles even amid low expectations. Green Fencers Team Captain Edan Ensamtan leans into this perspective, explaining that the pressure to maintain a top spot belongs to the others. “Parang underdogs pa rin kami coming this season. Kaya sa amin, kumbaga silang defending champions pa ‘yung may pressure na i-maintain ‘yung spot nila.”
(We’re still the underdogs coming into this season. So we thought, the defending champions bear the pressure to maintain their spot.)
This newfound mental fortitude is the cornerstone for their quest for redemption as they embrace the role of the silent threat. Rather than being discouraged by previous podium finishes, the Fencers viewed their current standing as a strategic advantage that places the burden of expectations on their rivals. By operating with this mindset, the Taft-based squads can focus entirely on their own growth and the singular goal of snatching the gold.
Conditioning composure
While physical training remains a daily constant, the Green and Lady Fencers have shifted their primary focus toward the psychological battlefield. Recognizing that previous seasons were often decided by narrow margins, the squads have undergone specialized mental toughness workshops to refine their focus under pressure. Green Fencers Co-captain Ken Panes noted that these sessions provided specific breathing and grounding techniques to help them stay relaxed and collected during the match as intensity ramps up. This shift in preparation ensures athletes remain composed when the score reaches those high pressure final points. Ednilag reminds the team to focus on the execution rather than the scoreboard, noting that if the training is carried out, the points will follow.
As the dust settles on Season 88, the Green and Lady Fencers have emerged as a team that has mastered the psychological battlefield. Embracing their role as the “silent threat,” both teams moved beyond the narrow margins of previous years to showcase a newfound mental fortitude on the strip. By holding firm to Ensamtan’s reminder that the ultimate goal was always the championship, the Fencers demonstrated that their preparation was never just about physical reps, but about the composure to finish strong. In the end, they showed the league that while rankings may fluctuate, the heart of a Lasallian fencer remains unwavering.
