With two of its individual members undefeated, and one with a 19-1 record, it’s no surprise that the North boys’ fencing team has an unblemished 8-0 record so far this season.
The boys added to their fairy tale season on January 29, with a good showing at the District II Championships. The sabre squad finished second, while overall the boys’ team placed third and qualified for the state squad championships.
“For the boys, it’s their determination, their concentration, and focus that they don’t want to lose,” says Coach Gail Kedoin. “My starting team is mostly seniors, and they want to go out with a bang. They really want to prolong the season.”
At this point, it seems their way of thinking paid off. On the foil squad, senior Robert Goldhirsch leads the team at 18-0, while senior Michael Zhuang, at sabre, is also 18-0. Junior Victor Wu is 19-1 for the sabre squad.
Goldhirsch, Zhuang, and Wu all qualified for the individual district finals on January 29. In addition, in the individual tournament, all three boys qualified for the state individual championships. Goldhirsch tied for second in foil; Zhuang placed third in sabre; and Wu placed fifth in sabre.
All three of the boys have been with North’s fencing program since they were freshmen. “As it evolved each year, they got more and more serious about the sport and more dedicated in training for it,” said Kedoin. “All three of them last year made huge progress.”
Lorraine Goldhirsch, Robert’s mother, says that her son has been fencing for six years and that he fences year-round at the Fencing Academy of South Jersey (FASJ). Robert and his older brother, William, became interested in fencing when they were younger, but it was hard to find a club. They both joined the fencing team and played together until William graduated. Robert participates in national tournaments and has a B rank.
The Goldhirsch family has lived in West Windsor for 20 years. Robert’s father works on Wall Street, and Lorraine Goldhirsch is retired. William now fences at the University of Pennsylvania, and she says Robert would like to follow in his footsteps.
“He sees that it’s a big time commitment, but he’s ready for that,” she said. While the acceptance letters are expected to come later, Robert will probably major in business, which fits with his outgoing nature.
In fact, her son was inspired to create a fundraising group called Fencers Make Good Neighbors after volunteering at the West Windsor-based Cherry Tree Club, a preschool serving homeless and at-risk children in Mercer County. “Robert talks to the parents and the fencers and collects money around the holidays,” she said.
Not only has the fencing program enabled the students to gain valuable experience, be competitive, and work on their sportsmanship, but it also helps with grades, says Shaobin Zhuang, Michael Zhuang’s father. His son began fencing in eighth grade, and it helped with his confidence in and out of the classroom.
Like Goldhirsch, his son also fences for the FASJ. The family moved to Plainsboro 12 years ago from New York City as a result of Shaobin Zhuang’s job as a scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb. His wife is a medical doctor with an office in Plainsboro.
He said his son, who will attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, will continue fencing while enrolled in the dual degree math/science and management program. He spends nearly all his free time fencing and also competes in national competitions.
But fencing improved his concentration and focus and enabled him to excel in the classroom. He got a perfect score on his SATs and was able to get into the highly-competitive program. His father also saw a rise in his GPA.
“I think fencing is a great sport,” he said. “It requires you to be smart. My son has learned to have the motivation to succeed.”
Kedoin says her team is a “huge family,” and has worked together as such, encouraging each other to do the best they can. It is the deciding factor to their run this season, she said.
“We’re really working on technique and improving each other,” she said. “They really want to have a super year.”
So what has kept them focused? “The key is no matter what, you give every touch and every bout your all, no matter who you’re fencing,” she said.
Lorraine Goldhirsch says it’s a philosophy that comes from the top down — beginning with Kedoin. “The coach emphasizes sportsmanship,” she said. “She cares about what they learn. The captains on the team model that because they see that with Gail. “Even though the kids do their own fencing outside, there’s a cohesiveness about this group.” About a third of the team has been fencing at North for all four years.
The girls’ team has worked just as hard and has found just as much success at 7-1 so far this season. The girls’ confidence in their abilities has made a big impact this year, said Kedoin.
“It’s one thing for me to tell them they’re doing great,” she said. ‘With each win, they’re starting to say, ‘Look at what we can do.’ They’re starting to get that confidence.”
Mounica Paturu, Daphne Ye, Katherine Wang, and Selena Park qualified for the individual district finals on January 29. Paturu placed third in epee; Daphne Ye placed sixth in sabre; Selena Park placed eighth in foil; and Katherine Wang placed ninth in foil.
The girls’ team is also emphasizing the team mentality. “You win together, and you lose together,” said Kedoin. “They’ve always worked so well as a team.”
