Lakeland girls and boys fencing teams found major improvement along with a good sum of victories in this 2023-2024 season. They hope to carry this steady improvement and their close bonds into the next year.
The final meet of the season was on Friday, February 9, and it wrapped up a season full of ups and downs. A new member of the team, freshman saber Hailey Travan explained that they “had some struggles throughout but overall it was a wonderful experience.” Many of the other fencers echo this sentiment. According to the girls team captain, senior epee Alisha Tumser, the team struggled with a lot of knee and ankle injuries that cost the team. Despite this, they still found the season to be successful. Senior foil Nicole Arzayus said, “I had the most fun during this season [compared to] past seasons.”
Many players have shown themselves to be outstanding. Coach and mathematics teacher Mr. Brain Brzozowski said that he was “very proud of all the individual success in the classroom and on the fencing strip.” This success is very tangible with the girls team placing fourth in the Districts Tournament and a total of six fencers qualifying for states individuals; senior epee Angelina Arzayus and junior saber Mia Conway qualified outright, and freshman Zach Brown, senior epee Ari Scott, senior saber Carter Vargas, and Tumser all qualified as alternates.
On the team’s success, Arzayus told the Ledger, “Angie with epee and Mia with saber achieving individual States is incredible. The new kids, Alyssa, Neo, Zach, Jovie, and Hailey, did so well during games as people who never fenced before and on varsity. Everyone did amazing this season.” This amazing performance is shown in the team’s success in Santelli’s and Centrulo’s tournaments.
When asked about his favorite moment in the season, senior epee David DaSilva said, “An unforgettable moment for me was when I achieved a bronze medal at a tournament next to my brother who won gold, earning our first medals in fencing.” Captain Tumser is likewise proud of the performance of the girls epee squad for their success in the Santelli’s tournament, placing seventh out of around 60 schools from the state.
As the season ends, plans and concerns for the upcoming season are becoming prominent. Tumser expresses worries over the issue that “half of the girls team is graduating and about nine people overall,” and that the remaining team members are going to “have to work to fill spots for next season.” Coach Brzozowski is already on top of this, saying, “This upcoming year we plan on visiting the middle schools and PTA’s to promote the awareness of the sport.”
As for the next season, DaSilva predicts that it “will be a fresh start for both teams.” He also believes that “the program will be very strong and competitive in the next few years with even more dedicated fencers and most importantly, a much stronger program to aid the students to become the best they can be.” The future of the fencing team is looking up, and they plan to carry this momentum from this season into the next.
The Lakeland fencing team is a tight-knit group of students that are all passionate and motivated. “No matter how bad or good you are, there will always be people there to support you,” says freshman saber Jovie Kazimir. “Some unforgettable moments are making friends and just having this experience.”
