The Lambert Fencing team competed in their individual championships on February 1, 2025, with two fencers receiving medals at the state level. Team tournaments are the relay races of fencing, and the whole team works together to score points. The team is excited to go into their team championships on February 8, 2025, their last tournament of the season.
As the season winds down, Lambert Fencing Captain Brandon Hwang is proud of the progress his team has made. Hwang has led the team through challenges and triumphs, and he has mainly focused on making the team more cohesive with a tight bond.
“Shifting from that individual culture to something more collective where I can support other people was a really big thing for me,” Hwang emphasized. “I really wanted to incorporate [team bonding] this year to make it more of a team sport instead of an individual sport.”
While the team could only hold minimal practices, they still built and maintained a strong bond by cheering each other on at competitions. Since fencing is an individual sport, it can be hard to stay driven to keep going, but the encouragement from their teammates helps people stick with the sport and stay motivated.
Hwang hopes that his efforts as a captain help strengthen the team’s cohesiveness and is a key part of his legacy as a fencer at Lambert, as well as other things.
“It helps them stay and grow so that maybe they can be better than me when [the freshmen] are seniors,” Hwang said.
On a technical level, fencing is a very individual sport, and having confidence in oneself whilst preparing for tournaments is crucial to success. Throughout the years, Hwang has worked a lot on dealing with the pressure to succeed, and found that the key to succeeding is repetition and dedication. He likes to hone his skills even more by going to club practice.
“I guess just going to practice, going everyday and practicing stuff that you were lacking in to get better as an athlete,” Hwang said. “And having that confidence in yourself to really just know that you’re able and good enough to make it.”
These skills have helped Hwang grow throughout his fencing as well as academically and personally, and he credits fencing for teaching him these valuable lessons. He continues to be an advocate for the sport, emphasizing the benefits it brings to potential underclassmen interested.
Although Hwang is leaving Lambert this year, if he were to come back next year, he would advocate for fencing to become an official sport at the state level. The process would be lengthy and involve meeting with numerous government officials and stakeholders, but both Hwang and his teammates believe it is worth it.
The team had a wonderful season and while changes may lie in their future, the Lambert Fencing Team will stay strong together and persevere through challenges.
