The Fencing season lunges into action this winter at St. Paul Academy and Summit School with a new coach and high hopes. Fencing is a unique sport at SPA with participants ranging from grades 6-12 with varying skill levels, but the Varsity team has been very successful in the past, going to State almost every year.

This season, the Fencing team gains Coach Grace Hartman, an SPA alum and good fencer. “It will be different, but hopefully everything goes as well as last year, maybe even a little better,” sophomore Drew O’Hern said.

The team has a reputation of being very welcoming and inclusive to all members of the SPA community. “Anybody is welcome because anybody can learn and do well,” sophomore captain Colin O’Hern said.

“This year will be a lot different due to the team having lost some of the best fencers who graduated last year,” senior captain Eva Zaydman said, but she looks forward to “bonding with the new members.”