With an elegant lunge in The Masters School’s promo videos, featuring the new and advanced fencing studio, Masters honors the legacy of the fencing program.
Many current faculty members were a part of the team, such as Gabrielle Torres ’16, Associate Director of Admissions. According to Toress, she was the varsity sabers captain and led the team to the top of the ISFL fencing league. In Tower sports news 2018, the Masters sabre team was still top in the league.
However, after the retirement of coach Francisco Martin in 2021, a former Olympic fencing captain, the Masters sabre team plunged into a downturn, challenged by newly advanced schools like Riverdale or Hackley.
For two years, the Master sabre team struggled both in practice and game due to the absence of coaching and relied solely on the guidance of student captains.
Practicing without a coach is inevitably ineffective. New fencers don’t know how to improve without proper support, thus hardly reaching their potential. In contrast, Torres, who started sabre with zero experience as well, reached fifth in the individual tournament. She noted: “My coach, Francisco Martin, knows where my strengths are, so I can maximize myself.”
During games, Time-outs are the most desperate moments. Time-outs are pauses for recovery or attention. Contrary to its nature, Masters sabre fencers endure intensified anxiety. While staring at the opponent’s coach excitedly boosts their confidence and provides guidance, we can barely turn around, hoping to figure it out by ourselves, like abandoned kids. Occasionally, referees even took pity and offered guidance. According to a blog from the fencing academy, Coaches observe games and give specialized strategies adapting to the opponent’s fencing style: offensive, defensive, left-handed, tall, fast, etc.
Furthermore, since Sabre features fast-paced footwork, judges can hardly see every single movement. Thus, the referee’s decision is largely subjective and ambiguous, which makes teams’ self-advocacy necessary. A team with an authoritative adult figure—a coach—possesses natural advantages when debating for justice.
Torres recalled: “ We faced some technological difficulties and referees could make mistakes sometimes, but our coach was pretty good at advocating for us.”
Some may argue that popular or well-established sports, such as the boys’ basketball team, deserve more funding than small and niche fencing programs. Indeed, since different sports demand different levels of need, the funding distribution is never equal. That said, the Masters Athletic program should prioritize equitable growth. Essential resources, like coaches, must be secured.
Some may suggest that sabre coaches are just rare. Admittedly, for coaches in the city, commuting to Westchester is an obstacle. However, if Masters were to offer more financial compensation, the job offer would be more attractive.
As a member of the sabre team, I urge Masters to more actively recruit a coach. The sabre team is made of young people with dreams and ambitions to chase. But we are navigators without a compass. Strong horses without talent scouts. The frustration is palpable, mixed with fear that our best days are behind us. A new coach will be a reliable pillar calming our nerves, supporting us to “Do it with thy might”, and changing the sabre program’s future.
