A freshman is making a name for herself in the world of fencing. Sabine Desamours is the youngest member of the USA Fencing team. Desamours was offered her spot on the team due to her national ranking. Desamours started fencing when she was 10 years old.

“I really started to like fencing and people were telling my parents that I was really good at it,” Desamours said, “so I decided to keep going.”

She continued to work hard, eventually landing a spot on the USA Fencing team. This although she is the youngest member on the team, she has made many great friends.

“Most people that were fencing were at least two years older than me, and I think I was the youngest there,” Desamours said. “I had my friends there with me though. Actually, one of my friends is a World Champion and she’s currently trying out for the USA team.”

A few of her USA teammates are athletes she has competed against in the past.

“Most of them I already fenced at tournaments and I beat a couple of them, so I don’t think they like me very much,” Desamours said. “But, I know at least a few of them and now they are my friends.”

Although fencing may look like an individual sport, it is actually a team sport.

“You have to be a team player,” Desamours explained. “Also, when you show up at the tournament, you have to care about not only yourself, but everybody else. I know a few people came to cheer on.”

Excelling in the sport takes a lot of hard work and dedication. When she is not in school or competing, Desamours is training.

“Usually, I train four days a week for 2.5 to 3 hours on conditioning, footwork drills, and fencing practice,” Desamours said. “We do a lot of conditioning. We also take private lessons, working oneon-one with the coach.”

“I think that in my style of fencing, I’m better at defending than attacking, so I tell myself to be more aggressive against my opponent to push myself and make us better,” Desamours said.

Desamours just returned from a fencing competition in Poland.

“I’ve been to a lot of states in the US, I’ve also been to Puerto Rico and the farthest place I’ve travelled is Poland. I usually go to national tournaments so I’ve been everywhere in the U.S.,” Desamours said. “There were 200 competitors in Poland and I finished 89th out of them all.”

Fencing is one of only four sports that have been featured at every Olympic competition since 1896. Desamours is unsure of whether she will pursue an Olympic career, but one thing is for sure: Sabine Desamours has a bright fencing future ahead of her.