Hopkins Fencers Win State Championships!

The team uses three different weapons: the foil, saber, and epee. The saber, which is modeled on the cavalry weapon and uses the edge of its blade, competes in local and national competitions. The epee and the foil weapons compete in local, national, and also state championships. The blade of the epee is long and stiff; an athlete needs strength, speed, patience, and composure to be successful. The foil, the most popular weapon, is shorter and more flexible than the epee, and its target area on the body is smaller. Not only does the successful duelist need speed and endurance, but also knowledge of complex strategies. For this reason, fencing is often called “physical chess.”

The State Championships for the men’s and women’s foil and epee attracted hundreds of the most talented and seasoned fencers from across the state and were spread over three weekends, beginning February 24 and concluding March 10. They were hosted by Old Lyme, Hopkins, and Griswold. There were outstanding performances by the Hopkins fencers throughout the competitions. Some golden moments came when William Bray, class of 2008, won the individual state championship in epee. In the same competition, Carolyn Thorne, class of 2007, took second place for the women. Her duel against Sara Peck of North Haven was fought intensely by both fencers and ended in a heartbreaker, as Carolyn lost by one touch on her arm.

In the statewide team championships, the men’s epee squad, consisting of William Bray, Cameron Bloomer, Aaron Pollak, and Robert Kansao, took second place in a narrow loss to North Haven. The women’s foil squad, consisting of Marion Trumbull, Shirley Liu, Marguerite Paterson, and Caitlin Clevenger, dominated all competitors and captured first place.

Several of the top fencers for Hopkins School during the state championships were juniors, thus raising the prospects of some dynamic swordsmanship next year.

Congratulations to the Fencing Team! View photos.

Special thanks to Coach Hank Powell and Assistant Coaches Clement Kuehn and Brad Ridky.