I'm a high school senior who has never fenced before. Additionally, I am going to NJIT in the fall, which to my knowledge fences D1. Now that that's out of the way...
I'm interested in fencing during college. The team welcomes walk-ons as long as you are seriously committed to fencing. I'm especially interested because I've been told that for one, I would have a greater chance of competing because I am a lefty, and also the coach (http://njithighlanders.cstv.com/spor...050307aaa.html) seems very knowledgeable and welcoming.
Aside from utilizing through this website / looking for local fencing clubs, is there anything else I should do to prepare myself over the summer for practice / anybody with knowledge of NJIT fencing or the conference they play in have any information?
Thanks!
As a side note, I'm fairly athletic (competitive tennis) and exercise regularly.
Man... that's creepy. We're practically method twins lol. I'm a high school senior who just started fencing, going to go to an engineering school, looking to continue fencing. I used to play competitive tennis until this year :P
However, I'm in North Carolina, goin to school in Canada, so I don't know anything about NJIT fencing! Sorry!
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__________________ In Flanders fields the poppies grow - Between the crosses, row on row, - That mark our place, and in the sky, - The larks, still bravely singing, fly, - Scarce heard amid the guns below. ~John McCrae
No help with the school, but if you are serious about wanting to fence I do recommend finding a local club and, if possible, enroll in an introductory class for the summer. You'll see what the basics of the sport are about, and maybe give you a leg-up on other walk-ons in the fall. Being lefty can help, as you have more initial success, but any serious college fencer would have solved that issue long-ago.
Tennis is a great sport to come to fencing from - there are similarities in the basic kinetics of the movement required, although the specific actions are very different. Some fencers I know that also play or played tennis before fencing, have always said the moves in fencing did not feel so foreign to them.
good luck.
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NJIT's men's fencing is a member of MACFA (Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association), a conference which currently consist of 18 varsity and club teams, including Cornell, USMA (Army), Drew, Rutgers, Haverford, Hopkins, William and Mary, Virginia Tech, UNC-Chapel Hill and many others. Looking at the schedule posted on their web site it appears that they also sometimes compete with teams outside of MACFA (Penn, Duke, New Haven and Sacred Heart).
While I can't speak for for the level of fencing at NJIT it is not unheard of for walk on team members to be used in meets, especially when the alternative is to field an incomplete teams (which can have nasty repercussions, especially if you make a habit of it). The best way to to prepare as a potential walk on would probably be to start fencing, but only under proper instruction (otherwise it's too easy to pick up bad habits which can be difficult to break). Otherwise work on general conditioning, especially speed and endurance (five or six dual meets can make for a long day).
As someone that has coached against the NJIT team, I would say that if you are a natural athlete and have some dedication to the sport, go for it. NJIT is a good program, but not one of the "elites" where most or all of their fencers have significant prior fencing success.
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