Gloria Cheng goes 3-0 in sabre to lead Jericho past Cold Spring Harbor in girls fencing
Gloria Cheng of Jericho, left, competes against Caleigh Tozer of Cold Spring Harbor in a saber bout during a Nassau girls fencing match at Jericho on Saturday,. Credit: James Escher
Gloria Cheng is unselfish.
When Jericho coach Seth Skolnick realized there were one too many foil fencers on his team for the 2021 season, he pulled Cheng aside and asked if she’d be willing to change weapons.
"I have been a foil fencer for the past four to five years, but was willing to give sabre a try," Cheng said. "I knew it would be an adjustment, but I have received a lot of help and support from my coaches and members of the boys team. I am starting to feel more and more comfortable each day."
Cheng looked like she’s been performing sabre all her life Saturday morning, going 3-0 in a 23-4 win for the Jericho girls fencing team against Cold Spring Harbor. Fellow sabrist Emily Kim went 2-1 and helped host Jericho improve to 3-1 in Nassau
"Gloria was one of the top foilists in Nassau, but since she is such a great athlete, I felt she would be able to switch weapons rather easily," Skolnick said. "It shows her quality of leadership and demonstrates her willingness to put the team ahead of herself."
The team of nine has an equal number of sabre fencers, foil fencers and epee fencers.
In the first match of the season earlier this month, Cheng had some jitters and went 2-1 in her first match at sabre.
"I’m glad that I was able to get the first win and first loss out of the way," Cheng said laughing. "I am continuing to work on my defense, and I am learning how to catch my opponent on their attack. Sabre is a lot faster than foil, so I have to be ready to react quickly.
Because of the pandemic, the normal three-month season was cut to just seven weeks.
A typical week (Monday-Saturday) for Jericho consists of three, two-hour practices and three bouts against other schools. The six hours or so of practice time is invaluable for Cheng and her teammates.
"Most of our members are underclassmen, so I just hope they can obtain the skills necessary to carry on the legacy at Jericho," Cheng said. "I am not worried about winning, as much as I am helping my teammates learn the skills, correct stances and techniques that are needed. We are very close-knit, and support each other in any way possible."
