By Nikolai Ordona and Marcus Suner

From March 15 to 17, 2024, the Ateneo Boys’ Fencing Team (AFeT) participated in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Fencing Tournament, held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion.

In the build-up to the main event at UST, the fencers have long been working hard since last school year, consistently rigorous in their almost-daily training.

According to fencer Julian Guile Rosaros of 10-Rubio (AJHS), they have “been to several competitions locally and internationally [and] trained very consistently […], sometimes every [day] of the week.”

As for fencer Jaime Angelo Torres of 12-Xavier (ASHS), he emphasized how he “prioritized getting lots of rest and taking the advice of [his] coaches to eat well and drink [his] electrolytes.”

“My dad helped me go over my training, told me to watch my old videos, and imagine myself getting a medal to motivate me even more,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Coach Rebekah Reyno, who oversaw the performance of the Boys’ Team, elaborated on how meticulous their regular training sessions were prior to the competition.

“We started off a lot of training sessions [through incorporating] strength and conditioning, and also technique and tactic training sessions with our head coach, Coach Edward [Daliva],” Coach Reyno described.

She further explained how they “encouraged [the team] to join lots of competitions, locally and abroad which was very helpful for their performance” and that “it’s also good that they train with the senior fencers for them to learn other tactics.”

Commenting on their performance and focus during the match proper, fencer Mairon Jeremiah Moulic of 10-Pignatelli (AJHS) expressed that he felt “nervous.”

“It’s my first individual UAAP [game]. This year, I gave it my all for the individual spot to play here in UAAP,” he continued.

In talking about the team as a whole, he stated, “I wanted to give my all and show that even though [the team] may not be able to win fully and destroy all the other schools, we want to show that may puso kami, may laban kami, and we always want to give our all in this sport.”

Fencer Jaime Torres further pinpointed that mental preparation is a big part of fencing itself.

“I spent a lot of time getting into the right frame of mind by being alone and listening to music. Letting go of my worries and thinking about only the present was able to help what I practiced come naturally and instinctively,” he added.

Moving forward from the results of Season 86, fencer Matthew General of 10-Rodrigues (AJHS) discussed how the team is continuously improving every day that they continue to train.

Summing up his point, “there are a lot of people who are ahead of us right now, [and] the more we train, the more we see improvement…So as long as we keep going, we don’t lose hope on improvement, I’m sure that the team will be able to catch up to those who are on a higher level than us and that we could one day beat them.”

Coach Reyno also followed this up by describing how they are very “happy” with the results of this year’s competition.

However, she elaborated on how “[this achievement] won’t be stopping us from trying to achieve our main goal [of getting] the gold next year,” so she hopes that the team continues to be consistent in both their training and bonding.

Referring to the niche nature of fencing, Adam Aceron of 11-Angelis expressed how it “is a really cool sport.”

“It’s a sport where you can, to simply put it, play with swords…Fencing is not only a cool sport, it also builds discipline, [and] it also builds your body, of course physically, also mentally. You get to meet a lot of new people and it encourages your competitive spirit,” he highlighted.

Additionally, Coach Reyno mentioned how fencing “is a very good sport to learn” because it may help you gain lots of skills, such as collaboration, self-control, and patience, while also being able to release stressors.

Overall, the team expressed their satisfaction with the results of the tournament, still emphasizing that there is more room for improvement.The Senior High School students who were part of the Boys’ Fencing Team each won these respective awards:

• Jaime Angelo Torres (12-Xavier) won Bronze in the Boys’ Foil Team. 

• Jose Faber Cabrera (11-Bellarmino) won Bronze in the Boys’ Epee Individual and the Boys’ Epee Team.

• Sebastien Adam Aceron (11-Angelis) won Bronze in the Boys’ Epee Team, Boys’ Foil Team, and the Boys’ Sabre Team.

• Zebastian Isaiah Largo (11-Tsuji) won Bronze in the Boys’ Epee Team.

• Joaquin Angelo Delos Santos (12-Miki) won Bronze in the Boys’ Epee Team.

Present at the event as well was the Mens’ and Womens’ Team of the AFeT, finishing fifth in the overall standings.