You had better get it straight. They don't wear helmets, they wear masks. They don't use swords, they fence with weapons -- foils, epees, sabres. They are the Dartmouth College fencing team and they are had a successful weekend recently against some New England League counterparts.
Their editorializing about terminology may sound presumptuous, but rookie Jesse Foote '01 explains why it is necessary.
"There's nothing worse for me than reading a fencing article about helmets," he said.
Despite its youth, the team has enjoyed recent success. Although they could not score a team victory, the men's epee squad did defeat M.I.T., Brandeis, Johns Hopkins and the host Brown Bears in last weekend's match in Providence. They lost to Boston College by a single bout but as many team members enumerated, that is the most experienced squad, with the best opportunity to bring home a New England League title.
James Chalfant '99 led the way for the Big Green with eight wins, but numerous other members of the team contributed to the solid effort.
Dartmouth used some new sources to obtain the recently acquired talent which has led to their recent success. New team member Andrew Heisen '01 explains.
"I started fencing just this last fall when I took it for PE credit, and I started fencing with the team this term," he said.
The team is not necessarily drained for talent, but is using as many avenues as possible to field the best squad they can.
Unlike most of the other teams in the League, the Big Green do not have a coach, which is good in some ways, but obviously has its disadvantages.
Still, without a coach, virtually all of the team members, from freshmen to seniors, tab team camaraderie as one of the major aspects why they love the fencing team at Dartmouth. They are a tight-knit group whose numbers, perhaps due to physical education registration, continue to climb.
While the men were taking off in Rhode Island, the women's team was adding Wellesley to its list of opponents. Nina Davis, an exchange student from McGill University, anchored the squad winning 11 bouts.
Next weekend both teams will face Boston University, UMass, Tufts and New Hampshire. While this is an important match, two weeks later the squads will compete in their ultimate goal, the New England Championships.
