The lack of 'strength in numbers' does not seem to faze Dartmouth's fencing team, which has been flailing its foils to the fullest despite limited human resources.
The team is a club sport, but that is a relatively recent development. Only since the departure of their coach -- who was also a College professor -- several years ago, did fencing turn into a club sport because a coach is a requisite of varsity status.
According to women's co-captain Carrie Swan '02, among the teams in their league, of which Brown is the only other Ivy, Dartmouth is the only without a coach, a distinction that is more striking whenconsidering that some teams even have an assistant coach.
Hiring a coach, however, is a divided issue within the team, women's co-captain Annie Lambert '02 said.
"At first we tried to get one, but then the team decided we were happier student run and that responsibility unified us more," she said, noting that some members of the team are in favor of a finding a coach.
Lambert said most fencers would like someone to come in and give lessons because currently "experienced fencers are teaching their errors to the younger fencers, which doesn't help at all."
Lacking a coach does not necessarily put the team at a disadvantage, however. Swan cited an example in which a coach of another team gave her pointers in between bouts of a match in which she was struggling.
In terms of personal expectations for a team lacking a coach, "you are your own coach," Swan said. "People come to train once a week or everyday for two hours. You can tailor it to meet your specific needs or you can make it your life."
With their own room on the third floor of Alumni Gym, the fencing team practices for two hours each day, in addition to running and lifting weights. Yet while practice is scheduled daily, attendance is done on a basis of self-determination.
The consequence to not having mandatory practices or an evaluative coach is that sometimes "people don't work as hard as they should or could," Swan said.
The team does have an adviser, Samantha Stoddard '94, a former Dartmouth fencer. Stoddard assists the team by arranging meets and even competing in them when asked.
While fencing is a year-round sport, the bulk of activity occurs during the fall and winter when the team competes in two to three meets a term while keeping up a Monday through Friday practice schedule.
According to Lambert, during the summer, only one-quarter of the team is on, and practice is more drill-oriented as fencers practice their footwork.
Three students recently competed in the United States Fencing Association's National Championships in Austin, Texas in early July. Colin McGlynn '03, Julie Sleison '03 and Swan were those who traveled to the competition.
Swan described the week-long event as a professional atmosphere with a mixture of people who were generally there to have fun.
Competitive nature, too, reigned at the event, and the best of those assembled were asked to go to the Olympics.
The USFA also holds regional meets, which Dartmouth attends to get ratings and keep practicing. The events are open to a diverse range of ages, skill levels and weapon choices. Swan explained she once fenced a 12-year-old girl and a 50-year old woman in the same meet.
Students at the College can fence in a beginning or advanced physical education class, which often acts as a feeder for the team.
Swan said the team often recruits from the gym class, and that she herself joined the team midway through her beginning fencing gym class her freshman fall.
Others come with more experience. Lambert, an epeeist, had three years of high school fencing experience when she arrived in Hanover.
The team has a men's and women's team for each of the three fencing weapons -- foil, epee and saber. According to Swan, with only about 10 men and five women attending practice regularly, the team does not see itself separated along gender lines although there are both men's and women's captains and at competition their opponents are most often of the same gender.
Swan said that because of the D-plan, the team is continuously looking for new members, and although drawing in a sizable group faces many obstacles, benefits exist with tight-knit team.
"On a team that is relatively small, there is always space for younger students to come in and assume responsibility. Two '03s are coming going to be captains this coming year, Lambert said. "This is one of the few teams that freshman can get involved in the infrastructure of a team early on."
According to Swan, high school fencing sensations often attend schools with more extensive fencing programs, like Princeton.
Dartmouth fencers are recruited after they arrive on campus through gym classes or even from among their circles of friends.
"We just need a warm body to fill in positions so we don't get kicked out of the league," Swan joked.
Lambert, however, explained that it has been the women's team has traditionally been short on members, yet for the last two years in a row they have been invited to just about every meet.
