The WHS Girls Fencing Club is making changes in its second year in the hopes of achieving varsity status for the sport.

The club was founded by sophomore Jessica Whang last year. She first met with Athletic Director Ms. Sandy Mamary and proposed the idea of the club, according to Ms. Christina Whang, who is the President of the Fencing Foundation of America in New York City and the parent coordinator of the club.
 
“[Mamary] loved the idea and has been very supportive from the beginning,” said Whang.
 
She added, “Jessica wanted to share the sport that she loves with her high school friends.”
 
Said sophomore club member Natalia Zeller MacLean, “There are very few fencers in general, but we range from people who have never done a sport to athletes who want to fence in the off-season.”
 
This year, the club plans to practice with a new fencing instructor in hopes of gaining more experience, said MacLean.
 
According to usfencing.org, what makes fencing different from other sports is that it is strategic. It also emphasizes individual goal-setting and accomplishment. While fencing’s influence may be limited in high school settings, many colleges are granting scholarships to fencers.

The club’s practices began Oct. 22 and are held 3:30–5 p.m. every Wednesday at NCAA Champion Fencer Aleks Ochocki and the club’s Coach Mr. Jerome Guth’s fencing center, Advanced Fencing and Fitness Academy in Garwood.