Return to Pointer View home page September 10,  2004

Accomplished junior saberist Weinbaum helps train, lead team into 2004-2005 fencing season

Story and photos by Spc. Benjamin Gruver
Staff writer

When Mariel Zagunis won the gold medal in women’s saber at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens it gave American fencers a lot to be excited about by showing that not only is the sport prevalent throughout the country, but thriving as well.

The U.S. Military Academy club fencing team also has a lot to be excited about this year, not just because the U.S. took home the gold this summer, but because their team has been thriving the past several years and looks to do the same this year.

 One reason for the teams’ continuing success is junior Michelle Weinbaum, this year’s saber blade captain, who has consistently made an impact with her performance for the past two years. The accomplished saberist helped USMA’s fencing team win second place overall at the U.S. Collegiate Fencing Club Championships held at the University of New Hampshire in April by finishing first in the individual competition at women’s saber and coming up with the gold as a team for women’s saber.

Weinbaum has not become accustomed to losing as she has come away with gold on many other occasions the past two years including helping the women’s saber team win gold at the invitational tournament at the Royal Military College in Canada, winning gold twice at the National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association tournament in December and winning gold twice at the Armed Forces Tournament.

“Michelle came to the team with a lot of knowledge about saber fencing,” said Col. Gary Tocchet, the fencing club officer in charge and a history professor here. “Even as a plebe when she was the women’s rookie of the year she was helping train other fencers including some upper class. You can imagine the awkwardness of that, and she handled it very professionally in a manner that people came to listen to her because she was that good.”

The Cranston, R.I. native began fencing her junior year in high school at the LaSalle Academy. A friend convinced Weinbaum, already planning to try out for track, to go to a fencing meeting.

“My best friend wanted to go to the fencing meeting and I thought it was pole vaulting or something,” Weinbaum said. “It definitely wasn’t, but I liked it.”

Originally assigned to fence foil, Weinbaum noticed that the saber coach was more motivated to get fencers to competitions, and decided to switch.

“I got myself a spot at the first competition,” Weinbaum explained. “When I got there they gave me about five minutes of instructions and then I went out and competed. I ended up getting eighth place and a little ribbon. I was really excited until I found out a couple days later that there were only nine people there.”

From then on Weinbaum convinced her coach to spend several hours a day practicing with her. That summer she ranked 16th at a Division III women’s saber national championship, and her senior year was the fencing captain.

“The big difference for me was that most fencers that turn out well start really young,” said Weinbaum. “A lot of competitions will see kids under 10 and usually they will have hours of practice everyday and learn for three or four years before they ever go to their first competition. I went about it completely different. I went a competition before I ever practiced once and I learned everything I’ve learned from competitions.”

According to Tocchet, Weinbaum’s arrival to USMA’s club fencing, a sport that was once part of  cadet training until the late 1940’s, was at a time when the team was already on an up rise of success.

In the 1997-1998 season Army men’s fencing cracked into the top three in the Middle Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association championship with the number two spot, which was the first time for the club since its entrance into the conference in 1984.

“The women’s team took a little bit longer because we had difficulty attracting enough women into the sport to be competitive, but they now are on par and just as successful as the men,” Tocchet said. “Michelle being an individual example, but our women three years ago finished second in the NIFWA tournament, and finished second overall three years ago.”

This year Weinbaum is responsible for more than just winning bouts at competitions, she is the blade captain for saber, which makes her responsible for teaching new fencers, planning practices, ordering needed equipment and determines the starting line up at competitions.

 “I think saber is going to be a unique responsibility this year because we only have three returnees for both men and women all together and I have a month to train four starters,” Weinbaum said.

One opponent Weinbaum is looking forward to competing against this year is the U.S. Air Force Academy because unlike Army they are not a club, but a NCAA collegiate sport.

“My plebe year Air Force wouldn’t come out and fence us and then last year we beat them,” Weinbaum said. “This year we will be fencing Air Force in Colorado Springs and that is a really good opportunity because we get to fence Division I varsity school.”

Fencing may be the only time a varsity team scrimmages against a club team, said Tocchet. A varsity team is usually going to trounce a club team, but Army and Air Force fence very closely against each other, adding another sport to the rivalry.

As winning gold has become relatively easier for Weinbaum she doesn’t have as many personal goals to accomplish this season, but wants to make sure that women’s saber wins at every tournament.

“I really like being a part of a team now,” Weinbaum said. “I don’t get excited about how I do, but when the team beats someone like RMC, or we beat Air Force as a team I get really excited about that.”

“I think Michelle has always been extremely focused and a diligent worker at her sport,” Tocchet said of Weinbaum.