Huntington junior Haileigh Smith and senior Ally Kustera captured medals in the sabre competition at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament, an invitation-only affair that drew hundreds of the top Long Island fencers representing teams from across the metro New York area.
The Blue Devils gathered their gear at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School at 6:45 a.m. before boarding their bus to Brentwood. They returned home many hours after the sun had set for the day. But the medals made the long day worth it.
Blue Devil medalists Ally Kustera and Haileigh Smith.
What exactly is sabre? Here’s how the Team USA website describes it:
“‘Saber fencing is like Formula 1 racing,’ said U.S. Olympic men’s saber fencer Daryl Homer. ‘It’s aggressive, fast and requires split-second decision making.’ Each point is over in a matter of seconds as the two combatants lunge at each other with swords honed in on making a hit tracked by an electronic system. Footwork on the competition strip is quick. And lunges are often accompanied by loud shouts in both men’s and women’s competitions.”
The two Blue Devil medalists are clearly and undeniably among Long Island’s finest in sabre, which along with epee and foil, make up fencing’s three disciplines, which are all contested in the Summer Olympic Games.
Ms. Kustera placed sixth in sabre and Ms. Smith grabbed eighth. They are both notable achievements considering the sabre field numbered 42 and the quality of the competitors was first rate.
“Brentwood is an individual annual tournament where fencers go through a preliminary pool round where they are then ranked by how they performed and then begin direct eliminations, which are 15 touch bouts,” Kustera explained. “The winner moves on and the bracket continues.
Smith was thrilled for her teammate. “It’s incredible for Ally because it’s her senior year and it’s nice to close the Brentwood chapter of her fencing career on a high note,” the junior said. “As far as the tournament itself, I had a lot of fun meeting people from around Long Island and what happened makes me optimistic about the tournaments to come.”