The Huntington High School girls’ fencing team enjoyed a splendid winter season despite COVID-19 related restrictions. The Blue Devils are excited about the future and anxious to return to normal next year.
Several veteran team members chose not to participate for various reasons, including the high school’s hybrid/remote regular day format. But those that were able to join the team helped make Huntington competitive against every opponent.
The Blue Devil squad included sophomores Emely Cruz, Aislyn Franciscovich, Lilianna LaVertu, Allison Malone and Haileigh Smith; juniors Madelyn Bavaro, Alexandra Kustera and Abigail Simon; and senior Adora Colay. The team is coached by Michelle O’Brien and Burke Tomaselli.
“I feel everything went really well with fencing this year,” Maddy Bavaro said. “Although the girls team was extremely small, we all meshed really well together. The small size of the team caused us to grow closer, which I loved. Each of us had some really good bouts, which was amazing to see. This was definitely a year of growth for all and I’m excited to see where it goes in the winter 2022 season next year.”
The Blue Devils’ home base is the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School gym. Huntington practices and competes in the facility and stores its unique equipment there, too.
Despite the compressed season format, Huntington was able to compete in nine meets. The experiences are sure to pay dividends in future years for Blue Devil underclassmen.
“We were able to compete against all the other schools once, so it was as if we had somewhat of a normal season,” Haileigh Smith said. “Of course, there were certain adaptations we had to make to accommodate for mask wearing, social distancing with other schools and disinfecting equipment, but it was definitely worth it to be able to fence. Everyone on the team used this season to improve their skills as much as possible in anticipation of a full season in the future. For our seniors, we were so grateful to be able to fence with them for their last season and send them off with a fantastic Senior Day meet.”
Fans were not permitted to attend matches this year due to COVID-19 related restrictions. Arrangements were made to live-stream the meets to the district’s Huntington Blue Devil Sports YouTube channel. The contests are archived on the page and can be watched on demand.
The unique nature of the season leaves little doubt that it will ever be forgotten by any of the fencers or coaches.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ally Kustera said. “It was a bit rough because we were almost always down someone and we just barely had a full team. Everyone on the team got closer and celebrated some great personal wins! Everyone showed improvement in their skill, too.”
Adora Colay wrapped up her Blue Devil career in fine fashion. “Fencing was an amazing experience this year,” she said. “Although both teams lost many good players who didn’t come back this year due to COVID, we had a lot of fun. The fencing team has always been about having fun and improvement, never really on overall score. The fencing program will always have a special place in my heart and I hope that the team will stay as connected as it has been during my three years of being on it.”