Omar Cruz thought, “why not?” and so the teenager joined the Huntington High School fencing team. It’s a decision he has never regretted. Soon he will head off into the world and begin a new chapter in his life, but he will always remember his experiences as a Blue Devil.
“My sister was part of the fencing team and then I gained a bit of interest, so in junior year, I decided to try out for it, too,” Mr. Cruz said. “Soon enough, I became more interested in the sport and I began to look into it even more.”
Huntington High School senior Omar Cruz Jr.
Experience counts in fencing so it takes some time to get the hang of it. “The sport is very unique in its own way,” Mr. Cruz said. “What attracts me to the sport is definitely how engaging it can be. The three weapon choices all work differently with their own unique form of play, especially when you get to try them out and go against opponents. And there is definitely a great sense of teamwork, where we all cheer for one another when it comes to competing on the strip at practices and meets.”
Like so many of his teammates, Mr. Cruz highly recommends the sport to others. “I think that the fencing program is pretty great,” he said. “You get to meet new people and make friends and the coaches are incredibly helpful. I believe that the fencing team is doing an amazing job and hopefully with the amazing performance, more students and other groups will take an interest in the sport. Everyone on the team is incredibly talented and amazing at what they do. Everybody on the team has a great sense of teamwork. Everyone does their part to help out in some way.”
Interest in becoming a Huntington fencer? Mr. Cruz says you should “absolutely go for it. I would recommend fencing to others. When you begin, you have a great time, but not only that, it’s a great sport to make new friends and gain a ton of experience with people and the sport itself.”
The senior hopes to stay local for college. He’s looking at Hofstra University, CUNY-John Jay and Long Island University “and there are a few more around,” Mr. Cruz said. He’s interested in criminal justice and is looking forward to a career as an attorney.
“Overall, my experience in Huntington has been pretty great,” Mr. Cruz said. “I struggled until the beginning of my time in high school during my freshman year. But in my sophomore year, I really began to step up with my grades and joining other groups. But the pandemic did stop my progress quite a bit, so I didn’t have the chance to fully show my potential. But back in junior year, I began to step up again.”