North Harford has many athletic programs in every season, but there’s one sport our school doesn’t have that students still participate on their own time.
Juniors Ben Truxel and Natasha Sherinsky both are involved in fencing, either just for fun or to compete against other fencers in competitions. Truxel says, “I do rec only a month or two a year.” On the other hand Sherinsky competes in fencing competitions and practices year round. She says, “I started fencing when I was in 5th grade, and it was just a rec thing. I have been doing it for about six years now.”
At the start of Sherinsky’s fencing career, she said she “went to classes at my club and I took private lessons with my coach every week.” With more and more practice she decided she liked the idea of the sport. “I liked the idea of doing a sport involving swords and I told my mom I wanted to try it.” Since fencing is a complex sport with many rules and concepts not usually involved in other sports, the fencer adds, “There isn’t any specific training you need to do it. It’s a very inclusive sport, people of all ages can compete.”
Sherinsky says that she practices at, “a club in Abingdon called ‘Maryland Fencing Club.” With her nearly six years of experience, she has gotten opportunities to compete against other fencers from around the country. She adds, “There are travel opportunities, one big tournament that I used to go to was called the ‘Capitol Clash’, held in the National Harbor. And Nationals are held in a different state every year.”
Sherinsky says she likes the sport of fencing because she can express herself and get her to work on herself. She says, “One other reason I like fencing is that it helps to work on yourself because it is an individual sport. I get to learn my limits and how much effort I can put forth myself.”Natasha Sherinsky