Fencers' Maiden Season Ends As Squad Scores First Wins

Radcliffe's first year in intercollegiate fencing competition has been difficult for Coach Clifford Powers and his squad. Suffering from inexperience and inadequate equipment, the team lost its first six matches of the year.

But things changed Sunday when an electrified team entered the New England Woman's Intercollegiate Fencing Championship at MIT. The Radcliffe team advanced all the way to the semifinals, defeating Wheaton, 7-2, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 5-4.

The squad was eliminated in the semifinals, however, losing to Brown, 5-4, Wellesley, 6-3, and University of Rhode Island, 6-3. Brandeis won the crown defeating the University of Rhode Island in the final match.

Senior Egle Zygas started for Radcliffe, winning 11 of her 15 bouts. Sophomore Sarah Kimball won 7 out of 15 and freshman Leonida Rasenas won 5 out of 15.

Powers said the meet was the team's best performance of the year. Radcliffe's purchase the week before of electric foils used in modern fencing competition made the difference, he said. When the new foils touch the opponents vest, a lighted board registers the score.

The team had been unable to practice properly all year, Powers added, because the Radcliffe athletic department did not have any electric foils.

Powers said his girls are able, courageous, forward-looking and can fight." But, he added, they suffered from a late start in the season, inexperience with competitive fencing, and improper equipment.

Powers has been giving fencing lessons at Radcliffe for 14 years. He specializes in the conventional art forms of fencing with emphasis on grace, manners, and style. "Modern competitive fencing is more brutal," he said, "I don't really like the direction fencing is going."

Sabre and Epee

Powers said he expects women's collegiate fencing teams to expand their fields of competition next year by adding matches with the sabre and the epee to the traditional bouts with the foil. Male fencing teams compete with all three.

But Powers said he isn't happy about this change either. "I don't like it but I guess it comes under the heading of revolution," he said. "To me it seems like a retrogression towards the primitive."