OBHS Girls Varsity Fencing Team Ranks 3rd in County

By Jillian Haguisan

Throughout the winter season, the OBHS Girls Varsity Fencing Team, led by Coach John Bruckner and Assistant Coach Virginia Kemp, worked tirelessly. Despite being a small team of only fifteen girls, they proved to be one of the best in Nassau County. On February 8th, the girls fenced in the Finals at Cold Spring Harbor, where they placed third out of twelve schools.
At the end of the season, the girls had a record of 8-3, ranking 4th overall. In order to qualify for Finals during post-season, they fenced the Quarter Finals against Garden City on February 6th. By the first round, the score was 5-4, Oyster Bay. However, the girls pulled through, ultimately winning the meet by an impressive 14-5.

Both the team and the coaches were elated that their hard work and determination paid off. “The last time the girls team made it to Finals was when I fenced in high school,” said Assistant Coach Kemp. “That was almost six years ago.

At Finals, the girls warmed up and prepared themselves for the day. Other schools at Finals included Great Neck North, Great Neck South, Jericho, and Garden City (boys team only). Their first match was against Great Neck South, who was ranked 1st in the county during the overall season, in the semifinals. Despite Oyster Bay’s best efforts, the girls team lost, but they did not get discouraged. After a lunch break, the team readied themselves to fence against Jericho for 3rd place. They were confident as they inched their way toward victory, securing 3rd place. 

Great Neck South won overall in Counties, beating Great Neck North in the Finals. Despite beating them in the semifinals, Great Neck South considered Oyster Bay a greater opponent than Great Neck North. “[The Great Neck South coaches] said that our girls’ round was the ‘gold medal round,’” said Coach Bruckner.

​The fencing team plans to work even harder in the future. Hoping to recruit new members, they expect greater success next year. For now, however, the team is content with their performance. Congrats, girls!