Salerno Steadily Rising Up the Fencing Ranks
It's important for one to be cerebral as a fencer and Will Salerno has gained plenty of knowledge through both his time on the strip and from afar to progress into a quality competitor for the Tigers.
The sophomore was heavily involved in soccer before starting with fencing thanks to his sister and former Hand fencer Amy. After a strong freshman campaign that included finishing fifth for the Novice State Tournament and being the boys' squad's Rookie of the Year, the foilist has benefited physically and mentally from those experiences for a fast sophomore start that featured a recent third-place finish at the JV State Tournament.
"I first did fencing just for fun, but as I started to fence, I realized I wasn't bad at it and started to get more serious about it," says Will, who also went 3-0 in varsity foil during a meet at Waterford on Jan. 14. "Once I started practicing this season, I found out I was learning even more from watching others. At varsity, it was a big step going from novice last year because there are advanced things. I am trying to just figure out opponents' strategies to make myself better."
The JV draw served as an instance of Will's strong suit as a student of the sport as he grasped some in-match intricacies of his foes on his way to a top-three showing.
"Going into it, I didn't expect to fence as well as I did because, unlike last year, I knew this tournament wasn't many first-year fencers," says Will. "As I got into it, I started improving throughout the tournament. I started learning key moves and improved immensely as the day went on. By the end of it, I changed completely."
Head Coach Rich Fisler proclaims that Will exercises every inch of his mind and body in competition while benefiting from some solid upperclass leaders.
"Will has the ability to learn about his opponents' strengths and weaknesses during a bout and use that knowledge to his advantage. He brings an all-out attitude and approach to every bout; his energy level on the strip is outstanding. Will stands out in practice, as well as on the strip," says Fisler. "He takes advantage of his time in practice to fence against teammates that are better than he is. He uses his time in practice to learn of his own weaknesses to improve his fencing. Will is fortunate to have so many positive role models in the team in junior and senior fencers whose passion for the sport manifests into the desire to make their teammates better. Will's early successes in his fencing career are a combination of his own desire and dedication and those of his captains for the last two years."
While Will sees his agility as a main physical attribute for his craft, he adds that you need to have a great mental foresight to succeed on the mat in a tough discipline like foil.
"You have to be thinking of your next move and also how your opponent will react to it and I feel fencing is more about your mental skills than your physical ones," Will says. "I'm fast, so I do a lot of my moves quickly and, with a good strategy, it doesn't matter how tall or short you are. Foil is a more exact discipline, which makes it more difficult. In other ones, like épée, if you hit someone anywhere, you get a point, so foil is one of the harder ones."
The Hand program is a fast-growing one with a 65-member club this winter-leading Will to believe that the Tigers' camaraderie and community will help increase that squad's size in the future.
"We've gone from a small team to a big one in a short amount of time. I think now that more people are on the team, they will tell their friends about it and get them to join because it's enjoyable here," says Will, who thanks his sister, former teammates, Griffin McShane and Kyle Welch, and Fisler. "Coach Fisler is an amazing and very enthusiastic coach, plus it's like a family here."