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Gallagher Never Thought She'd Make it This Far

Talia Gallagher was uncertain whether she would even play a sport entering North Haven High School. Four years later, she's a two-time All-State fencer.

As a freshman, Talia was encouraged by her sister to try out for the Indians' fencing squad, a program known for helping inexperienced athletes progress into stars on the strip. That's exactly what happened to Talia, who learned fencing's basics her first two seasons and then emerged as one of North Haven's top competitors the last two, capping her career with 20 wins in her recent senior campaign. Talia also captained the Indians and will reprise that role with outdoor track.

"If you had told me four years ago that I would be captain of fencing and track, I would have thought you were crazy," says Talia, also a two-time All-Oronoque honoree in cross country. "I never thought that I'd get into sports and do as well as I have."

Talia fared well fencing foil her first two seasons, yet the turning point on her path to prosperity occurred prior to junior year, when Talia asked Coach Pete Solomon if she could try the heavier épée sword. Solomon agreed and it didn't take long for Talia to prove they'd made the right decision as she earned All-State honors with a strong showing at the Individual State Championship last winter.

"I actually wanted to switch to épée my sophomore year, but Coach Solomon tried to hold back as long as he could," Talia jokes. "I always just felt épée would be a more natural fit for me. You need to have a good amount of agility to fence épée and I've always been agile. I'm also usually an aggressive fencer, but that doesn't always work in épée and so you have to find a good balance between your offense and defense."

One could definitely say Talia struck that balance at this year's Individual State Championship, where she again made All-State. Then at the subsequent Team State Championship, Talia won five bouts to help the Indians place third.

Talia says it's a great feeling to have a hand in continuing the legacy of North Haven fencing and Coach Solomon discusses her impact on his program.

"Talia is one of the strongest épéeists we've ever had and it's been a privilege to work with a kid who's used such commitment the past four years to make herself and her team stronger," Solomon says. "Épée is a patient person's weapon and so it was a good fit for Talia, who would slow down her opponents, look for weaknesses, and then exploit them. But this season, we got Talia to be more aggressive and attack more, which gave her a whole new level of complexity and tactical awareness. She also did a great job of teaching our less experienced fencers."

Now Talia gets ready to guide underclass athletes as a captain in track. Carl Jackson coaches both North Haven's cross country and outdoor track teams and, even though she wasn't a cross country captain, Jackson says Talia "had a great impact by helping our underclass athletes."

Talia says her goal is to keep her mile time under six minutes and qualify for the SCC Championship. Although achieving those goals will require a tremendous amount of hard work, Talia is prepared to make the sacrifice.

"Sports have taught me the value of hard work and that when you put your entire self into something, you can achieve what you want," Talia says. "There's a lot of sacrifice involved, but if you have the passion, it's worth it."