This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/23/2014 12:00 AMFor the last two years, there haven't been many better high school fencers in Connecticut than Morgan's Stephen Barnett.
After finishing seventh at the JV Tournament his sophomore year, the senior developed a deeper craving for the sport. Stephen came back his junior season in Morgan fencing's inaugural campaign and finished fourth at the Individual State Championship before qualifying for the Junior Olympics and National Championship Tournament, placing 15th in the latter event last year. This year, Stephen repeated those feats with a 47-3 record to earn a return trip to Nationals in Columbus, Ohio.
"I had a really great day for the National qualifier and it's going to be a fun week and a half so I'll hopefully do well," says the foilist, a First Team All-State competitor the last two campaigns. "As far as being consistent, my junior year I stopped with soccer and started working really hard with fencing. I fence one to three times a week at ICONN Fencing Club in Wallingford. I also compete in United State Fencing Association tournaments on weekends as much as I can."
Additionally at team states this winter, Stephen went a perfect 9-0 despite his day getting out to a rough start. He adds that he pushed through by keeping his cool-an essential characteristic for the sport.
"I started the day nervous and stiff. In my first match, I went down 4-1, but came back to win, 5-4," says Stephen, whose team finished sixth at the tournament. "The whole day I was focused on knowing that I had to win 90 percent of my bouts to do well. I just maintained my composure and, after that first bout, I really got into a better place in my head. I felt I would go 9-0 after that first one. You have to be calm because, when you are angry, things fall apart and you compound it upon yourself."
Morgan Head Coach and Stephen's father James Barnett says that his son was able to switch up his approach on a dime while helping this young Huskies' squad mature.
"Stephen started fencing his freshman year in high school and was the one who worked, got some of his friends together, and convinced me to coach them and advise them on how to start a team in high school," says James. "Stephen is one of the smartest fencing students I have ever had. He watches his opponents before he fences them, analyzes them, and quickly comes up with a game-plan. He is also fast to make adjustments on the strip when fencing. He has a way of luring his opponents in and taking advantage of them. This season, he worked hard with our newer fencers and was able help us develop some great young talent for the future."
Stephen views every inch of an opponent's form prior to a matchup and, although he changes his strategies mid-contest, he feels one can't make the moves too swiftly.
"Analyzing the opponent beforehand gives me a game plan going in, which can give me a distinct advantage," Stephen says. "I look for what they instinctively do and how I can take advantage of it. I also watch their footwork and how they move, looking for mistakes. If something doesn't work for me, I will try it again and, if it still doesn't work, I will walk to the end of the strip and change action. You can't fix things too quickly."
Moving onto the collegiate scene, Stephen heads to a great fencing program in Penn State University-a powerhouse that was also this year's NCAA champion-where he hopes to develop by working with the nation's best.
"Penn State is one of the consistently best fencing teams, yet I'm not planning on making an immediate impact or anything," says Stephen. "But I am planning on getting good by training with the Olympic-caliber guys they have there and then, hopefully, later make the first team."
Looking back on his Morgan tenure, Stephen says it was as much about the squad and solo success as it was about developing camaraderie with other schools' fencers.
"Freshman year, I wasn't anything special. I did OK at novice, but sophomore year made me realize I wanted to fence more," says Stephen, who thanks his father, ICONN in Wallingford, along with all of his teammates. "Junior year, I started working harder and it paid off. I also made a lot of good friends through fencing. It's a tight-knit fencing community in this state so I am good friends with kids on the Guilford, Hand, and North Haven teams. We had a great season this year and we grew from 10 kids to 15. It was a great group of kids."
To nominate a sports person of the week, please email sports@shorepublishing.com.