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03/17/2016 12:00 AMUpon arriving at Hand, Erin Schroeder was a freshman who was looking for something new to conquer in athletics. Four years later, she’s materialized into an invaluable captain who’s also an extension of the coaching staff for a growing group.
Erin, a senior foilist, grew up with soccer and basketball before venturing into fencing with the Tigers as a freshman. Following top-six finishes at the Novice and JV state tournaments for her rookie and sophomore seasons, respectively, Erin became a team captain and also assumed the role of unofficial assistant coach in a program that features nearly 60 kids.
“I joined fencing my freshman year because I thought it had the right balance between being both an individual and a team sport. I knew being a captain would be a huge responsibility as we only had one coach with so many kids. I knew [Head Coach Rich Fisler] was making sacrifices as well, so I just wanted to spread his messages to the rest of the team about making the team a welcoming environment,” Erin says. “It was hard sometimes at practice to work with everyone, but I took it upon myself to give the entire team my attention, while also working individually with teammates.”
Holding an influential role as an upperclass leader, Erin got to share the same expertise that was bestowed upon her when she first joined Hand’s fencing program. Erin explains that the sport is as much a mental chess game as it is a physical grind.
“As a freshman, I was under the mentoring of some great upperclassmen, so when I saw what they could do for me, I wanted to do the same with the younger kids now,” says Erin, who also plays golf and helped Hand win a league crown in 2015. “Fencing is a very mental game and I feel I’m strong in that aspect by not letting things get into my head during matches.”
Perhaps no one is more appreciative of Erin’s dedication than Coach Fisler, who praises her for serving as an integral pillar to the foundation of the Tigers’ success.
“Erin was an amazing captain and leader all year,” says Fisler. “With almost 60 fencers and one coach, student leadership is critical to team success, along with the growth and development of new fencers, and Erin epitomizes leadership.”
Erin’s duties as a captain extend well beyond the strip, the gym, and even the campus of Daniel Hand when it comes to her developing deeper camaraderie among the Tigers. Erin appreciates that she gets to mentor a group of student-athletes who display a lot of diligence toward their disciplines.
“As a captain, I tried to encourage different groups from different grades to get more involved. I thought it was important to do things like pasta parties and other team-building activities. I was honestly overwhelmed by what we were able to do to show our team spirit,” Erin says. “When Coach Fisler came aboard, we had the same number of kids, but the kids are even more dedicated to the sport now and we’ve grown in the quality of our teammates. We might not be the most-competitive team in the state, but we always have great spirit.”
Reflecting upon her tenure with the Tigers, Erin says that fencing taught her a great lesson about how hustle often yields success on both the team and individual levels.
“As an athlete in the past with other sports, I had a mindset that no matter how hard you practiced, it may not show up in the collective effort of the team,” says Erin, who thanks Coach Fisler and all of her teammates. “Yet with fencing, my efforts really showed, and the effort I put into it was what myself and the team would get out of it.”