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01/24/2018 11:00 PMCarolyn Quoka has worked hard to maximize her potential both on and off the fencing strip. As a result, Carolyn recently earned herself a spot in the Hand history books.
Carolyn is a senior who fences for the Hand girls’ varsity foil team. On Nov. 13, Carolyn became the first Tigers’ fencer to sign with a NCAA Division I program when she signed her National Letter of Intent to compete for Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. Carolyn is currently in the midst of a tremendous senior season that’s seen her post a record of 20-1, including a 14-1 stretch in an eight-day span when Hand had matches against Guilford, Morgan, Hopkins, and North Haven.
“Between Hand fencing and club fencing, they helped me figure out how to strategize matches, and I worked on footwork drills at Hand. I also learned how to change and switch to defense when I need to. Endurance is also an important part of it, too,” says Carolyn, who also fences for the Fencers School of Connecticut. “It’s my dream to fence in college. I couldn’t have been happier to receive the offer from Wagner. I can’t wait to learn more and go as far as I can in the sport. I love the school and the coach. I’m very excited.”
One of the things that Carolyn likes most about fencing is how it takes a combination of mental and physical skills to succeed in the sport. Carolyn’s interest in fencing received big spark a few years ago, when her teammates gave her a major wave of support at a tournament.
“It’s a physical and mental game, and I love trying to get into the mind of your opponents,” Carolyn says. “I made the top 16 in a JV tournament my sophomore year and, in one of the elimination bouts, the entire team was cheering me on. It was a ‘Wow’ moment that made me want to do this.”
Carolyn admits that she came from humble beginnings and shied away from contact on the strip as a freshman. However, she added key components to her game throughout the past few years and is still continuing to do so.
“I was so nervous as a freshman. My blade work was all over the place, but it’s gotten better,” says Carolyn. “I have a lunge move that I like to use, so I have worked on that. I think I can still improve on my footwork.”
Hand fencing Head Coach Mike Ginsburg says that Carolyn is not only a model student of the sport, but that she also goes the extra mile to exemplify what it means to have a family within the team.
“What makes Carolyn such a great fencer is her dedication to the art of fencing. She asks questions, studies the game, and practices hours beyond our regular fencing time. Carolyn also brings our novice fencers under her wing to help guide them along their own path as a fencer, taking the time to answer their questions and tutor them in how to study the game,” Ginsburg says. “Even given her success this year, she is still the humble Carolyn we knew as a freshman. She is the one leading the others in warm-ups, cleaning up the equipment after a practice or meet, and makes sure everyone has remembered their own equipment. We always talk about how the fencing team is more like a family than a team, and Carolyn is an integral part of what makes this family so special.”
Former Tigers’ head coach Rich Fisler, who’s now an assistant with the program, adds that Carolyn provides the perfect template of success for her fellow fencers.
“Over the last four years, we have had the pleasure of watching Carolyn grow from a true novice to someone dedicated to her sport, and someone who leads by example,” says Fisler. “She goes about practice and training in a methodical manner, never complaining and always working hard. Other students should and do look to her example of success, dedication, and steadfastness as a recipe for success.”
Carolyn will be studying biopsychology on the pre-med track when she attends Wagner. Although the school’s fencing program is still in its infancy stages, Carolyn is ready to help build the Seahawks into a full-fledged force.
“I want to become a pediatrician, because I love to work with kids,” says Carolyn. “The Wagner team just started a few years ago, so I’d like to see it grow, and maybe we can make NCAAs.”