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03/19/2024 11:39 AMWhen diligence meets opportunity, there is no timeline that is too short to achieve the highest levels of success with any craft. For Hanley Tapia, he made the most of his chance on the fencing strip and became one of the more decorated athletes in the pantheon of the Hand program.
After being a newcomer to the sport of fencing as a sophomore with Hand, Hanley served as a strong senior captain for the boys’ épée squad this winter. He also excelled individually–notching All-State Team honors after he finished fifth for his competition at the Individual State Championships on March 2. A week later for the Team State Championships, he helped pilot the Tigers to a third-place showing for boys’ épée. In just a three-season span, he concluded his career with multiple All-State Team nods and a team state crown.
“When I moved to Madison, I learned about the fencing team in the spring of my freshman year. I joined the team the next year and it just took off from there. I really attribute my success to the support of the entire team and my coaches,” says Hanley, who moved to Madison from Lawrence, Massachusetts. “Another big part of it for me has been actually losing and learning from those losses. In my first year, I would always fence the captains in practice and would consistently lose to them. But I would always ask them questions afterwards in order to learn new knowledge and skills. It made me be able to become a better fencer and hopefully a better person.”
Hanley adds that not only practice, but patience makes perfect. He explains that his weapon of choice is inarguably the most lethargic in terms of pace of play, though he enjoys the slow grind alongside some great teammates and friends.
“I really like the team here, and it is a friendly environment. I have made some of my closest friends through it,” Hanley says. “The toughest part of épée is probably learning patience; it is the slowest of the three disciplines. I learned how important that patience is the hard way through losses. But I have worked on that patience and will continue to work on it.”
His passion and exploration within the realm of fencing is not bound by the hallowed halls of Hand for Hanley, as he competes year-round. He has garnered great experience through taking on all comers–paving the way to postseason prominence.
“I go to the Rogue Fencing Academy and take on different fencers at various skill levels, and it helps me perform better at practices I feel,” says Hanley. “I was proud of my performances this postseason at states. I could have done better, but I could have done worse, but I was proud of it all because I did the best I could.”
Hand Head Coach Michael Ginsburg recalls that Hanley set out for some seemingly lofty goals as a rookie. Yet with a humble and hard-working approach, he hit those perceived impossible targets. Moreso, he carried himself with the right amount of dignity, reverence, and levity when interacting with others.
“Hanley joined fencing as a sophomore knowing literally nothing about the sport but was incredibly eager to learn and showed up everyday with a coachable desire to get better, and he did exactly that every day,” says Ginsburg. “During his first-year campaign, he told me he was going to win the novice tournament. I told him the same thing I tell every fencer: winning is not the goal, learning is the ultimate prize. Hanley took first place. He was elected captain of the boys’ épée squad for his senior season and continued to lead and put in the work each and every day. Even putting all the winning aside, which I encourage the kids to do, Hanley epitomizes what we want all of our student-athletes to be: he is kind, compassionate, academically driven, coachable, and, as bonus, pretty darn funny.”
Hanley harkens back to the influence his captains had when he first stepped foot into the fencing foray. He drew upon that to be a leader that would never shy away to impart his wisdom and advice for anything to his younger colleagues.
“I hope I had a positive impact on everyone as a captain. I remember my novice year that my captains made me really love the sport,” says Hanley. “I tried to teach the others things that I had learned over the years. I hope they can continue to teach the future fencers to help keep the program successful.”
Hanley speaks like a wise soul when it comes to expressing what he has learned through his athletic endeavors with an old adage. He explains the time-honored message will serve him well in all avenues moving forward.
“I learned that if at first I do not succeed to just keep trying,” Hanley says. “And if I lose, what matters is how I react to that loss; I can get sad, or I can learn from it and get better. I apply the same to all aspects of my life, whether it be with my school work or applying for jobs in the future.”