Student Feature Friday: USFA All-Academic Team Member Rebecca Pfeiffer

Nationally recognized fencer Rebecca Pfeiffer

Each week I have the privilege of sharing some of the unique accomplishments of our students through my "Student Feature Friday" blog posts. Last year, I was thrilled to share the accomplishments of phenomenal students who also excelled in the arts, athletics, leadership, and volunteerism. As we being the 2014-15 school year, I am excited to share the achievements of Nipmuc sophomore and nationally recognized fencer, Rebecca Pfeiffer.

Rebecca's achievements with fencing are exceptional. She is a Bay State Games champion, a participant in Junior Olympics, and a competitor in the United States Fencing Summer Nationals. She was also named to the US Fencing All-Academic Team. Over the past six years, her interest in fencing has become a passion. Through hard work and commitment to the sport she established herself as an elite competitor and received a ranking from the United States Fencing Association.

I was thrilled to meet with Rebecca to learn about her heartfelt love of the sport. She is a humble champion whose accomplishments I am proud to share in the questions and answers below:

Q: How did you first become interested in fencing?
A: I first became interested in fencing after reading The Spiderwick Chronicles when I was in third grade. I wanted to be just like one of the main characters who was a fencer, so I begged my parents for months to let me take lessons. I finally started taking lessons at a fencing club in Worcester that spring.

Q: What is the most exciting or enjoyable part of training and competing?
A: I love how focused and involved you have to be while fencing. You need to be aware of where you are, what attacks you can make, what your opponent is doing, how much time you have, and be able to block out everything else. It's been described as physical chess, only faster! In competitions, I love how intense and determined you can be about a win. Stepping off the strip after [competition], you can instantly become friends with your opponent talking about "battle stories".

Q: How often do you train?

A: I train at my club in Woonsocket three days a week. I also worked with a trainer this summer and have a conditioning schedule. This summer I did a training camp at MIT with coaches from Brown, Brandeis, and Harvard universities. I also went to a camp in New Jersey run by three clubs in the New York City area.

Q: What are your goals for fencing during and beyond your years in high school?

A: My goals during high school are to continue qualifying and competing at Nationals and Junior Olympics. I would also like to medal at a national event this year move up in the national rankings. My biggest goal is to fence for a Division 1 college and compete in the NCAAs.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of competing as a fencer?
A: One of the most rewarding parts of fencing for me is how diverse it can be. It's a very global sport, and I love making connections with different fencers and coaches from around the world. I've met people from England, France, Hungary, Romania, Egypt, and Lebanon. Fencing is also a sport you can compete in for your entire life. The sport also has such a strong history behind it. I love knowing that I'm competing in something that has been evolving for thousands of years. There is a lot of pride and respect among people in the fencing community, and I love being a part of that.

Congratulations, Rebecca!