Eight years ago, this November, my mother brought to me during breakfast an interesting article about fencing and it's growing popularity in New Jersey. Like most 14 year olds, the only thing that had interest to me about this sport was sword fighting and being a three musketeer...and that was basically it. A sport that is mainly one on one and not really team based was not too interesting to me, as someone who played recreational soccer for most of his life. I quickly learned that my high school was having open tryouts for a fencing team, which was about to enter its first season. Why not, I told myself and after a week of using muscles whose pain I had never experienced in my life, I was a part of the Junior Varsity Fencing Team, fencing foil, at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The rest, as they say, is history.
Four years later, when deciding on college, I did a search on the four schools I had to decide on if fencing was offered. While at first I would have never put fencing into consideration for college, the more I thought about it, how could I just forget about a sport that I fell in love during four years of high school? The results: two had varsity teams, one had no team, and one had a very interesting website. That interesting website, one that discussed some strange game called "Glove Game," was one of the final parts of my decision making process and before I knew it, I was shipping up to Boston.
With over eight years of fencing, I've held many titles: Junior Varsity C-Strip, Varsity B-Strip, and Men's Foil Captain in High School; Men's Foil Captain, Treasurer and finally President in college. In all those years, no title meant more to me than to be simply a teammate and this of course could not be truer than during my time with the Boston University Fencing Club. This club...there are simply too many words to describe it. Since that first day practice in September 2009 to this last week of practice in May 2013, I've seen the growth of (and I quote the words of a USACFC official) "one of the most well respected fencing clubs in the nation." Hearing these words, while the President of this wonderful team, was my motivation for what has been the most successful year our club has ever been through, with of course Nationals and the 1st ever Alumni Tournament being the two highlights. The experiences we've had through these four years, during practice, tournaments or any other social activity, are so varied and wonderful that I'd be hard pressed to put them all in writing. Every senior graduating, I'm sure, can agree with me that we’ll miss this huge family we’re brought up during our unfortunately short four years as a part of the BUFC.
This team has given me so much that it will be impossible to give back equally as much, especially the best and lifelong friends I have made. While come graduation I will be leaving this great city, I want each and every member of the BUFC to know that there is no way in hell I will forget about you. I plan on making many trips up to Boston, so while I won't be a "permanent fixture" in the Three Court gym, the Multipurpose Rooms or the Cage anymore, or my StuVi 1 apartment, you haven't seen the last of me.
Stay classy and keep me proud, both on and off the strip.
Love, your 2012-2013 President,
Ralph Conserva
We also had surprise visits from a couple of our alumni, Kelly M. ('14) and Rachel P. ('14)! Not to mention, family and friends all came to support as well. Thank you for supporting us, whether you could make it or not!