GL Fencers Impress at Centrulo Tournament

With over 200 wins in the program's history, the Gov. Livingston fencing team is sure to keep piling up the victories as the years go on, with a roster of talented athletes behind the weapons.

This past Saturday at the presitigious Centrulo Tournament, the GL boys' team came in a stunning 2nd place out of 44 teams. 

Head coach Vince Paragano could not have been happier, or more pleasantly surprised.

"What made it amazing is that we did it with balance -- strength in all three weapons," said Paragano. "We were 4th in saber; 6th in epee and 10th in foil. We were pleased with the effort and the spirit of all the boys."

What made the feat even more impressive was the extenuating circumstances. It was a long day, with the bus leaving GLHS at 7:15 a.m., and not returning home until after 10 pm. Still, they managed to keep their focus.

"We preach physical fitness, core strength and aerobic conditioning," added Paragano. "All of it came into play (Saturday), especially in the later pool rounds. We could see other teams fall off physically while our boys actually got stronger as the day went on.

And while the venue was packed with fencing talent from all over the state and freinds and family cheering them on, there was another group showing keen interest.

"I had several college coaches who were there to scout talent, come up to me and ask about some of my players. That is the measure of a great program rather than just a great team, noted Paragano. "The program is what the college coaches focus on and trust to develop athletes with all the skill that they can hone for the NCAA level. We must be onto something because, as of right now, we have 15 alums fencing at the NCAA level in colleges like Yale, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Rutgers, Stevens, Sacred Heart and Lafayette.

And there are even more heading into the college fencing pipeline next year, a testament to hard work, dedication to the sport and great training.