Oyster Bay Celebrates All-Island, All-County Fencers

This story was submitted by Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District's Tom Gould.

In 1975, John Bruckner won a championship as a fencer for Oyster Bay High School. Years later, when his daughter Erin was in the sixth grade, she came across Mr. Bruckner’s fencing trophies in the attic. Erin was interested in learning to fence. She asked her father, if he would train her. When Erin was in the seventh grade, she was not only ready to compete, but she became a member of the varsity fencing squad.

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The next year, 1995, then fencing coach, John Halasz, asked Mr. Bruckner if he would like to come on board as an assistant coach. At the end of the season, Mr. Halasz asked Mr. Bruckner if he enjoyed the experience and would like to return the next year. Mr. Bruckner said yes. The first day of practice the following year, 84 year old Coach Halasz announced that he was retiring and the team was then solely in the hands of Coach Bruckner.

Five years later, Coach John Halasz passed away at the age of 89. In 2005 Oyster Bay Athletics honored the memory of John Halasz by inducting him into the Inaugural Class of Inductees of the Oyster Bay Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach.

Under the direction of Coach John Bruckner, the fencing program at Oyster Bay High School grew and flourished.

In the year 2000, the program was big enough to split the team into separate Girls and Boys teams. Coach Bruckner’s daughter, then a senior, served as the first captain of the first girls’ team. She led her team in true Bruckner style as she won the last match to give the Girls Fencing Team their first championship.

In 2006, Christopher Hammond joined the team as Assistant Coach concentrating on the girls’ team. Mr. Hammond is an Oyster Bay High School Alum and son of Oyster Bay Town Historian, John Hammond. In his debut year the girls racked up their second championship. The two coaches formed a great working relationship that continues to this day.

In recent years the team has been almost unstoppable. The boys brought championships home to Oyster Bay in 2011 and 2012.

Over the years many individual fencers have been singled out for honors. This year is no exception. Every year, the players throughout the league vote for one fencer that they would want to have on their team. The winner is awarded the Fencers’ Fencer Award. In the past 6 years, the Fencers’ Fencer has been from Oyster Bay. In 2008 the award went to Gabby Kaplan. In 2010 Courtney Collins was the recipient. In 2011, the honor went to LeeAnne Dillmann followed in 2012 by Jillian Murray. This year Joann Alerte was selected as the Fencers’ Fencer.

Nicholas LaRosa and Joann Alerte were just named All-Long Island. The boys and girls teams can claim a total of ten fencers that have earned All-County distinction.

They are Nick LaRosa chosen for the first team foil and ranked number one, Matt
Mahoski chosen for the first team saber and ranked number four, Jason Halpern on the second team epee and ranked number six, Anant Mehrotra chosen for the second team saber and ranked number eight, and Berkely Golon on the second team foil and ranked number eight.

From the girls team, the All-County fencers include Joann Alerte on the first team foil and ranked number two, Laura Broffman chosen for the second team saber and ranked number five, Nina Policano on the second team epee and ranked number seven, Grey Warwick-Clark chosen for the second team epee and ranked number eight, and Silvana Fazzalari, who was Honorable Mention on foil and ranked number ten.

On Tuesday, February 5, the Boy’s entered the Semi-finals of the County Championships where they faced Massapequa. The Baymen won by a score of 14–3. Jason Halpern sealed the deal with a 5-2 win to end the match.

The Girls face off against Jericho High School on Thursday, February 7.

The final four for the county championship will be held at Great Neck South High School on Saturday, February 9. The last semi-final round will begin at 10 am followed by the county championship at 12:30 pm. The snow date for this event is Sunday, February 10.

On Wednesday, February 13, Oyster Bay will host the Underclassmen Tournament open to 9th and 10th grade fencers. The tournament will be held at the James H. Vernon School at 4:30 p.m.