01/02/2026
In any sport , really in anything in Life, going up against bigger, stronger older and more experienced opponents is one of the hardest things to do. Because in the back and often the front of our minds, we know we will likely lose. So, it’s an even taller order for children.
While most of the nation’s best have competed non-stop, Arianna didn’t compete for 3 months. Still underaged in the SYC National Ranking event Y12 division, she pulled off a 5th place finish & medal. The next day Y14 division my hope for her was to have a winning record in the Pools and then finish in the Top 20 and earn a National Ranking for that age, a tougher division with girls 3-4 years older already in high school.
She swept her Pool group with a 5-0 record , a first for her in this age & giving her an outstanding seeding at #3. She earned a Bye, won her second DE bout vs a solid Russian and now officially earned a Y14 USA Ranking. Unfortunately she had injured her arm the day before , so I told her we may have to withdraw from Y14 if she had too much pain. She still wanted to go on. As she was leading well going into the final period, disaster struck. Her Arabic opponent’s attack hit her precisely where her injury was. Arianna has a high pain tolerance, so I knew this was bad when I saw her walk towards me with tears swelling up. I called for a Medical Timeout giving her 5 minutes to recover or forfeit. As we all scurried to get her treatments , I told her we should forfeit. You have your ranking points , let’s stop we have many tournaments to go this season. Tears still streaming down her face she shook her head , “I want to keep going. If I get hit hard again I’ll stop”. The referee came over and said time is up I need a decision : “She’s going to fence” I said.
Though I was proud of her grit, my fear grew not of losing but of the pain my little one was bearing. Knowing each movement offensively and defensively ached. She survived 15-13 and hung onto the victory to the bewilderment of her opponent.
This gave us another 5 minutes to recover. Now she would be facing an even bigger, older and stronger Chinese opponent from Georgia at one of the Top 5 best fencing schools in the country and I would be facing her Olympic coach. I pleaded with Arianna “You got even more points. You will get a medal for Top 8. Let’s stop here. You’ve had a great result” but somehow I knew my words would not succeed. She said we keep going.
I watched her put her mask on, and each time it felt like I was watching Bruce Wayne transform into Batman. She stormed to a lead , following my instructions and executing perfectly. She won decisively 15-10. Now the semi finals vs a Russian who was super tall nearly at 6ft. She was tall, strong with a menacing style that intimidated many. A flashback of Rocky IV vs Drago came to my mind. The bout went back and forth tying constantly. Each 1 minute break I was doing everything in my power to keep her strong and focused. After the 1st period the score was tied at 5-5 her opponent tells her coach don’t worry she’s tired, referring to Arianna which was not inaccurate . As she entered the final 3rd period of the semi-finals , Arianna looked at me calmly and said “Almost there”.
She held onto the lead and won 15-10.
Before I could check on her arm, she goes to her mom and bursts into tears. With her face buried in her mom’s bosom, sobbing quietly. Worried of course , I asked what’s wrong and to my relief, it is tears of happiness not pain , though the pain has not left.
Even though it was not over , clearly she had exceeded her own expectations.
The Finals. An outcome nobody really expected to be this far. Her friend Tini of Miami/Argentina had just lost a close match. Tini being a 2-Time National Champion and on a 3 tournament win streak, anyone beating her was dangerous. Arianna would have to fence the bout of her life as she faced the Y14 Top #1 seed of the tournament, another Russian girl from NYC one of top 3 fencing academies in the USA. Her opponent took the lead early. Arianna fought to close the gap. Period 1 ends. I rushed to her break. Period 2 she takes the lead. The final period and final break. She looks at me and in an encouraging voice to me “Almost there”. I smile and nod my head and repeat to her “Almost there”.
She held a 4 point lead and as 3 minutes turned to 2 minutes turned to 1 minute, her opponent’s attacks came more often and more furiously and she started to gain back the advantage. With me doing everything possible to encourage on the sideline , my mind and words felt like it raced against a ticking time bomb. With a mere 12 seconds on the clock, Arianna held a 2 point lead and her opponent scored again . Now with a handful of seconds left , another point would send the match into overtime. You could cut the air with a knife the tension was so thick and the audience holding their breath. Double Touch. Both fighters scored the final point which gave Arianna the victory 15-14.
Her opponent was extremely gracious in defeat , praising Arianna “I really respect her fencing”.
Congratulations came pouring in from kids and parents alike.
I found myself spent. But smiling like Mr. Miyagi after the crane kick ending.
Congratulations Arianna The Fencer, the first 11 year old Floridian to win a Y14 USA National Ranking tournament 🥇
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