Emily Gu has grasped the essential skills of fencing in order to master it and become a pivotal piece of the burgeoning North Branford fencing team. Yet even more crucial, she takes lessons learned from the strip and harnesses them in nothing less than the best way possible.

The Amity senior and member of the North Branford-Amity fencing squad started in the sport in the summer before 6th grade, when Emily’s mother signed her up for a two-week summer camp at Candlewood Fencing Center on a whim. From there, she was hooked 100%. This past winter, she joined the Thunderbirds and helped lead the squad to steady gains and solid postseason performances as a foil and épée fencer.

This season, Emily took bronze in the girls’ epee Individual State Championships. She earned First Team All-State for a record of 32-10 in epee, and was awarded Team MVP.

“I’ve been doing sports since I was very little, so by the time I started fencing I already had a good amount of discipline and athleticism. I always liked combat sports, so to me, fencing seemed like a perfect opportunity to get another taste of that burst of exhilaration from directly facing off with someone,” says Emily. “I couldn’t have done any of what I’ve done without my parents’ support and love. They covered all my expenses, recorded videos of my fencing, and did whatever they could to help me improve. I would have gotten nowhere without the skills and wisdom my coaches taught. They took the time to help me fix mistakes, break bad habits, and learn new skills and tactics. My teammates also played a major part in my success. If I didn't have diligent, motivated, and enthusiastic peers to practice with, I would have never achieved the level I did.”

Through the triumphs and stumbles along the strip, Emily has learned that there truly is no such thing as a loss. In a competition, you either win or you look at what caused a backpedal and discover how to push through it the next occasion while enjoying the ride.

“The most important lesson I learned as an athlete is that a loss does not equal failure. If you lose, take it as a learning opportunity and keep going. If you stop working towards improvement, that is when you truly fail,” Emily says. “Another thing that I somewhat unconsciously learned over my years as an athlete is that the hard work of conditioning and practicing feels easier when you believe those exercises are fun and exciting. I always feel a rush of determination to push through that way.”

Emily adds that she loves the duality and diametrically opposed ends that fencing invites. Speaking more specifically to her dual disciplines, she is attracted by the rigid boundaries of foil. For épée, she feels encouraged by its free-for-all nature that invites you to be the ultimate tactician.

“Fencing is a sport full of intricate nuances and paradoxes. It’s a non-contact combat sport, an individual sport that cannot be done alone, and a sport that is more complicated and nuanced than it seems,” says Emily. “I love the structure and rules of foil. Everything is dictated by the rules of right-of-way, giving the game a certain structure that allows for faster-paced, intricate tactics. There is always a way to take advantage of your opponent, and I have a lot of fun setting up traps or bulldozing forward to score a touch. My favorite aspect about épée is that you can hit anywhere and go for any place that is most advantageous. The target area is the entire body, so a fencer can go for funky hits to the hand, feet, legs, and even mask to score points. It added a new flavor of variety that you can’t find in foil. The toughest part for me, since I was originally a foilist, was to change tactics and reactions to better suit the no-right-of-way slow-paced fencing in épée.”

In assimilating into the co-op atmosphere with North Branford, Emily and her Amity colleagues went through the typical ordeal of navigating through logistics. Still, once they passed through those early adjustments, it was all systems go. She was also very gracious for the warm and welcoming nature of the Thunderbirds’ community.

“The North Branford-Amity co-op still feels like something from a miracle,” Emily says. “Things started off a bit rough; the three Amity students on the team weren’t able to figure out transportation until the week before our first meet, but once everything was established, we were able to get things off the ground! The North Branford fencers were very kind, and we integrated easily with the rest of the team.”

North Branford-Amity Head Coach Carrington Ward details that the merger between the Spartans and the T-Birds would not be possible without Emily. Her impact on the program went beyond recruiting, as she helped the entire program grow by challenging herself.

“Emily's initiative and dedication to the sport was crucial in forming the North Branford-Amity team to begin with: she recruited students at Amity High School to form a fencing club and then convinced the Amity High School administration to support a fencing program in cooperation with North Branford's existing program,” says Ward. “As a fencer, she is a fierce competitor with a wealth of technical experience and knowledge. She was also very much a team player, colleague, and leader on the North Branford team. The change in events from foil to epee tested her resilience and patience as an athlete, and it was a testament to her dedication to the sport and to the team that she was able to retool her skills, both to medal in the individual qualifying event, and to help build a base for the team to be successful in the 2024-25 season. She has left her imprint on the team.”

Both in her own competition action and from afar as a spectator and cheerleader for her teammates in their contests, Emily has observed a great deal of growth in the skill set of each fencer. As she is eager to see how far they can go, she has gained a great deal of perspective on how to approach life and how to make yourself the best person possible.

“Over the course of the season, everyone on the team showed massive improvement in their technical skill, tactical game, and mentality. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the fencers from every school involved in this team,” says Emily. “I have learned through the sport that you must practice what you preach. You never strive for only maintenance and always strive to improve. You have to maintain your body, mind, and spirit. Lastly, you must manage your time, because there are only so many hours in the day.”