Buckeye Fencers Talk About Winning the 2004 National Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
April 2, 2004
Vladimir Nazlymov
On Ohio State’s near-national championship in 2003
“Last year we were very close. For the last four years we have been preparing and have been in Top 12. Last year we were talented enough but just weren’t quite ready. We didn’t win it, but the experience was exactly what we needed.”
On winning the national championship in his fifth year at Ohio State
“For five years we have been patient and worked hard. We have used the formula and figured out our opponent. If we want to be the best, we have to know our opponents. You have to determine how he or she feels in that bout and then determine what kind of action they’ll use. When you know their characteristics, you can figure out how to beat them.”
On the team’s strengths
“Our conditioning is excellent, both tactically and psychologically. Then you have to motivate kids and get them to know why they can win.”
On how Ohio State won the national championship
“When you look at our scores, we were not weak in any weapon. Some teams are up and down, but we didn’t have any slip-ups. We have a dependable program in every weapon.”
On the future of Ohio State fencing
“We have the program in place that will make us powerful. We want to be, and expect to be, at the level that even if we have a bad day, we’ll finish in the Top 3 in the nation. If we have a normal day, we’ll be national champions. And if we have a good day, we’ll crush the competition.
“We want our program to be at such a high level that it will become not just a collegiate power, but an Olympic program. America’s last Olympic fencing medal was in 1984 and the previous medal to that was in 1960. Our country has the tools it takes to win, now we must do it.
“It is hard to win first place, but it is harder to stay first because everyone wants to beat us now.
Hanna Thompson
On winning the national championship
“We came in really prepared and feeling that we could win it. It wasn’t a surprise.” On looking ahead to next year’s team
“It’s going to be really tough. We’re losing some good fencers and just as important to that, we’re losing some good friends. But we have a lot of talented freshmen. Right now, though, we’re just basking in this season.”
On winning the women’s competition after the second day
“We were expected to do well, but Penn State had a full team and were probably expected to win it (the women’s competition). But we beat them and I think that then really inspired the guys to finish it off.”
Metta Thompson
On seeing familiar competition at the championships
“We had met the top talent in the country at tournaments during the season, so there weren’t any surprises.”
On how the 2004 season unfolded
“We began the season with a lot of confidence and we were angry with how the season ended last year. Then I think between Midwest Conference championships and the NCAA Regionals it really came together, and when we qualified 12 for nationals (the maximum possible) we felt very confident.”
On the emotions of the women’s team after winning the women’s competition
“We just kind of had a big sigh of relief and then just cheered for the guys as loud as we could.”
Alexandra Shklar
On how the team’s fourth place finish last year affected the Buckeyes this season
“Last year was a big lesson. It was so painful to come so close to winning it but to not do it. Even our freshmen this year who weren’t with us the year before could feel it through us. Last year we had the tools to win the championship, but this year we had the psychological tools, too.”
On the confidence level of the team going into the championships
“There was no senior to tell us we could do it because we hadn’t won it before, so it was kind of a mixed confidence of knowing our ability but not having done it before. There was no reason for the freshmen not to feel confident because we had won the Midwest Conference championships and the NCAA Regionals so easily. We felt so dominate in our region, but we had dominated our region last year, too.”
On how the Ohio State coaches led the team
“Our coaches helped us so much. They had to do a lot of extra work with us beyond fencing, especially with our emotions, because we went through a lot of ups and downs this season. They were almost like counselors to us during the season. Sometimes our confidence lacked, but our coaches’ confidence never lacked. They had 200% confidence in us.”
Denis Tolkachev
On his confidence level during the championships
“I was very confident in my teammates, and after the second day of competition with our women’s team in first place, I was even more confident. It was very important for me to feel confidence in my weapon. I saw the other guys doing well, and when I was up I knew it was my time to show what I could do.”
Boaz Ellis
On having fenced against most of the country’s top fencers during the season
“We had already seen most of our big rivals this season – Penn State, Notre Dame and St. John’s, so there weren’t any big surprises. We knew our opponents and knew we could win it.”
On how the team’s fourth place finish in 2003 carried over into 2004
“I could feel the tension from last year and I was very confident in our team. I felt like were going to win it, and after the third day we really pulled away.”
On what it meant to have the OSU women’s take first after their competition
“After the women’s team took the women’s competition, I felt like we were going to send everyone a message.”
On having the entire Ohio State at the championships
“The whole team drove up (to Waltham, Mass.) to see us and I know that really helped us and we are very thankful that they did that. They gave us (12 OSU finalists) a lot of confidence.”
Louise Bond-Williams
On what was different going into the 2004 championships from 2003
“We had a strong team last year, but we might not have had the preparation. This year coach prepared us and we went into the championships believing we could win it. The coaches knew exactly what to say to us that would give us that confidence before we go fence.”
On what it meant to have Ohio State in first place after the women’s competition
“It felt great to be in first place after the second day (final day of women’s competition), and we knew our men’s team was so strong.”
On the importance of having the rest of the Buckeyes there to cheer
“It was great to have the whole team there cheering for us. We didn’t have that last year.”
Kaela Brendler
On the attitude of the team going into the championships
“We are a family and we prepared each other to work hard. We really wanted it.”
On how the team’s fourth place finish last year factored into winning the 2004 national championship
“I think everybody knew something had to change and everybody was willing to take that extra step to go further.”
On having the full Ohio State team there to watch the championships
“It gave us that extra confidence. Everybody was that much more excited. When there is a crowd watching a bout and you hear the cheer from a touch, you can really feel that. We had that this year and you can see how much it helps. When you see your teammates on the side of the strip cheering for you, it helps so much.”
### Go Bucks! ###
