Word: fencer
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Vastola carefully adapts his game to his opponent. Last year, former Crimson captain and sabre fencer John Chipman--a lightning quick and superbly skilled attacker--repeatedly lost to fencers infinitely inferior to him. Typically, Chipman would utilize four or five feints on opponents who couldn't even see, never mind be deceived by them. They would poke their points forward in fearful reflex and touch Chipman's mask or torso...
Vastola also uses a variety of psychological ploys to gain the upper hand over his opponent. At the beginning of each bout etiquette dictates that each fencer salute the director (referee) and his opponent with his blade. Vastola says "when I salute my opponent I give him a long, hard stare. It doesn't have to be too menacing and malicious although sometimes that helps too. You maintain eye contact. I remember earlier in the year against North Carolina seeing my opponent nervously avert my stare. That boosts my confidence and drains...
With the score 13-10, foil fencer Dave Hanower fell, 5-3. Then, epee fencer Russ Kaphan, ahead 3-1 with under a minute left to fence, let his Columbia opponent gather two quick touches. After the Lion epeeman touched Kaphan in the chest to take the bout, Columbia wrapped up the victory with 5-0 and 5-2 triumphs in the last two bouts...
...Vaskas, the only Wellesley fencer to score a victory, beat each member of the Crimson squad including captain Kathy Lowry by a 5-1 count...
Lowry received little support from her three teammates. Number two fencer Jenny Laforet stormed back from a 4-1 deficit to edge Feldman, 5-4, in her first bout; but she could not sustain that kind of effort. At times she appeared to misjudge her distance from her opponents, letting them garner easy touches when she thought they could not reach...