National Fencing Champion Zach Kravitz

As the fencer steps up to his opponent, he studies him, strategizing. Pulling down his mask, national champion Zach Kravitz (’17), realizes he can not rest on his laurels.Starting fencing at the age of nine with fellow Viking Sean McHugh (’15), Kravitz found something in the sport that many others could not — the ability to revel in the isolation rather than shy away from it.“It was kind of a random [sport] to go for, but it was fun and not many people do it,” Kravitz said. “It’s just you, it’s all up to you and there’s no one to blame but yourself if you lose. It’s a very honest sport.”According to Kravitz, honesty has propelled him forward in the sport, helping him to win the most prestigious of the 2012 North American Cup competitions.However, Kravitz also benefits from his innate abilities; the two things that set him apart from other elite fencers are his tall stature and his confidence.“Just like basketball, height really helps, and self-confidence definitely plays a huge role,” Kravitz said. “If you’re scared to attack, your opponent is definitely going to take advantage of that.”Having a strong strategy is one of the most important aspects of fencing. According to Kravitz, fencing is far more than the label of “sport” suggests.“The idea of fencing sounds easy, but it’s more of an art form that you have to perfect,” Kravitz said. “It’s like a game of chess. You try to think what your opponent’s next move is going to be — so if I take a certain step, what will they do? You account for that, and that’s your strategy.”Along with strategy, stamina is key, as each competition goes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.“Obviously practice gets boring after a while, but it’s practice that makes perfect, and it’s for the love of the competition,” Kravitz said.Moving forward, Kravitz hopes to go international — possibly to Austria and definitely into college. Kravitz can count on his mother’s support as during his ever-growing involvement in fencing.“My mom plays a really big part,” Kravitz said. “She drives me to all my practices, flies all over the country with me and is always on the sideline no matter how I do.”According to Kravitz, his workload is pretty easy to balance as of now even though he starts homework at around 9:30 p.m. after training. His coach helps lighten the load by making fencing less stressful — his schoolwork follows suit. Kravitz’s current coach was the first the young student who he won a competition with and has been with his coach for the past three years.“The way he trained me meant a lot,” Kravitz said. “If I didn’t do something right, we’d keep doing it until we got it right and then we’d move on.”While for the most part Kravitz separates his life in Samo from his life in fencing, his friend Nick Landi (’17) said he can see the impact the sport has on Kravitz. The qualities of a high-level athlete carry over into activities they do together, such as skating.“I admire that Zach brings a good time and is fun to be around,” Landi said. “ I always see his trophies in his room — he’s pretty good. His intense involvement in fencing causes him to push himself in skating and other sports since it uses the same determination and persistence.”Ultimately, Zach is moving forward into high school and college with fencing at the forefront of his mind. He hopes to continue the sport into the international and collegiate levels, bringing with him years of training and experience in high level competition.“[Fencing] is a really great workout for your mind as well as your body, and experience is the biggest key to victory,” Kravitz said. “My biggest goals in the near future are to make the United States Cadet Mens Épée World Team and get top 16 at all of the upcoming North American Cup [competitions].”