Photo (left to right): Catherine Yi, Coach John Friedberg and JP Rusk.
Robbinsville residents Catherine Yi and JP Rusk both won medal honors in a Regional Youth Fencing Tournament held at Cobra Fencing Club in Jersey City on Dec. 21. Both fencers train at the Fencing Club of Mercer County in Robbinsville.
JP was seeded sixth out of a field of 18 fencers after winning three out of five bouts in the preliminary round of the Y10 Boys event. In the elimination round JP defeated the 11th seed by a score of 10-7. JP then lost to the third seeded fencer in a competitive bout in the quarter finals to finish in sixth place.
Catherine Yi, who competed in the Y10 Girls event, was seeded eighth out of a field of 10 fencers after winning one out of four bouts in the preliminary round. Catherine won her first match 10-6 to secure a spot in the quarter finals. She lost her next bout against the eventual silver medalist, finishing in seventh place.
John Friedberg, the coach at Fencing Club of Mercer County, and former Olympian, said “I was very pleased that both fencers were able to win medals in their very first tournament. They have been working very hard in practice and these results were indicative of the progress that they have made in their first year of learning this sport.”
JP and Catherine are two of many students who are currently training at the Fencing Club of Mercer County. To learn more visit fencingclubofmercercounty.com.
