Athlete of the Week: Katie Zuckerman

By Shannon Duff

Several years ago and a couple thousand miles away from here, Katie Zuckerman, JE '99, was introduced to the world of fencing. "I saw an ad for this fencing club one day at home in Los Angeles," she said, "and just asked my mom if I could join. Eventually, I just got hooked on the sport."

Julia Tiernan/YH Katie Zuckerman

From the beginning, Zuckerman has been committed to fencing. When she was just starting to get the feel for the sport, Zuckerman had to make a 40-minute commute to practice each day at the nearest fencing facility. Of course, her parents did the driving, but it was Zuckerman who stuck with the sport through the years.

Zuckerman was an integral part of last year's 11-0 team that took the Ivy League title. She went 30-7, earned All-American honors, and was the team's top foil finisher at the Northeast Regionals and the NCAA Championships.

This year, Zuckerman has led the Bulldogs to another exceptional start. Zuckerman and the Bulldogs have successfully competed in a conference that coach Henry Harutunian says includes "the best fencing teams and individual competitors in the NCAA." With their win over Columbia on Wed., Jan. 21, Yale now stands at 6-0 overall, 2-0 Ivy, in a solid position to take another league championship crown.

"It was a great meet," Zuckerman said of the Bulldogs' victory over the Lions. "Columbia is one of our toughest rivals. The women's epée team performed extremely well."

Zuckerman attributed much of the team's success to its rare unity. "Just look at the Columbia team," she said. "The Columbia fencers train at different fencing clubs throughout New York, while we all train together under one coach. As a result, our team is much more unified--we're all working for the same thing."

The team's unity also impresses the veteran coach. "The girls have so much support for each other," he said. Harutun-ian was quick to note Zuckerman's importance on the squad. "Katie and the other upperclassmen have created positive energy on the team, which helps the younger girls."

"She has the sunniest, happiest personality," teammate Nush Powell, JE '99, remarked. "But then, she is the toughest competitor, a real destroyer. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile the two sides."

It is easy to see how one could have trouble sizing up this contradiction. Who would guess that one of the Ivy League's fiercest fencers wears her pigtails on meet day and is the proud owner of a large Beanie Baby collection?

When the Bulldogs face Penn on Sat., Jan. 31, Zuckerman's opponent will probably be hoping that she's about to duel against the Beanie Baby lover in Zuckerman rather than the destroyer she will likely encounter.

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