Interview by - Jesminder Vega, Chair of Communications

Avenues’ fencing program isn’t just about individual skill. It’s about building a strong, cohesive team. This year, fencing coach Len Battifarano implemented a mentorship program focused on making a difference. After tryouts revealed a mix of experienced and brand-new fencers, Coach Len drew inspiration from his own experience mentoring at Columbia University’s Graduate School. Coach explained, “I just had the idea of mentorship in my head,”  and decided to pair upperclassmen with freshmen and sophomores.
 

The program’s goals are threefold:

1.  To foster team unity
2. To improve the skills of younger fencers, and 
3. To enhance the awareness of older fencers. 

As Coach Len said,“If I’m trying to teach you foil fencing…and I’ve been doing it a long time, I’ve got some bad habits.” By mentoring, the older fencers refine their own techniques while providing invaluable guidance to their younger teammates.

He shared an example of senior Theo, who mentored freshman Lucretia, a brand-new fencer. He explained how Theo works with her “every day, 15 or 20 minutes…helping her execute fencing moves as if they were in a real match.” Coach Len also believes this benefits Theo, saying, “It does because he has to think it…it creates a much closer team.” This close interaction extends beyond just the fencing technique. Coach Len emphasizes the importance of the older fencers helping the younger ones with everything from understanding the rules and etiquette to even getting dressed in the complex fencing gear.“It’s like a big sister kind of thing,” he noted.

The mentorship program has already shown positive results. Not only have the newer fencers improved significantly, with some even winning bouts early in the season, but the team’s overall dynamic has also improved. “What I’m really most proud of is how close the team is,” he shared. “These guys were just totally into being together.” He even recounted how some students told him their fencing experience this year was “so much better than last year.” Coach humbly credits the students for their hard work, but it’s clear his mentorship program is playing a key role in their success. As Coach Len put it, the program’s aim is to create “a team which is really close, 9th through 12th. Everybody is working with everybody else every day.”