March 2025 NAC Recap, Day 3: Comedic Relief, Clutch Touches, and Gold-Medal Moments

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Fencing has its share of intense moments. Maybe it’s 14-14 with one touch to decide it all. Or it’s your first time on the finals stage at a national tournament, with every spectator seat filled.

When Sara Joo (Top Fencing Club) faces those kinds of moments, she turns to her coach to lighten the mood.

“I was feeling very nervous,” she says. “And to calm myself down, my coach actually showed me some funny photos he took of my other clubmates, and it helped me a lot.”

That approach worked on Sunday, as Sara won Y-10 Women’s Foil gold on the third day of the March 2025 North American Cup.

Sara says her goal was a podium finish — top 8 — but once she won 10-1 in the semifinals, she believed a gold medal was possible. Not bad for a fencer who originally didn’t even love the sport.

“I’m gonna be honest — at first, I didn’t like fencing too much,” she says. “As I kept fencing, I realized that fencing is a really unique sport. And I also liked how it involved swords. I just like being talented at something. And fencing is definitely one of my favorite, favorite things.”

On her way to the Y-14 Women’s Saber gold medal on Sunday, Yuju Jeon (Scarsdale Fencing Center) faced two pressure-packed moments of her own: 14-14 “match points” in both the quarterfinals and the finals.

“I'll just try to catch my breath,” she says. “And for the one point, I'll try my best to do the move that I’m best at.”

Her best moves did the trick both times.

Luxi Guo (Yang Fencing Club) was among the big winners, too, and she credits improved distancing, confidence from her coach and friends, and a special selection of snacks from home.

“I bring my own snacks,” she says. “Bananas, chocolate, and an energy gel.”

Over time, fencers learn what between-round fueling works best. Same goes for learning about themselves.

“I’ve learned that mental power and confidence are two of the most important things in succeeding,” Luxi says. “At the beginning, I had a really low mental power, and I was just failing my goals. And afterwards, slowly, I got more and more power. And then I kept winning.”

Hanson Chen (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy) knows what that’s like. After winning Y-12 Men’s Foil gold on Friday, he “leveled up” and earned Y-14 Men’s Foil gold on Sunday. But win or lose, Hanson loves fencing because it’s so unique.

“Fencing is a lot different from other sports,” he says. “I feel like it’s a lot more strategic, along with a mix of physical — and even mental, too.”