Elise Lurix ’24 is coming off an accomplished winter season with the Cheshire Academy coed fencing team, having represented the state of Connecticut in the 2022 Junior Olympics Championship and finishing sixth in the Connecticut High School State Fencing Championships. 

For Lurix, competing in the Junior Olympics was a way to break away from the same competition pool she has been facing since she first picked up the sport when she was 11 years old. In just four years, Lurix has become one of the top foil fencers in the state under the tutelage of CA’s fencing head coach Matthew Socia and Marc Ganych, coach at the MG Fencing Club. 

“I like the rules,” Lurix said. “You have to think a lot and my favorite part of fencing is the fight, how you have to prepare, like in a chess game. You have to think about what your opponent is going to do and parry that and rely on your skills to make them do what they’re not good at. With foil’s rules, it makes you get into that mindset.” 

Still, she was nervous about going to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Junior Olympics were held. It’s the farthest west she’s traveled, and the competition was comprised mostly of girls older than she is and from top schools including Yale University and the Los Angeles International Fencing Center. “I was scared, but also kind of excited at the same time because it was different people, different faces, and different fencing styles.” 

“Competing against these older girls from all over, it’s a challenge that I need,” Lurix continued. “Even if I lose, I learn things from it that I wouldn’t learn from the girls I compete with all the time.” 

At the Junior Olympics, Lurix competed in the junior (ages 16-19) and cadet (ages 14-16) divisions. There were approximately eight competitors Lurix had to face in each division, and she secured one win from the competition. While she had hoped she would have placed higher in the rankings, she took it as a learning experience. 

“It was cool to think what I could be in a few years,” reflected Lurix. “I held my own against them. I could see that, with practice, I could get there. They gave me a challenge I never would have faced fencing here.” 

Lurix did not have much rest after her bouts in the Junior Olympics. On Saturday, March 5, she competed in the state championships, ultimately placing sixth. The competition pool included several girls Lurix has beaten in the past but, due to the makeup of the tournament brackets, she was knocked out early. 

What’s next for Lurix? She is continuing to train, with plans to attend the 2022 USA Fencing National Championships and secure a win at states. She also enrolled in a summer camp with the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, providing her the opportunity to compete against new opponents. Keep an eye out as her name becomes more well known in the fencing realm.