When focus meets foil, fencing isn’t as hard as it may seem…
How student Colin Alarcon blends his interests to support his students and himself.
By Niamh Alarcon
One crisp Saturday morning at Blade Runner Fencing, the floor’s fresh wax coat shone, and Colin Alarcon stood at the end of the strip. He grasped his foil blade as he prepared for his next bout.
“Everyone who does fencing is inspired by some sort of media, like my coach Susan, who was inspired by The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood but for me, it was Star Wars,” Alarcon said. “Even though the sport is very different in reality, the aesthetic is still attractive to me.”
Colin Alarcon brandished his foil sword as he prepared for a practice match with one of his students.
Colin started fencing at age 13 and began to compete on his high school’s PSAL team. What he thought would be an extracurricular for college applications became a much more meaningful part of his life.
“I became a coach when I entered college. At that point, I had enough experience teaching introductory classes to younger kids and it took time but I built the confidence to share what I learned with older high school students,” Alarcon explained. “I do like coaching. I think it’s gratifying.”
Colin and his students practice foil fencing before their lesson. “I am a foil fencer so I like foil the best,” Alarcon said. “Its fast paced and challenging because the target area is only the torso.”
Outside of his coaching position, Colin is a full-time honors student, a part-time researcher, a mentor, and a tutor. When he is not fencing, He can be found in his lab researching neuroscience or enjoying psychology. Though his other interests and fencing seem different at first glance, Alarcon believes they complement each other well.
Blade Runner fencing is one of Staten Island’s two fencing clubs. The club is open on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, where people can come for lessons or open fencing.
“I think about psychology a lot especially when I am coaching,” Alarcon said. “Since I have learned about cognition and disorders like anxiety and depression, I’m sort of mindful of distorted thoughts especially related to performance.”
With his background in psychology, Colin Alarcon can encourage positive growth mindsets in his students. He enjoys being able to connect two very important aspects of his life: psychology and fencing. As he prepares to apply to PhD programs, Colin is confident that fencing will remain an integral part of his life.
“Fencing is like riding a bike.” Alarcon explained. “There are parts where you have a plan going in, but a lot of the time, your original time doesn’t work, and you’re reacting.”
“I hope wherever I end up I’ll find a fencing club and continue fencing recreationally or take a minor coaching position,” Alarcon shared. “ I spent all my time building up my skills in the sport so I want to give it back as support to others.”
