Temple University Athletics
Daily Blog: Temple Fencing Takes Rome (Day 9: Bon Voyage)
1.13.24 | Women's Fencing
Temple Fencing is Rome, Italy for first time in the program history! The team traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to prepare for the upcoming spring season where are they are site-seeing and and taking part in a winter training camp. Follow along each day through the perspective of our student-athletes!
This trip is made possible with the help of all you Alumni, Fans, Family, and Friends!
Continue your support by clicking the link below.
https://www.giving.temple.edu/s/705/giving/16/interior_1col.aspx?sid=705&gid=1&pgid=14778
Day 1: Traveling from Philadelphia to Rome
The first travel day was definitely exciting, especially for those who haven’t traveled internationally in a long time. Besides having to run back and forth to different check in desks, the bus ride to Newark Airport was smooth and we managed to get everything checked in and meet our teammates at the gate. As soon as we got there, we all ran to grab food and we sat together eating an arrangement of chili cheese dogs, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches to fuel ourselves for an eight hour flight. Once we got on the plane, half of us were knocked out and half stayed up. We couldn’t wait to finally land in Rome after a long travel day. Once we got into Rome, Margherita (Calderaro) and her mom greeted us at the airport with a such cute sign saying “Welcome Temple Fencing”. We all took two different buses to the hotel and once we set our stuff down, we all split up to either get food or coffee at the nearest cafe for lunch. Our international teammates finally landed and it was so exciting to see them! They got the luck of not having jet lag. Before dinner time the rest of us got in a quick nap and we ordered either pasta or pizza. Everything was made so fresh! Afterwards, we hung out and explored the town a bit more and it was lights out for most of us around 10 p.m. Very adventurous first day!
Written by Elizabeth Novoseltseva , senior, foil
Day 2: Sightseeing at the Vatican Museum and Colosseum
Today the team had their first morning breakfast together in the hotel before we prepared for our tour in the Vatican Museum and Colosseum. Everything was off to a slow start, but it was quite funny as Elizabeth (Novoseltseva) mistakenly cracked open a raw egg as she did not know you would have to boil it yourself first. The tour guide, Myriam, was a very lively and knowledgeable woman who lead us to our guide for the Vatican Museums. There, another woman greeted us and was incredibly informative about the works of the Italian artists and history of the Vatican City-state. She explained the importance of the flag, where two keys cross and the crown of the pope sits above them, and how important artworks were to the popes and cardinals throughout history.
I absolutely loved listening to our guide explaining the history behind the works of the many artists who painted the inside of the Sistine Chapel, and particularly the small intricate details of the Last Judgement. It was very interesting to hear of all the special parts of the works and how the ceiling was painted by Michelangelo, amongst other artist groups. In addition, the galleries within the Vatican included many works I had seen in courses I took at Temple (shoutout to my Art History GenEd!) in person, and explained in great depth. After the Vatican, the team ventured to the Colosseum to explore with Myriam, who described the political and social impact that opening this venue had on the Roman people of the past. In addition, it was very intriguing to hear her perspectives on the stones that made up the monument, and the details of history that were communicated through small things even like the color differences of the rocks of the inner Colosseum rings and the outer rings. I learned that a critical point the Italian people emphasize in arguing against a full restoration is because they value the originality of the Colosseum, and to restore it to reflect its original shape and size would rather portray a “fake” version in comparison to the real and weathered one that stands today.
Ultimately, I had a lovely and eventful day. The team ended our day with a wonderful evening hosted by , Margherita (Calderaro), and her parents, Michele and Tara. I also had the chance to see her adorable dog, who seemed very excited to have all the excited girls on the team petting her. All in all, it was a packed but very special day as we all prepare for our first day of practice tomorrow! ??
Written By Anastasia Yankovskiy, senior, foil
Day 3: Training Camp Begins
Today was the first day of camp and it was definitely a great day! We started with a three-hour session that began at 10 a.m. and ended at 1p.m. We did lot of weightlifting, conditioning, and footwork. The exercises were different from what we usually do at Temple and it was exciting to learn new things from the Italian strength and conditioning coach. We even got awesome Italian fencing shirts given by the all coach’s as a welcome gift! After the first session we had a delicious team lunch that was full of different kinds of pasta along with a huge salad station and more. We had a two-hour break in between the first and second session so some of us were able to get a nap in to prepare for the next three-hour session. In the second session, each weapon was divided and worked with the designated weapon's coaches. We worked on some coordination exercises with the club members of Club Sherma Roma, following with free fencing until 6 p.m. We all had a great day and are looking forward for the remaining days of training camp!
Written by Anna Novoseltseva, junior, foil
Day 4: Training Camp Continues
It is the second day of camp and it was just as exciting as yesterday! A lot of us were sore, but once we stretched and started moving, we were ready to workout! We started with conditioning, and then played some games. We did another circuit, and finished with some footwork! We had a two hour break between the first and second session. The lunch was delicious, I had pasta with a salad and yogurt! We started the second session at 3, and we played a game because it’s Sara Proctor’s birthday! Afterwards we did our Temple circle and ovals, and started fencing. Each weapon split off and did their own warmups and bouting! We ended with a team stretch and finished our second day of practice.
Written by Cindy Long - junior, epee
Day 5: Exploring the Streets of Rome
After a fun night of dinner and karaoke with the Calderaro family and exploring Rome after dark, I woke up just enough to enjoy the hotel breakfast…and then went back to sleep. After a little more sleep we were ready to hit the town, and the team met to take the train into the heart of the city. We split into groups, and my group had some delicious pizza and then started to walk around. Although it was a bit rainy, the city was still so gloriously beautiful. We stumbled into a breathtaking church, explored local shops, and took pictures at Trevi Fountain. We may have been hobbling through the streets of Rome because we had some tough training days, but if I could have been, I would have been leaping. Exploring an ancient, famous, gorgeous city with my best friends? Yes, please.
Written by Arwen Gormley, junior, sabre
Day 6: Mastering the Skill of Poached Eggs Continues
This morning, the team and I began our day with the hotel breakfast! Breakfast was delicious, but unfortunately the team has not yet mastered poached eggs and a couple eggs were lost. After that we set off for practice which included two sessions of three-hour practices with a lunch break in between. We worked on coordination and set a new record for our team jump roping! After practice (and a shower) I went out to dinner with some friends! We ate at a small hole in the wall restaurant and it was delicious! When we were finished we took a scooter ride back to the hotel and hung out before finally going to bed!
Written by Lindsey Minor, freshman, epee
Day 7: Big Effort.Small Wins
Big effort. Small wins. That's how I'd describe today. It was day four of training, aches and pains were everywhere with everyone. This is where perseverance shines, continuing to give what we got to achieve the daily small wins. Step.By.Step. Morning practice started with the walk to the venue as we were greeted by the steep flight of stairs. We were welcomed by Anna, our strength and conditioning coach for the day, and guided through some mobility followed by jogging and plyometrics to get the body ready. Dang. The body was feeling it. It was the good fatigue, knowing it was the result of our hard work. Hurdle jumps... a simple exercise modified to engage the mind. Closed eyes doing high knees in place as Anna put cones between the hurdles. On Anna's cue, we opened our eyes, jumped over the hurdles, and avoided landing on the cones. We did a cool down stretch to end the morning session and circled up as a team to reflect. General thoughts about the training so far? Off to lunch to replenish our bodies for the next session. Sabre started the evening session later than the other weapons; we fenced 15 touch boutes. A combination of diversly skilled opponents and self pride as we gave it all on the strip. The day ended with a team dinner as we feasted on pizza.
Written by Zoe Turner, fifth year, sabre
Day 8: Final Day of Camp
Today I started my morning off with breakfast and coffee with my teammate and good friend Alex (Weinberg). Afterwards, we headed to the training facility for our fifth and final day of our training camp. We were all pretty physically and mentally exhausted, but I was so proud of the resilience and effort the team put in to our morning conditioning. Afterwards, we headed to lunch, where I got pasta and had memorable laughs with the team, before heading to the connected cafe to get a sweet treat. After we finished fencing, the real challenge started: we had to face the stairs while carrying all of our equipment. It was exhausting for me even though my little Constanca carried my bag. After a quick shower, some teammates and I headed to the city for one last dinner in Rome. The night was chilly but filled with warm laughter, and I completed my Italian experience with a bowl of spaghetti.
Written by Sara Proctor, senior, epee
Day 9: The Voyage Home
At 6:45 we had our last Italian breakfast and began our journey home. It reminded me of the film Planes, Trains, Automobiles. We took a bus to the airport, a train to our gate, a plane to Newark, and a bus back to Temple University. The plane ride was 8:30 hours of which most of us got glorious sleep, and those of us who didn’t watched countless amounts of movies! Once we made it to the states we rounded out our trip on the bus reflecting as a team on the memories we made and experience we had.
Written by Grace Smith, freshman, epee
