Leading the Cobras with Passion and Precision

Name: Andy Xian

Grade: Senior

Weapon: Épée

Hand Dominance: Leftie 

Height: 6’1

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Date of Birth: February 5, 2007

When and how did you start fencing? How long have you been on the Cobras, Stuyvesant’s fencing team, and what inspired you to join it?

I found out about the team all the way in August, the summer before my freshman year, and that the team was hosting no-cut tryouts during that time. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to not just try out for a sport, but also get some exercise, form some new friendships with current Stuy students, and just get a better understanding of the Stuyvesant sports community as a whole. But what really inspired me was my sister, actually. She was the captain of her fencing team during her time at Bronx Science, and I wanted to try it out and see how it was. I’ve been on the team since my freshman year, all the way to now, so four years in total. 

Do you fence outside of the PSAL? If so, do you notice any differences between fencing outside versus for Stuy? Do the practices and meets differ much? 

I’ve dedicated a lot of time to fencing outside of Stuy. Training at my club, New York Fencing Academy, and competing at local, regional, as well as national levels beyond PSAL, has been a major part of my fencing journey. I would say there’s a different level of intensity, especially at a more competitive level in terms of regional and national tournaments sanctioned by USA Fencing, but I always try to carry the same mentality no matter what tournament I’m competing in. I really try to go into every game, every tournament, with the mindset of a winner and always try my best. Practices do differ, especially since PSAL fencing has a team component. During team practice, there’s a lot of focus on team growth, while at NYFA you focus on individual training. But I’ve always tried to incorporate what I’ve learned at NYFA to the team at Stuyvesant—the drills that are introduced, the skill sets, and just try to bring something new. 

Which weapon do you fence, how did you end up with it, and what specific skills/strengths are required?

I’ve always had my eyes on épée, honestly. I like the slow and methodical pacing of it. I think that’s what originally attracted me to it. The PSAL offers épée and foil, two very different styles of fencing—different rules and skill sets—and I think épée just fits me more. It’s always said that being taller and having a larger wingspan helps you with épée, and I guess there’s such an advantage to it, but I think anyone with a passion can do épée and succeed. It’s really ultimately about the style of fencing you prefer, and I prefer épée.

Did being captain change your outlook on fencing? What did the role entail?

I think being captain did shape how I see the sport and how I see the sports community. Before, I saw fencing as a personal challenge. Stepping into captaincy, my role went beyond just competing, but about making sure everyone on the team is able to succeed as a whole too. At the end of the day, it’s about teamwork as well as family. Embodying that has been very important to me in my role as captain. I’ve always seen my role as a way to pay it forward; I remember being a freshman and learning from my captains and gaining their support—that was very inspiring. I wanted to create an environment where all fencers feel accommodated. Essentially, it went from an individual sport to a collective effort, and I hope that the team can maintain that throughout the next few years. 

What did a typical practice look like?

The team usually hangs out on the sixth floor until Coach Winston arrives and opens up the studio room. We go in, we change, we go on a run—if the weather’s nice outside, we’re going outside—we come back, and we do stretches. It’s my favorite part, honestly, stretching. You feel great after. After stretching is when it gets different between off-season and playoffs. During the off-season, we would do conditioning, a lot of drills without the blade work, and a lot of footwork, trying to get us physically fit. But then during playoff season, we are more focused on blade work and preparing for the actual competitions. We would often directly dress up and fence, but we also ran drills that épée and foil needed to respectively work on. Scenario bouts, drills, parries, flèches, en gardes, practicing different scenarios, and going to bouts of 45. Practice goes from right after school to around 6:30 p.m., seven p.m. the latest during playoffs. 

In your opinion, what are the best and worst parts about fencing?

The best part has to be competing. I really embody the mentality of trying to go out there and leave everything on the strip, to give my best effort, and, hopefully, get a medal. That’s, I think, my favorite part. The worst part is honestly injuries, and I don’t think it’s just a part of fencing—it’s a part of all sports, but I think it made me wary of how important it is to be safe—to always stretch, always be careful of what I’m doing and not be lousy or carefree. I’ve suffered a couple of injuries with fencing. The worst injury was my sprained ankle at nationals. It was my first direct elimination bout and we were nearing the PSAL playoffs too. I flèched, jumped and landed, square on my ankle. I was out for around one month. 

Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?

I can’t fence without warming up, I always have to go through my routine. Especially in competitions, I always try to get there around an hour early, if not 45 minutes, and I do what I always do. A quick little jog to warm my body up, stretch, and my normal routine. I think without that, I just feel off, mentally as well as physically; I just feel like I didn’t prepare well, and it risks injury if you don’t warm up, so that’s also very important. For pre-game rituals, I always love to flip my blade onto my foot to test it right before the bout starts. When I hear the beep, then I’m ready. 

What lessons has fencing taught you?

Performing under pressure is so important in life as a whole, not just in sports and academics. I always think this sport has helped me maintain composure and calmness under challenging times. Additionally, I think overall fitness has strengthened me mentally. Fencing is called physical chess for a reason, and the reason is not just about physicality, but because it requires such mental acuity, being patient, and staying calm. There’s a lot at stake. 

What is your favorite Cobras memory?

Winning is great. You know, who doesn’t love winning? From winning city champions, my freshman year to winning épée champions my senior and final year, and all the individual accolades—like MVP—feel amazing. They show that my work and the team’s work paid off. But I think if you’re talking about a favorite memory, it has to be something more intrinsic, and I'll honestly say it was my first day at no-cuts. I was still technically in middle school and I was still trying to accommodate to a high school environment. I remember there was Jason, Ethan, Felix, Krista— if I’m forgetting someone, I apologize—but those seniors were so welcoming. After no-cuts, they went to grab lunch and hang out and invited me. So I was just there, with a group of seniors who had all the wisdom, and that was such a heartwarming moment. I realized this was more than just a team—it was like a family. I guess this is when I realized I wanted to be a part of this family for the long term. I was to pay that forward and continue to hold that tradition, so future fencers and newcomers w0uld be able to experience that as well. 

What do you think about when fencing?

I'm always in the moment. When I first started fencing, I always thought, oh my god, what if I lose this bout, what if I don’t win. With more experience, I just realized, no, you put your mind in the moment. It does not matter what is going to happen next. You just know you want to stay there. You want to think about what you want to execute. It’s always such a mental battle. If you want to attack, you have to plan on your attack clearly. If you want to defend, you want to plan that out too. Always stay in the moment. Be mindful. Stop thinking about random stuff. What’s for lunch? What’s for dinner?

Do you have any plans to continue fencing in the future or in college? 

Absolutely. Depending on my college and availability, given my schedule, it’s definitely something I hope to continue. It’s a sport I picked up and I hope to continue to play it. Whether that’s on an intramural level or as a walk-on for an actual team, I’d love to continue fencing in any shape or form. 

What tips do you have for the Cobras’ for their next season? 

Cherish this time while you can. I think we always take for granted our high school experience and don’t realize how fast it has passed until you’re a senior. You look back and you feel like there’s a lot of time you wish you could have spent forming deeper friendships. Time flies and you realize it too late sometimes. I think it’s always important for them to cherish the team. Your practice can be very grueling, sometimes you just want practice to end, but you want to cherish that journey of working towards a collective team goal. And always continue our team traditions, our team dinner, and our favorite game, paranoia. For the next season and the next generation of Cobras, you need to continue the traditions of the fencing team. It’s intrinsic to who we are. Overall, reignite that sense of family, that’s very important. 

Fun Questions: 

Funniest Teammate: James Clare

Favorite Fencing Team/Player: Kazuyasu Minobe

Favorite Touch: Regionals, Junior Men’s Épée, for top eight. The score was 14-14 and it was an extremely tense moment— I felt so much pressure. My opponent was an A-rated fencer from New Penn, and the funny thing was, I warmed up with him, so we kind of knew each other. At about the last 30 seconds, I just knew he was gonna flèche. He flèched straight, not even opposition, and I took parry six riposte and flicked him on the shoulder. 15-14.

Favorite Fencing Shoe: Asics Gel Rockets

Favorite Blade Combination: Opposition 8 into a flèche

Favorite Blade Setup: Visconti grip and canted

Favorite Sports Drink: Glacier Cherry Gatorade 

Favorite Post-Game Meal/Snack: Udon noodles

Fencing on Full or Light Stomach: Light

Hobbies: Playing music (jazz trombone and piano), cooking, traveling 

Fencing Pet Peeve: Before a bout, you have to touch bell guards and salute, and then you put on your mask. My pet peeve is when people put on their mask before touching bell guards. 

If You Could Play Any Other Sport: Basketball, badminton, table tennis, or volleyball

Motto to Live By: “Nothing to fear but fear itself.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Fun Fact: I have an older sister who won her fencing championship her senior year.