A successful student-athlete is a kind of student unlike any other. They are the ones who can balance full-time classes five days a week, with hours spent on practice after school—hours that most other students would spend doing homework. To excel in both their sport and their school work is a challenging feat for anyone. The USA All-Academic award was created to offer recognition to fencing high schoolers and the North Atlanta saber fencing team took the opportunity and ran with it.
This award is not for the faint of hearts. It requires the player to put their all into both their role as student and their role as fencer. The award encompasses the idea of being a student-athlete. It is chosen based on who can be an overall well-rounded student and a good player. With tournaments occurring every few weeks, these fencers had to do their very best at each and every practice to apply it at their tournament. The show of a true academic athlete was recognized in Sophomores Fuller Stoll and Christopher Shankwiler. Shankwiler was specifically fueled by his desire to keep fencing, after warnings from parents about watching his grades. “I knew I had to keep my grades up or else my parents were not going to be happy,” he said.
As captain of the saber fencing team, Shankwiler went further than the All-Academic award and also received the All-American fencing award—an award achieved at a higher level to be recognized across America. As captain, a certain level of leadership is expected, however, Shankwiler went above and beyond for his teammates. However, it was not only his leadership that made him an All-American fencer, it was also his performance on the fencing strip evidently shown in his freshman year when Shankwiler placed first in the state championship. It was that day in combination with his impeccable leadership that brought him to success and a new award in his hands. Stoll, the other winner of the All-Academic Award, regards his Captain with great appreciation for his dedication to the craft and to uplifting others. “Both he and my coach have really helped me improve my fencing,” Stoll said.
A careful balance is needed to be able to handle the shackles that come from school work along with fencing footwork. This effort did not go unnoticed as these awards celebrated the team’s achievements and their devoted captain’s leadership. With another award under their belt, they continue on into en garde, to prove themselves ready for another year to fence!
