caption: NATIONAL STAGE: Princeton Day School fencer Matthew Cavuto proudly displays the medal he won this spring for placing first in the New Jersey men’s epee 14-and-under division at the Summer National Qualifier. This week, rising sophomore Cavuto heads to Atlanta to compete in the Summer Nationals.

Continuing Meteoric Rise in Epee World, PDS Fencer Cavuto Competing in Nationals

Bill Alden

Matthew Cavuto has dabbled in baseball, soccer, and golf as he looked to find his best sport.

But Cavuto found his athletic niche in the spring of 2009 in fencing when he switched to epee from saber as an eighth grader at Princeton Day School.

“I did saber for about a year; saber is 1-2-3 and run into each other, it is who can hit people first,” said Cavuto.

“In saber, you have a right of way, meaning that you have to start the attack to get the point. There can be an issue with the refs deciding who was on attack. In epee, there is no right of way, you both can hit within a fourth of a second. You don’t rely on the refs as much and you can hit the other guy on any part of the body. I really like epee.”

After making the move to epee, Cavuto, who also trains with former Princeton University coach Michel Sebastiani, has been a major hit in his new discipline.

As a freshman, he made the PDS varsity fencing squad and proved to be a solid performer. In April, he took a big step in his rise up the epee ladder, placing first in the New Jersey men’s epee 14-and-under division at the Summer National Qualifier held at the Medeo Fencing Club in Bridgewater.

This week, Cavuto heads to Atlanta to make his debut in the Summer Nationals which run from July 4-13.

Cavuto is relishing his chance to compete on a national stage. “It is a different plateau; it is a step up,” said rising sophomore Cavuto.

“It’s really cool; Summer Nationals is the best tournament of the year. You are going against people from all around the country; it is a self assessment of where you stand. I am pretty excited; it is my first year in epee; it is great to qualify for the nationals.”

In order to succeed at the national competition, Cavuto is going to need to make his stand on his defensive skills.

“I am not that big; I work on getting quicker,” explained Cavuto. “Mr. Sebastiani teaches you how to make yourself smaller and get closer to your foe.”

For Cavuto, placing first in the qualifier was a big breakthrough. “I was happy to get first,” said Cavuto.

“In other tournaments, I was getting third or fourth. It was good to make it to the finals; it is the first tournament I got to the final.”

Showing his growing savvy, Cavuto knows that he has to be sharp from the start of the national tournament.

“The pool matches are extremely important; they set the seeding for the later rounds,” said Cavuto.

“They are five-point matches while the later matches are 15-point matches where there is more time to figure out your opponent. I haven’t done well in pools. In the qualifier, I didn’t do that well and I was No. 12 going into the final part of the competition. I was able to figure some people out; there were a couple of people who were pretty upset.”

PDS fencing head coach Paul Epply-Schmidt is impressed by how quickly Cavuto has figured out the epee.

“A lot of kids are just into the sword-fighting and not learning about the discipline,” said Epply-Schmidt, a two-time All American fencer at Princeton University who was coached there by Sebastiani.

“Matthew really worked on his own and took off; he has made a quantum leap. It’s been terrific working with him because he made that extra commitment. You have to put in extra time to become a good high school fencer.”

In Epply-Schmidt’s view, Cavuto’s first-place finish at the nationals qualifier was a pivotal moment for the young fencer.

“Any time you take first, it is big,” said Epply-Schmidt. “It is not just one place above second; that really adds to confidence. Most things are built one brick at a time and every bit of experience helps.

Based on Cavuto’s rapid progress this year, Epply-Schmidt believes his protege could experience a long career in the sport.

“Matthew has some intangible qualities a fencer needs,” said Epply-Schmidt.

“He seems to have been bitten by the sport; people like that fence into their 70s. I am happy to see him do well. He is not only a good competitor, he’s great kid.”

Cavuto, for his part, already has his eye on the next level. “I am hoping to fence in college,” asserted Cavuto.

“I need to improve my record in high school and be close to perfect. Some of the seniors have been close, going 29-1. I am hoping to get a national ranking.”

This week in Atlanta, Cavuto can take a big step toward accomplishing those goals.

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