Fencing: Scanlan prepares to enter national stage

The team will take three women to compete, as well as one alternate. Scanlan is currently ranked sixth in the U.S. Fencing Association but said she is confident that her ranking will rise quickly.

“I think my chances of making the team are very good,” Scanlan said. “Taking time off from school is really going to help because I can get adequate rest and gear up mentally before competitions without any distractions.”

Scanlan said that when she focuses solely on fencing, instead of juggling it with her schoolwork, her performance improves tremendously. When able to dedicate the most time to her sport, Scanlan said she has consistently fared well. She took a semester off from her studies in high school and won a gold medal at the Junior World Championship.

That was just the first of many successful competitions for Scanlan. In the summer of 2009, she won the Summer National Championships and placed second the year after. Taking time off has paid huge dividends, and she said she hopes for the same in the future.

For the past week, Scanlan has been recovering from a sprained ankle, an injury that she sustained after slipping on ice outside of her dorm.

“It really sucks that I can’t do any conditioning right now,” Scanlan said. “Although crutching around campus has definitely been a workout.”

Scanlan said she hopes that the injury will not hinder her progress too much but admitted that it could hold her back in her first tournament, which will take place Feb. 12 in Doha, Qatar.

Scanlan said she has few qualms about taking time off from school and that she felt doing so was absolutely necessary if she wants to represent the US in London.

“Last year I had a pretty rough season in the national circuit, and I knew that I would need to either put fencing on hold for a few years or put school on hold for a few years,” Scanlan said. “The two do not go very well together.”

Scanlan appears focused, confident and hungry for success as she puts her Princeton career on hold in pursuit of an Olympic medal. She said she is excited for her upcoming journey and ready to compete at the highest level, but she recognizes that there will be challenges along the way, one of which will be working with her old coach from back home in Minnesota.

“I’ve been working with the Princeton coach for two and a half years now, and so a lot of things he has taught me are completely ingrained in my fencing,” Scanlan said. “So switching back to my old coach might be a little bit difficult at first.”

While Scanlan is confident in her ability, she said that she recognizes the cost of a mental lapse, especially when playing against top-ranked players from around the world.

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“The biggest thing I need to work on in my game is definitely my mental preparation,” Scanlan said. “When I am mentally on my game everything else falls into place easily.”

Scanlan, who leaves campus tomorrow, said she is keen to start traveling and competing. When her travel schedule does not conflict with her academics, her journeys can be “a lot of fun.”

“Being able to travel without having to worry about doing reading will be awesome,” Scanlan said. “I like trying to learn phrases of the language in whatever country we are in.”

While traveling the world, Scanlan said she will probably keep it simple and focus on the basics.

“I’ll be able to do my favorite three activities — eating, sleeping and working out — all the time,” Scanlan said.

She will get a break from school and have a chance to travel the world, but it is clear that what Scanlan is most excited about is fencing and the intense competition that comes along with it.

“I am very excited to compete for the next two years. I really love competing, and it’s a ton of fun when it’s the only thing you have to worry about,” said Scanlan. “Competing is a huge adrenaline rush — and ridiculously fun. You are basically fighting someone, which I think everyone secretly loves to do.”