She might be only 10 years old, but don’t dare sell Lola Possick short on her hopes and dreams. The Weehawken youngster already has her plans all set.
“My dream is to go to the Olympics,” Possick said. “But I’m only going into fifth grade. I really haven’t thought that much about my future yet.”
However, it’s not wrong for Possick to dare to dream big already.
That’s because she recently won the national championship in fencing.
That’s right, young Lola defeated a field of 48 fencers in the saber weapon division at the Summer Nationals Fencing Championships for her age bracket in San Jose, Calif. earlier this month.
Possick entered the tourney ranked No. 3 in the nation, but she managed to handle all the competition to win the national title.
“I couldn’t believe that I won,” the energetic Possick said. “When I saw that I won, I said, ‘Wow!’ I thought I might be able to get a good place. But to win? Wow! I just had to believe in myself. I had a really good feeling going into the tournament. I’m surprised, but I’m not too surprised that I did well.”
Catherine Villa is Lola’s mother.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Villa said. “We’re ecstatic and so proud of her. Everyone is so happy for her. We all knew that she works so very hard for this.”
It all started three years ago, when Possick accompanied her older brother, Owen, currently a 15-year-old sophomore at St. Peter’s Prep, to a fencing practice.
“She was always caught up in the aura of fencing, but after hanging around it for so long, she wanted to give it a try,” Villa said. “At age 7, instead of coloring or reading like most girls her age, she said she wanted to try fencing. We decided to let her try for one year. But once she started fencing, it just sort of just took off.”
“I just really wanted to be like my brother,” Possick said. “Owen is the one who really inspired me. He’s also a very good coach. I just liked doing it. It’s not so much of a people sport. It’s a sport you can do on your own.”
Possick understood right away that there was a certain level of commitment needed to become a top-flight fencer.
“I knew that a lot of work goes into it,” Possick said. “I knew that it takes up a lot of time. But I never thought it would be this hard. It takes up my entire weekend.”
When Possick is training at the Cobra Fencing Club in Jersey City, she’s going full tilt. Possick trains three days a week for two hours each stint under the watchful eyes of former Olympian Steve Kaplan.
“She has so many attributes that go into making a good fencer,” said Kaplan, who has run his fencing program out of his downtown Jersey City studio for over a decade. “She has great hand and foot speed. She’s highly motivated. She trains diligently and intuitively. She’s able to be coached. She has a high fencing IQ and she listens to what you have to say. She really is a dream to coach.”
Kaplan was asked if he has to pinch himself at times and realize that Lola is still only 10 years old.
“She has such emotional maturity,” Kaplan said. “Fencing is a very intense one-on-one sport and to be successful, you have to think your way through it. You have to think and be able to make adjustments. It’s a lot to ask of a 10-year-old, but she’s able to handle it all so well.”
Possick will enter the fifth grade at Hoboken’s Mustard Seed School in September.
“She’s dabbled in other stuff, like soccer, but nothing like this,” Villa said. “Fencing just sort of took off and she has just run with it. When she puts her mind to something, it’s 100 percent. She knows what she wants. She’s just on a roll right now.”
Possick has traveled this summer to tournaments in Ohio and Milwaukee, before heading to the nationals in San Jose.
“She’s made the trips worthwhile,” said Villa, who has accompanied her daughter all over the country.
“I like traveling to all these places and meeting new people,” Possick said. “I’ve made a lot of friends through fencing. It’s fun when you’re hanging out and meeting people.”
And when you win?
“Oh, it’s nice when you win,” Possick said. “It’s nice when you’re able to do both.”
The sport of fencing has three weapons – the epee, foil and saber. Kaplan said that Possick is clearly a saber fencer and there’s no thought of changing her form right now.
“She’s so well suited to the saber game,” Kaplan said. “It’s more skill and movement and she has that going for her right now that there’s no need to try the others. She’s extremely focused and very goal oriented.”
Possick likes that she competes in saber.
“It’s a little more exciting,” Possick said. “In saber, the game is faster and the matches go by quicker. It’s majorly exciting.”
Because of her national title, Possick has now been invited to participate in the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru next month, so she becomes a world traveler now thanks to fencing.
“I just really want to be in the Olympics one day,” Possick said. “That’s my goal. But this makes me really proud. I love what’s happened so far.”
Possick was all set to meet Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner and the township council Wednesday night, when she was slated to be presented with a special proclamation for her national title.
Kaplan always had faith in his prized pupil.
“I’ve had a lot of talented kids over the years,” Kaplan said. “But Lola is just a wonderful kid. She’s a dream to coach because of the way she listens and learns. She’s an extraordinary young lady.”
“You know, it’s a good feeling when you put your heart into something, when you put the hard work into it and it pays off,” Possick said. “Even if you lose, as long as you put your heart into it and work hard, it’s all good.”
But being a national champion certainly doesn’t hurt either.
“Oh, no, it’s a wonderful feeling,” Possick said. “I still can’t believe this all happened to me.”
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.