Princeton/Yale: Fencing Dream

A gifted Ivy League fencing-team athlete promises to bring home the championship-title in his senior-year, creating all sorts of due attention!

One last dioramic vignette about the magic of collegiate athletics, inspired by my own small-time participation in Ivy League fencing!

Thanks so much for reading (signing off for real),

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"Ajay Satan, an excellent men's fencing team player at Princeton University, was now a senior-year student and had something to prove at the Ivy League championships. The Princeton Tigers were considered the nation's best team but were challenged by the #2 team, the Yale University Bulldogs. Ajay was considered the best freshman-year fencing-team player in the country and the Ivy League but failed to help Princeton win the championship. Now, in his senior-year, Ajay promised his schoolmates and coach that he'd bring home the Ivy League title. He looked and felt very serious."

"Princeton University, a nationally respected American school, was highly-ranked in men's fencing for many years, and Ajay was recruited from high-school because of his extraordinary skills at fencing. Because he failed to help the Princeton Tigers win the Ivy League title in his first three years, his senior-year promise to win the championship was publicized by the school newspaper and by the National Fencing Gazette. Ajay would have to take down the Yale Bulldogs senior-year fencing-team player, a very gifted young man named Thomas Platini. Ajay took a long stroll at the Princeton campus in the days leading up to the fencing championship."

"The Yale campus was equally anticipating the Ivy League fencing championship. At the Yale campus, the students and fencing-team coach were cheering their star-senior, Thomas Platini, hoping he'd be able to quell the defiant claim of Princeton's Ajay Satan. Platini was considered the second best fencer in the Ivy League and the country, right behind Satan. The championship would bring another feather for Yale which had been ranked high in men's fencing as often as Princeton. The Yale campus was both pensive and dreamy in the days leading up to the fencing championship."

"The fencing championship began and it was exciting as everyone anticipated. The Princeton Tigers and Yale Bulldogs stayed neck-and-neck, having squared off with their top players/fencers and offering the audience a 4-4 tie leading up to the final match between Ajay Satan and Thomas Platini. This was the ultimate fencing championship. As Ajay and Thomas took the stage, the crowds and coaches wished them good luck and the referee ordered them to begin their anticipated match which was broadcast on Ivy League Radio (ILR). Platini dealt the first strike with an elegant strike to Ajay's chest, but Ajay retorted with a swift thrust towards Thomas's shoulders and then his chest. This sort of back-and-forth dance continued for some time, with great dodges by both senior-year athletes, especially a wondrous twist-and-dodge by Ajay. Finally, Ajay managed to take the winning blow with a zigzag and then diagonal saber-push right into the center of Thomas' chest. Thomas had to concede ultimate defeat. This was an iconic Ivy League fencing match."

"The Ivy Leauge female fencing competition spokeswoman, Julie Brandeis, was there to cheer on the Princeton Tigers and the Yale Bulldogs and ultimately awarded Princeton's Ajay Satan with the Ivy League medal. The Tigers were photographed alongside Julie Brandeis cheering themselves and celebrating while hoisting the Ivy League trophy. Julie declared Ajay to be the undisputed nationally best fencing athlete in 2020. Ajay had delivered on his special promise, and Julie Brandeis intended to publicize this symbolic Ivy League championship in the Ivy League Post (ILP)."

"Princeton had earned its #1 men's fencing ranking in 2020, and Ajay was going to graduate after finally helping his Ivy League school bring home the championship. Everyone was congratulating him, and Ajay knew he'd achieved what he'd set out to do when he was just a freshman Princeton Tiger. He was the nation's top fencer, and he'd defeated Yale's Thomas Platini. Ajay was going to Europe to study Divinity at a Catholic seminary-school, and he would bring his Princeton Tigers fencing-medal with him."

"Ajay decided to put his fencing skills on a audio-recording as a coaching instructional lesson for future Princeton fencing-team athletes. This recording was copied onto multiple compact audio cassettes for Princeton fencers to play on their team tape-players/headphones while training for future Ivy League competitions. Ajay's Princeton coach told him his fencing-instructional tape would be a terrific boon for the Princeton program."

"Ajay went to Europe and began studying Divinity at the Catholic seminary-school. He of course brought his Princeton fencing-medal with him. He studied Divinity for four years at the school in Europe and studied under a Catholic priest named Father Kuyt. Ajay would incorporate the skills and confidence he gained while competing in Ivy League fencing and learn to appreciate the valuable connection between competitive collegiate athletics and Christian prayer. He'd started to become a real modern athlete-turned-minister under Father Kuyt."

"And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation" (Numbers 31:27).

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