By Michael Sun

Coach Joshua Baravarian rose from being a new assistant coach to winning coach of the year in Nassau county in 2013 and 2015. He explained that he was not a fencer by trade when he was appointed assistant coach of South’s fencing team in 2010. “I only started coaching the team because of a suggestion made by the athletic director,” Baravarian said. “If not for that, I might’ve never coached fencing,”
During his third year of coaching, Baravarian made history by taking both the Coach of the Year award and the Nassau County champions award in 2013. He recalled that year as one of the most memorable in his entire coaching career: “It was simply extraordinary, the hard work the fencers on my team put in had finally paid off and made them the champions of Nassau County.”
Baravarian prepared his team for the season by providing his athletes with an effective and firm training regimen. “I like to train my team both mentally and physically,” he said. “Sports isn’t entirely about your physique; tactics and strategies are also an essential part of being successful as an athlete. I also used a lot of drills and exercises from other sports.”
Sophomore Edmond Wu describes Coach Baravarian’s exercises as rigorous with a unique spin. “We would sometimes [jump] from [endless] push-ups to games like “Simon Says” and dodgeball. It helped me focus when my soreness got the best of me.”
Regarding the 2016 fencing season, Baravarian commented, “It was a great season. The fencers on the team worked hard and had fun, and for me, that’s what matters the most. It’s not very often that you see a group of hardworking fencers that go above and beyond their training quotas, and just being there and guiding them has been a wonderful experience for me.”