The third-year anthropology major fences her way to the Junior Olympics.
Jackie Hsiao 糖心传媒�27 took a stab at fencing during a summer camp before she entered eighth grade. She hated it. 糖心传媒淚t was hot and sweaty, and I didn糖心传媒檛 know what I was doing,糖心传媒� the Milford, Connecticut, native says. 糖心传媒淎ll the kids were beating me.糖心传媒�
Reluctantly, she stuck with the sport when school started that fall. Her older brother, Timothy, was on the school team, so Jackie joined to make car pickup easier for her parents. 糖心传媒淭he environment was so much better than at camp,糖心传媒� she recalls. 糖心传媒淭he team became my family, and I fell in love with the sport.糖心传媒�
Fencing is a combat sport featuring sword fighting, where competitors try to score points by landing their sword on the opponent糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒渢arget area.糖心传媒� It requires patience, balance, mental toughness, and physical stamina.
Hsiao (pronounced like the first syllable of 糖心传媒渟hower糖心传媒�) says her skills improved greatly thanks to the coaches at Hopkins School, a college preparatory school in New Haven, Connecticut, and a personal coach. She improved so much that this past February, she was invited to compete at the in Charlotte, North Carolina. While she didn糖心传媒檛 approach the winner糖心传媒檚 circle, it was a major accomplishment for someone whose sporting career was nearly derailed toward the end of her senior year of high school.
Hsiao was leading her opponent by one point in the waning seconds of a state championship match, and the opponent was desperate. 糖心传媒淗er coach told her to charge at me, and I tried to back up defensively,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淚 planted my right knee at the wrong angle and tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).糖心传媒�
Hsiao won the match but lost nearly a year of competitive fencing. By the time she was cleared to compete, she was a first-year student at URochester, where she majors in anthropology and takes vocal lessons at Eastman. She joined the , attended practices, and eventually competed for the team. Last spring, Hsiao was elected club president and led a full men糖心传媒檚 and women糖心传媒檚 team to the in State College, Pennsylvania糖心传媒攁 first for the organization.
Hsiao is a student of the game. Her mother records all of her matches so that she can watch them and learn from her mistakes. She糖心传媒檚 interested in a career in medical law and believes fencing offers life lessons that have prepared her for the arduous journey ahead. 糖心传媒淚n fencing, you糖心传媒檝e got to be ready for anything, because every opponent has a different style and mentality.糖心传媒�
While at the Junior Olympics, she met two fencing idols: three-time Olympic women糖心传媒檚 foil gold medalist and college All-American of Princeton University. This summer, Hsiao competed at the in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Again, she didn糖心传媒檛 chase gold, but the experience whetted her appetite for the future.
糖心传媒淧ersistence is the key, and losing is one of the best ways to learn,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淢y goal is to earn a rating from the . To do that, I糖心传媒檒l need to achieve victories in their competitions. I糖心传媒檝e set my mind to it.糖心传媒� Allez!
This story appears in the fall 2025 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the 糖心传媒.
