Last weekend, Deborah Gorth '09.5 led the women's fencing team to an undefeated record in winning the Northeast Fencing Conference Championship. The Amherst native went 13-2, the best record of the day. Gorth is back at Brown after spending last semester doing biological research in Portland, Ore.
Herald: How did you start fencing?
Gorth: My high school boyfriend and I wanted to start boxing, and we went to my parents to ask if it would be okay for us to buy gloves and head gear. My mom thought it was a horrible idea and insisted that we think of another way to bond. We came up with fencing, because it would kill fewer brain cells.
What type of fencer are you?
I fence saber. Bouts go by very quickly. It's the first to five touches. You try to target the area from waist up. The saber can score with any part of the blade.
What if people hit each other at the same time?
There is a right-of-way rule. If both lights go off, the aggressor gets the point. If someone is attacking you, you must defend the attack before attacking them. The rule was originally established to prevent both people from dying in a duel.
How did it feel to clinch the Northeast Fencing Conference at home this weekend?
It was great going undefeated. It was the second Northeast Fencing Conference meet, and all the teams in the Northeast fence each other. There are 27 possible bouts, and the team that wins the majority - at least 14 - is the winner.
How does it feel to compete in a sport that most people are not familiar with?
I like it a lot. I played ice hockey and lacrosse in high school, and everyone knew about those sports. Now, I like that no one knows about fencing. There is much less outside pressure, since few people come to the competitions, and no one knows the rules.
Who would win in a fencing bout, Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert?
Ego is pretty important in fencing, and if you think you are hot stuff, you are going to fence like you are hot stuff. So I think Colbert would come right off the bat and score a touch. But fencing is an enduring athletic contest, and it is also a battle of intellects. Not only do you have to be as fast and as strong as your opponent, but you also have to outsmart your opponent. So I think Jon Stewart would come back and score the next touch. Then on the third touch, both fencers would execute the same action at the same time, and the referee of the bout doesn't award a touch to either, but Colbert, convinced of his superior fencing abilities, would argue with the referee that it was his touch. Colbert would not stop arguing, and the referee would be forced to throw him out of the competition, and then declare Jon Stewart the winner.
Why did you take last semester off?
I wanted to defer before coming to Brown, but my parents didn't think I would go to school if I deferred. So instead, I came to Brown and loved my first year, but I took last semester off. I spent my time in Portland, Ore. working in a developmental biology lab.
What did you do for the biology lab?
I was a lab assistant. Basically, we wanted to identify what signals would drive cells to become tendons and how the development of tendons interacts with the development of other tissues, like bones and muscles.
Did you fence in Oregon?
I fenced five days a week with the Oregon Fencing Alliance. It's a highly competitive club, and I routinely got my butt kicked by high school kids. But my coach, Ed Korfanty, was great, and I learned a lot. Three of the four members of the U.S. women's saber team are his students.
How did training in Oregon help your fencing?
Training with the best is always the way to go. Getting your butt kicked every day really makes you improve. If you want to have the best attack game, you need to match up against the person with best defense. If I can find a way to beat the best, when I fence against others, it won't be much of a problem.
Did you get to see the beautiful scenery of Oregon?
I did a lot of rock climbing, snowboarding and mountain climbing. I climbed Mount St. Helens in Washington twice in one week. It's about a 12-hour hike roundtrip. My climbing partner, Derek Pershing, and I are both pretty crazy. The first time, we started at 10 p.m. during a rainstorm that turned into an ice storm and then a snowstorm the higher we climbed. By around 3 a.m., we were about 500 feet from the top, but we had to turn around because of the horrible weather. We went back a few days later, got to the top and took a bunch of awesome pictures.
Why do you keep a map of Mount St. Helens next to your desk?
If I can climb Mount St. Helens in the middle of the night during a storm, I can do organic chemistry homework. It gives me a little motivation.
When you were in Portland, did you keep in touch with Brown?
My friend Natalie Cobb '09 wrapped my birthday present in the Brown Daily Herald, and my friend (Herald Copy Desk Chief) Chris Gang '09 physically brought me two copies of The Herald when he came to visit me in Portland. I also saw a few alums at the Ok Go concert with Chris (Gang).
What did you miss most about Brown?
I missed the people the most. They don't make them like they do at Brown anywhere else.
