Page 45 - MAR 2019 proof 7 - The Castle Pines Connection

CastlePinesConnection.com
45
At the Fencing Junior Olympics, Rachel Buhay (right, on the attack) faced the country’s number 19 ranked fencer in Cadet Women’s Saber (under 17). After the pool rounds, Rachel was at 36 out of 188.
Junior Olympics!
By Susan Helton; photos courtesy of the Buhay family
A little scared but excited, Rachel Buhay (14), daughter of Rene and Tina Buhay of The Village at Castle Pines, competed in her rst Fencing Junior Olympics February 15-18 in Denver. Rachel was among 21 fencers who quali ed from her club, Fencing Academy of Denver. She quali ed for three events: Cadet Women’s Saber (under 17), Junior Women’s Saber (under 19), and Junior Team Women’s Saber (under 19).
In Cadet Women’s Saber, Rachel nished 70 out of 188 fencers, an exemplary performance according to her coach. In Junior Women’s Saber, she nished 144 out of 196. In Junior Team Women’s Saber, Rachel was the anchor fencer of a three-fencer team that nished in the top 16. With several more years in both Cadet and Juniors before she ages out, Rachel’s fencing future looks bright.
Excited to see her sister and teammates compete, Rachel’s younger sister Kirsten (10) now practices harder so she can qualify for Junior Olympics in the future. Kirsten is currently ranked third in the country in Women’s Saber (10 and under).
To read the sisters’ story from the August 2018 issue of The Connection, visit www. castlepinesconnection.com and type “Buhay” in the search function.
Rachel nished 70th in Cadet Women’s Saber (under 17). She had not been expected to nish higher than 120th.
Rachel was nervous yet all smiles before the start of her event.
Join our e-subscription at www.castlepinesconnection.com