Fencing not enough for versatile Clay

Playing a varsity sport at Princeton is no easy task, as most varsity athletes will admit. The dedication, time commitment and sacrifice needed to play are demanding and require athletes to manage their time efficiently.

As if playing one varsity sport weren't tough enough, playing two would be an enormous challenge. Adding a club sport would be almost inconceivable. All the athlete would be doing is running from lift to practice to meeting to game — not to mention doing some occasional homework.

Welcome to the life of freshman Chandler Clay.

A current member of the women's fencing and club lacrosse squads, Clay has decided to try out for the field hockey team this spring and hopes to play all three sports her sophomore year. While this will not be easy for Clay, her love of competition and drive to succeed are pushing her toward this challenge.

"In coming to Princeton, I knew I would be fencing and that I was going to make that my main priority," Clay said. "In watching the field hockey games in the fall, I began to really miss playing team sports and started thinking about trying out, but I never thought I would follow through with it until the end of the fencing season, when I realized I would be doing nothing in the afternoons."

Clay's list of personal accomplishments in field hockey, lacrosse and fencing could conceivably span the entire sports section of today's paper, so here are a few highlights.

She was a four-year member of the varsity lacrosse team at Tower Hill in Wilmington, N.J., where, during her senior year, she was named first-team All-State, academic All-American and honorable mention All-American. As a three-year varsity letter-winner at Tower Hill in field hockey, Clay was the leader of arguably the best defense in Delaware, which allowed only five goals her senior year; she also received first-team All-State and academic All-American honors. She led both her lacrosse and field hockey teams to state championships her senior year, a feat that has not been accomplished at Tower Hill in quite some time.

Though her fencing career began only at age 13, Clay made immediate progress and within three years became the No. 33 fencer in the world in her age group, an honor she earned when she traveled to the 2004 U17 Cadet World Cup in Heidenheim, Germany, with the U.S. National Team. At age 16, Clay finished third in the U17 age group of the Junior Olympics and repeated her third-place finish at the same tournament the following year in the U20 bracket.

Clay's high school schedule prepared her well for the rigors of balancing multiple sports at Princeton.

Three times a week, following two hours of field hockey or lacrosse practice after school, she would make the hour-long trek to the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, where she fenced for three hours — usually not returning home until 10:30 p.m. And while field hockey and lacrosse are one-season sports, fencing lasted year-round, and tournaments occupied most of her weekends.

"It was really difficult because my coaches in high school and my fencing coach wanted me to commit full-time to the sports I was playing, which wasn't really possible, so I did the best I could," Clay said. "By my senior year, I was devoting all my time to my high school sports, which is why my fencing performance started to decline. But by being at Princeton, training every day and having one of the greatest coaches in the world, I hope I can get back to or above the level where I used to be."

Though she claims to have slipped from her peak fencing ability, Clay had no reason to be disappointed with her first season at Princeton. As the third seed on the undefeated women's epee squad behind senior captain Erin McGarry and sophomore Jasjit Bhinder, Clay finished in the top-16 at the Penn State Open, a significant accomplishment for a freshman. She also finished in the top-16 at NCAA Regionals and hopes to qualify for the NCAA finals next season.

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Clay's contribution to the women's club lacrosse team this fall was no less remarkable. Despite being unable to make every practice, Clay attended nearly every game, usually scoring multiple goals on attack.

"With Princeton's [women's lacrosse] reputation being as impressive as it is, I thought it would be best to play the varsity sports that I could contribute to most," Clay said on her decision to play club. "I've taken [more] pleasure out of playing club lacrosse than any other sport. The girls on the team are my best friends, and lacrosse is probably my favorite sport."

Clay's next challenge comes this spring. She has been allowed to practice with the field hockey team, but she must prove herself before officially making the squad. Though walk-ons are not common, it seems evident that Clay has what it takes to play. Head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn has liked what she's seen of Clay so far both on and off the field.

"I think it's amazing what she's able to do, with her club lacrosse, fencing, and now hockey," Holmes-Winn said. "I think playing only one sport at Princeton is challenging, but taking on three is absolutely incredible. I really do admire that."

While Clay awaits a final decision about whether she has made the team, she will continue to practice throughout the spring, play club lacrosse and attend optional fencing practices as time permits.

"Field hockey has just been an extra challenge that has forced me to push myself harder than I ever have before," Clay said. "The girls and coaches have been so supportive and encouraging, which has made the transition very easy. Hopefully it will all work out, but even if it doesn't, I'll be really glad that I tried."