Fencing is a family affair for Hohensee brothers

Collegiate athletes often say their teammates are like family. For most, the comparison is merely a simile, but for the Hohensee siblings, two members of the men's fencing team, teammates are not like family. They are family.

Raised in Nashua, N.H., with four other siblings, who all fence as well, Douglas '08 and Gregory Hohensee '10 were introduced to the sport as a family affair.

"I started fencing when I was nine because my older brother was doing it," Douglas said. "I suppose my parents also nudged me in that direction. I'm from a very large family ... so it was important to consolidate activities."

With all of his brothers and sisters joining the sport, seven-year-old Gregory decided to try it out as well. Since that moment 12 years ago, neither brother has looked back.

"My siblings and I basically fell in love with fencing; after a while, all the other sports seemed dull by comparison," Gregory said.

Home-schooled until high school, both boys got their primary training from local club teams. Honing their skill in their free time, each boy decided to specialize in a different weapon.

"I started with foil and saw no reason to change to another weapon," Douglas said. "In foil, you have to play the referee as much as your opponent. It's like an argument: Not only do you have to win, but you have to prove it to the world."

While Douglas was out proving himself in foil, Gregory chose to focus on the sabre.

"I'm a sabre fencer, but I didn't start with sabre," Gregory said. "I began with foil, switched to epee for a year and ended with sabre by the time I was about 15."

Despite the difference in weapons, each brother had the same goal: to compete on the national stage and stand out in his respective weapon. Within several years of picking up the sport, Gregory and Douglas had both achieved this goal. In high school, Douglas took third place in Division 1A Nationals and was ranked eighth in the U.S. Junior standings. Gregory also fenced his way up from being unranked to a B rating on the national level.

When the time came for Douglas to make a decision about colleges, he looked to another sibling for advice.

"At the time, my sister Kira '06 was at Princeton and told good stories about the place," Douglas said. "I visited once, was totally welcomed by the fencing team and was hooked ... I applied Early Decision and never looked back."

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Once he embarked on his Princeton career, Douglas dropped out of the national fencing scene in order to focus on his academics and the collegiate circuit. As a computer science major, he's found it important to keep fencing as a second priority to his class work.

"Sophomore year, I took 12th at NCAAs and earned a spot as an All-American ... Since then I've buckled down on my academics, so I feel my fencing hasn't been quite as brilliant," Douglas said.

"School and fencing are demanding mistresses. You can never please both."

Despite witnessing his brother's difficulty in balancing academics and athletics, Gregory decided to follow in Douglas and Kira's footsteps and attend the University when his time came to choose in 2006.

"Having my brother as one of the upperclassmen on the fencing team has given me a sense of perspective on how the team functions, and his presence definitely eased my transition into college life and varsity fencing," Gregory said.

Now that both brothers have settled into college life, one might expect a natural sort of competition to take place. Each of them maintains that besting each other isn't a priority, however.

"I don't deny I've wanted to be as successful in sabre as Doug is in foil, but we're both rather laid back and don't fret about that so much," Gregory said.

In fact, the brothers credit each other for giving tremendous support and guidance.

"Having so many fencers in my family was very important in my development," Douglas said. "I had access to a lot of experience and encouragement. It's been fun to hang out with my brother at practice."