Northwestern University Athletics
Getting to Know: Stella Pointeau
7/12/2016 11:12:00 AM | Women's Fencing
As part of its monthly Getting to Know feature with members of the Northwestern fencing team, NUsports.com caught up with Stella Pointeau. She enters her senior season with an incredible 42-3 record at Northwestern and earned a top-15 finish at the MFC Championships to help the Wildcats to the conference title this past season.
NUsports.com: Why did you choose Northwestern?
Stella Pointeau: "I chose Northwestern for many reasons, including its great academic reputation and its top fencing program. While I loved NU from the start, after visiting the campus and meeting Laurie, I felt even more connected and drawn. I also fell in love with Chicago. I remember taking the canal cruise and being blown away by the city's contemporary architecture. From the amazing art scene, best comedy and jazz clubs, to a large and diverse business environment, I realized that Chicago has so much to offer. As an international student, I found that Chicago is so underrated and Northwestern allowed me the chance to explore it further."
How was the transition from France to Evanston?
"I was born and raised outside of the US in a multicultural and multilingual family. As a child, my family moved around a lot, so I'm used to adjusting and adapting to many different cultural environments. Nevertheless, I was slightly nervous for my move to the Midwest. Luckily, the transition to Northwestern was much quicker and better than I had anticipated and I believe the fencing team played a large role in this. From day one, my teammates welcomed me and provided me with an immediate feeling of belonging. Of course, I occasionally felt homesick but I found that my teammates quickly became my American family!"
You posted a top-15 finish at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships this season. What are your thoughts on your junior year?
"I think this past year truly reflected how hard work can pay off. I remember entering the team freshman year, with 11 teammates by my side, and the struggles we faced to adjust to the team dynamic. With such a large team, it can sometimes be difficult. However, over the past 3 years we worked hard at creating a great team culture, as well as becoming the best fencers we can be and winning the MFC Championship this year reflects all of this hard work. Becoming champions is definitely a part of my junior year I won't forget."
You have an incredible 42-3 record so far in your career. What has been your mentality over the last three years to help you to such a good record?
"Concentration, positive thinking, doing my best and having fun. Underlying all this is the energy and positive vibes of my teammates. When I compete, I know I have the whole team by my side and this not only encourages me, but also enables me to do better. Winning as a team and for my team is so much more satisfying than any individual success."
What is your favorite memory from the last three years with the team?
"As I said before, winning MFCs this year was an amazing experience. Not only did it feel great to become champions, but I think it was a major milestone for our fencing program. I'll never forget the last touch of the day when I realized we won. I'm not one to get emotional, but I won't lie, a tear or two may have appeared."
What are your goals for your senior season?
"Do my best and have as much fun as possible! This might be my last year fencing competitively and I just want to go out with a bang."
How did you get into fencing?
"I have my older brother, David, to thank for my fencing career. He initially expressed an interest in fencing and when my mother realized it was easier to send both kids to the same place after school, she signed me up too. I won't lie, at first, I hated it and really didn't want to go, but quickly hatred turned into just reluctant tagging along, and before I knew it, I found myself really enjoying the sport. It was also fun beating my brother and the other guys at our club. My brother lost interest and dropped out, but I continued and here I am 14 years later."
What do you love most about fencing?
"I like how unpredictable it is. No two bouts are the same. It keeps me alert and on my toes. You always have to be ready to adapt and change and that never gets boring."
What do you like to do outside of fencing?
"Like any college student, I like spending time with friends, whether it's going out for food or staying in all day and watching Netflix. I also love traveling to new places. My goal is to visit 150 countries in my life (I've got two-thirds to go)."
What is the best part of living in Evanston?
"I love living right on the Lake and our beautiful campus. Evanston has a college town vibe with an abundance of great restaurants, cool parks to hang out in, and any/all important shops nearby. It's also great living in a place with good public transportation. It's so nice being a train ride away from Chicago."
What are your future plans?
"I am a double major in Statistics and Political Science and also in the Integrated Marketing Certificate program. I am interested in pursuing a career in a marketing related field. I would love to work in Chicago, or stay in this region."
NUsports.com: Why did you choose Northwestern?
Stella Pointeau: "I chose Northwestern for many reasons, including its great academic reputation and its top fencing program. While I loved NU from the start, after visiting the campus and meeting Laurie, I felt even more connected and drawn. I also fell in love with Chicago. I remember taking the canal cruise and being blown away by the city's contemporary architecture. From the amazing art scene, best comedy and jazz clubs, to a large and diverse business environment, I realized that Chicago has so much to offer. As an international student, I found that Chicago is so underrated and Northwestern allowed me the chance to explore it further."
How was the transition from France to Evanston?
"I was born and raised outside of the US in a multicultural and multilingual family. As a child, my family moved around a lot, so I'm used to adjusting and adapting to many different cultural environments. Nevertheless, I was slightly nervous for my move to the Midwest. Luckily, the transition to Northwestern was much quicker and better than I had anticipated and I believe the fencing team played a large role in this. From day one, my teammates welcomed me and provided me with an immediate feeling of belonging. Of course, I occasionally felt homesick but I found that my teammates quickly became my American family!"
You posted a top-15 finish at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships this season. What are your thoughts on your junior year?
"I think this past year truly reflected how hard work can pay off. I remember entering the team freshman year, with 11 teammates by my side, and the struggles we faced to adjust to the team dynamic. With such a large team, it can sometimes be difficult. However, over the past 3 years we worked hard at creating a great team culture, as well as becoming the best fencers we can be and winning the MFC Championship this year reflects all of this hard work. Becoming champions is definitely a part of my junior year I won't forget."
You have an incredible 42-3 record so far in your career. What has been your mentality over the last three years to help you to such a good record?
"Concentration, positive thinking, doing my best and having fun. Underlying all this is the energy and positive vibes of my teammates. When I compete, I know I have the whole team by my side and this not only encourages me, but also enables me to do better. Winning as a team and for my team is so much more satisfying than any individual success."
What is your favorite memory from the last three years with the team?
"As I said before, winning MFCs this year was an amazing experience. Not only did it feel great to become champions, but I think it was a major milestone for our fencing program. I'll never forget the last touch of the day when I realized we won. I'm not one to get emotional, but I won't lie, a tear or two may have appeared."
What are your goals for your senior season?
"Do my best and have as much fun as possible! This might be my last year fencing competitively and I just want to go out with a bang."
How did you get into fencing?
"I have my older brother, David, to thank for my fencing career. He initially expressed an interest in fencing and when my mother realized it was easier to send both kids to the same place after school, she signed me up too. I won't lie, at first, I hated it and really didn't want to go, but quickly hatred turned into just reluctant tagging along, and before I knew it, I found myself really enjoying the sport. It was also fun beating my brother and the other guys at our club. My brother lost interest and dropped out, but I continued and here I am 14 years later."
What do you love most about fencing?
"I like how unpredictable it is. No two bouts are the same. It keeps me alert and on my toes. You always have to be ready to adapt and change and that never gets boring."
What do you like to do outside of fencing?
"Like any college student, I like spending time with friends, whether it's going out for food or staying in all day and watching Netflix. I also love traveling to new places. My goal is to visit 150 countries in my life (I've got two-thirds to go)."
What is the best part of living in Evanston?
"I love living right on the Lake and our beautiful campus. Evanston has a college town vibe with an abundance of great restaurants, cool parks to hang out in, and any/all important shops nearby. It's also great living in a place with good public transportation. It's so nice being a train ride away from Chicago."
What are your future plans?
"I am a double major in Statistics and Political Science and also in the Integrated Marketing Certificate program. I am interested in pursuing a career in a marketing related field. I would love to work in Chicago, or stay in this region."
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