Northwestern University Athletics
Dear Northwestern: Emine Yücel
6/20/2019 3:20:00 PM | Women's Fencing
Dear Northwestern,
I picked up my first weapon when I was 15-years-old. I was too old to be starting a new sport, let along a sport like fencing, where technique and experience is often the key to success. At least, that's what people told me… However, from the moment I held that blue, rusty, worn-down saber that my club lent me, I was captivated. I knew that the small, dungeon-like fencing room was where I belonged.
But little did I know that fencing would not just give me joy, it would bring me hope. Shortly after I started training with my Turkish coach, it became clear that fencing would be a way to get out of the chaotic country that surrounded me and get a great education in the United States. Just like I had dreamed of since I was a little girl...
When the time came and I made the decision to fence for Northwestern, I didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into. I didn't know that this place would become my home away from home, and the incredible people around me would not only become some of the most influential people in my life but also my second family. As I reflect upon my time here, I realize that I made one of the best decisions I have ever made by committing to Northwestern.
Moving across the world was a challenging experience. It was an adjustment socially and psychologically. I had to get used to a new language, a new environment, a new culture and most importantly being thousands of miles away from my family.
My transition to Northwestern was the result of multiple individuals and I don't believe I can describe the incredible journey I had at this program without thanking all of them.
Laurie Schiller recruited me to be a part of this magnificent team. He is the reason I am writing this letter today. But looking back, Laurie did much more than just recruit me. He believed in me. He saw something in me no other coach did. He warmly greeted me to what then seemed like the madness of college fencing. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity no one else did. I am forever grateful to him for seeing the potential in me, not just as an athlete but also as a human being.
The unfeigned welcome that Laurie provided me with escalated rapidly as I became a part of Northwestern fencing.
My coaches Eric Momberg, Zach Moss, and Luther Clement shaped and molded me as a fencer and a person. Their support has been invaluable. Most importantly, through their commitment to my growth both as a fencer and as a person, they equipped me with the tools that I need in order to stand on my own two feet long after I am done with my Northwestern experience. For this, I am and will be forever grateful to them.
Thank you, Eric, Zach, and Luther for teaching me that home is wherever I choose it to be. Thank you for always supporting me. Thank you for believing that I could be great, even when I doubted myself. Thank you for showing me that there is more to life than fencing. Thank you for always pushing me to be a better athlete and a better person. Thank you for making me realize I am more than an athlete. Lastly, thank you for showing me that growth is an endless process.
Coming out of the Turkish National Team, I saw fencing as an individual sport. It was always me and my coach. I didn't have teammates and I didn't think I needed any. I felt that it would always come down to me and my opponent on the strip. We would be all alone, just me and her, fighting for each touch. Why did I need teammates when it was always just me on the strip?
My teammates gave me no chance to think twice about this question… They answered it with their loyalty and their constant presence.
Through painful injuries and multiple surgeries that put me out months at a time, through tiring sorrow and heartbreak, through months and months of sitting on the sidelines and feeling like I wasn't able to do the one thing that gave me joy, the one thing that made me move all the way across the world… my team was there for me. They cried with me, laughed with me, sweated with me, won with me, lost with me, and most importantly lived with me. I will be forever thankful to the group of girls I consider more than just teammates; they are a second family. Thank you for always having my back. Thank you for making me understand that fencing is more than an individual sport. Thank you for teaching me that I am never alone on the strip. Thank you for being the first people to give me a pat on the back every time I left the strip feeling like I not only let myself down but also the team. Thank you for screaming with me and, often, louder than me every time I clinched a close victory. Thank you for being the sisters I never had.
As my career at Northwestern comes to a close, I know the aspect I will miss the most is not being an NCAA fencer and the joy I get from fighting on the strip, but having a team behind my back, through my best and my worst.
I will remember and treasure every single experience I had at Northwestern. The good and the bad, the exciting and the nerve-wracking. The waves of laughter and tears. The failures and accomplishments. And most importantly, the growth. The immense growth…
They say it takes a village to raise a child...Turns out, it really does... A village full of coaches, teammates, academic advisors, athletic trainers, doctors, administrators, and an incredible athletic director.
Thank you, Northwestern Athletics, for giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue my athletic and academic dreams at the same time. Thank you for raising me to be the athlete and the person I am today. Thank you for giving me a home away from home and an enormous family, which is more than I could have ever asked for.
Thank you, Northwestern!
And, forever and always, GO 'CATS!
Sincerely,
Emine I. Yücel
Northwestern Fencing, Class of 2019
I picked up my first weapon when I was 15-years-old. I was too old to be starting a new sport, let along a sport like fencing, where technique and experience is often the key to success. At least, that's what people told me… However, from the moment I held that blue, rusty, worn-down saber that my club lent me, I was captivated. I knew that the small, dungeon-like fencing room was where I belonged.
But little did I know that fencing would not just give me joy, it would bring me hope. Shortly after I started training with my Turkish coach, it became clear that fencing would be a way to get out of the chaotic country that surrounded me and get a great education in the United States. Just like I had dreamed of since I was a little girl...
When the time came and I made the decision to fence for Northwestern, I didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into. I didn't know that this place would become my home away from home, and the incredible people around me would not only become some of the most influential people in my life but also my second family. As I reflect upon my time here, I realize that I made one of the best decisions I have ever made by committing to Northwestern.
Moving across the world was a challenging experience. It was an adjustment socially and psychologically. I had to get used to a new language, a new environment, a new culture and most importantly being thousands of miles away from my family.
My transition to Northwestern was the result of multiple individuals and I don't believe I can describe the incredible journey I had at this program without thanking all of them.
Laurie Schiller recruited me to be a part of this magnificent team. He is the reason I am writing this letter today. But looking back, Laurie did much more than just recruit me. He believed in me. He saw something in me no other coach did. He warmly greeted me to what then seemed like the madness of college fencing. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity no one else did. I am forever grateful to him for seeing the potential in me, not just as an athlete but also as a human being.
The unfeigned welcome that Laurie provided me with escalated rapidly as I became a part of Northwestern fencing.
My coaches Eric Momberg, Zach Moss, and Luther Clement shaped and molded me as a fencer and a person. Their support has been invaluable. Most importantly, through their commitment to my growth both as a fencer and as a person, they equipped me with the tools that I need in order to stand on my own two feet long after I am done with my Northwestern experience. For this, I am and will be forever grateful to them.
Thank you, Eric, Zach, and Luther for teaching me that home is wherever I choose it to be. Thank you for always supporting me. Thank you for believing that I could be great, even when I doubted myself. Thank you for showing me that there is more to life than fencing. Thank you for always pushing me to be a better athlete and a better person. Thank you for making me realize I am more than an athlete. Lastly, thank you for showing me that growth is an endless process.
Coming out of the Turkish National Team, I saw fencing as an individual sport. It was always me and my coach. I didn't have teammates and I didn't think I needed any. I felt that it would always come down to me and my opponent on the strip. We would be all alone, just me and her, fighting for each touch. Why did I need teammates when it was always just me on the strip?
My teammates gave me no chance to think twice about this question… They answered it with their loyalty and their constant presence.
Through painful injuries and multiple surgeries that put me out months at a time, through tiring sorrow and heartbreak, through months and months of sitting on the sidelines and feeling like I wasn't able to do the one thing that gave me joy, the one thing that made me move all the way across the world… my team was there for me. They cried with me, laughed with me, sweated with me, won with me, lost with me, and most importantly lived with me. I will be forever thankful to the group of girls I consider more than just teammates; they are a second family. Thank you for always having my back. Thank you for making me understand that fencing is more than an individual sport. Thank you for teaching me that I am never alone on the strip. Thank you for being the first people to give me a pat on the back every time I left the strip feeling like I not only let myself down but also the team. Thank you for screaming with me and, often, louder than me every time I clinched a close victory. Thank you for being the sisters I never had.
As my career at Northwestern comes to a close, I know the aspect I will miss the most is not being an NCAA fencer and the joy I get from fighting on the strip, but having a team behind my back, through my best and my worst.
I will remember and treasure every single experience I had at Northwestern. The good and the bad, the exciting and the nerve-wracking. The waves of laughter and tears. The failures and accomplishments. And most importantly, the growth. The immense growth…
They say it takes a village to raise a child...Turns out, it really does... A village full of coaches, teammates, academic advisors, athletic trainers, doctors, administrators, and an incredible athletic director.
Thank you, Northwestern Athletics, for giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue my athletic and academic dreams at the same time. Thank you for raising me to be the athlete and the person I am today. Thank you for giving me a home away from home and an enormous family, which is more than I could have ever asked for.
Thank you, Northwestern!
And, forever and always, GO 'CATS!
Sincerely,
Emine I. Yücel
Northwestern Fencing, Class of 2019
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