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The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, January 20, 19875' AMERICAN WCAMCER V SOCIETY NM Le9 deteffmMMtoinio ffeecim airls- team g-sp By LAURA GRIMMER Staff Writer When UNC fencer Nhi Lan Le, a Senior business major from Decatur, Ga., has a dream, you have to feel sorry for her roommate. "I go to bed thinking of fencing,' the Vietnam native said. "Ill think of new attacks and defenses in my sleep and lunge off the bed." It is this kind of dedication that makes Nhi's ultimate goal the Olym pics. Fencing head coach Ron Miller stands behind the captain of the women's team in her aspirations. "Nhi definitely has the physical tools and the intelligence to make it," Miller said. "The only thing stopping her will be her late start in the sport.'' As many UNC fencers have done, Le took beginning fencing in the fall of her freshman year, tried out for and made the team. "Most serious fencers at the big schools, such as Columbia, Penn State or Notre Dame, start fencing when they're about 12 years old," Miller said, "and European fencers begin almost at birth. Nhi started when she was 19, so she has a lot of catching up to do. If anyone can do it, though, 1 think Nhi has the abilities." She has already responded to the challenge of playing catch-up. Le spent last summer working and training in London with the London Thames Fencing Club, and she plans to train and travel in France and Italy, the European fencing capitals, this summer. The fencer's season lasts approx imately six months and training lasts about nine. The practices at North Carolina are four days a week and range from three hours a day in the fall to five hours in the spring, when the dual meet season kicks into action. Doesnt she ever get tired of it? All that fencing for four years? "I never don't want to go," Le said. "Sometimes my body may not want to or 111 have other obligations, but I truly love fencing. It's a healthy obsession with me. 1 just have to know when to not let it possess me." Far from being possessed, Le concentrates on being in control. She carries a 3.2 CPA in the business honors program, serVes as vice president of the Association of International Students and is involved in the work-study program with the International Center. "Yes, Nhi does a lot," Miller said. "But she balances it well. She really knows how to organize her time and disperse herself." Le's family, now residing in Atlanta, had a hard time understand ing her dedication to something besides academics. Of her five sisters and three brothers, Nhi is the only Le who is seriously interested in sports. "My parents really didnt under stand my intense interest in fencing until I'd been doing it for about two years," Le said. "Now they know that it's something 1 want to do, and they support me." That's not to say that some conflicts between the two don't remain. "Sometimes it's hard for them to understand," Le said. "Like, I want to go home for the Vietnamese New Year, which is at the end of January, but there's a very important meet in Boston that weekend. "Often, 111 choose my family, but this time I had to choose fencing," Le said. "It Wasn't an easy decision." . Dedication and commitment are Le's roads to the future. "Nhi has to be one of the hardest workers on the team," Felix Dover, co-captain of the men's team, said. "Her leadership as women's captain is instinctive. She leads more by example, and even when she's not really aware of it." Coach Miller agrees. "Nhi's desire and drive carry over to her team members and inspires them," Miller said. "It's a strength of her leadership and her character." Le said that her main focus as team captain is to provide the women AP Top 20 1 New sports staff I. Iowa (34) 16-0 1,263 2. North Carolina (28) 15-1 1,252 3. Indiana 14-1 1,133 4. Nev.-Las Vegas (3) 1 5-1 1 ,088 5. Purdue 14-1 1.063 6. DePaul 14-0. 974 7. Syracuse 15-1 774 8. Temple 16-2 696 9. Illinois 13-3 680 10. Clemson 16-0 670 II. Oklahoma 12-3 655 12. Duke 13-2 568 13. Alabama 13-2 567 14. St John's 12-2 514 15. Georgetown 12-2 404 16. Pittsburgh 13-3 296 17. Auburn 10-3 295 18. Navy 11-3 189 19. TCU 13-3 154 20. N.C. State 11-4 113 If you submitted a story to try out for the sports desk, come by The Daily Tar Heel and look beside the front door. The new writers for the sports staff have their names posted. Those who have made the sports staff need to meet with Sports Editor Scott Fowler today at 4:30. tf that proves impossible, leave a note in the sports office inside the DTH. ACCStandinq 3 Others receiving votes: Florida 79, Kansas 59, New Orleans 24, Kansas State 21, UCLA 18, Seton Hall 17, Houston 15, Cleveland State 10, Virginia 9, St Louis 7, Memphis State 6, Michigan 6, Texas El-Paso 6, West Virginia 6, Georgia Tech 5, Providence 5, Vanderbilt 4 Team ACC Overall UNC 4-0 15-1 Clemson 3-0 16-0 Duke 3-1 13-2 N.C. State 3-2 11-4 Georgia Tech '1-1 9-4 Virginia 1-2 11-4 Wake Forest 0-4 8-6 Maryland 0-4 4-5 Today's games Clemson at Georgia Tech KPDffflK YABKEIY HACK YAOiCETY YACKI1 J l U L J. 0 Call the Yaek office todaq. 962-1251 for ifour portrait dfppojrttment Portrait dates: Seniors Jan; 19-23, 26-33 Underclassmen Feb, 2-6 Because Memories Fade St ij .. -m, .ok a DTH Larry Childress Nhi Le is UNC fencing's brightest star, a first team AII-ACC performer whose goal is the 1 988 Olympics with a role model that they can depend upon. "Whatever I do, whether it's on the fencing strip or at work or in the classroom I'm going to push myself. . "1 want the team to respect not only me, but also my fencing. That really means a lot." Ranked ranked No. 1 on the UNC women's fencing team, Le was first team all-conference last year. She also made the Mid-Atlantic Regional team. She is determined to eclipse those accomplishments this season. As for the future, Le's coach is sure his star pupil will always land on her feet. "Nhi has what I call an 'indom itable spirit'," Miller said. "Even when she's down, no one fights harder." Granville Towers Gives You Eight Days Of Free Time Each Semester How? Apartment Living weekly cleaning grocery shopping preparing meals round trips to class study trips to campus 1 hrwk 1 hrwk 5 hrswk 2V2 hrswk 2Vi hrswk 12 hrs x 1 6 weeks 1 92 hours Granville Towers weekly maid service full & partial meal plans located next to campus study lourtges computer room Plus physical fitness room pool social activities What could YOU do with 192 hours of free time you'll earn by living in GRANVILLE TOWERS? You Could Get Into Shape At Our Convenient Recreation Facilities 0 0 ay' 0 I v. Granville Towers i nv 1 UNIVERSITY SQUARE 919929-7143 Spring Accomodations Still Available The place to be at UNC o Xffl H O H H o . I o H a o H CO H 2 o to n. V JK S X 2 S c O 3 " F 13 O m o o s Zl cj S H S .S S2 i 1)14 C. CD -O 73 " N C F1EE HUGGEffi" WITH SUBSCRIPTION A
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Jan. 20, 1987, edition 1
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