Fencing is one sport when a righty and a lefty can be put together one-on-one, and, like boxing, the southpaw can be a problem.

"It's confusing a little bit at first, but once you figure it out, it's a hindrance for them," said junior Kristina Perkin.

"Lefthanders are pretty limited because they rely so much on their lefthandedness," Perkin, a righty, added.

In the domain of Harvard basketball, the lefty-righty dilemma is not as evident because, like in soccer, the players are taught to dribble and shoot both ways.

Nancy Cibotti is the only lefty on the women's basketball team.

"It's kind of an advantage," Cibotti said. "I get stuffed all the time in practice because they know I'm lefthanded, but when I play against other people, I tend to turn the opposite way they're used to."

The difference between being righthanded and being lefthanded is not often thought about by the armchair athlete. Often, being lefthanded can yield the right result.

It's Special

The Harvard Sports Cube will offer a Saturday Special every Saturday beginning today. The Specials will feature stories that do not normally make the sports pages. Next Week's Special: The kids at Bright Center.