I started fencing at a park district when I was eight. A Calvin and Hobbes swashbuckling poster caught my eye and I ran with it. I fenced very seriously at a national level to about age 14. It was my entire life…and like a lot of kids, I burnt out in my early teens. But I never stopped thinking about fencing. As an adult, I found my way back to it and I enjoyed the training and the discipline and everything that I had missed so much. So I decided to start competing again and see how far I could take it.
I made it to the top ten in the US, competing internationally and winning a medal at a satellite World Cup in Iceland. Now I am focused on training a new generation.
The high school I coach at is a little less advantaged. Most of the high schools in the area are very economically privileged, and the one that I choose to coach on the south side is less so. But I really like the attitude of the kids. They're very hungry and grateful for instruction and the team. I enjoy coaching them a lot. It's a great group of kids. Some are there for the team and the camaraderie, some of them have never seen fencing before and are super interested in it. It's a really unique opportunity for them to try a new sport to fall in love with.
Fencing is a lot more diverse than most people think and it provides an opportunity to interact with people all across the spectrum. Our community has grown a ton in the last ten years, almost doubled in numbers nationally, maybe more so in the Midwest.
When you're fencing, you can't focus on anything else. There's no screen, there are no distractions. It's literally just you and one person across from you. It keeps you very present in the moment. Fencing is a highly technical sport, it's not easy or natural to learn the movements. It takes a lot of time and a lot of discipline to make it work and make it look like it should. But I really like how it forces you into thinking ahead and making very quick, decisive decisions. I think that's a great skill to build in kids.
I made it to the top ten in the US, competing internationally and winning a medal at a satellite World Cup in Iceland. Now I am focused on training a new generation.
The high school I coach at is a little less advantaged. Most of the high schools in the area are very economically privileged, and the one that I choose to coach on the south side is less so. But I really like the attitude of the kids. They're very hungry and grateful for instruction and the team. I enjoy coaching them a lot. It's a great group of kids. Some are there for the team and the camaraderie, some of them have never seen fencing before and are super interested in it. It's a really unique opportunity for them to try a new sport to fall in love with.
Fencing is a lot more diverse than most people think and it provides an opportunity to interact with people all across the spectrum. Our community has grown a ton in the last ten years, almost doubled in numbers nationally, maybe more so in the Midwest.
When you're fencing, you can't focus on anything else. There's no screen, there are no distractions. It's literally just you and one person across from you. It keeps you very present in the moment. Fencing is a highly technical sport, it's not easy or natural to learn the movements. It takes a lot of time and a lot of discipline to make it work and make it look like it should. But I really like how it forces you into thinking ahead and making very quick, decisive decisions. I think that's a great skill to build in kids.