Chula Vista Student Recognized for Sharp Fencing Achievements

By Rachel Perez

Like most high school students, Svetlanna Mandap was eager to find a sport she could invest in during her four years at Mater Dei Catholic High School. Unlike most popular high school sports, competitive fencing typically gets skipped over by students. Svetlanna “Lanna” Mandap, now a sophomore, can attest to why this is.

“At first I hated it, I thought it was too rough and complicated,” recalled Mandap. “I was losing and it was really frustrating, but something about it just made me love it. I began getting better and competing with more experienced fencers.”

Something flipped in Mandap, and she decided to give fencing another go. Four years later, Mandap has achieved more in the sport than other fencers triple her age. In 2022, Manhdap was named as one of the top high school fencers in the nation by the United States Fencing Association. She is also a part of the All-American and All Academic Teams. She currently carries the title of ‘2022 California State Fencing Champion’.

Mandap’s family is no stranger to fencing. Her dad, Michael, participated in competitive fencing in college and was the one who initially nudged her to try it out.

“With fencing, it’s all up to you and your personal performance,” said Michael. “Kids who start out with new sports might not know their capabilities, and that’s what we discovered with Lanna. She excelled and it was really amazing to watch.”

Besides the immense support from her family, Mandap is mentored by two of the top coaches in the fencing community: Maestro Franco Cerruti, the US National Team Fencing Director and Maestro Stu Lee, the Head Coach of LionHeart Fencing Academy. This is where Mandap devotes a good amount of her week to achieve her goals.

“My coaches taught me to keep on working hard and working strong,” said Mandap. “I was in there (the studio) almost three times a weektraining and training and training.”

Mandap’s trainers are not the only ones who have shown pride in her achievements. On May 18, 2023, Mandap was recognized by The

City of Chula Vista with a certificate of achievement, presented by Mayor John McCann’s office. This recognition made Mandap proud of not only herself, but also for being able to represent her city.

“Fencing is not very popular in San Diego, and especially not in Chula Vista. We are usually the underdogs, the ones who always end up in the lower places.” said Mandap. “I wanted to make a change in that, lately I’ve been getting in the top 8 in all my tournaments, and it makes me so proud to be able to represent Chula Vista in particular. I think it has had a really good effect because our city is being more recognized than it was before. I am hoping to spread fencing more across Chula Vista.”

In the future, Mandap sees herself attending a military college and continuing fencing there as well. She hopes to become a pilot and also has a passion for excelling in her studies.

When she is not training at Lionhart Academy or studying, she also helps teach elementary school aged fencers at Bowen Language School in Eastlake. Mentoring young fencers is something special to Mandap, because she sees herself in them.

“My advice to young fencers is to keep trying,” said Mandap. “It will be really hard at first, and might feel like you’re not getting better, but it’s all there to build upon and eventually you will have results. If you work hard, results will come.”