American Fencing Magazine Summer 2020 Issue

SPOTLIGHT | TECH TALK | PARENTS’ CORNER | CLUB TIPS | WOMEN & FENCING USAFENCING.ORG B

SUMMER 2020 VOLUME 70 ISSUE 3

TOKYO 2020ne 2020 ne

ONE YEAR LATER, TEAM USA REMAINS FOCUSED ON GOLD

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM ERINN SMART P. 28

P. 28

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REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM

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LAURA JOHNSON SELFLESSLY MAKES HER IMPACT ON FENCING

THE FRONT 6 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 7 EDITOR’S NOTE 8 IN THE NEWS

COLUMNS 12 RULES & REFEREES 14 SPORTS MEDICINE Q&A 17 SPORTS SCIENCE 22 BEHIND THE MASK 26 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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BEHIND THE MASK

FEATURES 28 TOKYO 2020NE 33 REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM 37 L AURA JOHNSON’S IMPACT OFF THE STRIP 36 PETER WESTBROOK’S CONTINUED LEGACY THE POINT 42 IN THE SPOTLIGHT 43 PRODUCT PREVIEW 44 WOMEN IN FENCING 46 PARENTS’ CORNER 49 CLUB TIPS

SUMMER 2020 VOLUME 70 ISSUE 3 C C USAFENCING.ORG 3

CONTRIBUTORS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF Jose R. DeCapriles Miguel A. DeCapriles CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kris Ekeren K.Ekeren@usafencing.org

JEFF BUKANTZ author of Rules & Referees, was a member of the FIE Rules Commission and has been captain of multiple U.S. international teams, including the 2006 World Championships Team and the

2004 and 2008 Olympic Games Teams.

PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING SALES Nicole Jomantas N.Jomantas@usafencing.org EDITORS Serge Timacheff editor@americanfencing.org PRODUCTION/DESIGN Manna Creations www.MannaCreations.com PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Donald Anthony, Jr. D.Anthony@usafencing.org Please send all correspondence and articles for submission to Editor, American Fencing, 4065 Sinton Road, Suite 140, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, editor@americanfencing.org.

American Fencing is published quarterly in March, June, September and December.

Please contact the editor regarding submission deadlines. Please contact Nicole Jomantas at (719) 866-4548 or N.Jomantas@usafencing.org regarding advertising.

American Fencing (ISSN 0002-8436) is published quarterly by the United States Fencing Association, Inc., 1 Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5774.

Periodicals postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5774, and additional offices.

Subscriptions to American Fencing are included with membership in the association. Individuals can subscribe for $25 in the United States and $37 elsewhere. Postmaster: Send address changes to 4065 Sinton Rd. Suite 140, Colorado Springs, CO 80907.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed by the authors and contributors of content in this magazine are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect any position or policy of the United States Fencing Association (“USFA”).

No author or contributor is authorized to speak herein on behalf of USFA or otherwise bind USFA. USFA does not warrant the accuracy of, nor intend reliance upon, any fact or opinions stated herein. The rules and policies of USFA are set forth in, among other things, USFA’s Fencing Rules, Athlete Handbook, Operations Manual, and Bylaws. Nothing herein shall be deemed an amendment or modification of any such rule or policy, nor a binding interpretation thereof.

Cover Photo: Cover Photo Images Courtesy of Getty Images.

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JOHN HEIL is a clinical and sport psychologist who delves into lessons we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Sports Science column. He has been affiliated with USA Fencing since 1990 in a variety of roles including National & Olympic Team sport psychology consultant and Chair of Sports Science & Medicine. He is the founding editor of the Sport Science column. Works by Dr. Heil may be found FencingSportPsychology.com and ZenZoneDigital.com.

TED LI (Tech Talk) is a member of the SEMI Commission for both the FIE and USA Fencing. He was the chef de contrôle or head site armourer for three Olympic Games (1984, 1996, 2000). Li has also served as the head armourer at the NCAA National Championships and countless USA Fencing North American Cups. He is a proud student of Joe Byrnes and Dan DeChaine, and has been armouring for more than 30 years.

JENNY PETITE (Parent’s Corner) is both a fencing mom and a veteran epeeist herself at Music City Fencing Club. Petite writes about how to prepare your children for returning to the club and also interviews club owners about what steps they are taking for the return to fencing.

KRISTEN HENNEMAN relived the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games with members of the team that never had the opportunity to compete in Moscow.

Henneeman also caught up with Paralympic hopeful Ellen Geddes on her Road to Tokyo and talked with bout committee member Laura Johnson about her dedication to the sport. . Henneman joined the USA Fencing National Office staff as the communications coordinator in 2016.

JEREMY SUMMERS is the director of sports medicine for USA Fencing and a former World Team member himself. A 30-year veteran of the sport, Summers discusses how to return to training and competition after a prolonged layoff.

KAROLYN SZOT JUSTIN TAUSIG examines emotional coping mechanisms when for dealing with the changes that come from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Sports Science column. Tausign trained in Paris, France, for 11 years, won two World Cup medals as a six-time U.S. National Team member and was the last stu­d ent of Maestro Giorgio Santelli. He currently works with athletes to help hone their emo­tional and mental preparedness for competi­tion.

is a former foil fencer at Northwestern University and current coach at Silverlake Fencing.

In the Women in Fencing Column, Szot tells the story of USA Fencing Hall of Fame inductee Ella Hatton - a legend in the late 19th century who earned the nickname La Jaguarina.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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s I sit and reflect on the last eight years in which I had the honor to serve as USA Fencing president, I can only say that I had no idea that the world would be where it is today with the complete and total disruption to life as we knew it just a few months ago due to COVID-19. The world as we know it now is like nothing we have experienced in the last 100 years, if ever.

Personally, COVID-19 disrupted so many things in my world that I, along with many others, had worked together to achieve for so many years and brought all it to an abrupt halt. Key events such as the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, USA Fencing National Championships, Junior and Cadet World Championships, NCAA Championships and the final Olympic qualifiers were cancelled or postponed. Our athletes at all levels lost out on the opportunity to compete at events for which they had trained for months or years. Some of these events have been rescheduled while others will never return in the wake of a pandemic that has changed all of our lives.

The disruption of these events reflected the impact that COVID-19 had on the world and the economy. The U.S. teams were prepared for unprecedented success at home in Salt Lake City at the Junior and Cadet Worlds and our top senior athletes were primed to go for gold in Tokyo. USA Fencing was prepared to showcase our amazing men’s and women’s foil fencers at the Absolute Fencing Gear® Grand Prix Anaheim in March and launch a domestic media campaign leading into the Games to promote our amazing teams and athletes as they finished a very exciting Olympic and Paralympic qualifying season. The NCAA Championships were cancelled and the careers of so many college seniors were left unfinished.

And, finally, USA Fencing made the heart-wrenching decision to cancel both Summer Nationals as well as the Division I / Parafencing Nationals.

These losses within our own fencing family were followed by the brutal murder of George Floyd which, to many, was the equivalent of a public lynching. This sparked social unrest and a movement to address systemic racism, injustice and inequality. The senseless death of George Floyd as well as countless others, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Elijah McClain, has inspired protests and demonstrations around the nation. Within our own fencing community, it is time for action as well.

We must work to do better within our clubs and schools, on our teams and within our committees. USA Fencing recently announced the implementation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resource Team as well as the contracting of our first consultant to work with the Resource Team and National Office on new initiatives to promote education and inclusion within our sport as well as identifying and addressing issues of racial bias and inequality. These are key first steps, but they are just that – first steps.

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We must all make a commitment to not just celebrating the success of our Black athletes, but embracing an anti-racist culture.

During this period of upheaval, Peter Burchard was elected as the new president of USA Fencing and I wish Peter the best of success in his new role. I also would like to congratulate Lorrie Marcil Holmes and David Arias on their reelection to at-large and treasurer positions on the board, respectively.

It has been and honor to serve as USA Fencing’s president and chairman of the board. I am extremely proud of the amazing memberships and friends of USA Fencing that have pulled together over the last eight years to make USA Fencing one of the most powerful and respected Federation in our sport. Our relationship with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is solid and USA Fencing is a leading National Governing Body in the U.S. Olympic Movement for our athlete performance, athlete board and executive leadership, governance, fiduciary and operational execution.

Internationally, I have been extremely fortunate to represent our country as our athletes attain success at every level of competition, age category, weapon whether able bodied, para, veterans, junior, cadet or senior.

Prior to COVID-19, USA Fencing was in a very admirable and secure financial position. We were able to host international events and in a position where we could diversify our revenue streams through new corporate partnerships for these tournaments. As this pandemic continues, we will have to be innovative and make fact-based and data-driven decisions to ensure USA Fencing’s rapid recovery back to competition, vibrancy in our sport and a strong financial recovery for our clubs, coaches and federation.

The governance and financial discipline put in place by the board of directors and effective execution by our National Office will be critical to providing the framework for USA Fencing coming out of the current period stronger than even pre Covid-19. The key to this success will be for all of the diverse members of USA Fencing to continue to pull together.

We must continue to put our best and brightest members forward on the world stage and work together to build a grassroots swell that will naturally happen if we truly make our sport inclusive, welcoming, fair and honest by recognizing and acknowledging the talent of our amazing membership.

Sincerely,

Donald K. Anthony, Jr. President and Board Chairman

EDITOR’S NOTE

W

ith the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked physically, economically and culturally, the world and the United States are facing a huge crisis. It looks as thought we’ll be dealing with it for some time to come in one way or another, and our lives have changed as a result.

Fencing clubs, fencers and coaches are facing challenges in training, business and operations, events, lessons and classes, some hanging by a proverbial thread and worse. It’s been a rough year, and fencing has taken a hit.

Yet I would propose a bit of optimism, and, if not exactly a silver lining, perhaps something that may give some hope and even opportunity to our fencing community.

Walking through a USA Fencing competition, what do you hear being yelled by coaches and supporters to fencers all day long? “Keep your distance!” That’s right, and you’ve probably already heard it, fencing is the ideal naturally distancing sport. Not only do we try to stay away from each other on the strip, we’re also dressed head-to-toe in white protective gear as if we’re more ready for a hazmat job than some vigorous exercise.

Not to disparage any other sports, but think about it: If you’re a parent of a kid who wants to get out of the house after months of in-home sheltering, you’re probably wanting the same thing. And, before the pandemic, you may have had your child enrolled in any number of activities and sports like martial arts, basketball, soccer, scouting, football, drama and more. The problem is many, if not all of these involve a lot more exposure to physical contact than with which people are comfortable. There’s just too much risk, and that mentality isn’t going away any time soon.

Enter fencing.

Agreed? If so, now is the time for fencing clubs to begin marketing to this mindset. We can tell the world about our sport’s advantages and inherent, pre-existing safety in many areas. Not only is distancing a good message at this time, why not piggyback the fact that fencing has been proven an Olympic sport statistically safer than badminton and golf? It takes place in an excellent, safe and clean environment. Itencourages positive and civilized social interaction (using social distancing and face coverings, of course). Need I go on enumerating?

This issue is filled with stories of athletes adapting to changed events and plans, innovations to keep us going, and how our world is returning to a new “normal.” Fencing is alive. Fencing is life. Fencing is passion.

If there was ever a time for fencing to tell its story and invite newcomers to a sport perfectly suited for this difficult period in our lives, it’s now. It behooves us to leverage the opportunity we face, become one of the default and go-to “safe” sports and build ourselves to a level never imagined even six months ago.

Every good fencer appreciates timing. Let’s use that skill and apply it to taking advantage of perhaps one of the best opportunities we’ve ever had to pitch a compelling story. We want to look back in 20 years and say, “that awful pandemic might have been the best thing that ever happened to fencing.”

Serge Timacheff Editor, American Fencing Magazine

When presented with these realities, and how fencing is different in a good way, what parent wouldn’t consider fencing one of the best sports options for their restless, homebound offspring? If they’re going to get some exercise and become involved in an interesting sport with physical and mental benefits and stay as safe as possible from possible exposure to the virus, fencing just leapfrogged several spots forward.

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IN THE NEWS DONORS A heartfelt thank you to our generous donors. Your support develops American fencers and inspires the next generation of athletes.

ON BOOKSHELVES: The Legacy of Fencing

By Jeff Bukantz

JULY 1, 2019-PRESENT

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W

hen George Pogosov told me he had written a book, I automatically assumed it was about his life in fencing. After all, Maestro Pogosov – co-head coach at Stanford University – had a storied career that included Olympic gold and silver medals as well as six Senior World Championship titles and a Junior World gold.

To my surprise, Pogosov’s coffee-table style book, A Legacy of Fencing: An Historical Collection of Fencing Champions, was the antithesis of a personal fencing biography. Rather, this book leads the reader on a journey of the competitive fencing world from the 1800s to the present.

A Legacy of Fencing tells the story through an endless array of photos and Olympic and World Championship memorabilia, many of which are autographed by the champions. Each photo is accompanied with a brief history of the athletes’ main accomplishments.

From a personal standpoint, having grown up in the fencing world, as my late father Dan was a prominent fencer and referee, I was treated to a trip down memory lane. It brought to life many of the champions I heard about growing up, many I competed against and even those for whom I refereed. Some of the memorabilia hit home, as well, such as the Mexico City 1968 postcard or Athens 2004 tickets, both of which are sitting in some shoebox in my house.

IN THE NEWS Each page is chock full of colorful photos, and the fencers really come to life.

Throughout the book, you can see a pattern of dominance transcending the generations by certain countries such as Russia/Soviet Union, France, Italy and Hungary. You’ll notice there was a time in the 1980s and early 90s when Germany ruled the roost in foil. Poland had its champions in foil and saber. Then comes the emergence of champions from China, which commenced at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with Luan Jujie’s foil gold.

American readers are sure to truly appreciate the evolution of USA Fencing as the book approaches the current era. Whereas the lion’s share of the photos is of champions from Europe, you can’t help but smile when American champions from the most recent generation begin to appear.

We live in a world where fencers are focused on the present and the future, but rarely on the past. Most of the current generation is clueless about the champions of the past generations. It is understandable and unfortunate.

However, Pogosov’s presentation of the past in such a welcoming manner, with photos and information, makes A Legacy of Fencing an enjoyable read and fascinating to browse at home or the fencing club. While it is great for my generation, as we lived through much of the timeline, it is the perfect introduction to fencing history for fencers of all ages.

Available directly from Maestro Pogosov’s website for the book, www.fencinglegacy.com

OLYMPIAN PETER SCHIFRIN CREATES BRONZE SCULPTURE FOR U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC MUSEUM

By Kristen Henneman

W

hen visitors enter the new U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, there to greet them will be a larger than life bronze sculpture inspired by a discus thrower.

Created by 1984 Olympic fencer Peter Schifrin, the sculpture titled Olympus Within is nearly six and a half feet tall and weighs approximately 400 pounds.

Located in the entry vestibule of a building that was designed with the inspiration of the power and grace of an Olympic discus thrower, the sculpture took approximately six months to execute from the time the design process began in December to its installation on June 17.

“I’m still pinching myself,” Schifrin said of the opportunity. “It’s humbling. I feel like my job was at the service of these great legends. I tried to make a sculpture, and I think I did, that honors that heroic endeavor.”

Before becoming a sculptor, which he was done for his entire adult life, Schifrin’s first career was that of an épée fencer. He is a five-time Senior World Team member as well as a 1982 NCAA Champion for San Jose State. Schifrin also coached two Olympians at the 1992 Olympic Games in M.J. O’Neil and Molly Sullivan.

“It was like this lifetime achievement goal where I SCHIFIRIN AT THE started off to pursue a dream 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES. of being an Olympian and

then I stopped [fencing] after ’84 and pursued this dream of becoming a master sculptor,” Schifrin said.

“And now this moment of bringing this sculptural symbol back to honor the Olympics, the Olympian and the Paralympian stories felt like completing a circle in my life because I got to marry and unify these two passions and these two skillsets that I have to create a symbol of inspiration for others.”

Inspiration for the sculpture came from the form of hall of fame discus thrower Al Oerter, who won four consecutive gold medals from 1956 through 1968. While not a portrait, the sculpture is meant to be raw and unfinished, encapsulating contained human energy and power.

“It’s not all smoothed over because it’s an image that’s meant to mimic life force as it moves, as it grows, as it changes. Maybe this idea that we can all keep growing and moving toward our dreams or the vision that we want of ourselves,” Schifrin said.

“It’s this weird contradiction that it will be in bronze, so it will be eternal and static, but at the same time, the forms are meant to keep moving.”

In that way, the sculpture is universal with Schifrin’s intention being that it could talk to anybody and everybody who looks at it as it represents the human spirit, aliveness and the pursuit of excellence that exists inside everyone.

“I named the sculpture Olympus Within with the idea that the reason that museum exists and even the reason I create sculpture is to remind viewers of our vitality, of our life force, of what we can be as human beings,” Schifrin said. “Not everyone is an Olympian, but everyone can pursue that dream of becoming the best.”

SCHIFIRIN AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF OLYMPUS WITHIN. PHOTO CREDIT: BILL BAUM

SCHIFIRIN WELDING HIS MASTERPIECE. PHOTO CREDIT: PETER SCHIFIRIN.

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IN THE NEWS MALLIKA & KETKI KETKAR Named 2020 Spirit of Sport Annual Winners

By Kristen Henneman

USA Fencing is pleased to announce Ketki and Mallika Ketkar (Sammamish, Wash.) as the winners of the 2020 Annual Spirit of Sport Award.

Originally nominated by one of their coaches, Kaizen Academy club owner Kevin Mar (Shoreline, Wash.), the Ketkar twins were then selected by a selection committee as one of the seven finalists for the award, which was determined by an online vote.

Out of nearly 1,800 votes, the 15-year-old épée fencers received 39.3% of the vote. “[We’re] really happy to win this,” Ketki Ketkar said. “It was really good to be able to help other people in the club and through the grocery shopping. It’s really great to see that a lot of people voted for us.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the club closed, the Ketkar twins sprang into action. Going above and beyond, they took grocery orders, picking up and delivering them to anyone who was isolated and donating the tips to the club.

“Our grandpa was in India a few weeks KETKI (LEFT) AND MALLIKA (RIGHT) KETKAR WON THE SPIRIT ago and whenever we would call him, he OF SPORT ANNUAL WINNER AWARD IN ITS SECOND YEAR. would always be worried about how to get groceries and food and stuff because he had to be isolated,” Mallika Ketkar said. “So we thought that there would probably be people like that here who need to isolate themselves because they at high risk.”

To keep members of the club motivated and excited, the Ketkars invited referees, coaches and Olympic and National Team members, including Jason Pryor (South Euclid, Ohio), Soren Thompson (New York, N.Y.), Sebastien Dos Santos (Golden, Colo.), Margherita Guzzi Vincenti (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Abbas Fadel (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Yannick Borel (FRA), Mara Navarria (ITA), Erico Garozzo (ITA) and Constantin Boehm (GER) to do speak on topics such as training, nutrition, mental health, video analysis and more over Zoom.

They also helped with editing and publishing videos for the club.

“We took TV production in school, so we told Kevin that we could edit the videos and put it together into one thing, so it would be easy for people to watch,” Ketki Ketkar said.

Fencing almost seven years, the Ketkars, who are also coached by Yasser ElDarawani (Redmond, Wash.) and love the sport for its physical and mental aspects as well the competition and unpredictability, have been known since they started at the club as hard-working, team-oriented, dedicated and encouraging.

“Fencing teaches life lessons and these girls are the embodiment of those values,” Mar said. “They represent sportsmanship, selfless service and community spirit.”

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IN MEMORIUM

ROBERT BECK Two-time Olympic medalist in modern pentathlon and fencing Olympian Dr. Robert “Bob” Beck passed away on April 2 at the age of 83.

Beck suffered a head injury after a fall in front of his home in San Antonio, Texas in February and was hospitalized.

Born on December 30, 1936, Beck graduated from Harvard Medical School, where he earned both his DDS and MD degrees, going on to become a dentist. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

An épée fencer as well as a pentathlete, Beck won individual and team bronze in modern pentathlon at the 1960 Olympic Games, becoming one of only three U.S. pentathletes to win two Olympic medals and the last U.S. athlete to win an individual pentathlon medal.

Beck won the épée national championship in 1961 and in 1968, represented Team USA in both fencing and modern pentathlon at the Mexico City Olympic Games.

During his career, Beck also won three Pan American Games gold medals, claiming individual and team gold in Sao Paulo, Brazil in modern pentathlon in 1963 and team gold in fencing in Cali, Colombia in 1971.

Beck is survived by his wife Ana, sons Joshua Lee and Robert and his daughter Elizabeth.

ST. CLAIR CLEMENT St. Clair Clement passed away on April 29 at age 81 due to COVID-19. A long-time maestro and coach who dedicated his life to reaching and training inner-city youth in the East-coast tri-state area, Coach St. Clair began fencing in Harlem at an early age. He later started an Army fencing team while stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany under Italian fencing master Amilcare Angelini and, years later, in 1991, took his skills back to start a fencing program at the Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center in East Harlem.

It was in Harlem where he met Witold Rak – now a fencing master at Woodside Fencing in Queens – and together they built the East Harlem International Fencing Center. St. Clair also founded the Salle Dumas Fencing Society in New York’s Upper West Side, where his protégé, Charles James, carries on his legacy today.

ANTHONY GILLHAM One of the longest tenured coaches at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Anthony Gillham passed away in Menomonee Fall, Wis. on May 25 at the age of 85. Gillham led the Badgers to a 246100 record during his 18-year tenure at the university that lasted from 1972-1990. The program was cut in 1991 following a run by Gillham that included seven Big Ten team titles and 18 individual titles.

Three of Gillham’s students went on to earn NCAA All-American honors, including his son, épée fencer Tim Gillham.

Although Gillham left the university prior to budget cuts that also resulted in the demise of the baseball and gymnastics programs, when he learned the news, he offered to coach the men’s and women’s fencing teams for free if the university kept the squads.

The university declined his offer, but Gillham remained actively involved in the sport, going on to serve as the president of USA Fencing’s Wisconsin Division and coach high school fencing at Broofield Academy in Brookfield, Wis. Born and raised in Great Britain, Gillham moved to the United States at the age of 32. Gillham is survived by his wife, Maggie, as well as children Timothy, Simon, Genevieve and Ellen.

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RULES & REFEREES

BY JEFF BUKANTZ

SPECIFIC PENALTIES FOR SPECIFIC OFFENSES O ne of the main goals when hosting referee seminars is to try to leave a lasting impact on the neophyte, and mostly teenaged, referees. I know during the seven-to-eight-hour seminar, which is basically a masters course crammed into one day, it is impossible to retain a large percentage of what is taught. During that exceptionally long day, when eyes start to roll, the key is to jolt the attendees back to life with something juicy.

And there is nothing juicier than going through the penalty chart.

The penalty chart provides the opportunity to discuss why rules exist, why and how rules have evolved and why rules must be uniformly enforced to maintain a level playing field.

My late father Danny, a USA Fencing Hall of Famer and referee emeritus who officiated in four Olympic Games, used to tell me “…rules are to guide you, not to bind you.” In other words, referees are given some leeway to use judgment when applying the rules.

A perfect example of this is regarding the bend in the blade. If a fencer comes on guard with the blade bent beyond the acceptable amount, the rules state that a Group 1 penalty for non-conforming equipment must be applied. In fact, that is the correct answer to a question on the general exam. Yet, we all know the time-honored practical application of this rule is to simply tell the fencer to straighten the blade.

Hence, “rules are to guide you, not to bind you.”

However, that mantra can lead to a very slippery slope and should be used rarely and judiciously. The stark reality is referees are required to enforce all the rules whether they like them or not, and regardless if the score is 0-0, 4-4, 14-14 or 44-44. While referees make subjective decisions on the right-of-way, there is little or no room for subjectivity for penalizing objective infractions.

Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up, let’s introduce a new wrinkle to enforcement of the rules.

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There are instances when more than one penalty may be applied to an infraction. Here is an example a lot more fun to look back at now than it was when it happened. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, I was officiating a team match in the 5-8th place bracket between Italy and Germany. Italy went into the team event ranked first and was stunned by Austria in the quarterfinals. The Italian foilists expected a gold medal and were now in the placement bracket, which was a staggering reversal of fortune. The entire team was understandably in a bad mood, and nobody was in a worse mood than 1988 Olympic Champion Stefano Cerioni.

In one of his bouts, Cerioni decided to take it out on the poor, unfortunate referee. And, while Cerioni is now a lovable and cuddly teddy bear, back in his day he was the most intimidating fencer in the world. What Cerioni did here was not over-the-top or anything heinous, but worthy of multiple penalties. After being hit near the end of his end of the strip, Cerioni basically refused to come back to his on-guard line.

“En garde,” I instructed in a matter-of-fact manner. He did not budge.

“En garde, s’il vous plait,” I then said in a slightly terse and firm voice. Again, Cerioni did not move. I gave him a yellow card.

Then, with my heart pounding and not sure what would happen next, I commanded Cerioni in a very firm manner: “En garde, maintenant!”

Not to be bullied by me or any referee, Cerioni looked at me with a combination of disdain and amusement but did not move one inch! I gave him a red card.

After a second red card for refusing a fourth command to come on guard, Cerioni finally gave in and came up to his on-guard line.

Shortly after the match, I entered the Referee Protection Program!

Let’s fast-forward a quarter-century to the issue at hand, which is multiple penalties could have been applied in this scenario.

• Delaying the Bout Yes, the fencer was delaying the bout, a Group 1 penalty • Refusal to Obey the Referee Yes, the fencer refused to obey the referee, a Group 1 penalty • Fencer Disturbing Order on the Strip An argument can be made that the fencer was disturbing order, a Group 3 penalty • Anti-Sporting Behavior An argument can be made that the fencer exhibited anti-sporting behavior, a Group 3 penalty and possibly an immediate black card • Offense Against Sportsmanship An argument can be made that this fencer exhibited an offense against sportsmanship, a Group 4 immediate black card Now, before your blood starts boiling, let me stipulate that Cerioni’s offenses fell into the Group 1 category of either delaying the bout or refusal to obey the referee.

The reason I listed all five examples was two-fold.

1) It illustrates a referee may apply more than one penalty for a specific infraction, albeit only one at a time.

2) It illustrates rogue referees may try to fall back on a combination of linguistic gymnastics and their own personal ethical and moral views to claim more severe penalties may be warranted and applied to a lesser offense.

Before you laugh at the claim in number 2, a prominent member of the USA and FIE refereeing world once suggested in this very magazine a referee could, actually should, apply a very severe Group 3 or 4 penalty to what was undeniably a Group 1 or 2 offense based on his claim the offense was unethical and unsportsmanlike.

And this brings us to the crux of this column.

While referees have lots of power, and in some cases may many apply different penalties for certain offenses, they cannot be vigi-

lantes and apply more severe penalties than the rules call for.

In other words, if a specific penalty exists for a specific offense, only that penalty may be applied.

Let me give you the perfect example.

Fencer A claims an injury not verified by the medical personnel after a lengthy process that probably took five to seven minutes. The penalty for “Interruption of bout for claimed injury/ cramp not confirmed by doctor” is an immediate red card.

Fencer A’s false claim, resulting in a momentum-breaking and multi-minute timeout, undoubtedly can be viewed as unsportsmanlike. It can also be viewed as immoral and unethical.

Yet, there is a specific penalty for this offense, and it must be applied. A referee may not apply a more severe penalty, even though an argument can be made that the punishment of a one-point penalty is not severe enough for gaining the unfair advantage of a 5-7-minute timeout.

So, while Fencer A’s offense was unsportsmanlike and dishonest, a referee may not apply such Group 3 penalties as Dishonest Fencing or Anti-Sporting Behavior, let alone the Group 4 Offense against Sportsmanship, an immediate black card.

There are other similar examples, but this one paints the clearest picture.

Again, if a specific penalty exists for a specific offense, only that penalty may be applied.

While fencers, parents and coaches have every right to be frustrated by referees who attempt to apply more severe penalties than the rules call for, the fencers have the recourse of lodging a protest for misapplication of the rules to the bout committee.

However, what recourse do referees have when they feel a penalty is not severe enough, and the offending fencer may have gained an unfair advantage?

Referees not only have that recourse, but they have the obligation to address these potentially not penal-enough penalties. According to the USA Fencing Referee Code of Ethics, “Referees must offer their judgment to the appropriate referee’s commission concerning rules that do not accomplish their intended goal.”

So, to wrap it up, while referees may use different penalties for certain offenses, they are required to apply a specific penalty if it exists for a specific offense.

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SPORTS MEDICINE Q&A

BY JEREMY SUMMERS

SAFE REENTRY INTO FENCING FOLLOWING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

I

n March, the world changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sports were halted around the globe. All sports clubs, gyms, and national team have been affected during this time. Olympic athletes and National Team as well as club owners are currently trying to pick up the pieces since the pandemic started.

This article will cover key considerations surrounding the impact of “de-training” due to a prolong absence of sport specific training. Also, we have listed general considerations for individualized preparedness and a proposed fencing safe reentry template.

Sports performance professionals across the aisle have collaborated for an evidencebased model surrounding sports data on athlete training load trends and the process of “de-training” when an athlete abruptly stops sport specific training is as follows: • Prolonged time away from sport specific training, as short as 2-4 weeks, can create a state of “de-training,” with overall fitness and strength losses. o Athletes may be only at ~30-40% sport specific capacity after 8 weeks off from sport specific training. (E.g. “take a swimmer out of the pool for 8 weeks, he/she may lose up to 60% swimming capacity”).

• Highly anticipated return to training is prone to process that is too quick. An accelerated return to sport specific training may put the athlete at risk for injury.

• In the context of normal training cycles, a systematic training plan is required to prepare an athlete for the demands of their sport.

• Consensus across all sports: Following a restriction from training, a health strategy for training load reintroduction is even more necessary to avoid injury Fencing is a low-risk sport for time-loss injuries (injuries that take you out of an

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event or training for a specific timeframe).

However, fencing’s demands for re-entry into sport should be well thought out in order to help ensure a safe return.

The following information is meant to provide general strategies on how to approach return to fencing specific training following long-term restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The information laid out is only meant to serve as information and guidelines and must be tailored to each fencer based on their limitations. These guidelines come with inherent limitations.

Fencers and their training efforts during stay at home orders may differ, so please take into consideration the following: • Every fencer will return to training having variable levels of preparation and will have maintained variable levels of fencingspecific activities and general fitness.

• Each fencer will have begun his or her time away from fencing-specific training with variable levels of health and will have variable opportunities for recovery and access to care of pre-existing injuries.

• In the context of this viral pandemic, it is important to keep in mind each fencer’s medical history and subsequent relative health risk upon return to social and sport activities.

• The timing and specifics of each fencer’s physical reintegration and training plan will be partially dependent on local, regional and national public health guidelines.

• Skills that were previously routine may be too much load for a “de-trained” fencer.

Gradual increase of load and volume are for a safe return to sport.

Proposed Fencing Safe Re-Entry Template: This reentry template describes a general progression that should help guide your return to fencing specific training. There is no one template that can account for individuality and weapon discipline, however, below will provide resources to support this framework: • Pre-Return athlete questionnaire.

• Assume a fencer has maintained ~3040% of their normal levels of fitness.

• Strategy of increasing training loads by 10% each week to allow for appropriate and safe adaptation.

• Proposed 6 to 8-week timeline for reintegration.

• Each week monitor and assess how each athlete is progressing, in an individualized manner.

• Similarities between weapons/discipline will vary slightly. All athletes should avoid a quick return to competitive training bouting, start-stop/change of direction, and deep powerful lunging. Saber fencers should consider the dynamic load of a bout regarding powerful ballistic lunging to early in their return.

• The end of two weeks is a moment to reevaluate the initial success of progressive return.

• Throughout the progression, it will be important to regularly check-in with your fencers to assess their physical and mental adaptation to and to adjust accordingly.

• Athletes with prior or chronic injuries prior to the pandemic are encouraged to seek access to rehabilitation plans of management to reduce risk of exacerbation or a re-injury.

• An environment of early reporting of pain and/or injury should be encouraged.

• Reintegration of fencing bouting and overall time should vary for each individual fencer.

PRE-RETURN QUESTIONNAIRE It is suggested that athletes answer the following questions for discussion with the coach before returning to training.

1. Where you able to do any type of fencing specific training at home? If yes, describe.

3. Did you maintain a log of your workouts? If yes, consider sharing with your coaches.

4. Did you maintain a strengthening program? If yes, describe and list days per week/duration.

2. Did you maintain cardiovascular fitness (e.g. run, bike, swim, etc)? If yes, describe, days/duration etc.

5. Did you participate/play in any activity/training besides fencing (e.g. another sport, virtual class etc.)? If yes, describe and list.

6. Are there any concerns in current health & fitness status prior to return to fencing training?

POST-COVID-19 REINTEGRATION TEMPLATE 8-Week Training Template – 10% gradual increase in load and duration

WEEK

GOAL

STRENGTH VOL & OVERALL VOLUME

1

Integration of Fitness & Fencing-Specific Adaptations

Strength: 30% Overall: 30%

2

Integration of Fitness & Fencing-Specific Adaptations

Strength: 40% Overall: 40%

Situational bouting, drills re-development

Strength: 50% Overall: 50%

Further Skill ReDevelopment

Strength: 60% Overall: 60%

Check-in with athletes. Continue to build endurance & stamina. Start integration into open bouting (light to moderate in load volume). Have fun! 4 sessions 2-3 hours (8-12 hours/week

Further integration of bouting and lesson load

Strength: 70% Overall: 70%

Continue to build endurance, strength, and stamina. Increase bouting load volume. 4 sessions 2-3 hours. Total 8-12 hours/week

Further bouting load integration

Strength: 80% Overall: 80%

Check-in with athletes. Continue open lessons and drills with moderate intensity.

Introduce moderate/high intensity bouting with low volume

Further preparation of competitive bouting and higher intensity lessons

Strength: 90% Overall:90%

Continue to build endurance & adaptation. Closely return to normal training loads.

Lessons, bouts and drills that are similar to pre-COVID training sessions

Strength: 100% Overall: 100%

Final integration of full training capacity.

4-5 practice sessions for 2.5-3 hours Total 12-15 hours/week

3

4

5

6

7

8

Return to full training

ACTIVITIES Have fun! Assume athlete is returning with 30% of normal fencing fitness. Assess athlete with questionnaire (see resources), light warm-up/dynamic stretching, return to footwork, Introduce core stability/endurance training, hamstring eccentric exercises. 3-4 practice sessions for 1 hour – Total 3-4 hours/week.

Monitor body soreness and adjust, Technique, drills, footwork. Begin lessons/light to moderate duration and intensity focusing on technique & distance. Increase warmup load. 4 practices 1-2 hours. Total 4-8 hours/week

Check-in with athletes. Footwork endurance with reduced impact/lunging. Continue to build fitness/conditioning. Continue to build fencing specific timing with increased exposure during lessons, group drills, and situational bouting. 4 training sessions for 2 hours. Total 8 hours/week

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AIR ZOOM

FENCER

www.athleteps.com

SPORTS SCIENCE

BY JOHN HEIL

COVID-19, ADVERSITY AND POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH: LESSONS FROM AND FOR SPORT

W

hen facing an unknown, the search for a solution can begin with what is known about similar circumstances. Adversity is the common denominator of all trauma and catastrophe, including COVID-19. Lessons in coping with COVID may be drawn from what is already known about managing adversity in sport. This article focuses on the psychology of sport injury and sport-critical incidents.

Like COVID, injury causes a pause in the everyday way of play. The injured athlete is still an athlete, but the way to train changes, from the dynamic whole-body action of the competitive sport environment to the carefully executed, simple mechanics of injury rehabilitation. But the underlying skill set remains the same: concentration, body awareness, pain tolerance, goal orientation and commitment to the rehab plan. COVID also requires a shift in thinking about training. Finding new ways to train and compete requires innovation and fresh thinking.

Unlike injury, which is typically a solitary experience, COVID is an experience shared across the universe of sport. As the word pandemic implies, its impact is worldwide, with effects felt across all realms of sport, including team and individual, impacting the youth athlete, to the weekend warrior, to the elite athlete.

The expression “we are all in this together” is most certainly true, reflecting a shared need for resourcefulness and resilience. This gives rise to the first lesson: Work as a team – to find new ways to train, keep physically fit and be competition ready. With this expanded sense of team, there is a critical mass of thought, emotion and energy devoted to problem solving. Let’s all share what we learn and do. The range and diversity of approaches is both surprising and exciting. The downtime of injury provides an opportunity to train-up the mental game. It is the same with COVID.

As with injury, COVID is likely to generate feelings of loss (an emptiness that comes when the athlete role is interrupted) and a sense of threat (linked to an uncertain future). From loss may come sadness, apathy and helplessness, which may lead to depression. With threat, there may be frustration and fearful negative thinking, which may evolve into anxiety.

The second lesson is the same as the first: to work as a team – to help keep each other psychologically healthy, to stay in touch personally. Teammates know one another well and know each other in adversity. When someone is off his or her game emotionally, reach out and show your support. Early recognition and effort to remedy loss and threat prevent them from becoming anxiety and depression. Don’t be afraid to speak out to a friend in need of help.

Be willing to listen to the friend who offers you help.

Most injuries are recoverable, and, as a society, we will recover from COVID. How quickly and completely this happens depends upon what we all do. In injury, it is essential to stick to the rehab protocol, whether inconvenient or uncomfortable. With COVID, this means sticking to the protocol. No need to repeat that here, as everyone knows it. But, for some reason, not everyone does it. Whether convenient or comfortable, we all need to do it. The third lesson is now a familiar one: Work as a team – to help push through the pandemic itself. Set a good example and encourage others to follow.

We wear the mask as much for each other as we do for ourselves. Beating COVID will take a team effort.

Sport-critical incidents include catastrophic injuries and other trauma experienced within the world of sport. For sport, COVID is a critical incident. Critical incidents also cause a pause,

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SPORTS SCIENCE

BY JOHN HEIL

in an evocative and soul-searching way, as a team or community or society take a step back and examine the meaning of sport in the broader context of life.

Critical incidents change people. One does not come out the other side of such an experience the same as one went in. But, despite feelings of sadness and loss, some become better and wiser. It has been said “what does not kill you makes you stronger.” The truth is sometimes people do become stronger, and sometimes they remain broken.

What is it that enables an athlete or anyone to come through adversity? The potential for growth after stress is being better understood through ongoing research, including some done with sport. The theory holds that there is an innate drive to modify one’s worldview positively following trauma. This involves finding the affirmative opportunity that life provides even while accepting and living with feelings of loss.

While this is ultimately a personal challenge, the help of others can be the tipping point between post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress.

In the wake of the Virginia Tech campus shootings, there are two compelling observations noted by the VT Sports Medicine team as part of a Lessons Learned study. The first year after the shootings was a landmark year in VT sports with teams exceeding expectations.

This is attributed to a greater sense of community, the feeling of a shared experience and a revaluing of sport with a greater level of focus and commitment. This reflects a shared post traumatic growth.

The second observation was of the significant impact sport played in the healing process for the entire college community. This speaks to the role for sport in moving society through COVID and other trauma to a better tomorrow.

As an influential social institution with a highly visible worldwide reach, sport has the potential to exert a profound influence on communities and on society, especially in a time of crisis. The world is watching. Sport can help lead the way.

Let’s work as a team for a better tomorrow.

RESOURCES The COVID-19 Pandemic: Tips for Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and the Sport Community. From the Association for Applied Sport Psychology: https://appliedsportpsych.org/ blog/2020/03/the-covid-19-pandemic-tipsfor-athletes-coaches-parents-and-the-sportcommunity/ Implementing Lessons Learned from the Virginia Tech Shootings: Sports Medicine Team Perspectives (PowerPoint). Text available from author.https://appliedsportpsych.org/ blog/2020/03/the-covid-19-pandemic-tipsfor-athletes-coaches-parents-and-the-sportcommunity/ Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2005). Positive adjustment to threatening events: An organismic valuing theory of growth through adversity. Review of General Psychology, 9(3), 262-280.

Training Materials by Dr. John Heil & Associates

Competition Master Plan Stripside Coaching: A Training Manual with Paul Soter

Mind-Body Relaxation: For Fencing with Chip Magdelinskas Available for streaming at

Fencing Sport Psychology (https://fencingsportpsychology.com/) DVD’s available from

Absolute Fencing Gear jheil@PsychHealthRoanoke.com

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SPORTS SCIENCE

BY JUSTIN JOHN HEIL TAUSIG

FEELING LOST

IN COVID-19 GETTY IMAGES

T

his past spring has been unlike anything any of us has ever experienced. COVID-19 has changed the way we work, study, shop, eat and travel. There remain many question marks about when this will truly end, when a reliable vaccine will be found and what happens next.

Iris Zimmermann recently said: “Fun is always on the menu,” and I agree. Make these little challenges to yourself fun and enjoyable.

If you are in containment with others, then do some of these things together. If you’re on your own, reach out to people you know to get them involved with this program.

In the meantime, here are a few things you can do NOW to help keep yourself more balanced emotionally during this global pandemic.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO FEEL

STRUCTURE YOUR DAY In the absence of the external structure most of us experienced prior to the onset of this situation, it would be easy to spend time as though this is the universe’s way of pressing a pause button. But this is not an extended vacation.

Time is passing, and it’s important to make good use of that time.

I recommend making sure you spend a minimum of one hour each day doing something that stretches you physically, mentally and artistically/creatively. These are separate categories, so that makes three hours total.

Commencement celebrations have been canceled. Athletic seasons postponed. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games pushed back to 2021. The list goes on. There is nothing wrong with grieving for what has been lost and mourning that loss. Grief is felt differently by each individual, so allow yourself to feel what you feel. Talk about it, share your experience and gain strength from that interaction.

MAKE USE OF THE TIME YOU HAVE Time is passing, perhaps at a different pace than we are accustomed to, but it is still passing. When this pandemic is finally over, how do you want to remember what you have done during this time? There are skills you can improve without fencing clubs being open. Speak with your coach, or coaches and work with them to come up with ideas and drills you can

do in your living room. This is also a great opportunity to work on your mental preparation!

STAY CONNECTED Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of staying connected. The media keeps calling for social distancing when what they mean is physical distancing. Be as social as you like! Call your friends and family. Arrange Zoom sessions where you have a meal with someone or play a game of chess. During this time, it would be easy to stay isolated, but that typically increases feelings of anxiety and depression. A good use of the Internet is to remain in contact. Check in on someone you haven’t heard from in a while. Covid-19 has impacted us all in different ways, but we are all feeling its effects in some way.

I have said many times that in the fencing community, we are one family. That means we have to look out for each other and ourselves.

In time, we will be reunited again in clubs and in competitions, but we all have to work together to make sure that happens safely.

Stay Safe!

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GEDDES IN ACTION AT THE 2019 SAO PAOLO WORLD CUP. PHOTO CREDIT: GINNY BOYDSTON.

By Kristen Henneman

Ellen Geddes didn’t grow up fencing. A competitive equestrian, Geddes

found fencing while rehabbing a spinal cord injury after a car accident in 2011. While she still spends a lot of her time around horses, the fourtime Wheelchair World Championship Team member has emerged as one of Team USA’s top parafencers and is on track to qualify for her first Paralympic Games and compete in Tokyo in 2021.

22 AMERICAN FENCING B

You were injured in a car accident in 2011. How does your mindset change after that kind of adversity?

I’ve been asked this a lot and I always find it very interesting because I feel like I changed not at all, but people’s view of me changed. Before I got injured, my tendencies in life caused me to be called bullheaded and stubborn and now that I’m injured, the same tendencies in life get me the much more positive word choice of tenacious.

Since you didn’t grow up fencing and found it while rehabbing, what was your first thought of fencing when you saw it?

My very first thought of it was that it looked fun. What’s not fun about stabbing people, you know?

SELFIE TIME AT MAPLEWOOD FARMS.

GEDDES AND TEAMMATE WILL CHASE WON DOUBLE GOLD AT THE OCTOBER NAC.

Talk to me about your background in equestrian. What is it about horses that you love?

They’re incredibly athletic and I like seeing that athleticism, their ability in sport and somebody’s ability to work with the horse’s ability in sport to take the horse/rider combo to as a high a level as they’re capable of reaching. It’s very individualistic for the human, but cooperative, because you have to work with this animal.

How long you were you involved with equestrian?

I probably started riding when I was 10, but I had ridden before that. My neighbor across the street – I spent a lot of time with his two sons and he trained racehorses.

He trained Sea Hero, who won the ‘93 Kentucky Derby, and so I was in the barn with them. I’ve been in barns for longer than I’ve been officially riding and taking lessons.

So why the switch to fencing?

So I tried riding. I tried the para-dressage thing. I got classified for the sport and did a lot of training at home. I rode six days a week. It was a bit of a production to ride. It was a lot of people. I found that at the end of the day, the part that I enjoyed about riding was training horses. I didn’t enjoy riding [a horse] other people [trained] and I very much felt like I was riding other people’s training doing para-dressage, so it just didn’t have the drive for me. I found a lot more enjoyment in horses in continuing to do the breeding and reproductive end of it and young horse management and all those things I still felt like I could do very well, and then using fencing as my sport outlet.

GEDDES AT MT. RAINIER.

So talk to me about what you do occupationally with horses. Are you still a facility manager at Maplewood Farm?

Yeah, and my friend and I actually bought another facility together last summer called Bridlewood Farm that is based in Aiken and so I manage that as well. That’s where we base our training operation out of and also we board other people’s horses.

And we started our own LLC, which is Magnolia Sport Horses. We do breeding and so we have several foals every year and young horse development and getting horses started and selling. I’m very busy.

For people who don’t know as much about horses, what do those jobs involve and why are they important?

We are trying very hard to produce horses for the upper level of sport, like for breeding or the Olympic disciplines – dressage and eventing mostly. Through that, we breed them, we maintain the mares through their pregnancy, we help the mare’s foal out, which they usually like to do at two in the morning … and sometimes those first few hours of life are very difficult for them. And the boarding side of it, people entrust their one and only horse that they love very dearly to us and we make sure that it stays healthy.

GEDDES AT THE U.S. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TRAINING CENTER.

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Going back to the fencing, you fence both foil and épée. Do you have a favorite weapon?

My favorite is foil. I am not sure that I’m better at foil, but I certainly prefer it. It’s much more of a thinking weapon. Épée involves a lot of thinking too, but I feel like I have more of a plan for foil and an idea of where I’m headed with everything that I’m doing. With épée, I feel like I’m waiting for someone else to make a mistake and exploiting that.

You mentioned your two greatest accomplishments were those two top eights in Kyoto. Why do you say that and what was clicking for you?

It just very much felt – not that it felt easy – but that all of the work I had put in was coming together quite well. I was very much able to

apply all of the lessons and training and skills that I had acquired and that had felt good at home, and was able to apply them in a tournament setting, which is an entirely different thing. It felt like I finally made the turn around the corner to being a good fencer, rather than just scraping by.

What motivates you?

I like doing things I’m good at. I like being successful. I am quite motivated by winning in whatever aspect of winning it can be. You don’t necessarily win at lessons, but when you do the program correctly, that is a form of winning. I like getting things right, making forward progress.

It sounds like fencing plays into that well.

Yeah, it’s definitely something that you get taught a new skill and each new skill is something that you learn well and then you put all of these different new skills that you’ve leaned well and succeeded at singularly together to make a big new skill that makes you successful in a bout.

Do you have a favorite place you’ve ever traveled while fencing?

The World Cup was in Sharjah, but we went to Dubai during it and that’s just so different than anything else. That would go high on the list for me, and the other is Kyoto. Kyoto was such an easy city to travel around that I feel like I got a much better feel for it than some of the other places I’ve been because Kyoto was quite accessible and had a very good train system and had all of these pros to it to be traveling in a wheelchair.

GEDDES DANCING AT A FRIEND’S WEDDING.

GEDDES (LEFT) AT THE 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. PHOTO CREDIT: GINNY BOYDSTON.

24 AMERICAN FENCING B

QUICK FACTS CLUBS: Shepherd Swords COACHES: Mickey Zeljkovic and Rudy Volkmann EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in religion and psychology from Presbyterian College

CURRENT LOCATION: Johnston, S.C. BEST RESULTS: Six-time North American Cup Champion Bronze medalist at the 2014 Montreal Grand Prix (Category B Epee) Bronze medalist at the 2018 America’s Championships (Category A Epee) Seventh place in both épée and foil at the 2018 Kyoto World Cup Three top-16 finishes at the Wheelchair World Championships

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Taking topeight finishes in both épée and foil at the 2018 Kyoto World Cup

What is your mindset right now with the postponement of the Tokyo Games?

I have still been fencing every day at home. I live in South Carolina. There is not still a stay-at-home order here, but the club hasn’t opened back up.

Fortunately, I have my own frame and I have people I can fence with, so there is that benefit. I have been able to stay motivated and positive because of the ability to train and fence at home . It’s a little bit hard because our qualification isn’t shut. So, it was very much like: ‘Oh, I will get to know if I’m qualified by this day’ and now, I don’t because the Paralympics got pushed and they kept qualification open. The not knowing is hard … but the actual training and the drive to go to the Paralympics and all of that is still very much there.

What would it mean to you to be a Paralympian?

We’ve been going for this for a while, so it feels pretty important. I’m hopeful that they don’t end up having to cancel the Paralympics. I would be very disappointed. It felt very much within grasp at this point, so hopefully it all comes to be.

What would being a Paralympian represent to you?

It’s basically the tangible thing – you put all this effort in and you did all this work and you were actually successful at all this work that you did. This is the reward for your success. This is the proof that you did it well. That’s what it feels like to me.

FAVORITE FENCING ITEM: The glove.

“Putting on the glove is a very ritualistic thing to me. I really care about the glove and it really matters in handling the weapon.”

JOCK OR GEEK: “I don’t like the word geek, but I would classify myself as a nerd. I would not classify myself as a geek. The only people who care about that are probably both geeks and nerds.”

TRAINING REGIMEN: Fence six days a week Lessons at least three days a week Resistance and free weight training, both seated and on the floor

GEDDES (CENTER) WITH WHEELCHAIR WORLD TEAMMATES BYRON BRANCH AND SHELBY JACOBS AT THE U.S OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TRAINING CENTER IN COLORADO SPRINGS.

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whe r e a r e t he y now?

Erinn Smart

SMART (RIGHT) IN ACTION AT THE BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES. PHOTO CREDIT: SERGE TIMACHEFF.

L iv i ng & Re me mb e r i ng SMART WITH SON THOMAS AND HUSBAND ANDREW MCLOUD.

t he

D re a m

BY SERGE TIMACHEFF

26 AMERICAN FENCING B

Br o okly n g i rl t h r ough-a nd-t h r ough .

A

self-described “Brooklyn girl through-and-through,” Erinn Smart would like to get her son, Thomas (turning three), involved in fencing is living and remembering the dream so many fencers have had. when he’s ready. “He’s not afraid to hit his uncle [Keeth] with his foam Winning an Olympic silver medal (Beijing 2008, team foil) and all the sword,” she laughed. “He would most likely become a saber fencer. He trimmings that go with it as a dedicated fencing athlete, earning de- has big shoes to fill, and I’ll expose him to fencing and take him with me. grees from Columbia and Wharton, and settling down with a husband, I’ll totally support whatever he wants to do – but I do think he’ll enjoy career and son – she is a beacon for anyone idealizing American life. the sport.”

Born in 1980, Smart has crafted a life through positive thinking. As “Always giving back to the PWF children, always making a difference a competitor, she seemed to always have a smile on her face. Her in their lives,” Westbrook said of her. “Right before my eyes, she now brother, Keeth, who won team silver in saber in Beijing, had a similar has a child and husband. It brings tears to my eyes to see new generademeanor and the two of them always brightened the room and the tions of children created from my children, like Ben Bratton, Rashaan fencing hall whether on the strip or off.

Greenhouse, Keeth Smart, Ivan Lee, Ahmed Yilla and, of course, Erinn “She is an Olympic medalist in our wonderful sport of fencing, but Smart and more.” more than that she is an Olympic medalist in life,” said Peter Westbrook, Smart has seen USA Fencing make great strides. a 1984 Olympic bronze medalist and founder of the renowned Peter “I’m so proud and amazed at how far U.S. fencing has come,” she Westbrook Foundation. said. “In my day, it was Felicia (Zimmermann), Cliff Bayer and Ann The younger of the Smart siblings, Erinn tried ice skating, dance Marsh making results. Then we started making headway with cadet and tennis before her father, who and junior teams, and then now worked for Sports Illustrated, diswe just seem to rake in the medcovered the PWF program in Manals and its astounding. Plus, now hattan. Keeth, who is older by a we can even watch matches live year, began fencing after she did. on YouTube – it’s so nice to see And it stuck, for them both. Erinn results in real time – I remember took up foil, Keeth chose saber. having to fax my own results in to Mentored by Peter Westbrook, USA Fencing!” her first coach was Aladar Kogler When the the COVID-19 panand she was coached by Buckie demic hit, Smart and her family Leach later in her career. At the lived with her in-laws in Virginia same time, Smart never let her during the lockdown, where she focus on education lapse while had a big house and yard not becoming a competitive and, ulavailable in New York City. She timately, world-class fencer. She was able to work from there.

SMART (FAR LEFT) WITH OLYMPIC TEAMMATES HANNA THOMPSON AND EMILY earned a degree in economics She married her husband, AnCROSS AFTER WINNING SILVER IN BEIJING. PHOTO CREDIT: SERGE TIMACHEFF. from Barnard College at Columbia drew McLoud, in 2014. He works while at the same time becoming a two-time NCAA All-American, win- for Quip, the high-tech toothbrush company, where he heads digital ning silver in both 1998 and 1999. From there, she went on to obtain product development. “My husband’s company sources a lot from Chiher MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in na and everything that was happening there we heard about early-on,” 2013. Driven and talented, Smart paved the way early for a great life she said. “My husband began stockpiling stuff in January, and everywith a passion for fencing that prevails to this day. one thought he was crazy, but once it hit, within a week we packed and “Prior to Wharton, I had a career in finance and after business school left for Virginia.”

I shifted to tech and media,” said Smart. “Currently I’m the director of To stay in shape, she rides a Peloton stationary bike and loves it. “It’s business development for Hearst, working on deals to distribute con- great for a working mom who can’t make it to the gym anymore as well tent to publishers.” as working from home.”

She is also now on the board of the Peter Westbrook Foundation, Smart is currently on a reopening committee at Fencer’s Club, a and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was there every Saturday coach- small group of people focused on thinking about fencers. ing and mentoring. “My knees and hips aren’t supporting fencing any“We have doctors, lawyers and lot of smart people working to create more” she lamented. “I don’t think I’ll ever fence again. I was in a lot of a path forward with a phased approach in compliance with what the pain even in 2008 and my body just won’t hold up anymore, but I miss it city and state dictate. But things probably won’t be normal again, at and stay involved. I miss teammates, travel and those strange points in least not for a long time.” time where I was traveling so much I would wake up not knowing where She’s quick to point out, though, that fencing is a good place to be I was until I looked at the TV!” during the current crisis.

Staying involved with the Peter Westbrook Foundation has kept her “If you do want to be in a sport that’s pretty safe and distanced, fencclose to the sport she loves, spending time with fencing pals like Olym- ing is a good option. The handshake will never be normal again!” pians Nzingha Prescod, Daryl Homer, their coaches, and others. She

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TOKYO 2020ne

ONE YEAR L ATER, TEAM USA REMAINS FOCUSED ON GOLD

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TOKYO OLYMPIC TORCH. PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES.

BY NICOLE JOMANTAS

arch 24 One hundred and 23 days before 14,000+ athletes were scheduled to compete in the Olympic Games.

Thirty-four days before selection for the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team would be completed.

Athletes around the world woke up to the news that the 2020 Olympic Games would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee announced that the Games would be held in 2021 with rumors swirling quickly of a spring Olympic Games or alternative locations.

By March 30, the IOC released the new dates of the Games: July 23 – August 8, 2021.

The Federation Internationale d’Escrime postponed the remaining Olympic qualifiers and life as it was known for Team USA’s athletes was put on hold.

“When they first made the announcement, I was a little shocked. I knew that the writing was basically on the wall that it was going to happen, but, obviously, when you hear the news come directly from the IOC, it becomes real. It was definitely disappointing, but obviously I knew this was for the greater good,” said Alexander Massialas who was aim-

ing to compete in a third straight Games and improve on his individual silver and team bronze from Rio in the foil events. “They were trying to protect the athletes involved. They were trying to protect the spectators, so I know that this was the correct decision and I do back that 100%.”

Shortly thereafter, the news would come out that athletes and teams who had earned quotas for the Games would retain them and USA Fencing announced that, while selection criteria will not be finalized until an updated international schedule is released, athletes who had qualified individual positions on the team would retain their slots.

“With all the uncertainty and we really don’t know when we’re going to get back into competition, having that big, hugely important box checked of actually qualifying and solidifying my spot is a big relief,” said two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis.

Zagunis punched her ticket to Tokyo with a gold medal win at the Athens Saber World Cup on March 8 during the final weekend of international competition

before tournaments around the world were cancelled. The Games will be the fifth for Zagunis who became the mother of daughter Sunday just over a year after winning a fourth career Olympic medal with a team bronze in Rio. The U.S. Women’s Saber Team also secured its position in Tokyo as Team USA is scheduled to send six full teams to the Games where 12 gold medals will be on the table for the first time ever.

“I know we were on the cusp of solidifying the individual athletes on our team and now everything is pretty uncertain because we don’t know if and when we’re going to be able to compete again, so to be able to know I’m on the team for Tokyo, that’s a huge thing that less than 50% of athletes can say right now. I’m thankful to be able to have that,” Zagunis said.

With two international events remaining in the selection period for saber fencers as well as the Division I National Championships, Zagunis’s teammate, Eliza Stone also was on the cusp on qualification.

A 2014 Senior World Team Champion, Stone was an alternate to the 2016 Olympic Team, but had career-best results during the last two seasons, winning individual bronze at the 2018 Senior Worlds and placing in the top-eight at the 2019 Worlds.

ZAGUNIS WON GOLD AT THE ATHENS WORLD CUP IN MARCH TO SECURE HER POSITION ON A FIFTH OLYMPIC TEAM. PHOTO CREDIT: PAVIA / #BIZZITEAM

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Now ranked No. 4 in the world, Stone was expected to be one of the three women’s saber fencers who would join Zagunis in Tokyo.

“Even though I’m not 100% qualified, I’m 99% and the fact that I didn’t have to start completely over was a huge relief. A delay is not fun, but, as long as it’s only a delay, I can work with it,” Stone said. “It’s just so much pressure and nerve wracking and it completely takes over two years of your life and we were finally almost through it and asking us to go through it again would have been completely crushing.”

REHAB

Stone said it took her a while to process that the Games were truly postponed.

“Honestly, I was in denial for at least a month because I thought that there’s no way this lasts longer than a few months. There’s no way that they’re going to cancel the Olympics,” she said. “I just kept training and running and conditioning as much as we can on the side and so I was trying to find any way I could keep going with some version of training because I thought the Olympics would still happen.”

When the news sank in, Stone found a silver lining in the opportunity to recover from injuries that she had been pushing through in an effort to reach her goal.

“Almost two years of non-stop heavy training and competition leading up to the Olympics, most people were pretty burned out and physically,” Stone said. “My back was giving me trouble and that’s not something you can just do more workouts and it will go away. You need time. So having a little bit of a break really came at the perfect time for me. Now I can get my back figured out and get back to training and probably I’ll actually be better when the Olympics happen in 2021 than in 2020.”

DECISION MAKING

For other athletes who had planned on retiring after Tokyo, there would be career decisions that would have to be made.

With dreams of being both a doctor and an Olympian on their minds, several athletes were slated to begin or continue medical school in the fall.

Two-time Olympian Lee Kiefer and Tokyo hopeful Kamali Thompson took the 2019-20 season off from school to prepare for the Games, but both athletes returned this summer to take advantage of the time off with so much uncertainty regarding the return to competition.

For Kiefer, a four-time Senior World medalist in foil who became the first U.S. fencer to qualify for Tokyo in January, this will be her third year at the University of Kentucky. Thompson begins her fourth at Rutgers this season and currently sits fourth in the USA Fencing National Team Point Standings as she seeks to add Olympian to a resume that already includes an MBA and med school credentials.

“This is my ninth year of being a medical school student. I’m more than excited to enter the medical field and didn’t think it was necessary to defer a year since I only have a couple months of school left,” Thompson said. “Training and finishing school will definitely be difficult, but I think I can handle it.”

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Three-time Olympian Gerek Meinhardt finished his MBA at Notre Dame prior to the Rio Games and had been admitted to the University of Kentucky to start med school after Tokyo. On the day the men’s foil competition would have began in July, Meinhardt instead began his first year of med school.

Rio Olympian Kat Holmes announced in March that she would be attending medical school at Mount Sinai in the fall, but chose to defer until KAMALI THOMPSON RETURNED TO HER FINAL YEAR OF MEDICAL SCHOOL 2021. Ranked No. 3 in the nation in WHILE TRAINING FOR TOKYO. women’s épée, the 2018 Senior World Team Champion had her sights set on a medal in Tokyo.

“I’ve postponed medical school for so long at this point. Why would I begin medical school knowing I would have to travel for competitions and having my focus split? In the grand scheme of things, one year is not that long of a time,” Holmes said. “I very much felt ready to start medical school and I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to. But I’ve put in so much work at this point, both focusing on the Olympics to try and win a medal, but also going to medical school to be the best doctor I can be and I want to give them both the focus that they’re due.”

BALANCING THE BREAK

After a grueling qualification cycle, but with no competitions in sight and fencing clubs closed for months, Team USA’s athletes also needed to decide how to best utilize the unplanned break in order to put themselves in the best situation for success possible in Tokyo – a year later than planned. For many, the time home would be the longest they have gone without using a passport since junior high.

Rio Olympian and 2018 Senior World silver medalist Eli Dershwitz is only 24, but has been competing internationally for more than a decade and said he took time to process the news as well as to give himself a much-needed break.

“I decided it’s probably more useful with my time to sit back, relax a little bit. Take a little time off. Still try and stay in shape to the best of my ability, but really try and give my body and brain a rest from how stressful the season was,” said Dershwitz who secured his position in Tokyo with a silver medal at the Warsaw Saber World Cup shortly before the shutdown. “I get to rest and take some time off and relax and breathe. It was really tough hearing the news, especially when I was ready to compete in Tokyo this summer, so it’s really just about regrouping, resetting, coming up with a training system for the next 12 months and doing everything I can to succeed.”

A two-time Olympian who also has been competing internationally since his early teenage years, Massialas also agreed that a break was necessary in order to add an extra year to the schedule.

“We had a long season leading up to COVID and when things started to shut, especially because I knew I was already qualified for the team,” Massialas said. “It’s hard to stay in peak performance the whole time.

So both my dad and my trainer recommended I take some time off and get some good rest in because we have another year to peak at the same point and there’s no reason to burn myself out before the process

CONDITIONING DURING COVID

Rio Olympian Kat Holmes created an at-home gym to keep up with conditioning during the shutdown with the watchful assistance of her cat, Trainer Tiger.

even gets started so it’s just been workouts at home and really focusing on getting a little bit of rest.”

With athletes around the world posting photos on social media of makeshift home gyms, Holmes drew attention for her work with her cat – who earned the hashtag #TrainerTiger for his enthusiasm in joining his owner for sessions in living room.

“When we went into lockdown, I was fortunate to have friends with enough stuff that I was able to create a home gym. One friend me an exercise bike. Another lent me a squat rack. I’ve got a smorgasbord of kettle bells and dumbbells. So I was able to create a home gym and basically maintain the same strength training as when I had access to a full gym,” said Holmes who used the time off to do strength work that wasn’t possible during the season. “I can tell you that I’ve been doing a lot of upper body work which I can’t really do during the season because if your upper body is sore, fencing pretty much becomes impossible, so I was like ‘time to get those gains.’ My goal for the last two and a half years has been to bench 135 lbs and I finally hit that and when I went to put my fencing jacket on for the first time, it does not fit my shoulders which was kind of cool.”

Although she couldn’t fence for several months, Zagunis said that keeping up her conditioning helped with her mental state as well.

“It’s been a saving grace for me to be able to work out at this time.

Exercise is really great for your mind and to get those endorphins and serotonin. It helps that I have a treadmill in the garage. My trainer told me there were month long waiting lists because everybody was trying to get stuff for a home gym.”

RETURNING TO FENCING

Clubs throughout the country have opened at different levels and different times – first with lessons, sometimes outside – and eventually graduating to camps and bouting.

“Our club opened up June 1, but we took it very slowly, very cautiously. Our club is actually located on the campus of a school, so that’s given us some extra obstacles to have to go through just because the school shut down really early and so our club shut down really early back in March,” said Zagunis who trains at Oregon Fencing Alliance.

“They just want us to be very diligent with keeping things clean and taking temperatures and keeping our travel logs, so they know who’s coming in and out. I’m thankful we’re able to be open at the very least and slowly graduating from distanced lessons to actually having bouting, but it’s different.”

Holmes also returned to fencing in June, training in New Jersey which has allowed some gyms and clubs to reopen with modifications.

“I fence for about two hours every day and I’m able to take lessons from my coach as well. I’m still using my home gym. So I’m starting to resume some level of normalcy. Though I used to train a couple days a week in New York City and I’m still not doing that yet,” Holmes said. “I had about two days where I felt like my timing was super off and it was just kind of hard to get back into it, but, after that, I feel like I picked up right where I left off after the last World Cup. I think staying in shape allowed me to bounce back really quickly and remain injury free with that quick bounce back. And also with my speed and explosivity, definitely I think gaining that extra strength and improving my endurance, I can feel that manifesting in my fencing.”

PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES AND KAT HOLMES.

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The National Team coaching staff continues working with Team USA’s fencers as the athletes train at home and begin reentry into club training environments.

Coaches have been conducting virtual meetings and video review sessions with their squads as well as individuals calls to touch base with athletes.

“It’s been a wait and see situation. The key for us is to go into post season mode, otherwise everyone would be burned out by Tokyo. Our goal is focused for 13 months down the road.

The fencers stay in basic shape and then start about one year out, for pre-season preparations, then into early season prep, core season, and final camps. So it’s a process that is just down the road. It’s impossible to be sharp all the year, so you need to target the important periods of time. Our goal is gold medals for Tokyo, so it’s important to target that spot,” said U.S. Men’s Foil Coach Greg Massialas

TWELVE GOLD MEDALS WILL BE AWARDED IN FENCING AT THE TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES. PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES.

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ONE YEAR OUT

With Tokyo 2021 less than a year away, Team USA’s fencers are focused on preparation to reach the podium.

“I don’t want to just try and maintain where I was for the past few years. I really wanted to use the time to develop and come back hungrier than I was before,” said Dershwitz who is now ranked No. 3 in the world. “I think it’s definitely going to be weird when we come back to competition, but I’m definitely trying to be the hungriest person there and make sure I’m leaving it all on the strip. That’s one of my biggest regrets from Rio is feeling like I didn’t compete to the best of my ability and that’s really what’s on my mind for the next 12 months is trying to get myself to a place where I can both be physically and mentally in the zone and I can give everything I have to the Games.”

Alexander Massialas, who has dreamed of standing on the top of an Olympic podium since before he even held a foil in his hand, came close in Rio, with his silver and bronze medal wins, but this time he wants to put his name in the history books with goals of both individual and team Olympic titles.

“I think the dream of winning Olympic gold is what always holds my motivation over. That’s what I’m thinking about when I’m going through a tough workout or trying to finish out that last rep and that’s always going to be my motivation because that’s the dream I had when I was just a kid,” said Massialas who is determined to be prepared for Tokyo no matter what the year ahead holds. “It’s that Olympic gold that keeps me motivated, but the spirit of competition too. I hate losing and if I was to go back out there and not be ready, it would be disingenuous to myself and not just the opponents and the spirit of competition, but myself as well.”

REMEMBERING

1980 OLYMPIC TEAM THE

Forty Years After the Biggest Boycott in the History of the Olympic Movement, Members of Team USA Reflect on the 1980 Games

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reg Massialas was flying back to the United States on April 12, 1980 after training and competing in Europe since January.

After just missing out on the 1976 Games as an alternate, Massialas was set to compete at the final Olympic Trials in Princeton, N.J.. Flying into JFK, the customs agent asked him what he was doing in Europe and Massialas responded he was training for the Olympic Games.

The agent responded: “Isn’t that too bad?”

That day, after pressure from the government, the United States Olympic Committee had voted to forgo attending the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union after the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan.

“In the ancient Games, the whole idea was basically to put down their armor and participate in these Games for the duration,” Massialas said. “It was the Olympic truce, which was very important, so symbolically, the U.S. was basically breaking that truce.”

A symbol of hope, unity and peace, since their inception, the Olympic Games have been a time for the world to come together and celebrate athletic excellence. The United States had

always been a part of that, attending every modern Olympic Games since 1896. That is until 40 years ago in 1980.

The Games in Moscow marked the first to be staged in Eastern Europe, and were the first to be held in a communist-ruled country. And for the first time for the United States, politics were about to play a role in its participation of the Games.

In response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, on January 20 during an episode of “Meet the Press,” President Jimmy Carter proposed the Games be moved to another country, postponed or canceled if the Soviet Union troops failed to withdraw in one month’s time. If that did not happen, he would suggest to the USOC a boycott and the formal withdrawal of all U.S. athletes.

“Communications were not like they are today, so there wasn’t instant news, so you’d see a report. I think the first time I heard about it, I saw a report on one of the local TV stations news reports, sitting eating dinner saying that the president is planning to boycott the Olympic Games,” said Tim Glass, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation in men’s épée at the time. “But it wasn’t a set thing. It wasn’t a set in stone this is going to happen.”

MEMBERS OF THE 1980 OLYMPIC FENCING TEAM WERE AWARDED CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

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REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM The USOC had until May 24 to submit its athletes. With so much uncertainty, athletes such as Glass continued to train, trying not to think about it.

“It was one of those, I can’t control what’s happening on the outside and this is obviously way out of what I can control. What I can control is working hard and competing. And so I worked all the way through [the trials in April],” Glass said. “I put it out of my mind. I mean it was hanging over there, but it was one of those, ‘okay, we’ll deal with it when it happens’ because it’s July when we would go and so it’s a long way down the road. For me, I still got up and ran every morning and did my three and half to five miles every day and the long runs on the weekend and the four hours of practice in the evening and the hour and a half in the morning after the run.”

But the status started to become more certain in March. After the Soviet Union failed to comply and the International Olympic Committee stated the Games should be held in Moscow, on March 21, 1980, Carter announced that the United States would officially boycott the Games.

Although the Athletes Advisory Council voted to go and proposed a boycott of all ceremonies and non-competition aspects, it was immediately rejected by the White House.

However, with the power to make the decision in the hands of the USOC, government officials started creating lists of penalties if the

MICHAEL MARX AND THE 1980 OLYMPIC FENCING TEAM COMPETED IN FRONT OF LARGE CROWDS DURING THE TEAM’S TRIP TO CHINA.

USOC voted to go, including revoking its taxexempt status, stripping it of federal land and amending its charter. Carter threatened legal

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action. As a result, the USOC supported the boycott, voting 1,604 to 797 in favor.

“I think initially, most of us were in denial, like this isn’t going to happen. This is supposed to be above politics,” said Nikki Franke, who had competed in 1976 and won the 1980 National Championship.

“And so, there was the initial thought that there’s a threat out there, but everything will work out. And then as it got closer and closer, it got more and more real that this was a true possibility. And of course with the announcement in April, it was very, very frustrating and very disappointing.”

Just months after one of the most famous moments in U.S. Olympic history with the Miracle on Ice in the 1980 Winter Games, more than 450 U.S. athletes stayed at home. Led by the United States, a total of 65 countries boycotted the Games, including China, Japan and Canada, marking the largest boycott in the history of the Olympic movement.

“And of course it set up a chain reaction that you didn’t have a normalized Games for eight years because [the Soviet Union] turned around and did the same thing,” Stacey Johnson said.

“It set up a really bad precedent and we were the ones that were doing it.”

The decision to boycott was a highly controversial move with different opinions by athletes, as well as the country as a whole. Some were completely against the boycott, believing it was against the Olympic spirit, would make no difference and was purely a political statement that was using the athletes.

“People were devastated. When you train, you give up your whole life, you give up school, you give up work and then that’s taken away from you, that’s devastating. Everything you’ve given up and now you can’t even go because of politics,” said Peter Westbrook, who had attended the 1976 Games and became a six-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medalist in 1984. “I don’t see the impact of what the boycott did. It didn’t change a thing … If I thought it would have an impact, fine. If I thought it would do something to change the world, fine. I don’t think anyone can tell you there was a positive impact, so if

THE 1980 OLYMPIC FENCING TEAM TRAVELED TO CHINA FOR AN EXHIBITION TOUR, COMPETING IN BEIJING, NANJING AND SHANGHAI.

I had the chance to undo it, sure I would say, ‘Let’s not boycott,’ because even today, what’s the impact?”

According to Massialas, the majority of the athletes did not support the boycott. Michael Marx, who qualified for his first Games in 1980 and went on to compete in four more, disagreed with the boycott, but without a choice or a vote, tried to move on.

“I think the fencers, we didn’t like the politics in sports,” Marx said. “I can’t say everybody, but the majority of us just said, ‘This is a guy we elected to do a job. We stick with him and we don’t like it. We don’t recommend it next time.’

Again, I can’t speak for all of them, but most of the fencers just made the best of it.”

Just days after the USOC’s announcement, the Amateur Fencers League of America held its final Olympic Trials from April 26-27 in Princeton. Although at that point it was known there would be no Team USA at the Games, the AFLA named its Olympic Team.

“Because [the vote] had just happened, there was still an optimistic outlook like something would change and we would actually go again.

It was really rather fresh, so really, it wasn’t something that everybody felt,” Massialas said.

“There was still potential optimism, so people were still fighting to make the Olympic Team … We hadn’t had a chance to digest it. Even though they’d said it, it was so far away – it was still three, four months away – that there may still be a chance to have it turn around.”

Although Glass, who still competes competitively at the veteran level, remembers knowing at that point his years of hard work wouldn’t result in an Olympic experience, it was bittersweet, having just been named an Olympian.

REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM “After they named the team, I remember rolling my eyes and going ‘big deal.’ At that point, I knew that it wasn’t going to happen.

We’d had a long lead time to get to that point.

By April, it was pretty much a done deal,” Glass said. “They named the team right after we finished the event and there’s always that honor that you’ve made the team and you’ve gotten to the pinnacle of your sport, so it’s not all negative.”

The 1980 Olympic Fencing Team featured a mix of youth and veterans. Of the 18-person team, eight already had experience of competing at the Games while 10 were supposed to head to their first Games.

“There was a really good balance [between veteran and rising stars] on each one of those squads, so I felt like, even though we hadn’t gotten medals in a long time, we all felt like this was a good opportunity for us to come through and something was going to pop,” said Massialas, the current U.S. Men’s Foil National Team Coach and owner of MTeam Fencing.

For 219 members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, and four members of the fencing team, including Glass and Johnson, 1980 would be their only Games and would never get to experience competing on the world’s biggest stage.

“We didn’t have much that we could say or do about it. It sucked,” Glass said. “I don’t know that I would have been successful … so it’s not like I was missing out on a medal.

It was missing out on the experience and the whole deal of what the Olympics is about.”

For Johnson, the 1980 boycott led her to get involved and become an athlete advocate to ensure nothing like that ever happened again. She joined the USOC’s Athlete Advisory Committee and eventually became the first female to serve a full, four-year term as USA Fencing President, in which one of her greatest accomplishments was fighting for the inclusion women’s saber in the Olympic Games in 2004.

“I think if you look at my history and what I have done, the depth of how bad it was is reflected in what I did against it and then what I did for the future,” Johnson said. “When

[women’s saber was included in the 2004 Games] and Sada Jacobson and Mariel Zagunis won gold and bronze, I felt that I had really shut the door on 1980. Although I could not compete, I helped make the way for others who were being unequally treated to compete and to win.”

Westbrook and Franke had both competed in 1976, tasting what going to a Games was llike, but, for Franke, 1980 would be her last.

“It was the antithesis I think of sport. In sport, you earn it and here you earn something and someone else is taking it away,” said Franke, who has more than 800 wins coaching at Temple University. “I put in the time. I put in the money. I put in the effort and someone else negated all of that. It’s the exact opposite of what sport should be. It was a very frustrating time and I knew it was my last Games.”

Using the missed Games as motivation to move forward, Westbrook went on to win bronze in Los Angeles in 1984.

“I made the team in 1980 and that was taken from me, so you better believe more than ever I’m going to try to make the Olympic Team [in 1984] because that was taken from me,” said Westbrook, owner of the Peter Westbrook Foundation. “Now the desire to make the next Olympic Team is even more than it ever was before. Now I, like many people, really, really wanted to prove that you

were qualified to represent the United States at the Olympic Games, more than ever.”

Massialas also noted how it made 1984 that much sweeter, remembering walking through the tunnel at the Opening Ceremony in 1984 in front of a home crowd.

“You go from ’80 where we didn’t make the team to going there, you’re on home turf, and you go through this quiet tunnel and all of the sudden you come out to the roar of the crowd, this whole stadium cheering,” Massialas said. “It was a very emotional moment, a very intensive moment at that time.”

Before qualifying for another four Olympic Games, Marx dealt with his frustration by doing something he hated: running a marathon.

“For me, I didn’t realize how frustrated I was. For another year, it was still bothering me that we didn’t compete and my brother Bob knew that I hated running … He knew I liked challenges and he said, ‘You know what you should do? You should run a marathon to get it out of your system,’” said Marx, who had never run more than eight miles but signed up for the Portland Marathon. “But I didn’t train for it. I don’t like running, so I wasn’t going to train for it. So I decided, ‘Well, I’ve spent a year being irritated. I’m just going to go and compete. I’m going to go and run a marathon as hard as I can.’ So I went and ran the Portland Marathon … And then it was done for me.”

THE OLYMPIC FENCING TEAM MET PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER IN JULY OF 1980 TO RECEIVE THEIR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS AS PART OF A FOUR-DAY CELEBRATION.

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REMEMBERING THE 1980 OLYMPIC TEAM To honor the 1980 Olympic Team, the more than 450 athletes received a Congressional Gold Medal on July 30 as part of a four-day event in Washington D.C. The medals were awarded by President Carter on the Capitol steps with it being said the medals representing that Americans would never sacrifice their core beliefs or freedom for the sake of winning medals.

When it came time to meet the President, some like Johnson, who had actively spoken out against the boycott, decided to protest.

“Anita DeFrantz (a rower on the 1980 Team who led the lawsuit to allow the athletes to compete) had buttons made up and it said: ‘We’re here to make sure this never happens again,’” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to shake hands with Carter, and what Anita talked to us about is, wear these badges – because the press was going to be there – to show that the reason we were showing up was not to honor the president, but to say that this was a mistake and should never happen again. That’s what I did.”

Activities during the extravaganza included a barbecue on the lawn, a performance from Patti LaBelle at the Kennedy Center and seeing a play at Ford’s Theater.

“They threw a huge party for us. I got to ride a mechanical bronco and the most amazing part of it, for me at least, was they opened the Smithsonian and all the people that worked at the Smithsonian went in there and they operated everything for us,” said Marx, now owner of Marx Fencing Academy. “So everything in there was operational and the people who worked in the museum volunteered to come in for us and

it was an amazing time. They really did a nice job with it.”

But despite the presentation in D.C., it didn’t make up for the missed opportunity in Moscow.

“Yeah that’s nice, but it’s nowhere near to me the sensation or compensation of going to the Olympic Games,” Westbrook said. “I didn’t feel that way at all. Not even close.”

The USOC also gave each team a trip, where they could go compete rather than going to the Games. The fencing team chose China, a country that only recently Americans were able to start traveling to. The team flew into Hong Kong before taking a train to Guangzhou, China.

“It was like going back into time. In Guangzhou, there’s like no cars, nothing happening.

And then from there, we went to Beijing and in all of Beijing, there were like 50 cars, and all these bicycles and everybody back then wore the Mao suits, either blue or grey, and the army wore green, and that was it,” Massialas said.

“And then only in Shanghai would they have some things where you saw maybe about 15% of the women wore some Western clothing.

But everywhere else was complete – this was China 200 years ago almost, except they had bicycles.”

The team trained and competed in exhibition matches against clubs in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai.

“When we competed, they actually had crowds,” Glass said. “They were gymnasiums that had a few thousand people maybe and I remember at least one of them, going, ‘Okay, we better make sure we’re nice because there’s a lot of people here.’ We never competed in

front of that people. It’s not like it is today where there’s spectators and that stuff, so it was an incredible experience.”

Like the event in Washington, D.C., Franke and Massialas noted that nothing replaces the Olympic Games. But the team was able to spend time together and see the major sights, such as the Great Wall of China and trying peking duck in Beijing.

“It was a great trip. It was so new to us because when we were in China, we didn’t see anybody but Chinese people,” Marx said. “Tim Glass is like 6’5’’, blond, and Gay Jacobson D’Asaro is like 5’11’’ and very fair looking. They couldn’t go anywhere without people following them and just staring at them. It wasn’t impolite, they were just ‘wow’ watching them. They were so foreign to them.”

Forty years later, athletes are once again facing uncertainty around the Games as they were postponed one year to 2021 due to COVID-19.

While this isn’t about politics and today’s athletes still have a shot at going, members of the 1980 team were able to relate to the doubt that they may be facing.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty for the athletes now. Just taking it a day at the time,” said Franke of the advice she would give to today’s athletes. “Some of it we just can’t control. This virus we can’t control and at least they don’t’ have to wait four years. They only have to wait a year providing everything goes as planned. I think it’s a matter of settling in, taking a deep breath, refocusing and psychologically and emotionally trying to get yourself re-motivated.”

1980 OLYMPIC TEAM ROSTER MEN’S FOIL

Michael Marx John Nonna Greg Massialas Mark Smith

36 AMERICAN FENCING B

MEN’S EPEE

Robert Nieman Paul Pesthy Timothy Glass Wayne Johnson

MEN’S SABER

Peter Westbrook Phil Reilly Alex Orban Tom Losonczy Stanley Lekach

WOMEN’S FOIL

Jana Angelakis Nikki Franke Gay D’Asaro Elaine Ingram Stacey Johnson

LAURA JOHNSON Selflessly makes her impact on Fencing

BY KRISTEN HENNEMAN

I

n both work and play, Laura Johnson spends most of her time helping others.

Professionally, Dr. Johnson is an associate professor of surgery at Georgetown School of Medicine, and a burn surgeon in the MidAtlantic.

From thermal burns such as a bonfire injury to chemical burns to frostbite, Dr. Johnson is part of a team that manages the entirety of a patient’s care, including the initial assessments, operations, critical care in the Intensive Care Unit, step down care and reconstructive work.

“It’s very rewarding to me as a subspecialty of general surgery because I know I’m fulfilling a need. There’s really nothing as satisfying as meeting a patient who is scared and in pain, and being able calmly and confidently discuss their care and the course of their recovery,” Dr. Johnson said.

Dr. Johnson’s job requires quick problem solving, something the sport of fencing – which she has participated in for nearly 30 years – also involves.

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“There’s that moment in the exchange between two fencers when can be used include Olympic Training Center programs and servicyou take a pause and in that pause, you have to evaluate, ‘What am I es, direct athlete support, international competition assistance, and going to do next? What’s the next step? What’s working? What’s not squad and weapon training camps. working?’ I find that that pause is equally as necessary in the trauma Parafencing is one of 22 Summer Paralympic sports, giving athbay or in the operating room or in the ICU when you’re managing a letes with various impairments the opportunity to participate and very sick patient. You have to stop and say, ‘Okay, what’s helping compete in fencing. and what’s not helping?’ and go from there. Neither fencing nor my “To me, as somebody who spends a lot of their life talking to peojob leave me a lot of room to wait for an outcome. I have to make a ple about the next steps in their life after a traumatic event, the idea decision and then I have to evaluate the outcome of that decision,” of para sports in general is such an enormous gift that I can talk to she said. people about,” she said. “The opportunity for them to reengage in The saber fencer from Silver Spring, Md. fell in love with fencing things that are fun for them and bring meaning to their life hopefully in in the seventh grade when her school had a fencing program for a way that maybe they didn’t anticipate having again before being inP.E. She had read “The Three Musketeers” in elementary school and troduced to para sports was huge to me. As a burn and trauma surwanted to try it. geon it was an easy Years later, Dr. decision to support Johnson is reprethe para program.” sentative of how the Dr. Johnson hopes sport can be lifelong the endowment beas she has started to comes the foundaaccumulate multiple tion for a blossoming medals at the veteran parafencing program level. in the United States.

She also gives She would love to see back to the sport as parafencers have a a member of the bout worry-free approach committee, whichto competition and be she started learning able to focus on just in college as a way fencing – training and to learn how to make competing – rather tournaments more than so many of the efficient. extra challenges they JOHNSON (RIGHT) WON GOLD IN THE VETERAN WOMEN’S SABER TEAM EVENT AT THE 2019 SUMMER NATIONALS. “I’ll admit to a little have doing what nonbit of ignorant frustraparafencers take for tion with how tournagranted, such as their ments ran when I was growing up, but instead of just complaining extensive equipment or the difficulty it takes to travel. about it, I figured I would get involved and see if I could learn more “I think it’s important for everyone to know that [the parafencing] about it. I started as part of the bout committee in college and it’s weapon-specific endowment exists and that all of us as part of the become an integral part of who I am,” said Dr. Johnson, who notes fencing community should be supporting that endowment outside she spends most of her vacations working tournaments. “It’s one of our ability to support our own weapon-specific endeavors,” she of the best parts about bout committee – you know you’ve done said. “I chose to support parafencing because they are small but vital a good job when no one really knows you’re there. There’s a lot of part of our fencing community, who I know will do amazing things.” satisfaction in having run a smooth tournament.”

As a member of the fencing community who has seen multiple sides of the sport, coupled with her experiences as a burn surgeon, Dr. Johnson recently decided to take her commitment to the sport even further – pledging four Weapon-Specific Endowments to support the parafencing squad.

Weapon-Specific Endowments are a source of extraordinary, dedicated funding for programs to utilize and support initiatives that have previously gone unfunded. Initiatives are performance impacting and advance the base, breadth and quality of every fencing program within USA Fencing. Once funded, examples of how the WSEs

“I think the very basic things about fencing – discipline, the need for practice, the need to solve a problem in a very short period of time – are very applicable to my day-to-day job.” Dr. Laura Johnson

38 AMERICAN FENCING B

PETER

WESTBROOK Continues to Inspire a Nation

BY NICOLE JOMANTAS

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): 1. PETER WESTBROOK FOUNDATION FENCERS. 2. PETER WESTBROOK WITH OLYMPIAN NZINGHA PRESCOD. 3. WESTBROOK WITH OLYMPIANS AKHI SPENCER-EL AND DARYL HOMER. 4. WESTBROOK CELEBRATING HIS BRONZE MEDAL WIN AT THE 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES. 5. WESTBROOK AT THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES. 6. WESTBROOK AND TEAMMATE MICHAEL MARX AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 7. WESTBROOK WITH TEAMMATES TOM STRZALKOWSKI, PETER COX AND ANN MARSH. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARL BORACK, THE PETER WESTBROOK FOUNDATION AND NICOLE JOMANTAS.

C USAFENCING.ORG 39

One of America’s most celebrated Olympians grew up not knowing what the Olympic Games were.

Raised in a self-described “broken home” in the projects of Newark, N.J., Peter Westbrook not only hadn’t heard of fencing as a child in the 1960s, but hadn’t heard of the Olympics until he was competing at New York University in the early 1970s.

Within a few short years, however, Westbrook would qualify for his first of six Olympic Teams in 1976, and the man who once told his friends that he was building picket fences but instead would drag his fencing bag of sabers home after practice every night would go on to become the first Black man to win a fencing medal for the United States at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Born to a Japanese mother and a Black father who left the family early on, it was Westbrook’s mother who suggested he try fencing in high school due to the long history of having samurais in the family.

Westbrook wasn’t buying it.

“I said, ‘What does that do for me? If I try fencing, it’s not Japan and fencing’s not even popular in the United States with white people, nevermind in the Black community. People are going to make fun of me,’” he said, retelling the tale. “Then she said, ‘Peter, I’ll give you $5’ and I said, ‘Oh, $5. Sure. I’ll try anything.’ And that’s how she did it to me. She bribed me.”

While there were very few fencing programs in high schools around the nation at the time, Essex Catholic High School not only had a team, but the coach provided positive reinforcement quickly for Westbrook’s natural talent.

“When I went to fencing, they were doting on me and saying wonderful things about me, so I loved it. I wasn’t used to people saying positive things about me, coming from a broken background in the housing projects of Newark, N.J. Not too many people would say good things about anyone,” he said. “And then I realized that, after one day, maybe two days, people started saying good things about me. Nice, positive things.”

However, Westbrook recognized a financial opportunity when he saw one and promptly told his mother that fencing was terrible.

“I told my mother I hated it. I told her they made fun of me, they treated me bad. ‘But if you give me five more dollars, I’ll suffer and go back again’ and I got the $5 a few more times,” Westbrook laughed. “So she conned me and I conned her back.”

While Westbrook hadn’t heard of the Olympic Games growing up, he also never encountered another Black fencer during his four years at Essex Catholic High School.

“It was crazy different from how I grew up. First of all, the projects were all Black people and there weren’t too many resources in education, in jobs, in anything. It was low-income people and not a lot of opportunities.

Underserved people as they say,” Westbrook reflected. “So when I went to Essex Catholic High School, it was a lot of white people and there’s a lot of white people in fencing, so for me, it was a total culture shock, but it was such a great educational opportunity and the fencing was just a home run.”

Westbrook soon found himself living in two worlds – attending a predominantly white high school while living in the predominantly Black housing projects. He was 15 when the riots broke out in Newark during the Civil Rights Movement in 1967.

40 AMERICAN FENCING B

“I remember Black people getting their heads knocked up. I remember Black people getting their heads beaten from the police. I remember Black people police coming out and crushing people’s skulls. I’m literally in the projects in the yard and I see masses of police just rushing out and crushing people in their heads,” he said.

More than 50 years later, Westbrook has embraced the Black Lives Matter protests that he sees around the world. He cites the diversity of individuals supporting the current movement as being a key difference in comparison to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

“In the Civil Rights Movement, it was 80 or 85% Black people and maybe 10 or 15% white people marching. But during this movement it’s the opposite … you’ve got so many Black people marching, but you’ve also got 70 or 80% of the people marching being white people,” Westbrook said. “So what does that do? That affects more

TOP PHOTO: WESTBROOK ON THE STRIP. BOTTOM PHOTO: CELEBRATING ANOTHER MEN’S SABER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD BY PWF IN 2018.

change. When you have the underserved or the minority marching, that’s good, but now, you’re looking at the masses asking for change. You’re looking for the majority of the people asking to make a difference in the world – not only in this country, but the masses of people around the world, so already you can see great change, already you can the legislation being passed or will be passed to make a difference. This is just more people around the world asking for changing and I love it.”

As the nation struggled with change during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Westbrook followed a successful high school fencing career by becoming a college standout at New York University – winning the NCAA title in 1973 and earning the first of 13 USA Fencing National Champion-

ship gold medals in 1974.

It was at NYU where Westbrook first saw other Black fencers and also where he first learned both of the Olympic Games and of his potential to represent the United States on the world’s largest stage through Csaba Elthes – a Hungarian fencing coach who began giving Westbrook free lessons at the Fencers Club.

Elthes saw the potential in Westbrook and wanted him to train at the New York Athletic Club as well.

There was only one problem: The club didn’t admit Black people as members at the time.

“I’ll never forget, when I walked into the door of the New York Athletic Club, every single person in this beautiful building stopped and looked at me. Not 20 people. Every single person in the whole beautiful lobby stopped and turned to look at me,” Westbrook said. “I kept looking behind me and there was nobody behind me and then I thought maybe there was something on my shirt like some saliva or something. Then I looked behind me … I didn’t get it. And then I’m looking at them and turning around … it was hilarious when I think about it now and realize it was me! It just went over my head.”

MEMBERS OF THE PWF FAMILY CONGRATULATING DARYL HOMER AFTER HIS 2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE WIN.

Westbrook credits members of the AC’s fencing community with helping create a positive experience during his first days at the club.

“Ray Lumpp, who was the athletic director of the New York Athletic Club, and [1972 Olympian] Jack Keene said ‘Let that boy in. Let that boy train any time he wants to come’ and so, whenever I would come in, after a while people would just say, ‘Oh he’s ok. He has that kind of Olympic potential,’ so everybody understood and it was ok,” Westbrook said.

As one of the most talented fencers in the nation, it was Westbrook’s skills on the strip that made him accepted within his new community.

“The one thing about sports is that most of the time it breaks down racial barriers, so when I trained at the New York Athletic Club, everybody loved me like I was one of them – the Hungarians, French, Italians, Americans,” he said. “Sports has a way of breaking down biases, prejudice, discrimination. Sports are amazing. So, when I went there and they saw how good I was, everybody was fine. No problem. I was like one of the guys and after practice, we would all go down to the tap room where

we would go have beers after practice and everybody after a while got a chance to know me.”

The world would come to know Westbrook at the 1984 Olympic Games when he won bronze in the individual saber event – the first fencing medal for the United States in 24 years and the first medal for a Black fencer in history.

“I was the happiest man in the world because I won the medal for like five different categories. I won it for the United States of America. I got a medal against all these Europeans, so my flag goes up. I won that medal for USA Fencing because no one has won it since 1960,” Westbrook said.

“I won it for Black people. I won the medal for my coach and for the New York Fencers Club and the New York Athletic Club. And I won it for myself and my family.”

Winning bronze at a home Olympic Games meant Westbrook would soon be recognized when he came back to New York City.

“I won the medal and I would walk down the street and people would say ‘Are you the Black guy that does that sword fighting?’” Westbrook laughed. “My medal uplifted my community wherever I was and it boosted other Black people.”

While training for his fifth Olympic appearance at the 1992 Games, Westbrook decided he needed to find a new way to give back to the community and founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation in 1991.

“Every day I’m just thanking the Creator for coming from this brokenness to getting where I am now. So, to me, it’s like my duty, my obligation. I said, ‘Peter, you have to give back. If you don’t give back, that would be a crime to humanity.’ So that’s why I started the foundation.

I have to give back because look what this sport has done for me,” Westbrook said. “Coming from a broken home, Black man, Japanese lady … my father used to beat my mother. Then I saw all the abuse in the neighborhood. Everybody fighting, stealing, killing. When I saw all the brokenness in the neighborhood and then I saw me get these wonderful opportunities, I knew I had to give back.”

Westbrook would go on to compete at the 1996 Games and hold jobs in marketing and advertising at the New York Times and IBM as he built a program that would provide access to the sport he loved for thousands of underserved children throughout New York City.

By 2000, the foundation had produced its first Olympian in Akhi Spencer-El and would go on to have athletes qualify for every team from 2000-2016, including 2008 Olympic silver medalists Keeth and Erinn Smart, 2016 Olympic silver medalist Daryl Homer and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad as well as 2004 Olympians Ivan Lee and Kamara James and two-time Olympian Nzingha Prescod.

While Westbrook grew up as the only Black fencer in his high school and had never heard of the Olympic Games, now the youth coming through his program only have to turn around to see Black fencers standing on the podium at the highest levels of the sport.

“When we have classes every Saturday, 130, 140, 150 kids … they all feel and believe that they can become Olympians and World Champions and National Champions. But, even the ones that don’t make it, a lot of them get scholarships to wonderful universities and colleges around the country,” Westbrook said. “Even the ones that don’t achieve that level, they learn how to become Olympians in life – how to hold their head high, how to walk with dignity. How to be the best that you can be in fencing, but also in every other area of life.”

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the point

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 40 PRODUCT PREVIEW 41 WOMEN IN FENCING 42 PARENTS’ CORNER 44 TECH TALK 47 CLUB TIPS 48

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Kent Iyoki K

ent began fencing at 7 years old on the suggestion of a tutor who thought that the sport would help him improve his focus. Already a violinist, Kent began as a foil fencer, but later transitioned to épée.

He soon established himself as one of the top youth fencers in the nation, winning the Y12 National Championships in 2018 and earning a silver medal in 2019 in the Y14 event.

Now the top-ranked Y14 men’s épée fencer in the United States, Kent says he loves fencing challenging opponents – a skill he put on display at the Junior Olympic Championships in February where he won silver at just 14 years old.

“I enjoy fencing because of the thrill you get when you are fencing people that are stronger than you,” Kent said.

Although the cancellation of the 2020 Summer Nationals due to

u STATS & FACTS EVENT: Men’s Épée HOMETOWN: Camas, Wash.

BIRTHDATE: 11/26/2005 SCHOOL: Online CLUB: Northwest Fencing Center COACH: Cody Mattern, Simon Abram, Vince Camillo, Michael McTigue HOBBIES: Reading sci fi and fantasy and playing the violin

u HIGHLIGHTS CURRENTLY RANKED NO. 1 in Y14 in the USA Fencing National Rolling Point Standings and No. 6 in the Cadet Standings 2017-18 NO. 1 in Y12 GOLD, Y12 USA Fencing National Championships (2018) GOLD, Y12 March NAC (2018) SILVER, USA Fencing Jr. Olympic Championships (2020) SILVER, Y14 USA Fencing National Championships (2019) SILVER, Y15 Japan National Championships (2019) BRONZE, Y14 November NAC (2018) 7TH PLACE, Cadet November NAC (2018)

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COVID-19 kept Kent from the opportunity to win gold in Louisville after winning silver in 2019, this young fencer has his eyes on a long-term goal as he looks ahead at returning to competition this fall and in the future.

“I want to get back to where I was and then keep on getting stronger until I eventually reach the Olympics.”

FAVORITE BOUT: Semifinals for JOs this year. It was my favorite bout because the entire bout I was motivated to do my best and was full of energy.

LEAST FAVORITE BOUT: Last year, I went to the Japan National Championship for Y15. In the finals, I lost, not because my opponent was stronger than me, but because I couldn’t control myself, so, from the very beginning, I rushed.

HIS FENCING HEROES: The people that supported me – my coaches and my friends.

the point PRODUCT PREVIEW

By Serge Timacheff

Fencing Masks: COVID-19 Style

T

hroughout the summer, the number of states mandating protective face coverings has increased with numerous businesses and municipalities requiring them even if there isn’t a statewide requirement. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend face protection as well as social distancing.

Consequently, wherever fencers are practicing or training in lessons or classes, many athletes are donning two masks – one to protect them from their opponent’s blade, one to protect their opponent from any possible risk of viral infection.

There are some questions about engaging in vigorous exercise with a face mask. Issues are emerging such as how easy it is to breathe at a higher respiration rate because of inhibited airflow, dealing with masks slipping off the nose, and fogged glasses wearing a mask on the strip.

In a recent study conducted by the University of Herfordshire in the UK, Leon Paul sent their own mask design to be tested being worn while exercising and to determine if sufficient oxygen and/or too much carbon dioxide was affecting athletes. The results determined that “with

RADICAL FENCING The Active Dome Sports Mask from Radical Fencing has a more conventional face-mask design that is protective, comfortable and washable. The mask has two elastic straps that extend around the back of the head, thus avoiding having to be anchored onto the ears. It also includes an additional replaceable filter pocket on the innermost lining. According to the manufacturer, it is made of “advanced U.S. antimicrobial 3-dimensional spacer fabric with an environmentally friendly zinc-based technology” with “an integrated micro-denier yarn liner for softness and comfort.” Washable, it is available in several colors. $16 each.

RadicalFencing.com

the fencing mask shield guard this [oxygen concentration] decreases to 18.15%, which is like exercising at about 1,000 meters (approximately 3,000 feet) above sea level, again this is a safe concentration in the air to be breathing whilst exercising and is reflected within the oxygen saturation levels displayed form the pulse oximeter.” It further determined that “with the face guard this almost doubles to 1.9% carbon dioxide concentration, while the surgical/cotton mask trebles the value to 3%. All these values are acceptable as it only becomes a problem when the value reaches 5%.” They concluded “the mask shield at a rate of exercise equivalent to fencing is safe from a physiological point of view.”

Fencing vendors are selling masks of various shapes, sizes and designs to be worn on- and off-the-strip. Just like fencing gear, each person will find what works best for his or her particular body characteristics and fencing style. For example, some people will find masks with an adjustable nose piece may be better for those wearing glasses, as the airflow into the lower part of the frame can be minimized, thus preventing fogging better. Or others may find that having an elastic loop around the ear may get irritating or even painful and may want to look for designs easier on the ear (or avoiding it altogether).

Please note that all face masks as described here cannot be returned to manufacturers after purchase/opening. Also note that none of the manufacturers claim their face masks to be a “medical grade” product or are guaranteed to prevent viral transmission.

ABSOLUTE FENCING GEAR The Absolute Safety Sports Mask is a wholly different design, worn balaclava-style over the lower face and neck.

Made of “ice silk,” it is a synthetic silk material (nylon and spandex) that is very soft and optimized for face-contact comfort.

It is held in place with over-the-ear elastic an adjustable nose bridge and has a pocket over the nose and mouth for a filter (included). The mask is washable and Absolute recommends replacing filters every five to seven days of use and sells replacements. Masks come in three sizes (small, medium, large). $19.99 each.

AbsoluteFencingGear.com

ALLSTAR

LEON PAUL

THE FENCING POST

A double-layered mask with a 20/80 percent cotton/poly outer layer and 100 percent antibacterial polyester inner layer, the Allstar Washable Face Mask comes individually or in 10-packs. It also has an adjustable nose clip for comfort and functionality. The mask comes with two sets of straps that tie behind the head for increased stability and comfort. Available directly from Allstar in Germany, they are available for approximately $15.50 plus shipping; check with U.S. Allstar distributors for availability in the USA. AllstarFencing.US

The Leon Paul Disposable Mask Shield has been crafted to fit into virtually any regulation fencing mask using their patented mesh clips. According to the manufacturer, it “reduces particles exiting the mask and helps reduce the potential for transmission of diseases.” The Mask Shield is fitted to the fencing mask, including for some models having to trim it to size. Made of polypropylene, available from Leon Paul USA for $33 each.

LeonPaulUSA.com

The Masks Protective Sports Face Shields from The Fencing Post are constructed of a recyclable plastic face shield and provide protection for the nose, mouth and eyes. Made of FDA-approved materials, it is easily installed into any mask and is recommended to be changed after several weeks of “heavy” use. The shield may be cleaned with soap and water. Available in small, medium and large, it ships in sets of two for $20.

TheFencingPost.com

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the point WOMEN IN FENCING

By Karolyn Szot

The Unbeatable Woman: La Jaguarina I

n a time of pioneers, robber barons and twirling mustaches, a nation in the Gilded Age cried out for a hero. She was La Jaguarina, the undefeated “Sword Queen,” and she was REAL! Let’s take a step back to the 19th century. It was a time when women were told they were fragile, delicate and their only responsibilities were to keep a good household, cook a fine meal and learn to play the piano. Any physical activity would surely make women’s figures become masculine and unattractive! Society at the time feared the active woman. Athletics were just too much and they worried the American woman would become so unladylike, marriages would end up in divorce.

In 1859, in the far-away land of Zanesville, Ohio, a girl named Ella Hattan was born. This is where our story begins. Ella’s father died in the Civil War fighting for the Union and she was raised by her Spanish mother, Maria. Maria thought that exercise and sports would be paramount when raising her daughter and taught Ella how to fence foil at the early age of eight.

When just a teenager, Ella appeared in traveling plays with the Ellsler Stock Company and even performed with Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth. As luck would have it, she then met Colonel Thomas H. Monstery, a fencing master and legend of his time. He was also referred to as “The Sword Prince” for his many wild adventures around the world and the fact that he personally participated in more than fifty duels. The colonel admired her spirit and declared he “would make the little girl the greatest woman fencer of her time.”

By the time Ella was 18, she started training with the colonel at his New York Salle D’Armes.

Coincidently, he also trained actors Junius Brutus Jr. and Edwin Booth, as fencing on stage

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was very popular at the time. Back then, the colonel’s peers did not agree with him on the subject of teaching lady fencers. However, he saw great determination in women and thought they had a certain type of endurance making them advance more quickly than men. The colonel trained everyone like soldiers – men and women – and if you couldn’t handle hard knocks, he was probably not the right coach for you. Ella was quoted saying: “my advice to people who wish to learn to fence is to go to a good master.”

The Colonel noticed Ella’s quickness, much “like a jaguar,” and gave her the nickname “La Jaguarina.” After training with him for three years, she took on this persona and became one of the very first women to appear in America as a professional fencer. She competed in foil, saber, broadsword and even with a lance amongst many other different weapon types.

At the time, she also battled with her fair share of sexism as many men would refuse to fence her. Jaguarina took to the newspapers to publicly challenge anyone to duel her for a winning purse from anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000, or the equivalent of $150,000 in current times.

Many newspapers describe her appearance standing at 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 197 pounds. The newspapers from that time also seem to always explain that it’s “all muscle” and she really doesn’t look like she is over “150 pounds.” The Washington Times was one of many publications who wrote about her exploits, noting: “Notwithstanding her hard training in athletics, Jaguarina is a splendidly preserved woman of striking beauty.” In researching other gentleman fencers at the time, there was never any mention of their weight or looks.

In her fencing career she defeated many highly regarded fencers, such as Captain E. W.

Ella Hatton would later become known as La Jaguarina.

Jennings of the Olympic Athletic Club and formerly of Her Majesty’s 8th Royal Hussards, Sergeant Owen Davis of the United States Cavalry, and Engelbrecht of the Danish Royal Guard.

She ended up winning 42 broadsword contests on foot and horseback, and was also given the title of “champion woman-at-arms of the world.”

One of her most famous swordplay battles was in 1888 at a racetrack in San Diego, a broadsword match on horseback where she faced Captain Wiedemann of Bavaria. An estimated 7,000 people were in attendance, which at the time was more than a quarter of the city’s population. It was a thrilling match where at one point the score was 5-5 and ended with the sound of Jaguarina’s blade scoring the final touch.

In the 1890s, Jaguarina reportedly fought a bull in Los Angeles. When a reporter asked if she was scared, she replied that she “never was frightened in my life.” While also living in Los Angeles, she taught “lady fencing lessons” and “physical culture.”

In 1890, the Los Angeles Herald interviewed Jaguarina about her teachings. She was quoted as saying: “Fencing makes a man or woman strong, graceful, quick of perception and selfreliant, and I do sincerely believe that this exercise will more readily allay all symptoms of nervousness than any other.”

When reading the entire interview, it is quite apparent her goal was not only to teach the benefits of physical activity, but also mentor other women to feel more confident in themselves.

In 1895, she told the Times-Picayune: “Let it be clearly understood that no man need hesitate to challenge me because I am a woman, or think he will be called on to show me any consideration for that reason. I grant no favors and I certainly ask none. It is said that this is the day of the ‘new woman.’ If it be so, I hope someone who desires to sustain the reputation of his sex will challenge me before I get to be an old woman, and give the ‘new woman’ another chance to prove she is the superior of man.”

trained soldiers, both on foot and mounted, in actual contests with the sword for purses.”

Towards the end of her career in 1897, she conducted a fencing school in Baltimore and even made the paper that same year for beat-

When she gave an interview to Iowa’s Daily Citizen about her past and what drew her to fencing, Jaguarina said: “All my family were soldiers and I suppose I have fighting blood in my veins.” Her parents both seemed to have had a strong influence on her, which she held on to as she assumed her superhero-like persona.

One of the final mentions made of Jaguarina in the press was around 1906-1907. She resumed the name of Ella Hattan and returned to acting in plays, one being “The Vanderbilt Cup.” In 1906 she wrote one last article in the New York Tribune:

Jaguarina was so admired for her skills with a sword that a group of California supporters offered to pay for her expenses to travel to Athens, Greece to compete in the first modern Olympic Games. However, women’s fencing wouldn’t be contested in Athens – or any Olympic Games until 1924.

“I have met several of the greatest swordsmen in the world, and defeated them, and have won all the honors with the sword that a woman can expect to win. I never claimed to be a ‘champion,’ and that title has always been distasteful to me. The only claim I ever made was that I believed that I was a fencer, and was always ready to have my ability tested with a substantial sum of money at stake.

Therefore, will you kindly state for me that I seek no further honors as a fencer – and don’t need the money.”

Nevertheless, she responded that she “didn’t want to attend unless she was assured other European broadsword fencers were there.” When researching the 1896 Olympics, it appears amateur fencers were allowed to take part in the Games but professionals were encouraged to compete in a separate event. In fact, there were only four countries that participated: Greece, France, Denmark, and Austria, totaling 15 fencers – all of whom were men.

In 1897 the Times in Philadelphia mentioned: “Jaguarina has made her record as the woman champion foot and mounted fencer of the world by hard work and hard knocks. She has always fenced on her merits, and no man who has ever crossed blades with her has ever shown her the slightest favor. Her record of victories, without a single defeat in fourteen years, has been honestly earned, together with the distinction of being the only woman in the world who has defeated

century sword-fighting vigilante of the night.

Jaguarina took on all challengers – men and women alike.

It is around this point in time she vanishes from the public. Not a single mention of her in the papers or even a death certificate is on record. Did she retire her sword? Did Batman ever hang up his cape and cowl? Or perhaps she realized it was time for the next age of “new women” to make their mark and empower other females to do the same.

In 2009, Ella Hattan was inducted into the USFA Hall of Fame.

ing up a man who tried to mug her and another lady leaving a theater in Washington, D.C. I personally like to think of her as becoming a 19th

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the point PARENT'S CORNER

by Jenny Petite

JULIAN BAKER TAKES A LESSON AFTER THE REOPENING OF MUSIC CITY FENCING CLUB.

Returning to the Club A Parent's Perspective

CANDISE TUGGY GETTING READY TO SAFELY BOUT.

With great change comes opportunity for significant growth.

A

s a parent, the pandemic has brought on challenges in every possible manner for me. How I send my kids out into the world, how and if my son and daughter interact with others is now a critical aspect of daily life. If your life hasn’t been significantly altered by the pandemic, there is a strong chance you know people who have been severely impacted. And, face it, even the most skeptical individuals now operate differently than pre-pandemic times.

As a parent, I am coming to understand how my children’s and my own actions have a huge impact on others. And it is essential for me to adapt and acquire new skills through creativeness and resourcefulness and to learn new strategies not only to survive, but to thrive in the pandemic.

Discussing opinions, concerns and strategies with other parents in our fencing community has been very helpful to ease the uncertainties and anxieties the pandemic has brought about. I have discussed several things with a parent of our fencing club for reassurance through these times. Simona Malfaccino has two children involved in fencing. Her family transplanted to Nashville a few years back from Bologna, Italy, close to the epicenter of the outbreak there.

The greatest impact in fencing was felt by her youngest, Mariasole, who was competing in her last year of Y14 and was doing extremely well. It was heartbreaking she wouldn’t be able to prove herself at Nationals. But Simona feels lucky her family has stayed healthy both here and in Italy, and her immediate family hasn’t been impacted financially. A real positive that has manifested itself is they have been able to spend a good amount of time with each other due to quarantine. But, now with both children going back to fencing she is nervous, but grateful that both her club and USA Fencing have taken many precautionary steps to protect the fencing community. She feels comfortable with sending her children back into this environment because the regulations are set to make sure her family is safe.

With the pandemic still lurking about, it is important as a fencing parent to take all safety provisions for our children seriously. No matter what side your opinions sway on COVID-19, precautionary measures come down to an issue of respecting and taking care of others. Personally, I think of USA Fencing's Return to Fencing guidelines as a great way for my son and me to promote and support local businesses while returning to the sport we love. And presently, preventing the spread of COVID-19 is potentially crucial to ensuring your own child’s fencing club stays financially viable. Taking all precautionary steps can reduce the chances of a spike or outbreak that could shut your child’s club temporarily, if not permanently.

Until interviewing club owners, Rob Piraino of Music City Fencing

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Club and Alia ElGhamrawy of iMasters Fencing Academy, I didn’t realize how each individual person’s actions, inside and outside the club, could have an impact on its success. It is essential for clubs to stay open in order to survive. But keeping their open signs on isn’t an easy feat. As parents and fencers, we play just as crucial a role in protecting our fencing community. In areas of the country where new outbreaks have dramatically surged, we have seen businesses barely staying afloat, having to close their doors for a second time, as cities and towns are having to roll-back their phasing process. Unfortunately, these setbacks could be met with grave consequence to clubs narrowly hanging on financially.

As parents, we all have anxieties about the potential health risks COVID-19 imposes, but as a small business owner, closing your club doors and watching numbers plummet can be incapacitating. Rob Piraino has seen a lot of growth and success in just five years of opening his establishment and is the only club to be awarded the Club of Excellence

by USA Fencing two years in a row. These awards reflect his ability to recruit and maintain membership among both youth and overall fencers.

With a drop of 35 percent in active memberships due to COVID-19, Rob has a grim report of a staggering 25 percent drop for the club’s total projected annual revenue this year.

He is not alone. Fencing clubs across America face this problem, many with worse numbers. Future recruitment, summer camps, tournaments and members returning to the club play a big role in his ability to even maintain this reduction. Rob is counting on schools reopening in the fall for recruitment and the ability to host tournaments to continue to generate profit for the club. So, safeguarding his club is Rob’s No. 1 priority to create a chance to grow-back his fencing program.

But the pandemic hasn’t brought all doom-and-gloom to fencing around the world. Despite significant losses, fencing clubs have found new and innovative ways to meet the challenge of keeping the team practicing together. From communicating with and observing other’s coaching reactions to COVID, Rob feels it has forced owners and coaches to think outside the box and get up-to-speed on how to use video software like Zoom in order to run virtual classes. This is a great tool that can be an addition to future training for athletes outside of quarantine orders. Athletes lacking self-discipline is a major concern with coaches these days; however, Rob noticed with fewer distractions the athletes are able to focus more and the circumstances have required them to become more self-disciplined and self-reliant in their training.

Coaches have united across the world to create an environment that inspires and keeps athletes connected to fencing. iMasters' Alla said that, with the help of partners, they were able to create a workout platform called Side-by-Side that was able to reach more than 300 participants from around the world. Athletes participate in fencing workouts together in a group video chat environment coupled with nutritional facts, mental tips and armory sessions. Side-by-Side also created the first-ever online international fencing tournament. Three-hundred-ninety

athletes from 14 countries competed and several Olympians participated as well as referees from 18 nations. It was a first that would have never happened without the pandemic.

As a business owner and coach, you are a proverbial jack-of-alltrades. Your to-do list is never ending and quite often many things on it get neglected for lack of time. Both Rob and Alia put a spin on having to close their doors and turned the pandemic into an opportunity to make repairs, renovations on the club as well as set times for creativity, focusing on strategies for marketing and generating new members to the fencing community. Life is what you make of it, folks!

The pandemic has turned the world upside-down. But, hey, looking at things in a different way has given me quite a different perspective. It has shown me how important the people my family is close to are to us, it has taught us to enjoy simple moments, to unplug, slow down, it has taught us to be mindful and selfless and look out for others, and it has allowed us to think outside the box. There is good in change if you permit yourself to see it. Be safe and keep the sport of fencing and your fencing club thriving by protecting yourself and others.

So now for the fun facts you have all been waiting for: These guidelines include recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are an imperative step to getting fencing up and running again.

This can help you think about ways to keep you, your loved ones and your clubs safe as you begin to venture-out into the world and fencing practice again.

USA Fencing Return to Fencing Guidelines for Individuals During Activities • Refrain from attending any activity if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

• Comply with all safety measures applicable to or prescribed by the club.

• Come to the club already dressed in freshly washed work out clothing. Clothing should be suitable for public display and to wear under fencing uniforms, such that uniforms can be put on at the club without the need for private changing rooms. Uniforms should be taken home and washed after practice, not left in the club.

• During Phase 3, do not share equipment such as weapons, body cords, fencing masks, gloves or uniforms, with others. During Phase 4 – share weapons and body cords only after disinfecting, and disinfect it again before it is returned. Do not share masks, gloves, uniforms.

• Wear a surgical or cloth mask covering nose and mouth, even under fencing masks.

• Practice social distancing as directed and to the extent possible.

• Wash and sanitize your hands often.

• Avoid touching your face, eyes or mouth with unclean hands.

Visit www.usafencing.org/coronavirus for the complete Return to Fencing Guidelines

the point TECH TALK

by Ted Li

LATE-NIGHT ARMORY RAMBLINGS O

ccasionally, it is good just to put together a collection of random observations from the last season of competitive fencing. So here goes ... Épée Guard Sockets. During the past few months, I have encountered several épées whose guards, when hit by their opponent’s tip, would NOT ground the hit. The cause wasn’t something on the face of the opponent’s tip, nor was it an extra-long travel spring in the opponent’s tip, nor was it an electrically “dirty” guard. Instead, it was the guard socket that had come loose from its bracket. In many instances, the screw(s) holding the socket to its bracket was/were missing, and the only thing holding the socket block to its bracket was the body cord bale.

Keeping the electrical connection between the “C” socket and the guard socket bracket tight is essential for having a guard that will ground hits to the guard. Making sure the screw(s) that make the connection are tight should be a part of every pre-competition check.

Scoring Machines with Time and Score Displays. More than occasionally, I get frantic phone calls asking why a scoring machine with time and score displays suddenly stopped working, or I find a package on my front porch with a frantic note explaining that the owner needs the machine fixed and returned YESTERDAY. In many instances, as soon as I apply power to the apparatus, the cause of the problem becomes apparent: the time display reads “00:00.” When a time display reads “00:00” – the expiration of fencing time – the scoring machine locks-in whatever state it is in, and no further touches may be scored until some time is restored on the display. As soon as I reset time on the clock, the scoring machine responds as it should, and the owner of the machine gets a bill.

Static Electricity and Scoring Machines. Increasingly, clubs and schools are moving into updated facilities, with all the modern amenities: good light, air conditioning, a synthetic poured floor ... What could go wrong? ESD, or “electric static discharge.” Combining low humidity, a synthetic floor and synthetic uniform fabrics can be the recipe for “blow-

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ing” scoring machines. I can remember an NCAA Nationals at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where the humidity was less than 10 percent. As soon as people began fencing, scoring machines started to “blow” because of the ESD. Within the first few minutes of the tournament, seven scoring machines were disabled! What was the cure?

Creating grounding plates connected to the room’s electrical circuitry through 1000-ohm resistors, and borrowing scoring machines from the USA Fencing National Office.

Just as a general precaution, all scoring machines should be connected to an electrical ground. Checking all wall sockets and extension cords with a three-prong LED circuit tester is quite easy: just plug it in, and it will tell you if there is something awry. The other way of avoiding the ESD problem is to use batteries. More frequently, various clubs are returning to the use of 12-volt lead acid batteries to power their scoring machines. If you elect this route, be sure you get 12-volt batteries with sufficient power (amp hours) to last through an entire day, and be prepared to charge your batteries frequently.

Remote Controls. I have two observations about remote controls.

The first involves how hard people press on the switches, especially the “Start/Stop” switch for the clock. What people may not realize is when the clock is stopped during a bout, there may be a fraction of a second that is not displayed, and when the “Start” button is pushed, the display does not immediately change – it may take up to .99 seconds before the display changes. Frantically pushing the “Start” button or pushing it harder will not make the display change instantaneously, it just wears out the buttons.

point is supported, there is no necessity to grind the shim. All the rotation accomplishes is to slowly grind the shim, ultimately rendering it out of specification and therefore, useless.

Courtesy Pre-Competition Checks. We’ve only conducted pre-competition checks on body cords, conductive vests, jackets and gloves for less than 20 years.

In many ways, these checks are done to facilitate the smooth running of the competition, but, still today, the only mandated check is a safety check done on the mask. With many regional and national competitions becoming so large, armorers often find it difficult to do all of the courtesy checks before the announced beginning time of the competition, and may, at their discretion, eliminate many of the courtesy checks. So, it behooves fencers to have their equipment in tip-top condition when they arrive, rather than discovering any malfunctioning equipment at the precheck.

That’s all for now! Essentially, knowing how your equipment functions, and often knowing why it functions the way it does, can enable you to check your own equipment to be sure it will function properly when you want it to.

The second observation is people often store remote controls without removing the batteries. If your remote control has removable, nonrechargeable batteries, and you are going to store them for more than a month, the batteries should be removed to prevent them from leaking and damaging the circuit boards.

Referee’s Pre-Bout Inspection of Foils. What should a referee do in a pre-bout inspection of a foil? Should he/she check to see if the barrel and handle are tight? YES! Should the wire beneath the pad be inspected to see if it is covered by tape? NO! Unlike the épées circuit, where all sorts of trickery can happen beneath the guard pad, playing with the wire beneath a foil pad can only disadvantage the fencer using that foil.

Cracked Reel Cable Jacketing. How many times have you seen a reel cable jacketing cracked about three to four feet from a fencer’s end?

Or seen a jacketing crack covered by tape? The cause of the jacketing cracking near the fencer is often the result of the athlete standing directly above the reel to hook up. It is much better for the cable if you walk forward toward the on guard line and hook up there. At the end of a bout, it is better if you unhook at the on guard, and hand the fencer’s end to the next fencer.

As far as covering the cracks in the reel cable with tape or shrink tubing, it is only a temporary fix, which can have a negative impact as the extra diameter will increase the wear on the plastic cable guide.

Use of Épée Gauges. It is all too frequent that a referee will insert the 0.50 mm épée shim, depress the point, and then rotate the shim around the point. Since most shims are cut so three-quarters of the ISTOCK.COM/MASTER1305

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the point CLUB TIPS

REOPENING YOUR CLUB New World, New Opportunities

By Serge Timacheff

A

s clubs in the United States gradually open for fencing again in a new COVID-19-dominated world, as a club owner, manager or staff member you’re likely facing some daunting new policies and procedures. Let’s take a look at a high-level list of what you’ll want to consider as you prepare to get back to the business of fencing while meeting the requirements of local and national government safety regulations and recommendations – and how you might make the most of them to your advantage.

In May, USA Fencing released the Return to Fencing Guidelines that are available at www.usafencing.org/coronavirus.

Every state, county and city also will have its own specifics on what steps and measures you’ll need to consider, and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with them and plan accordingly.

Likewise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a web page entitled “Considerations for Youth Sports” that applies to virtually every club across the nation. As they point out, the CDC information is “…meant to supplement – not

replace – any state, local, territorial or tribal health and safety laws, rules and regulations with which youth sports organizations must comply.”

Before we cover a basic checklist, consider how this rather intimidating task may be turned into a positive phase for your club’s growth and the return of your fencers.

Here are a few ideas to get your creativity and checklists flowing: CLEANLINESS. Fencing clubs are notoriously dusty, sweaty and, dare I say it, stinky. Nowadays, parents are looking for a squeaky-clean place for their kids, where everything is in its place and things smell nice.

• Do a deep cleaning – hire a professional service if you can afford it—to kick — off reopening.

• Sanitize all surfaces after practices and activities. Regularly sanitize surfaces likely to be touched or otherwise infected during the club activity, including strips, reels and scoring machines.

• Make hand sanitizer readily available in multiple locations throughout the facility, including the entrance.

• Mop the fencing floor with a bleachbased cleaner.

MARKETING SAFETY. Offer branded, reusable/washable safety masks for fencers to own. Perhaps give them as a promotional item with your club name and logo when people return, or even sell them for a modest amount. There are many styles available and custom masks are all the rage – there are even ones suitable for use while working out. Now is also a good time to order clubbranded water bottles for everyone to keep and mark with their names.

FENCING IS A NATURALLY “SOCIAL DISTANCING” SPORT. What do coaches yell at their fencers all the time? “KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.” On your website and in your marketing materials, let people know that distancing is a long-time feature of fencing and, unlike just about all other combat sports and martial arts, body-to-body

PRACTICE AT THE NORTHWEST FENCING CCENTER IN BEAVERTON, ORE. WHERE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED. PHOTO CREDIT: SERGE TIMACHEFF.

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contact in fencing is very limited. This has an appeal to many parents looking for “safe” sports.

TIME TO OWN YOUR GEAR. For fencing clubs offering shared or rental gear, it’s time to encourage or even require people to buy their own equipment. While clubs have long tried to offer as much as possible to keep the entry-cost low for people trying fencing, in reality kids who own their own gear feel more engaged with the sport and are more likely to stay with it longer – and parents who have invested in purchasing equipment are less likely to let children jump impulsively to another sport.

LIVESTREAM. While many clubs have been using social media like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Zoom for lessons and keeping engaged with locked-down fencers, keep it going now that your club is open! Set up livestreaming web cams that let people watch classes, lessons and event tournaments and link them through your web site or Facebook page.

Once again, be sure to be familiar with your local regulations. Much of the sports information focuses on team sports, and of course those regulations will be a bit different. However, there is much that applies to fencing. Let’s look at a few of the notable CDC highlight recommendations as they apply to fencing clubs (again, see the full web page for complete, detailed guidelines and information): ELIMINATE SHARING EQUIPMENT such as masks, gloves and uniforms. For common areas where people touch, such as in bathrooms, door handles and bannisters, for example, disinfect frequently and remind fencers to wash their hands and not touch their faces.

REMIND FENCERS TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE WHILE NOT FENCING. Arrange any seating accordingly, and even make it fun – for example, a German restaurant recently had patrons wear swimming noodle hats to remind them of keeping distance. En-

50 AMERICAN FENCING B

There are many other things to consider that will reduce the spread of COVID-19, and you’ll need to study and understand them. You’ll need to educate your staff as well, so they know to follow policies about checking fencers for any signs or symptoms (as well as themselves), knowing if they’ve had any recent exposure to anyone who’s infected, and being on OLYMPIAN CODY MATTERN MASKS UP DURING SESSIONS top of hygiene, respiratory etiquette AT NORTHWEST FENCING CENTER. (handwashing, covering coughs and courage athletes to engage in other activisneezes, etc.) and practicing distancties during time off-strip, such as practicing ing and covering (e.g., masks). footwork or drills.

Be sure to remind all students and staff to CONSIDER DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS stay home if they are not feeling well and to and their ability to follow social distancing stay home if they have had close sustained concepts. With younger athletes, have more contact within the last 14 days with anyone focused supervision available. who is sick or is known or believed to have had COVID-19. Should a member of your KEEP AIRFLOW IN YOUR FACILITY community have COVID-19, work with that GOING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Open individual to ensure that you have a doctor’s windows and doors and try to optimize note that clears participation in club activicross-ventilation. ties before he or she is allowed to return.

THINGS TAKE MORE TIME NOW. Examine carefully your fencing schedule and ensure it complies with maximum numbers of students allowed in whatever phase you’re in and give adequate time between classes and lessons for handwashing, disinfection and other safety practices.

WHEN TOURNAMENTS OR ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE AWAY FROM THE CLUB, CONSIDER WHICH KIDS ARE GOING TO EVENTS: Have they been good at social distancing and practicing good cleanliness skills? Make it mandatory that they have the skills necessary to stay safe. And look into the infection rate of any areas you are considering traveling to for competitions.

Develop a plan with your staff, in accordance with local, state and CDC guidelines, regarding a plan of action if someone is sick or presents with symptoms or signs of illness. It is important not to make assumptions, but be sure to convey to the fencer your club’s policy and isolate the person; arrange for them to be safely transported and fully communicate with their parents or guardians.

Be sure to post signs throughout your club with reminders about COVID-19 safety and practices. The CDC site has free downloadable posters and banners you can print and display, as well as many links to additional information and resources regarding COVID-19.

PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING AT NORTHWEST FENCING CENTER.

Again, be aware of the local, regional and national guidelines and do your utmost to convey them to your staff and fencers. Educate yourself on all the policies and procedures and put them into place in your club. Your fencers, parents and others will appreciate it — and you might even find your club benefitting from it in ways you never anticipated.