Fencing has given me a lot. What I've tried to do is give some of that love of the sport and passion for fencing back to all of our fencers. It's something that I love and that's why I keep doing it.
Quotes about fencers (6 Quotes)
Sport fencing is very different from what you see in movies. In fencing, the moves are small and tricky. In the movies, the moves are big and flashy. They're meant to show well before the camera. Actors are trying to look good and not hit somebody. Fencers are trying to hide what we're doing and hit somebody. We try to look good at what we do, but we don't want to telegraph any big, flashy moves because that makes it easier for your opponent to hit you. There has to be a certain subtlety to it.
Earlier this year we beat Ohio State in women's, and today they took revenge. It's not a shame to lose against such good fencers, but it is a sign that you have to work to be better.
That is quite a challenge. The task is to not only qualify a full number of fencers for nationals, but to get used to the different qualifying system they are using this year.
I named it the Zen Fencing Academy for my hero, a gentleman by the name of Joe Odom, who sadly passed away last year. He was my role model as a fencer and as an instructor. He founded a club in Pittsburgh, Fencers For Fun, as a method of keeping kids off the streets. He always came to (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) to help us out because we didn't have a coach. We always referred to him as the 'Zen master of fencing'. He was that wise old Pat Morita kind of character.
Hopkins is traditionally among the top schools. We're really looking at the Army competition, as well as the championships. We have experienced fencers and five out of our nine fencers have helped us win the Army trophy in the past.