Fencing is a sport of planning, judgement, skill and tactics. I have been a fencer for ten years, and during this time I have taught, mastered, two of the three weapons, been a student, and studied the art of fencing.

Fencing is one of the most rapidly growing sports in the United States, next to Lacrosse and a few others. It is appealing to kids because you learn the historical aspect of how people used to settle their arguments for hundreds of years, an also you get to play around with swords! It is a fun sport, and for decades has been improved for safety reasons. Gear has been updated, blade construction has been fixed, and it is now one of the safest sports out there.

When I started fencing, I began at one of the most corrupt clubs in New England. I learned nothing and received no attention due to my lack of skill. After a few years, I was fed up and switched clubs. My new coach was a champion fencer in the former Soviet Union who left and became a coach in the United States. He is still highly regarded in the fencing community.

Since I started learning from my new coach, I have gone on to win third place in the New England division twice. I have won many tournaments, but I also have had many upsets. I went to a national tournament in Massachusetts and came in dead last out of 150 fencers. I didn’t want to go back, but I did two years later. I then placed in the top 10 percent out of 200 fencers.

Fencing has been a huge part of my life. I have gained many friends through it and I have made something of myself. I am proud to be where I am in the sport, and I'm more than happy to be fencing alongside the other athletes in my club.