I was ten years old when my dad suddenly asked me, “Do you want to try fencing?” I had been swimming competitively for about three years and was getting tired of it, so I thought, why not? Sure enough, although cliche, I fell in love with fencing from the first lunge. I know it’s uncommon for most athletes to stay at the same club for their entire career, but GFC has become my second home. I cannot count how many hours I have spent in GFC, but I know I spent more time at my club than at home during some weeks.

Of all my training experiences, one of the most memorable sessions was when I traveled to Germany with my teammate Elisha. For a week, I had the privilege of training daily with Olympians and fencing with the best in the world. I’m sure this experience and countless hours of training helped me reach the point where I am now. Along with training with amazing teammates, I had the opportunity to receive top-notch coaching from Sergei. He was the first person, other than my parents, who not only led me through every step of my journey but yanked me from my “hiding place” when I needed it the most. Sometimes, I felt like Sergei was my “second dad,” as at times, I spent more time with him than my own (much to the chagrin of my dad…haha).

I never knew I would love fencing so much, but my time at GFC and my grit propelled me to where I am now: an NCAA Division 1 Student-Athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. Fencing has given me so many gifts. It has not only taught me how to climb to the top of an athletic mountain, but better yet, it has taught me how to climb any mountain. I hope to pass my story on to current GFC’ers