Aiden Ahn wrote: I owe my fencing career in large part to Sergei and GFC. As a coach and as a mentor, Sergei built up my fencing foundation from the ground up — teaching me to not only become a better fencer but also a more disciplined student-athlete. Both were traits that I found invaluable in my journey to recruitment and while fencing for the Varsity Yale Men’s Fencing Team.

Fencing is a unique sport in that while it is more widely known and watched today, it is still considered niche in comparison to other sports that offer recruitment to top universities. There is a smaller participant pool, which places a greater emphasis on the quality of coaching and training in order to gain a competitive edge. With Sergei’s illustrious career and GFC’s alumni history, there is no doubt in my mind that GFC provides one of the best environments for success.

As a coach, Sergei has a natural gift for motivating and supporting his students. He would always push me to train harder and learn more, while also celebrating my victories and analyzing my losses. It always felt as if we were on this journey together. His depth of experience and his reputation as a world-renowned foilist also opened up many opportunities to train with some of the best fencers in the world. These experiences allowed for me to develop a better understanding of the sport and of the myriad of ways I could continue to improve. 

It also helped that GFC felt like a family. The students would always challenge each other to improve but also support one another at tournaments. This was a valuable learning experience for my collegiate career. While you do fence as an individual, teamwork is a major aspect of college fencing — even if one person goes undefeated, the team has to do well to secure a victory. The lessons I learned while at GFC helped me to become more of a team player throughout my time at Yale.

Overall, I can’t thank Sergei and GFC enough for the impact they’ve had on my fencing career as well as in many other aspects of my life. The lessons I’ve learned in discipline, teamwork, and self-improvement have served me well throughout college and into medical school and will undoubtedly continue well beyond.

I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the GFC family!