Coaching the International School of Boston's Fencing Varsity Team

(30 years later and still at it!)

Here is a little blurb about an activity I hold dear to my heart: fencing.

I have accepted the honor to coach the International School of Boston/Le Lycée International de Boston, despite my crazy travel schedule.  The tournament season is short but exiting as it will be the first year, after the creation of the School's fencing club ten years ago, that the school will be competing with other New England private schools.

Competitive fencing requires new skills and dedication.  Self-discipline, strategy, athleticism, a strong emotional composition, and respect for oneself and others are core elements in the sport of fencing, and are elevated in competitive varsity fencing.  The fencing varsity team has to meet higher expectations, and thankfully they have been taught by Rob Hupp that fencing is a sport that is best practiced with self-awareness and fair play at a time when too many sports are focused on winning at all costs.

Our fencers’ education is the fair and noble practice of the sport that provides them with an unpaired advantage and path to becoming formidable fencers.  I intend to leverage this strong foundation and guide them physically and spiritually towards becoming competitive, accomplished athletes through both defeats and victory.

Competitive training includes training the mind.  Many of the fencers have heard me say that fencing is like playing chess with your body.  I will spend a significant amount of time on the development of strategic thinking, observation and mind-body coordination.  It is all about control.

I hope that this unusual blog post reveals a longterm commitment that has been formative.