We know, things have changed. Times are hard. For most of us, the experience of this pandemic has meant a fundamental change in our everyday lives. It’s time to realize that we cannot continue to stay still. We have to move forward. There are a lot of terrible things...
Academy of Fencing Masters Blog
Art of Fencing, Art of Life
Month: May 2020
Refreshing Olympic Parenting Insight with Cathy Zagunis
Ed Korfanty, Mariel Zagunis and Cathy Zagunis The dream of the Olympics is something that every fencer and every fencing parent thinks of at some point. It is a big dream, maybe a romantic dream, and definitely a far away dream for most fencers and their parents. ...
AFM Safe Shield – Returning to Training Guidelines & Plan
The "AFM Safe Shield" Returning to Training Guidelines are based on CDC health considerations and tools for operating during COVID-19, California schools’ guidelines, CDC Considerations for Youth Sports and Summer Camps, and Santa Clara County’s Public Health...
Olympic Fencing Qualification Updates – May 2020
The road to Olympic Fencing qualification isn’t a straight one this time around. There are always surprises, but this year (next year now), coronavirus has made the whole process a lot more interesting and a lot less sure. One related and important piece of news that...
Candidate for USA Fencing President Peter Burchard on Fencing Clubs, Leadership, and the Importance of Being Local
Peter Burchard is a well known name in the world of American Fencing. He’s been the head of the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association since 2014, and has a long history of working as an advocate for the sport. Just about everyone knows who Peter is thanks to his networking...
9 Must See TED Talks for Fencers
Quarantine is a time when you’ve got some extra time. That makes this a wonderful chance to inject some inspiration into your fencing! TED Talks are a perfect way to do that. It’s not always about what a fencer does in the club or with their coach, much of the...
How Fencing Moms are Stepping up in COVID-19
Moms have a way of grounding us and making things better. This is especially true in times of turmoil, and we’re certainly in a time of turmoil right now. Home has become everything to us. It’s where we eat and sleep, where we work and go to school, where we play and...
Parenting Insight from Elena Grishina, Champion Fencing Mom of the World’s #1 Epee Fencer, Sergey Bida
Sergey Bida and Elena Grishina Even if you are a fencing champion yourself, there is still a lot of learning that happens on the job when you’re a fencing parent. This is something that we learned from Elena Grishina, mom of Russian epee fencer Sergey Bida, part of a...
Don Anthony, President of USA Fencing on COVID-19, College, and the Future of Fencing
Don Anthony with FIE President Alisher Usmanov In a time when things are constantly changing, one thing that remains constant is the sport of fencing. During this time, we have been honored to be able to sit down for a Zoom interview with the indomitable Don Anthony,...