The Catholic Memorial High School coach, Mike Sampon discusses the success that the strong US finish in Beijing is bringing to high school fencing in the Midwest. Article summary follows.
Catholic Memorial recently hosted a record setting invitational of 360 high school fencers, and is preparing to host the Great Lakes High School Championships the last day of January. The level of competition has been higher every year bolstered by the growing number of high school fencers attending private clubs. Despite the larger number of privately trained fencers, most members of a high school team have never even picked up a weapon. In addition to the difficulty in training the influx of new team members, it can be difficult to outfit them too. The high school relies heavily on concessions money to afford travel. While most highschoolers will never reach the pinnacle of the sport, you don’t have to in order to get something out of fencing.