Background

I started fencing in 1986, when I saw it at a German language camp in Minnesota. I really wanted to continue with this sport when I got back to San Francisco, so I looked in the phone book and found Halberstadt Fencers Club - where I trained until 1997. In 1991, I set out to make the Cadet (under-17) World Team in men's epee. I was pretty inexperienced, and this was a fairly bold statement to make to my coach, Paul Soter - a former national champion. But hey, I was only 16, and I have certainly put my mind on doing even more improbable things - like right now for example.

Even after a rough start to the '91-'92 season, I never gave up, even though my coach had pretty much given up on me. I went out there and medaled in the last two under-17 tournaments, and also did well in the under-20 tournaments, well enough to make the 1992 Cadet World Team.

That was when I knew I could compete in this sport. I wasn't necessarily prepared for the tough times ahead, but I could always look back to then to remind myself of what I was capable of. I was on to bigger and better things. I made the Junior World (under-20) Team in 1994 and 1995, and I was ranked number one in the nation in Junior Men's Epee for both of those seasons. At the same time I was also a full-time student at the University of San Francisco, where I graduated in 1997 with a degree in International Business.

Fencing became difficult for me after I aged out of the Junior age category. All that was left was open competition - and my first full season was during the 1996 Olympic year. It was tough not doing well in competition for the first time in my life, but I matured a lot as a competitor. By the end of that year I really found myself, winning the Pacific Coast Championships and making my first senior final at the 1996 National Championships. My results have improved each year since then, going to more and more world cups to get more experience, which brings me to where I am today.