SabreCoachKate podcast SabreCoachKate

Nikki Franke began her illustrious fencing career her last year in high school; she really enjoyed the combative mental aspect of it and threw herself in wholeheartedly. She attended Brooklyn College and trained with Denise O’Connor. Eventually the two became Olympic teammates. Desirous of a graduate degree, she went to Temple University to serve as the TA of fencing thanks to prodding from another great American fencer: Sharon Everson; eventually she became the Head Coach there. She holds many titles and honors; perhaps the greatest one being Fencing Legend with a capital “F” and “L”.
Listen as Dr. Franke explains the need for more fencing exposure for inner city youth. She’ll explain how training for the Olympics back then differed from today. You’ll hear what she looks for in a recruit and her vision for a college-level fencing team. She’ll also give advice on how an athlete should choose which college to attend. And she’ll regale you with stories from driving through the blizzard at the Richmond NAC with her Team as well as tell you their favorite part about traveling together.
This is an interview you do not want to miss!

Back in September of 2018, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Stacey Johnson. Then life got in the way (mostly moving to our new club space) and I haven’t had a chance to edit it until now. I had forgotten just how much insight Ms. Johnson shared, not just about fencing but about perseverance and teamwork, skills that she used to great effect in both her professional and athletic endeavors.
 
Ms. Johnson started her athletic career on the back of a horse, then got involved in fencing at the age of 13 when the Pentathletes at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio asked her to attend a tournament and help keep time and score. For three solid months she was terrible at fencing until the fateful day her coach exasperatedly switched the foil to her left hand….less than four years later she made the Junior World Team. You’ll hear her talk about what it was like to be on the Olympic Team the year President Carter boycotted the Games.
 
She was very successful in her own fencing career but then used it as a springboard to promote Women’s Sabre and equal access for women and minorities. She became the first woman to complete a four-year term as President of US Fencing and was one of the first women on the Fencing Officials Commission. She’ll also talk about her role in getting Women’s Sabre into the Olympics, the initial fallout from it, and the eventual success of ALL weapons that stemmed from those medals earned in Athens.
 
This is a very interesting interview with a very interesting woman: fencer, Valencia College President, San Jose State alum, Olympian, teammate, and advocate. Enjoy!

Terrence Lasker was one of your run-of-the-mill teenagers who wanted a job working with computers someday. When a Magnet high school opened in Kansas City, he jumped at the chance to study in their state-of-the-art computer science program. What he didn’t expect was turning that passion into a lifelong love of fencing. After being wooed by the promise of travel to international competitions and thanks to their focus on Olympic sports, Terrence learned from one of the greatest Sabre coaches of all time: Vladimir Nazlymov.
 
Under Nazlymov’s guidance and with the help of teammates such as Jeremy Summers, Terrence became a 5-time national champion, 4-time member of the U.S. National Team and was first alternate for the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team in 1996.  He was the assistant fencing coach at Ohio State from 2003-2008 and has been coaching at Nellya Fencers since 2008.
 
Tune in today to hear the amazing story of a normal, nerdy teenager who became one of Sabre fencing’s top athletes and coaches.

Cody Mattern started fencing at age 15 after, believe it or not, an argument with his brother. After only training for two years he became the Junior National Epee Champion, a feat he repeated the following year. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, placing 22nd in Individual and 6th in Team. Next, Cody took part in the US Army’s World Class Athlete Program from 2005 to 2012; that final year he was part of the Men’s Epee Team that won the World Championships. After all these competitive successes, Cody retired to coach epee full time at the Northwest Fencing Center in Beaverton, Oregon. Tune in today to hear of Cody’s journey from teenaged fencing wonder to coach, USAFencing Board Vice President, and Vice Chair of the USOC Athletes Advisory Council.

Lisa Campi Sapery is a woman who has filled pretty much every possible role in our sport: elite college athlete, coach, international referee, referee trainer, club owner, and published author. She is known as the Fencing Referee in various places online, including her YouTube channel, Fencing.net, and Facebook. She started fencing when her sister Barb thought the guy at the recruiting table was cute...and the rest is history. Tune in today to hear more about this history, a life story you will find both inspirational and uplifting.
 
As a side note, if you’re interested in her scouting journals, they are available on Amazon and from several fencing vendors.

Today’s episode is the story of David Sach, a man who has represented fencing on two continents, and who you probably know best as the Head Assigner of Sabre at most NACs. You know: the guy with the accent at the big table in the middle of the venue. You just had no idea who he really is!
 
David holds elite status in the fencing trifecta of competitor, coach, and referee. As a fencer, he won a number of cadet, junior, and senior National titles including a run of 5 back to back Junior National Championships, 2 silver individual medals and a team Gold at the Commonwealth Games. As a coach, he served as a British Fencing World Class Performance Pathway Sabre coach and has helped produce several national champions, World Cup medalists, a Cadet World Champion, and Olympians. And as a referee, he has earned an FIE licence which allowed him to work a couple of Senior World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.
 
He is currently the Director of Operations at Boston Fencing Club, one of the oldest in the country, and the Head Fencing Coach at Tufts University.
 
Tune in today to hear him tell you stories about his international life as an athlete, coach, and referee.