Fencing
Captain Boyko Krastevitch
email:
Boyko_Krastevitch@sarasota.k12.fl.us
The Fencing Class at SMA owes its beginning to the efforts of Col. Chuck Hewins, USAF (ret). Chuck thought that with ours being a Military School, Fencing was a natural subject to be including in the curriculum.
I came into the SMA family in October of the first year.
Chuck and I taught on a split week basis until the end of the first semester when I took over. Chuck taught the first group the basics. I observed that some of our "beginners" had the potential to move into the competitive world of sport fencing. With Chuck’s assistance and the support of our headmaster, Dan Kennedy, we embarked on our first competition. This was Qualifier’s for the Junior Olympics. One of our fencers, Oliver Hale, not only qualified, but, accompanied by Garrett Rubenstein (who acted as his coach/trainer) went to Colorado Springs and competed in Junior Olympics. This was (again with Dan’s blessings) the beginning of the SMA Fencing Team. We are the only high school recognized Fencing Team in Florida (ever).
Members of our Fencing Team have participated in numerous local and statewide tournaments, culminating in several of our team competing in the Summer National Tournament both of the past two years of the schools existence.
We also have a Fencing Club that is recognized by the United States Fencing Association which is open to all members of the student body and to members of the community.
Fencing is a sport that you can still participate in and go to international competitions as long as you can wield a weapon.
The class is extremely popular among the students and we always have a waiting list to get into it.
We award Varsity letters to the members of our team that participate in five competitive events. So far we have awarded more than ten letters. Also awarded are pins that designate those fencers who have done something beyond the normal scope of the average fencing tournament such as Junior Olympics, Nationals or attending advanced schools of fence while representing the traditions of SMA.
My goal is to instill in these students not only a love of a sport that they can participate in throughout their life, but to also impart to them the tradition and honor associated with being a Fencer.
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