Support Your Local Fencer!

Here's the touchstone article: Slate offers up coverage of Olympic swordplay. I fondly remember my fencing lessons, taken pre-baby up in Seattle. It's a great sport--very rigorous and empowering.

Last week, The Sacramento Bee had an article (already archived and fee-based) on Dominga Nash-Carter, a 12-year old fencer/sabriste who is practicing in an underfunded black neighborhood and had to forgo nationals in North Carolina last year, her family unable to fund the trip. Last Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting David Williams, Dominga's coach and head of the Imani Fencing Foundation, and a bit later, Dominga, her mother Kathleen and her sister, all of whom take lessons from David. Next year nationals are going to be held in Sacramento, so travel won't be a problem. This is a great community activity, and David is really devoted to the community and the sport.

Dominga's practice site and the home of the Imani Fencing Foundation is here: Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (916) 277-6151

Congratulations to Mariel Zagunis of Beaverton, OR, on her gold medal, and Sada Jacobson (of Georgia) on her bronze, both in Women's Sabre!