In today's competitive climate for college acceptances, people are looking for any possible edge to separate themselves. One of the great secrets is the Olympic sport of fencing which boasts as a top scholarship sport in the NCAA. The Phoenix Center has been helping students in the Hudson Valley for years get to the collegiate level by training them to regional, national, and international success!
“Women who fence stand the greatest chance to get a sports scholarship,” states owner Eric Soyka. “While men are in the top 3 of chances to get a scholarship,” he adds. Soyka continues, “Even if the student isn’t a scholarship level athlete, coaches still have leverage in the admissions process and being a dedicated fencer can often be the difference between getting into their college of choice.”
Joining a sport like fencing gives college bound students an edge.
With acceptances being between 4% and 10% to elite universities, having something like fencing can be the key to a student’s admission. Coach Dennis Kolakowski has had students recruited to such institutions as Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, and Northwestern. “One of our students, Ilsa Hoffman, got recruited to Northwestern University on scholarship for fencing this year,” says Kolakowski. “Ilsa was a top recruit for many schools. It was a nice place for her to be; in the driver's seat getting to choose which great school she would attend. Also having that choice made so early, it took a lot of pressure off of her in her senior year and during her competitions,” explains Kolakowski.
Ilsa Hoffman has been recruited to Northwestern University based on her fencing abilities. The sport gave her an edge other students applying didn't have.
Fencing is the sport for everyone
Besides the collegiate benefits, there are many other facets to the sport that people enjoy. As an Olympic sport, it’s been one of only a few sports to be in every modern Olympics since they began in 1896. It is also the fifth safest sport in both the winter and summer games, even ranking safer than badminton! It is one of the few martial arts to not have weight classes as fencing is not just who can move faster but who can be more mentally agile. “Fencing has been nicknamed physical chess, as it's not only about the movements you make but how you can outthink your opponent,” states head epee coach William Barnhart. “Due to the nature of the sport, it really is the sport for everyone, as it doesn’t matter your physical makeup, just how much you put into it,” Barnhart continues.
It is also classified as a lifetime sport as The Phoenix Center has adult students who train to make World Teams from 50 years old and up. “Some of those students fenced as kids, some just started as adults and some of them had a gap,” Soyka explains. “The great thing about the sport is that anyone at any age can start and find their own path, whether for college, fun or exercise,” concludes Soyka.
For information on The Phoenix Center please visit their website: SwordsAreFun.com