HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Two fencers are practicing to pick up points in the national tournament to qualify for the upcoming U.S. Olympic trials with help from an internationally known fencer.
Alexander Lepeshinski, better known to his athletes as Sasha, has established one of the nation’s top fencing schools in Hollywood.
He was once a highly ranked fencer in the Soviet Union and in 2016 became Panama’s Olympic fencing coach.
“People call fencing physical chess,” said Lepeshinski.
Lepeshinski said all of the students in his school have to learn a certain skill, regardless of their age.
“Only one thing [can] help you: it’s your mental condition,” said Lepeshinski. “If you’re ready to fight, if you’re able to control yourself completely, if you’re able to keep your attention the whole tournament, you’re going to be winner.”
He has produced several nationally ranked competitors.
Atari Greenbaum from Davie practices at Lepeshinski’s gym and is the current U-17 National Champion.
She says she sometimes has to explain that the sport she plays isn’t what you see in a pirate movie.
“People will pick up like a fork or something and be like, ‘Let’s fence,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s not really like that,'” said Greenbaum. “I kind of have to explain to them it doesn’t really work like that. You can’t just pick up a fork and try to hit each other.”
Fifteen-year-old Grant Dodrill of Boca Raton also practices with Lepeshinski. He recently won the bronze medal at the North American Cup and says his approach in a match is simple.
“I get sort of like, fired up in it, and sometimes I have to calm myself down ’cause I’ll just get all jumpy,” said Dodrill.
In a fencing competition there are three matches, each timed at three minutes. The first to score 15 points wins.
Competitors can only target the waist up, each touch equating to one point.
To fully understand the game, 7News’ Mike DiPasquale challenged Lepeshinski to a game.
There are three disciplines in fencing, a sabre, a foil and an épée.
Although the game is historically dominated by Europeans, the U.S. has two of the top ranked male fencers in the world heading to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Greenbaum and Dodrill are hoping to also head to the games in Tokyo.
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