Greetings Fencing Family,

The last time we popped into your inbox, we had just touched down in Tbilisi and were a few days out from competition. Four of our mentors competed, and it would be a tragedy if we didn’t highlight their success on the strip:

Lee Kiefer | Women’s Foil Individual Gold and Women’s Foil Team Gold

Gergely Siklósi | Men’s Epee Individual Silver and Men’s Epee Team Silver

Gerek Meinhardt | Men’s Foil Individual 34th and Men’s Foil Team Silver

Kaylin Hsieh | Women’s Epee Individual 19th and Women’s Epee Team 13th

• October 11 in Rochester, MN: Running two sessions with SYFA at a historic castle venue with a few spots remaining in the ages 9-to-12 session and a full ages 13-and-above session

• October 18 - 19 in Durham, NC: Heading east for multiple clinics at Forge Fencing Academy’s beautiful facility

• November 29 - 30 in San Francisco, CA: Excited to host multiple clinics at Gerek’s home club, The M Team, over Thanksgiving weekend with limited availability left in the youngest age group

• December 27 - 28 on Long Island, NY: Hosting multiple clinics this winter break at Mission Fencing which turned a bowling alley into a massive fencing club

We have been so impressed reviewing our first batch of applications for our Summer 2026 Forte Village Elite Foil Camp in Sardinia, Italy. We have applicants from all over the world and in the first week, nearly a dozen fencers registered and booked accommodations, including multiple national champions. Priority for private lessons will be based on completed registration date, and with limited room availability, we encourage getting your applications in soon! If you have not heard back from us yet, we are still in the process of reviewing and do plan to reply to all applicants with a determination, so we appreciate your patience.

Forte Village Resort recently added availability for a couple additional properties with the special camp rate that includes breakfast and dinner (use code CAMP26): Dedicated Booking Site.

We recently released the camp schedule which will provide intensive training while leaving time for the family to enjoy the many activities, amenities, and tours that Forte Village Resort has to offer. For those still considering applying, applications will continue to be reviewed and accepted into the new year but please keep in mind that hotel availability is limited so the sooner, the better.

Virtual Mentoring

We have loved working with fencers with a wide range of ages and experience levels through our virtual mentoring program. For those new to our business, sessions are 30-minutes and take on multiple formats depending on fencer preference:

• Video analysis (fencer uploads a video which the mentor reviews before the session, and then during the session, mentor provides advice on topics including technique, strategy, and mindset as well as suggestions for what to work on at future practices and tournaments)

• High-level bout analysis (mentor selects an international bout to review together and identify takeaways and best practices to apply to fencer’s game)

• Question & answer (where nearly nothing is off limits)

You can learn more about the mentors, formats, and pricing on our website.

Mentors Doing Things

Ari took his passion for fencing and cool conversations into podcasting. You can check out The Direct Elimination Podcast here.

Kaylin crushed it at University Games in Germany, defending her title from 2021. To stay up to date on her journey and deep dive into her mindset, you can follow her on Instagram.

Mariel experienced her first World Championships in a coaching role for Team USA women’s saber, which nearly upset the eventual silver medalist Korean team in the quarterfinal.

Gergely, as mentioned above, annihilated World Championships with two medals. Post worlds, he instructed a camp at Cardinal Fencing Academy in Washington, DC.

Gerek and Lee considered twiddling their thumbs but ended up running clinics in four countries in the month following Worlds.

Life Lately

Lee and Gerek’s Summer Adventures

Tbilisi (world championships) 🚌 Armenia (day trip) ✈️ Phuket (beach) ✈️ Chiang Mai (temples) ✈️ Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) ✈️ Bangkok (clinic) ✈️ Macau (clinic) ✈️ Lexington (clinic) ✈️ Manila (clinic) ✈️ Davao (family) ✈️ El Nido (beach and karaoke)

The Philippines posed as an extra meaningful trip. Lee is half Filipina, and the last time she visited the country was in 2004. Over 20 years ago! The trip was long overdue to meet the fencing community, reconnect with family, get a little sun, and eat delicious food. Here were some of our favorite things we learned and experienced:

• Christmas - festivities start in September and end in February

• Arachnids - an affinity appears to run in Lee’s family with the Bacanis owning twelve tarantulas

• Merienda - afternoon tea vibes with delicious sweet and savory options

• Pasalubongs - lovely little welcoming gifts

KM Fencing Merchandise Update

Inspiration boards have been made and materials have been touched; epic apparel is in the works and will be online and at USA Fencing competitions starting in November. Stay alert!

Upcoming Competitions

After a rest break in August, we are in pre-season training (also known as being incredibly sore at all times) leading into the 2025-26 season:

• October 3 - 5: NAC in Salt Lake City, Utah

• November 7 - 9: World Cups in Palma de Mallorca, Spain (women’s and men’s foil)

• November 15 - 17: NAC in Fort Worth, Texas

• December 5 - 7: World Cups in Busan, Korea (women’s foil) and Tokyo, Japan (men’s foil)

Please say hello if we encounter you at one of our clinic or tournament locations.

All the best,

L + G