In the latest Parenting Report, a former Olympic silver medalist talks to NY1 Parenting Correspondent Shelley Goldberg about the importance of teaching fencing to students.
He's a three time Olympian and a Silver Medal winner, and Tim Morehouse continues to be a champion off the Olympic stage as well.
Passionate about the sport once reserved for aristocrats, Tim is determined to bring fencing and the powerful skills it teaches to underserved schools throughout the city.
"I started fencing when I was in seventh grade because my school had a fencing program, and I was just really fortunate. The sport changed my life," Morehouse said. "And after three Olympic Games, I really wanted to make sure other kids had the same opportunity.
"So, I started 'Fencing in the Schools' to help. It's one of the best sports in the world," Morehouse said. "It's really great for kids, for self-discipline and for critical thinking, and that's really our mission now: to get kids fencing and to help them to be college-ready athletes."
Now in its fifth year — and providing programs for 10 New York City schools this year — Fencing in the Schools trains physical education teachers in the sport, and also conducts after-school workshops for more advanced students, some of whom we met on the Upper West Side.
"The best thing about fencing is that it forces you to come out with different strategies for the same situation," fencing student Ramses Hereford said. "So, it uses your mental capacity to the max."
"I'm not a fast thinker, but with this work I started thinking more, a lot more quick-paced," said student Mahammadou Tunkara.
"It doesn't matter where you're from, everybody can do it. It's really diverse from other sports like basketball," said student Jaden Thorpe. "You have to build your mental skills and physical skills while fencing, so it's really good."
For more information, go to FencingintheSchools.org