Tournament Eating: Survival for Fencers, Refs, Coaches and Parents

Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash

New York, NY — Team competitions can be long events that require massive amounts of energy.

At Summer Nationals in Philadelphia last July, Senior Team Men’s Foil was no exception. The event started at 10 am and did not finish until 4 pm. The gold-medal-winning team hung tough the entire day, prevailing over 21 other teams. 

What miracle nutrition did this team utilize for this amazing result? 

One, single banana, divided among the team’s four members, who took little bites throughout the day. 

It sounds far-fetched, but many top fencers do not eat much during the day, though hydration is always necessary. 

For young fencers, drinking water before, during, and after each tournament is important. Starting your day with a healthy meal is important as is having snacks that keep energy levels high. The same goes for anyone participating in tournaments — coaches, referees, and even parents. 

However, the longer you fence, the more you are able to refine what works best for you. Check out what our fencing peers eat for maximum performance:

Tim Morehouse, Olympian, Founder, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, Veteran Saber Fencer: As a fencer, I have a big dinner the night before. In college, I could barely eat on competition days. I try for something light like scrambled eggs or oatmeal for breakfast. During the day I have a protein bar between pools and DEs and maybe take a bite of protein bar between bouts. I have a Diet Coke, Gatorade, and water and drink all three.

As a coach, I drink coffee and iced coffee, but I start the same way — eggs or oatmeal. I try to stay away from the chicken fingers and fries and drink protein shakes at the venue.

Eli Dershwitz, Team USA Olympic Saber Fencer: I have a really big breakfast several hours before I start. Once I start, I'm just drinking a lot of Gatorade to stay hydrated and having a protein bar here and there. I usually have trouble eating any type of meal. I’ll usually go through 10 liters of Gatorade. I like to fence ‘hangry.’

Ziad Elsissy, Team Egypt Olympic Saber Fencer:  Gatorade.

Sandra Paparazzo Merchant, Owner, Rogue Fencing, Veteran World Team, Women’s Epée: I have a bag of goodies — turkey jerky, chocolate and energy gels — because I constantly eat while competing. 

Philippe Bennett, owner Radical Fencing: I pack food items based on triathlon training for hydration — things like honey and sweets that give you a quick boost but don’t make you crash later, plus Gatorade or Coca Cola.

Chris Cheney, FIE and USA Fencing Referee, coach, senior fencer: The refs eat trash 95% of the time. It's really bad and needs to change.  As a coach, it depends on where you are, how much time, how much you're getting reimbursed/paid, and how nice the parents are.  As a fencer, you'd be surprised at how many fencers just DON’T eat on the day of a competition due to anxiety and nerves. Eating during an event is a trained skill for most. 

Alex Gioiella, USA Fencing Referee:  As a referee, some kind of breakfast is key, and caffeine throughout the day is NON-NEGOTIABLE! Staying hydrated is key. Underfed, under-caffeinated referees are grumpy!

Rita Comes, Veteran Foil and Saber Fencer, US Fencing rep to the FIE: On competition days - I just need something simple in my belly along with some espresso. Usually, it is oatmeal or a banana. My real trick is when I get hungry later. Most venues do not have many vegetarian options, so I have to plan ahead. I also try to have a can of espresso. Did I mention espresso?

Coach Luka Oboladze: As an athlete, yogurt, bananas, hot chocolate, and fruit — nothing heavy — mostly fruit and juice. After pools and before DEs, I eat a snack — a Snickers or something like that. Afterward, I eat steak with mashed potatoes and asparagus.  As a coach, I don’t care that much. Honestly, it depends on the location. I try to stick with my system. Sometimes, you are forced to eat something junky, like pizza. 

Coach Kata Varhelyi: As a competitor, I’m not a good example — I don’t eat in the morning — I’m not hungry. I usually have something for breakfast — oatmeal or fruit, rarely, I will have eggs and toast. During the day, I will have a banana with me and I take bites throughout the day. Then at night, I have a big steak.  

Coach Melvin Rodriguez: If I’m fencing, I will have eggs or an omelet. I always have pasta the night before. I eat trail mix or granola bars during the day.  If I’m coaching and stressed, it’s usually ‘tendies and tots’ (chicken tenders and tater tots), whatever the convention center has. I usually have a nice dessert the night before or after as a motivation or reward.

Shaun Kim: I eat a full meal at least one hour and a half before the completion. Once I ate a giant meal one hour before the completion and was so sleepy that I could not move at all during pools. I always eat a little something between pools and DEs. It’s very, very important to eat a little like a banana, protein bar even some candy to get excited and pumped up for more bouts.