Gold Medalist Brynnley McKee on the podium with Coach Hamdy Refaee in Budapest, Hungary
On Saturday, October 12th in Budapest, Hungary, TMFC’s Brynnley McKee became the first female fencer to win a cadet international event for Tim Morehouse Fencing Club. The Greenwich, Connecticut native defeated the USA’s Xuanyi Zhang 15-8 to capture the gold medal in a competition of 239 that featured more than a dozen Americans, including TMFC’s Keira Lauri who also boasted a top 16 finish. While TMFC athletes have captured numerous junior and senior international medals, they had been missing up until this point a gold on the cadet circuit for their female fencers. McKee sat down with us to talk about her victory.
Congrats on being the first girl to win a cadet international event for Tim Morehouse Fencing Club! Can you describe what it means to you to have achieved this feat, for the club and for your personal journey as a fencer?
Winning this world cup means so much for my confidence, and it showed me that I can fence with anyone, and win at the international level. Being the first girl to win a World Cup will hopefully show all my lovely youth girls at TMFC that they can do it too, and that they know they can ask me about it.
Can you speak to Coach Ziad Elsissy and Hamdy Refaee's support for you at this competition and throughout your career? How did they prepare you for success at this level?
I wasn’t allowed coaching when I fenced Americans, which really forced me to reflect on the coaching I had received previously and put it to use alone. Ziad and Hamdy are the perfect pair in coaching, and I'm so grateful for both of their patience and understanding with me.
This is one of the best results of your career, and on one of the biggest stages. How do you stay calm under pressure? What motivates you to compete your best when the stakes are highest?
Pressure is inevitable. I definitely had unhealthy thoughts and anxieties, but when I started stressing over the high stakes, such as my semi-final bout at 14-14, I focused on gratitude: how grateful I was to even be in the semis, healthy, and fighting for a finals spot. I knew exactly what I had to do for the final touch after evaluating the bout as a whole, and calmed myself down before stepping on the line for the final touch.
What did it mean to you to have multiple TMFC fencers there with you? Do you have any shoutouts to give to them or to specific family members who came to watch?
TMFC is my family! They’ve seen me at my worst, and I'm glad they could see me at my best so far. Shout out to my fellow TMFC competitors Keira, Ethan, and Marcus on a great competition, and thank you guys so much for being the best supporters. My dad also requires a huge shoutout- this was his first world cup with me, and he did wonderfully. From celebrating each mini win to reminding me to keep my focus and stay humble- I felt like he always had my back.
Walk us through your morning routine before a competition. Do you have any warm-up rituals or superstitions?
I don't have any superstitions, because I try not to get into my head too much. I simply focus on having a balanced, yummy breakfast, and being happy and calm before competing. I also focus on taking my time to warm up with my favorite songs, and making sure my body feels as ready as possible for competition.
Any Budapest sightseeing recommendations?
I loved the Budapest Castle. The view is spectacular, and it has so many parts to it that lure you to stay for a while. It's interesting to think that the bones of the castle have been there since the 1200s.