Tim Morehouse Fencing Club's Ziad El-Sissy OLY Inducted into Wayne State University Athletics Hall of Fame

November 5, 2024 — Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Coach and 2x Olympian Ziad El-Sissy was named to the Wayne State University Athletics Hall of Fame yesterday. A graduate of the Detroit, Michigan institution, El-Sissy was a major contributor to the Warriors team, achieving the status of four-time letterwinner, three-time All-American and two-time national runner-up in saber (2017 and 2018).  The Alexandria, Egypt native returned to the university to receive a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering in 2021. Since graduating from Wayne State, El-Sissy has competed in 2 Olympics (Tokyo and Paris), finishing 4th in the Paris games this August.

When not competing, El-Sissy works as a full-time coach at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, where he has developed many of our athletes into elite fencers, including Robert Wang (currently 8th in USA Fencing’s Junior Men’s Saber rankings, Stamford Class of 2029 commit) and Brynnley McKee (currently 4th in USA Fencing’s Cadet Women’s Saber rankings). Coach Ziad is a central figure at TMFC and helps shape our curriculum to make us one of the premier fencing clubs in the United States. He represents the future we aim for all our fencers: a balanced path that includes collegiate fencing success alongside strong academic achievements—to become well-rounded, multi-skilled individuals.

You can catch El-Sissy at TMFC’s Westchester County location most days of the week and at TMFC Chelsea Piers in Stamford, CT, where he currently calls home. To see the Olympian in action, you can watch (or even fence!) in the Ziad + Eli Cup on January 1, 2025 at TMFC Port Chester. El-Sissy will ring in the new year by fencing against Team USA 3x Olympian Eli Dershwitz among other elite athletes who make up our TMFC staff and network. SIGN UP HERE: TMFC Ziad and Eli Saber Cup (New Years Day) (4th Annual) | Tim Morehouse Fencing Club | Port Chester, NY | AskFRED

We’d like to wish Ziad a sincere congratulations from everyone at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club!

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club’s Saber Fencers Shine at Neil Lazar RYC/RJCC

This weekend, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club’s saber fencers showcased their talent and hard work at the Neil Lazar RYC/RJCC tournament. The event was a great success, with several of our athletes earning top positions and demonstrating the dedication they've put into their training. We’re so excited to have started the 2024-2025 season with more than a dozen medals across all events! Below are the medalists from each saber event:

Y12 Women’s Saber: Charlotte Choi (5th)

Y14 Men’s Saber: Marcus Pinto (Gold), Aram Clark (Bronze), Miles Chambers (7th)

Junior Men’s Saber: Matthew Fields (Bronze) Connor Chung (7th)

Y12 Men’s Saber: Miles Chambers (Gold), William Lucas (Silver) Aidan Song (Bronze)

Junior Women’s Saber: Brynnley McKee (5th)

Y10 Women’s Saber: Nia Maluki (Gold), Chloe Chen (Silver), Anika Von Marie Kabiling (5th)

Cadet Men’s Saber: Christopher Ao (8th)

We’d like to give a shoutout to not only our medalists but ALL of the fencers who represented Tim Morehouse Fencing Club on the regional stage this past weekend. As we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our saber fencers at this early-season competition, we are filled with excitement for what's to come. With Premier ROC coming up this weekend, we know our athletes are more motivated than ever to build on their success and continue making us proud. Here's to even more incredible performances and bringing home more medals as the season unfolds. Go TMFC!

TMFC in Collegiate Fencing

Many TMFC fencers participate in collegiate fencing after their start at Tim Morehouse. Fencing in college enriches student experiences and can be a fantastic outlet for students to make connections. Our fencers have gone on to compete for Yale, Columbia, Notre Dame, UNC and Brandeis amongst other colleges.

Read more here.

This past weekend, TMFC fencer Michael Parkhurst competed in his first collegiate tournament fencing for Drew. He went 5-1 for victories during the day, helping lead the sabre team to victory. Congratulations Michael on your first collegiate event! We’re so proud to see our fencers continue to thrive in fencing!

Read the full article here: https://www.drewrangers.com/news/2021/2/6/mens-fencing-fencing-teams-open-season-with-mini-series-versus-sacred-heart.aspx

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College Fencing - What's Best For You?

College Fencing: The Drawbacks of Division 1 

By Zack Brown

The biggest reason people do fencing is to get into a good school (or because you actually ENJOY fencing… NERD!). Too many people rule out smaller schools because of their fencing teams!

While the reveries of joining an NCAA championship team are appetizing, there are some cold, unsavory truths to consider when looking at the school you’ll spend 4 years of your life fencing for. 

It’s not going to be pretty, but here are some deets to deliberate on when weighing your college teams of choice!

Realistically: 

Most people are NOT going to get a scholarship for fencing! 

Unless you are on the national team (for the USA, not just... Siberia), a full ride to any high-powered athletic school for fencing is going to be out of reach. Fencing isn’t a lucrative sport, so even partial scholarship availability is going to be QUITE limited to very specific athletes (unless you’re at Harvard……. Or is it too soon to make that joke?). 

If you are on that short list, fantastic! Enjoy free money! Otherwise, consider smaller schools like NJIT or LIU, both of which have programs where their coaches (Jason Henderson and Ivan Lee, respectively) can grant TONS of scholarships to athletes. 

Realistically:

The big teams are STACKED!

The teams that typically win NCAAs (Notre Dame, Columbia, PSU) have a LOT of people gunning to be on their starting lineup. There are only 9 bouts for your weapon each match. Unless you’re a consistently impressive starter, you will have to choose: Do you want to juggle strip time with 10 other competent fencers and spend most of the matches as a cheerleader? Or do you want to be the superstar on your team and fence every match? Look at how Tim Morehouse left a LEGACY at Brandeis!

Weigh the bout opportunity of a smaller team roster versus becoming a faceless sparring partner at a big-name school. Is a potential championship ring worth not ACTUALLY fencing?

Realistically:

Most people are NOT going to fence after college! 

At the last Div 1 I fenced, I counted 8 people in the field of 170 who were out of college. Along with the hefty price tag, fencing is VERY HARD to do recreationally without a strong club nearby. Unless you are fighting for a national team spot, the justification to continue fencing past graduation becomes harder to find when there’s not an endgame. 

Put your hard work in now, but be cautious about picking a university PURELY for fencing when you might not pick up a weapon post-graduation. 

Realistically:

Decide what’s best for YOU!

Choose your college because it FEELS right! Whichever school you pick, the camaraderie and adventures you’ll experience with your team last a lifetime. The low-stress environment of a club team is as much fun as the intense focus needed in every bout of NCAA fencing. Select YOUR right fit. You’ll love the college fencing trip regardless of the path you take. 

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