Tim Morehouse Fencing Club's Brynnley McKee First Female to Win Gold for Club at Cadet International Event

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.

9-State RYC/RJC Hosted By Tim Morehouse Fencing Club To Major Success

The 9-State Cup RYC/RJC, hosted by Tim Morehouse Fencing Club at our Chelsea Piers location in Stamford, Connecticut, was a major success—both for our fencers and for the event’s growing reputation as a premier regional tournament. This year, over 1,000 unique fencers participated, nearly doubling the 600 participants from our inaugural event 2 years ago. Our fencers delivered fantastic performances, with many podiums featuring multiple TMFC fencers and several athletes making their regional debuts. The tournament provided an excellent opportunity for us to bond as a community and also a chance to showcase our Connecticut location on a grand scale. We were also happy to shine a spotlight on our sport by broadcasting the entire event, which is still watchable on our YouTube channel. Moments from the competition will be edited into a half-hour special on NYC regional sports networks soon. Full medalist list below:

Y12 Womens Foil 

• Kai De Castro (3rd Place) 

Y12 Mens Saber

• William Lucas (1st Place) 

• Jack Brady (3T)

• Aidan Song (3T)

• Leo Shapiro (6th place)

Y10 Mens Foil 

• Ziyue Lin (8th place) 

Y10 Womens Saber

• Chloe Chen (2nd Place)

• Alaia Varah (3T) 

• Nia Maluki (5th Place)

• Anika Von Marie Kabiling (8)

Y8 Mens Saber 

• Conrad Silverzweig (2nd Place)

• Alexander Wu (3T)

• Jack Morehouse (3T)

• Ethan Zhang (7th Place) 

Y8 Womens Saber 

• Zoe Morehouse (1st Place)

• Akari Tomonari (3T)

• Isadora Blair (7th Place) 

Junior Womens Foil

• Iris Yang (3T)

• Zizi Dai (8th Place)

Junior Mens Saber 

• Shaun Kim (2nd Place)

• Ethan Kim (3T)

• Sam Sugiura (5th Place) 

• Isaac Yook (6th Place) 

Y12 Mens Foil 

• Michael Grigoriev (5th Place) 

Y10 Mens Saber 

• Bennett Sabino (5th Place) 

• Julian Passman (6th Place)

Y14 Mens Saber 

• Aidan Song (2nd Place)

• Vedh Srivats (3T)

• Aram Clark (6th Place) 

• Marcus Pinto (8th Place) 

Y14 Womens Foil 

• Amabel Wang (3T)

• Grace Feng (5th Place)

Junior Mens Foil

• Leon Shapiro (2nd Place) 

Y12 Womens Saber

• Charlotte Choi (1st Place) 

• Nia Maluki (8th Place)  

Y8 Mens Foil 

• Owen Tardiff (2nd Place)

Junior Womens Saber 

• Sofia Schaible (7th Place)

A Triumphant Ben Gutenberg SYC for Tim Morehouse Fencing Club

This past weekend, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club (TMFC) athletes delivered another slew of outstanding performances at the Ben Gutenberg SYC in Rochester, New York. TMFC fencers claimed multiple medals across various events, solidifying our reputation as a top contender in the Metro division. We’d like to give a special shoutout to our gold medalists Isaac Yook, Owen Tardiff, and Connor Chung for winning their respective events! We are tremendously proud of those who continue to represent our club with excellence, whether they are topping the podium or attending their first regional events ever. We wish all of our fencers the best of luck as they head to The 9 State RYC/RJC this weekend at TMFC’s very own Chelsea Piers location in Stamford, Connecticut. Several of the events at the 9 State will be broadcast regionally on NYC sports networks so stay tuned for information on how to watch.

Below is the full list of TMFC competitors at ben Gutenberg SYC, with medalists highlighted in bold:

Cadet Mens Foil

• Kenneth Chen (46th Place)

• Michael Grigoriev (39th Place)

• Ancen Wang (54T)

• Tyson Youm (51st Place) 

• Kai Toomre (15th Place)

Cadet Women's Saber

• Charlotte Choi (14th Place)

• Lily Laffy (13th Place)

• Sophia Ng (28th Place) 

• Sofia Schaible (10th Place)

Y10 Mens Foil

• Ziyue Lin (14th Place)

• Nolan Moon (25th Place)

• Owen Tardiff (36th Place)

Y10 Womens Saber 

• Grace Chang (8th Place)

• Chloe Chen (3T)

• Anika Von Marie Kabiling (9th Place)

• Nia Maluki (3T)

• Katherine Ong (14th Place) 

• Alaia Varah (2nd Place)

Y12 Womens Foil

• Kai De Castro (24th Place)

• Amelia Youm (36th Place) 

Junior Womens Foil

• Savannah Li (7th Place) 

Y14 Mens Saber

• Christopher Ao (33rd Place)

• Marcus Avery (20th Place) 

• Timothy Chang (36T)

• Ethan Dai (79th Place)

• Zihou Dai (7th Place)

• Aidan Datillio (63rd Place) 

• Gianni Mele (51st Place) 

• Daniel Oren (54th Place)

• Aidan Song (47th Place) 

• Vedh Srivats (30th Place)

• Theodore Wang (28th Place)

• Isaac Yook (1st Place)

• Royce Zhao (6th Place) 

Y14 Mens Foil

• Kenneth Chen (39T) 

• Thomas Czarnecki (53rd Place)

• Michael Grigoriev (27th Place)

• Ancen Wang (34th Place) 

• Tyson Youm  (82nd Place) 

• Kai Toomre (19th Place) 

Y14 Womens Saber 

• Sofia Cafagna (42nd Place)

• Charlotte Choi (22nd Place) 

• Ava Dibadj (67th Place)

• Lily Laffy (43rd Place)

• Jiyoung Lee (63T) FIRST REGIONAL EVENT!

• Nora Louisa McCarthy (52nd Place) 

• Sophia Ng (17th Place) 

• Bianca Sager (68th Place)

• Keira Wang (45th Place) 

• Sienna Young (58th Place)

Y12 Mens Saber 

• Marcus Avery (21st Place) 

• Ethan Dai (44th Place)

• Bennett Sabino (62nd Place)

• Leo Shapiro (27th Place)

• Aidan Song (3T) 

• Jack Brady (25th Place) FIRST REGIONAL EVENT!

• Harrison Wang (35T) 

Y8 Mens Saber 

• Alexander Wu (7th Place)

• Conrad Silverzweig (8th Place) 

Y14 Womens Foil

• Kai De Castro (46th Place) 

• Savannah Li (8th Place) 

• Amelia Youm (42nd Place)

Y8 Mens Foil 

• Owen Tardiff (1st Place)

Junior Mens Saber 

• Christopher Ao (33rd Place)

• Connor Chung (2nd Place)

• Kinoti Kiara (23rd Place)

• Vedh Srivats (20th Place)

• Isaac Yook (10th Place) 

Junior Womens Saber 

• Lily Laffy (5th Place)

• Sophia Ng (11th Place)

• Sofia Schiable (3T)

Y12 Mens Foil

• Thomas Czarnecki (19th Place)  

• Michael Grigoriev (2nd Place)

• Ziyue Lin (47th Place) 

• Ancen Wang (31st Place)

Cadet Mens Saber 

• Timothy Chang (30th Place) 

• Connor Chung (1st Place) 

• Zihou Dai (37th Place) 

• Kinoti Kiara (17th Place)

• Daniel Oren (34th Place) 

• Aidan Song (42nd Place)

• Vedh Srivats (7th Place)

• Royce Zhao (3T)

Y12 Womens Saber

• Grace Chang (37th Place) 

• Kylee Demry (23rd Place) 

• Nia Maluki (32nd Place) 

• Nora Louisa McCarthy (19th Place) 

• Keira Wang (22nd Place)

• Anna Willer (25th Place) 

• Sienna Young (18th Place)

Y10 Mens Saber 

• Bennett Sabino (10th Place)

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Sweeps the Podium in Y12 Men's Saber @ Windy City SYC

TMFC fencers stormed into Chicago this weekend and made a remarkable showing at the Windy City SYC tournament. Competing against top youth talent from across the country, our athletes showcased their skill and determination, earning several podium finishes and personal bests. Notably, our Y12 boys swept the podium in Y12 Men’s Saber. Miles Chambers took the gold medal, William Lucas took the silver, and Marcus Avery took the bronze, with Aidan Song placing 5th. We are immensely proud of everyone who made the trip out to Chicago! See full list of medalists below:

• Miles Chambers, Gold, Y12MS

• William Lucas, Silver, Y12MS

• Marcus Avery, Bronze, Y12MS

• Aidan Song, 5th, Y12MS

• William Lucas, Silver, CDTMS

• Aidan Song, Bronze, CDTMS

• Miles Chambers, Bronze, Y14MS

In other news, vet TMFC fencer Aaron Waxler placed 7th at the MFC Liberty Cup & Tri State Veteran Saber Cup! We have had a tremendous season so far for our veteran fencers, who prove that fencing is a rewarding sport for athletes of any and all ages. TMFC’s adult fencers are always welcome to begin their competitive journey by attending local and regional events alongside our youngsters.

We look forward to an extremely busy October and November jam-packed with competition. Tim Morehouse Fencing Club is always working to produce the most (and most successful) youth fencers in the country, and all of you are part of that legacy. Thank you and see you at the club!

Miles, William, Marcus, & Aidan representing TMFC with their medals.

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Leaders Take on Premier Challenge ROC in Suffern, NY + First TMFC Youth Cup Announcement!

September 17, 2024 — This weekend, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club showcased its talent at the Premier Challenge ROC competition in Suffern, New York. Our Cadet, Junior, and Veteran fencers in both foil and saber demonstrated the hard work and discipline that defines TMFC, serving as inspiring role models for younger athletes.

The competition highlighted not only their impressive skills but also the strong camaraderie within the club. Our fencers supported one another, embodying the spirit of sportsmanship that is integral to TMFC.

Overall, the event was a valuable opportunity for growth, showcasing the dedication and teamwork that will continue to propel our athletes forward. Congratulations to all TMFC fencers on a fantastic performance!

ALL of our younger fencers can gain valuable experience for regional tournaments by signing up for our upcoming in-house youth tournaments, featuring Y8, Y10, and Y12 events. Each of our Premier medalists started out at our TMFC Youth Cup competitions. The first tournament will take place on November 16th and 17th and you can sign up on askfred.net by searching “TMFC Youth Cup.”

See all of our Premier ROC medalists below!

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Foil Program Excels at Neil Lazar RYC/RJCC!

This past weekend, the foil fencers from Tim Morehouse Fencing Club delivered an exceptional performance at the Neil Lazar RYC competition, showcasing their skill, determination, and hard work. Under the expert guidance of Coaches Slava Grigoriev, Mohamed Essam, and Eddie Grigoriev, our fencers stood out among the competition, earning medals in an impressive eight events. Their dedication and teamwork continue to elevate the TMFC standard, proving once again why we are a force to be reckoned with in foil fencing in the New York City metro region and beyond.

Y14 Women’s Foil: Anastasia Roberts (5th) Kai De Castro (8th)

Cadet Men’s Foil: Ethan Chen (Silver), Luca Ghedini (5th)

Y12 Men’s Foil: Misha Grigoriev (6th)

Junior Women’s Foil: Ella Zhu (Silver)

Y10 Men’s Foil: Ziyue Lin (5th)

Junior Men’s Foil: Jonah Lee (Bronze)

Cadet Women’s Foil: Amabel Wang (Silver), Eleanor Li (Bronze)

Y12 Women’s Foil: Ella Zhu (Bronze), Amelia Youm (5th)

We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our foil fencers on their impressive showing in Connecticut and we look forward to their successes that will follow in the rest of the season!

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!

Follow Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Olympians (And, The 7 Best Resources for Following Fencing at the Paris Olympics)

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club is proud to announce that six of our club members are competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics! As the excitement builds, here’s how you can follow the action and support our athletes without missing a moment.

Meet Our Paris Olympians:

• Ziad Elsissy (Saber) - Team Egypt

• Eli Dershwitz (Saber) - Team USA

• Amer Mohammad (Saber) - Team USA

• Sabrina Fang (Foil) - Team Canada

• Mohammad Essam (Foil) - Team Egypt

• Filip Dolgeiwicz (Saber) - Team USA

How to Watch and Follow the Action:

Given our Olympians are representing different teams and countries, tracking all their matches can be a bit challenging. Here are some excellent resources to keep you updated:

1. Peacock TV: For comprehensive coverage in the United States, you can stream all fencing events live. Authenticate with your cable subscription to access the streams at NBCOlympics.com.

2. NBCOlympics.com:This streaming service will provide live coverage of every Olympic event, including fencing. You will still need to subscribe and log in at Peacock TV to watch.

3. Olympics.com: The official Olympics website offers detailed schedules and live streaming options for all events. Follow the fencing events on their fencing page.

Men’s Saber kicks things of tomorrow…here is the schedule for the first round and following rounds!

Fencing Schedule for Men’s Saber

Round of 32: (4:30am-8:30am EST)

• Ziad Elsissy 6:30am

• Colin Heathcock 6:30am

• Mitchell Saron 6:45am

• Amer Mohammad 7:20am

• Eli Dershwitz- 7:45am

The Round of 16: 9am-10:15am
Round of 8: (10:15am-11:15am)
Round of 4: 1:50pm-Start
Bronze Medal: 3:05pm
Gold Medal: 3:55pm

WHERE TO WATCH:
Team USA matches should be on the Peacock Network but …

Watching all the matches for athletes not on Team USA you should utilize the NBC Olympics Stream: (CLLICK HERE):
(Either one will require a paid membership to Peacock.)

Day 1 of Fencing (July 27, 2024)
Men’s Saber Individual Bracket (Click Here)

Good luck to our champions!

7 Great Resources for Following Fencing at the Paris Olympics

To follow the fencing matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics, you have several great options:

1. Cyrus of Chaos (Facebook/Youtube/Instagram): Cyrus of Chaos is one of the best resources for the sport of fencing. He always has a great eye for the practical things you need to watch and enjoy fencing. He has posted great brackets and overviews of the competition. Start with his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CyrusofChaos

   (The only problem I have with Mr. Chaos is he picked Ziad to lose in the first round. Sorry bro. Ziad all the way!)

2. NBC and Peacock (United States): NBC will provide extensive coverage of the fencing events, available both live and on-demand. You can watch fencing on the USA Network, CNBC, and E!. For streaming, subscribe to Peacock or authenticate with your cable subscription on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app​ (NBC Olympics)​.

3. Olympics.com (Global): The official Olympics website offers detailed schedules and streaming options for all events. You can find the full fencing schedule and live streams on their dedicated fencing page​ (Paris 2024 Olympics)​.

4. Tech Radar: (TechRadar)​​ : a great website for finding free streaming links from many places in the world

5. NBCOlympics.com: This website offers live streaming of all Olympic events, including fencing. You can authenticate with your cable subscription to access the live streams. Visit NBCOlympics.com for comprehensive coverage​ (NBC Olympics)​​ (NBC Sports)​.

6. GOOGLE! If you just Google “Paris Olympics 2024 Fencing Schedule” you get an easy to use breakdown of the event son each day and timings. (Image pasted below!)

7. Wikipedia: Below is an image of the brackets they created. Very clear and straight forward!

Let’s go Team USA and Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Olympians!