Niko Lisondra was 5 years old when his parents told him they signed him up for fencing classes. His response was “You mean I’m going to jump fences?” Niko continued his journey of being a foilist while becoming a competitive foil fencer at the age of 9.
Anika Kale started at NWFC at about eleven when her world was consumed by soccer, music, and robotics. A kid’s mention of fencing at a theater camp captured Anika’s imagination so completely, she could think of little else. One trial lesson later, she was hooked. Not only did she discover her sport but she found her other home, her other family, and her tribe.
Wendy Du has been fencing for four years and trains competitively in epee. She really enjoys the mental and physical aspects of the sport and it has really allowed her to grow as a person. She hopes to continue fencing lifelong and support younger generations in the fencing community. Wendy also enjoys volunteering activities and has co-founded her own non-profit organization, Beats of Bethany, to empower youth to serve the community through varying art forms.
After trying soccer and basketball, Michael Stavreff finally found the sport that he is passionate about. He has been training at NWFC since 6th grade and embraced and enjoyed every moment on the strip. Michael plans to continue practicing the sport during his college years, applying all the knowledge, discipline, hard work, and dedication he learned at NWFC.
Amelia Nason found fencing in sixth grade after trying nearly every other sport and finding she didn’t care for catching, throwing, or running. Instead, the fencing center in Beaverton with a curiously named “Pit of Despair,” which demanded an entirely different skill set, captivated her for all of middle and high school.
While watching the 2012 Olympics, Callan McLoudrey first saw fencing and was instantly hooked and knew epee was his weapon! That fall, he started in a Park District class and, by December of that year, had joined a local club – Metro Chicago Fencing. In the Fall of 2013, he committed to commuting from the suburbs to downtown Chicago to be a member at Windy City Fencing.
Diego Brown grew up in Bend, Oregon where he joined the High Desert Fencing Club when he was 11 years old. In 2019 his family moved to Portland and Diego joined Northwest Fencing Center in 2021. He plans to continue fencing epee after he graduates from Westview High School.
Finn started out as a dancer, practicing tap and Irish. After beginning high school, however, he decided to hang up his dancing shoes. At 15, during the pandemic and after watching plenty of Star Wars in his spare time, he wanted to have a go at fencing. After meeting Coach Michael and Coach Will, and learning how to wield his first epee, he was hooked and has enjoyed learning the art and skill of fencing ever since.
Andrew Boschert began Fencing at the age of 9 with NWFC, at the French International School of Oregon. After several years of Foil at NWFC, he eventually gravitated toward Epee. His interests are French, American Sign Language, computer simulation games, Film/Cinematography, and Technical Theater. Andrew will be attending Clarks Honors College at the University of Oregon, studying Cinematography/Film and History.
2021 Leaving the Nest – Congratulations to our 2021 Seniors: Olivia Barnes, Ryan Welch, Justin Vogler, & Milo Beall. We are proud of all our athletes and look forward to seeing all that they go on to accomplish outside of our fencing family.
Our last Leaving the Nest athlete is Alex. Alex is an epee fencer who has fenced off and on for quite some time. He has a natural athletic ability that coincides great with his coachable manner and friendly disposition.
Ronan Scout started fencing in 2020, just before the global pandemic. He enjoyed epee from the very first jab! Although his start into fencing was stopped by the pandemic, he eagerly re-joined fencing when his family was able.
Find more information about fencing and Northwest Fencing Center on our FAQ page. For more help, contact the Front Desk. Either call during open hours or email us directly and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.