I fenced in High School and was a semi-finalist at the Junior Olympics at a meet in NYC (at Salle Santelli, where I fenced a few times too.). In my senior year, NYU, a powerhouse fencing school, approached me and offered a half scholarship. “Is that the college you want to go to?” My dad asked. “No, it is a good school, but I don’t want to go to school in Greenwich Village.” “Then apply to the schools you do want to go to.”

I did, got in, and walked on and made the fencing team. I gave it up after my freshman year as I didn’t want to make the commitment. The coach had told me to drop a class I wanted to take for my major as it conflicted with practice. He was pissed, as I had become his number one in sabre on the freshman team, and beat both the Army and the Navy fencers.

The commitment got to be too much for me. I especially didn’t like running backwards for a mile three times a week, although I knew how much it helped me win matches. Sucking wind and worrying about falling (as a few teammates did) I said to myself, this is not why you are in college.

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All lives won’t matter until Black Lives Matter too. Along with Asian lives as well.

“No, I don’t take responsibility at all.” - Don Trump

“The buck stops here.” - Harry Truman

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