Meet Yury Gelman’s Sponsored Athletes
Sophie Damdinsuren
After attending the Saturday classes I had grown to really love fencing. Fencing, to me, has become so much more than just a mere hobby. It has become my friends, a second family, my safety net, and most importantly a place to do what I love. Every time I step through doors of the club the clash of sabers and the flash of white is imprinted in my mind. And the friends I’ve made along the way and supportive coaches made my experience that much better. I have never once felt left out at my two years here at MFC. So I would like to thank the Yury Gelman foundation for the amazing opportunities and with the help of my coaches and newfound friends I will continue to learn and progress into a better fencer.
Monica Aksamit
age 29, fencing for 21 year, NJ
After attending the Saturday classes I had grown to really love fencing. Fencing, to me, has become so much more than just a mere hobby. It has become my friends, a second family, my safety net, and most importantly a place to do what I love. Every time I step through doors of the club the clash of sabers and the flash of white is imprinted in my mind. And the friends I’ve made along the way and supportive coaches made my experience that much better. I have never once felt left out at my two years here at MFC. So I would like to thank the Yury Gelman foundation for the amazing opportunities and with the help of my coaches and newfound friends I will continue to learn and progress into a better fencer.
Charleston Kim
Age 17, fencing 4+ years
The Yury Gelman Foundation has aided me in providing an impactful financial support system allowing me to take private lessons. With the expenses that come with commuting to practice, membership fees, and classes, lessons were always an integral component of fencing I was forced to sacrifice in my career. Due to the foundation’s help, I have been working with Coach Sergey which has allowed me to truly refine my techniques and skills bringing me to a higher level in my fencing. I truly appreciate all that the foundation has done for me in supporting my fencing career.
Matt Linsky
age 14, fencing for 4 years, NY
I started fencing just over 4 years ago and the sport has stuck with me deeply. Not only do I enjoy the mix of mental and physical activity, different from other sports where physical activity is more important, but I love competing and producing results as I improve. Every training session is a new step to learn or perfect my skills and every competition is a great test of my improvement. The excitement and drama in every bout is exhilarating and the difficulty and uniqueness of the sport is what draws me to it even more.The Yury Gelman Foundation has helped me practice more and therefore, improve. More practice gives me more time to fence teammates and practice skills in private lessons. Because of this I have been able to travel to more competitions and gain experience. I am becoming more confident with my experience and showing more results since I have had the support from the foundation. Since I am traveling more and competing across the country, the grant has significantly helped me with offsetting travel costs.
Mariah Mendoza
age 14, fencing almost 4 years, Bronx NY
I like fencing because it pushes me to be stronger both physically and mentally. It also allows for me to grow as a person being around people who want the same thing as me and want to reach the same goals which motivates me a lot more. With the Foundation’s help I was able to start winning competitions and think about my future in fencing and might want to take it to a professional level.