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PODCAST · sports

SabreCoachKate podcast

by SabreCoachKate

Interviews with the great thinkers, athletes, and coaches in the dynamic sport of Olympic fencing.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Mar 31, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. Episode 26: Nikki Franke

    Nikki Franke began her illustrious fencing career her last year in high school; she really enjoyed the combative mental aspect of it and threw herself in wholeheartedly. She attended Brooklyn College and trained with Denise O'Connor. Eventually the two became Olympic teammates. Desirous of a...

  2. Episode 25: Stacey Johnson

    Back in September of 2018, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Stacey Johnson. Then life got in the way (mostly moving to our new club space) and I haven't had a chance to edit it until now. I had forgotten just how much insight Ms. Johnson shared, not just about fencing but about...

  3. Episode 24: Terrence Lasker

    Terrence Lasker was one of your run-of-the-mill teenagers who wanted a job working with computers someday. When a Magnet high school opened in Kansas City, he jumped at the chance to study in their state-of-the-art computer science program. What he didn't expect was turning that passion into a...

  4. Episode 23: Cody Mattern

    Cody Mattern started fencing at age 15 after, believe it or not, an argument with his brother. After only training for two years he became the Junior National Epee Champion, a feat he repeated the following year. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, placing 22nd in Individual and 6th in Team....

  5. Episode 22: Lisa Campi-Sapery

    Lisa Campi Sapery is a woman who has filled pretty much every possible role in our sport: elite college athlete, coach, international referee, referee trainer, club owner, and published author. She is known as the Fencing Referee in various places online, including her YouTube channel…

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  6. Episode 21: David Sach

    Today's episode is the story of David Sach, a man who has represented fencing on two continents, and who you probably know best as the Head Assigner of Sabre at most NACs. You know: the guy with the accent at the big table in the middle of the venue. You just had no idea who he really is! David...

  7. Episode 20: David Sierra

    David Sierra started fencing at Texas A&M when he needed a PE credit and didn't want to sign up for Advanced Weightlifting or Aerobic Power-walking. Since then, he has worked his way up the referee ranks and is currently the co-owner of Cutting Edge Fencing Center, a Sabre-only club, near Fort...

  8. Episode 19: Maureen Griffin

    Maureen Griffin decided to start fencing foil at age 14 when she quit the swim team and her dad told her she had 24 hours to find a new sport. Four years later she came to the US on a fencing scholarship at the University of Wisconsin. After her retirement from fencing in 1988, she came back two...

  9. Episode 18: Damien Lehfeldt

    Damien Lehfeldt currently coaches epée at the Richmond Fencing Club. His fencing career began when he was a kid, continued through his years at Brandeis, led him to the Maccabi Games and a berth on the DC Fencers Club epee squad that took gold at the 2012 North American Cup, until one fateful day...

  10. Episode 17: Peet Sasaki

    If you say the name "Peet Sasaki" to a group of fencers, they might look at you with a baffled expression on their face... although admittedly for some that's just their natural look. If, however, you ask them who "FRED" is, nearly every single one will be able to give you an answer. The name…

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  11. Episode 16: Delia Turner

    Delia Turner is a vivacious, energetic woman who has accomplished much in life simply by, as she says, "showing up". She has held a wide variety of jobs, including legal secretary, science teacher, English Department Chair, published author, calligrapher, and Adjunct Faculty at Temple University....

  12. Episode 15: Dan Kellner

    Dan Kellner started fencing in the 7th grade. He had a video game called Summer Games and had trouble figuring out the fencing part. He asked his mom about the sport so much that eventually she took him to his first coach, Ted Li. Ted was the Olympic Armourer at the time and would expose Dan to…

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  13. Episode 14: Andrew Fischl

    Andrew Fischl didn't start fencing until his junior year of high school but achieved a lot very quickly: he was 5th in the country in 2013. Before fencing, Andrew had tried many sports: soccer, tennis, baseball, lacrosse, etc but none of these sports really engaged him the way fencing did. The...

  14. Episode 13: Keeth Smart

    Keeth Smart is a saber fencer who achieved a lot of success on the fencing strip. He qualified for three Olympics, placing 30th in 2000, 15th in individual and 4th in the team event in 2004, 6th in individual in 2008. He also won the silver medal in the team event that year, after serving as the...

  15. Episode 12: Coaches' Academy

    Back in the day, coaches received training at was then called Coaches' College. Begun in the late 80s by the United States Fencing Association, its purpose was to create an opportunity for professional development for fencing coaches. When the cold war ended, the USFA brought Soviet bloc coaches...

  16. Episode 11: Michael Mergens

    Michael "Mergs" Mergens, is a USFA certified Armorer, Coach and Referee with over 35 years of experience in the sport of Fencing. He regularly works as the Head Armorer and Team Armorer for many of the USA Fencing National and International events. He is the owner of the online Armorer's Store...

  17. Episode 10: Lynn Botelho

    Like all of my guests, Lynn Botelho is a multi-faceted individual. She is a professor of history at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and serves as the Director of Women's and Gender Studies. She teaches courses on the Renaissance and Reformation, early modern Europe, the history of the body…

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  18. Episode 9: Carla-Mae Richards

    Carla-Mae Richards allowed me to interview her the first day of Summer Nationals this year. It was really intimidating because she is a legend in our sport. Not only was she a fencer back when girls weren't really allowed to participate in sports, but she became the first Executive Director of…

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  19. Episode 8: Kamali Thompson

    My guest today is Kamali Thompson. Kamali is a very dynamic and determined individual who not only trains as an elite athlete but is also in medical school. She very candidly talks about her training regimen and turning disappointment into success. A mere three weeks after learning she didn't…

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  20. Episode 7: Summer Nationals

    This year's Summer Nationals and July Challenge broke records for attendance, even though the qualifying paths were more challenging. Many participants and coaches commented on how much more difficult every event was than in past years, which means the overall quality of fencing in our country is...

  21. Episode 6: Jerry Benson

    My guest today, Jerry Benson, has worn a huge number of hats over the years: fencing club owner, referee, business consultant, fencing Master, HEMA enthusiast, philosopher, a member of the US Fencing Board of Directors, husband, Paralympic coach, and, most importantly: mentor. Jerry has a passion...

  22. Episode 5: Dan Berke

    If you have ever hosted a fencing tournament or competed in one, you have today's guest to thank for its smooth operation. Back before Dan Berke created Fencing Time, seeding was done by hand with the help of index cards; one gust of wind could ruin a whole event. Dan, a Microsoft engineer who...

  23. Episode 4: Vinnie Bradford

    In today's episode you will hear Vincent Bradford talk about her long struggle to reach the Olympics, what it was like for a young woman in fencing "back in the day", and the people who inspired her to greatness. Her athletic career started in horseback riding, but she changed sports after…

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  24. Episode 3: Iris Zimmerman Nowack

    Thank you for joining me for episode three of the SabreCoachKate podcast. In this interview, you'll hear about the experiences of Olympian Iris Zimmerman Nowack and her exciting evolution from cute four year old in patent leather shoes to fencing Olympian to club owner and coach. I originally...

  25. Episode 2: Ro Sobalvarro

    Thank you for joining me today for Episode Two of the SabreCoachKate podcast. Today you'll hear a conversation I had with Roberto Sobalvarro. He is full of surprises. He came to fencing in an unusual way, playing tennis during his young life then taking up fencing on a dare. After graduating from...

  26. Episode 1: Ariana Klinkov

    I chose to begin this podcast with an incredible woman: Ariana Klinkov. She was one of the first women to fence sabre in the U.S., she was the first female sabre referee the U.S. ever sent to an international competition, and she has coached many fencers who have had varying levels of success,...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Interviews with the great thinkers, athletes, and coaches in the dynamic sport of Olympic fencing.

HOSTED BY

SabreCoachKate

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does SabreCoachKate podcast have?

SabreCoachKate podcast currently has 26 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is SabreCoachKate podcast about?

Interviews with the great thinkers, athletes, and coaches in the dynamic sport of Olympic fencing.

How often does SabreCoachKate podcast release new episodes?

SabreCoachKate podcast has 26 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to SabreCoachKate podcast?

You can listen to SabreCoachKate podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts SabreCoachKate podcast?

SabreCoachKate podcast is created and hosted by SabreCoachKate.
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