Long Island fencing

fencing, PRESS RELEASES

For Immediate Release: LI Student Isabella Chin Becomes Fencing Junior World Cup Champion

January 26, 2023By NY Fencing Academy (NYFA)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sergey Danilov, info.nyfa@gmail.com, (614) 302-9009

LI STUDENT ISABELLA CHIN BECOMES FENCING JUNIOR WORLD CUP CHAMPION

Port Washington, NY (January 26, 2023) – On January 21, Isabella Chin (17) from Manhasset, fencer at New York Fencing Academy, competed in the Junior World Cup (under 20 years old) in Maalot, Israel. Only the twelve best fencers in the country earn spots to represent Team USA at the prestigious competition as part of the final selection towards the World Championships.

Chin showed a real desire to represent Team USA proudly and prove that she is the strongest fencer of the day, winning the Gold Medal and becoming a World Cup Champion.

Chin started the direct elimination round (playoffs) by beating an Israeli opponent, and then besting her friend and USA teammate by just one point. The next challenge was waiting for her in the quarterfinals where she faced the current Word Cup Champion, Kravetz from Israel, but nothing could stop her that day. With a close score of 14:13, Chin secured her spot on the podium. Determined to move on, Chin eliminated her next Ukrainian challenger 15:12, and advanced to the final match where she fenced her current USA teammate and future teammate at Harvard University. Chin delivered a decisive answer to who was the best on that day – winning 15:10. Chin became the Junior World Cup Champion, adding another gold medal to her collection of three National Champion titles.

Chin’s coaches and the owners of New York Fencing Academy, Sergey Danilov and Michael Mokretsov, commented, “Isabella is not just a great fencer, but also a great student at school, an amazing teammate, and simply a hardworking person. She spends numerous hours on her studies to remain an excellent student and countless hours perfecting her actions at the gym, and yet, she manages to remain social with her family and friends. If there is one person who deserves this result, it is Isabella. She always stays for extra practice in the gym to get better but never forgets to help her younger teammates at New York Fencing Academy to succeed as well.”

Chin’s results are excellent not only in fencing but also in the classroom of Manhasset High School, helping her to get recruited to Harvard University, where she starts this fall and where she will continue her athletic and academic career. “There is no doubt that Harvard earned a great person,” says Coach Danilov. “Our congratulations to Isabella Chin and the entire “village” which helped her get great results on and off the strip.”

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 in Brooklyn, NY by owner and head coach Michael Mokretsov. In 2018, NYFA opened their second location in Port Washington, Long Island, NY with head coach and co-owner, Sergey Danilov. NYFA is a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee programs in the country. NYFA has produced Olympic, World and National Champions, and has members on the USA, French, and Greek national teams. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, after school programs, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

###

Contact: Sergey Danilov, (614) 302-9009

Company: New York Fencing Academy

Brooklyn: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224, club phone: (718) 996-0426

Long Island: 8 Haven Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050, club phone: (516) 472-7042

info.nyfa@gmail.com

www.fenceNYFA.com

2021 NYFA International Summer Fencing Camp Highlights

August 18, 2021January 21, 2022By NY Fencing Academy (NYFA) No Comments

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s NYFA Summer Sleep-Away Epee Camps! It was great to come back to another successful and memorable summer fencing experience, despite the challenges of the pandemic. We couldn’t have done it without the cooperation and teamwork of our campers, parents, and staff!

Big thanks to our fantastic camp coaches: Anton Dutchak, Misha Mokretsov, Sergey Danilov, Yarik Ponomarenko, Alexei Sintchinov (Penn State University), Slava Danilov (University of Pennsylvania), and Misha Mazur (Ohio State University).

We welcomed athletes from Hong Kong, Argentina, Sweden, Mexico, Canada, Bulgaria, and across the USA. Campers got to train alongside top fencers including Valentin Matveev, Silver World Championships Medalist in Juniors; Skyler Liverant, Bronze World Championships Medalist in Cadets; and Jaclyn Khrol, top 8 World Championships finisher in Juniors.

Click here to view photos and videos from camp: NYFA Summer Sleep-Away Camps Photo Album

Send us your feedback! Here’s some of the great comments we’ve received and we’d love to hear more.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next year. If you missed out, be sure to check back for Summer 2022!

fencing, IN THE NEWS

Long Island coach celebrates Romain Cannone’s Olympic gold

August 7, 2021By NY Fencing Academy (NYFA)

August 6, 2021
by News 12 Long Island

https://longisland.news12.com/long-island-coach-celebrates-romain-cannons-olympic-gold-in-fencing

Michael Mokretsov, who owns the New York Fencing Academy in Port Washington, just got a little more popular now that he successfully coached Romain Cannone to win Olympic gold.

While Cannone isn’t a Long Islander, Mokretsov is. He lives in Woodmere and has worked with Cannone since he was 12 years old.

“When he started, he was a regular kid,” says Mokretesov. “He wasn’t super strong or super-fast. There was nothing specific to tell about him to say OK an Olympic champion walking in the gym.”

Alan Temiryaev was Cannone’s former training partner. Temiryaev says Romain worked hard. He also says don’t be surprised if another gold medalist comes out of the Port Washington club.

“Definitely sets the bar high and now it makes me feel like I have to do it so see you guys in 2028 LA,” says Temiryaev.

fencing, PRESS RELEASES

For Immediate Release: World Championship Bronze Medal for New York Fencer Skyler Liverant

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021By NY Fencing Academy (NYFA)

Brooklyn, NY (April 15, 2021) – The World Championships is the most prominent international competition in the sport of fencing, after the Olympic Games. Only three fencers from each country qualify to participate. For 17-year-old Skyler Liverant (Kensington, Brooklyn Prospect Charter School), this was his second World Championship in the Cadet (17 and under) age group, and his experience paid off with a bronze medal finish in Cairo, Egypt last week.

Liverant’s coach, Misha Mokretsov at New York Fencing Academy, recalls, “when Skyler competed two years ago in the World Championship in Poland, he was only 15 years old fencing against opponents two years older, and he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event. This time, Skyler came fully prepared and knew what to expect.”

“I felt really confident,” Liverant confirmed. “I was practicing really well and was mentally prepared. Having been there before, I knew how I needed to approach the competition to win.” The COVID-19 protocols didn’t seem to faze him either. Athletes remained in a “bubble” from arrival at the airport and throughout the competition. “On one hand it was hard to stay in the hotel all the time” said Liverant “but I think it also helped us to focus on the competition.”

Liverant started off feeling a little nervous and tight and lost the first pool bout by one touch. After discussing his mistakes with coach Mokretsov, he took off, fencing free and easy and winning the remaining bouts in his pool. He finished the pool round 14th out of 100 athletes.

In the direct elimination round, Liverant first faced Krystof Pohnan from Czech Republic. Liverant was flawless, leading 14-0 and he finished the bout with a double touch to make 15-1. In his bout for top 16 against Lukin Bogdan from Kazakhstan, Liverant started confidently and held his lead throughout to lock in a 15-7 win.

For Liverant, the most significant bout of the day was for top 8 when he had to beat fellow American, Henry Lawson. “It’s always a lot of pressure to fence a teammate at an international competition, especially World Championships,” Liverant said. Lawson was ranked third after pools, and both fencers knew each other very well. It all came down to who could change the game enough to surprise the opponent. They fenced evenly to 7-7, then Liverant built a comfortable lead and won 15-9.

The next bout determined whether Liverant would make top 4 and earn a medal. His competitor was Markus Salm from Estonia, whom Liverant fenced and beat in the pool round. Coach Mokretsov’s main advice was to not underestimate his opponent just because he beat him in the pools. Liverant was winning 13-8 and then lost 3 touches in a row. His lead narrowed to 13-11 and his coach intervened, changing tactics to attack more aggressively so as not to give too much freedom to the opponent. Liverant succeeded, won 15-12, and earned a medal.

To make the finals, Liverant had to fence in the semifinals against a very strong fencer, Artem Sarkisyan from Russia. Liverant started to attack early in the match which was not the right strategy. Sarkisyan was very comfortable defending and with his lead, did not need to attack. With a strong performance, Liverant ended the day with the bronze medal, adding to USA’s success at this World Championship.

“Skyler fenced his heart out,” said coach Mokretsov. “He really deserves this medal for all his hard work over the past eight years, his dedication and love for the sport of fencing, and very importantly his personal qualities – honesty, loyalty and diligence. It’s a beautiful way to finish the cadet age level and I know it will only inspire him to achieve greater results in the future.”

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 in Brooklyn, NY by owner and head coach Misha Mokretsov. In 2018, NYFA opened their second location in Port Washington, Long Island, NY. NYFA is a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee programs in the country. NYFA has produced National and World Champions, and has members on the USA and French national teams. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, after school programs, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

###

Contact: Misha Mokretsov, , cell phone: (347) 741-1343

Company: New York Fencing Academy

Brooklyn: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224, club phone: (718) 996-0426

Long Island: 8 Haven Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050, club phone: (516) 472-7042

info.nyfa@gmail.com

www.fenceNYFA.com

BLOG, CLUB NEWS, Parents

Why Should I Start Fencing?

September 27, 2020December 1, 2020By NY Fencing Academy (NYFA)

By Sergey Danilov

7 Reasons to Start Fencing

1. Fencing improves your fitness and coordination

Hours of sitting for online classes, computer games, or Netflix will inevitably make your body feel a little clumsier and out of shape. Well, fencing improves fitness and develops a number of skills. As you learn to move quickly on the fencing strip (2 x 14 meters) in specific positions and with different motions, you aim to outsmart your opponents and execute the actions before they even realize that you “fooled” them. Fencing makes you work hard physically, keeps you in shape, and improves your coordination, speed, agility and strength.

2. Fencing makes you think

All actions in fencing require not only focus on your own position, but also the ability to read and anticipate actions and movements of your opponent. Fencing develops strategic thinking on the same level as chess or other logistical games. That is why the common nickname of fencing is “physical chess”. Fencing teaches the athlete to find the way in situations when it seems there is no way, and find the most effective ways to make the right decisions in a short period of time. These skills will help you succeed off the strip as well — in school, college, careers, family, life.

3. Fencing teaches you focus and resilience

You win, you are happy. You lose…well it happens, but you will be responsible for it and only you. Every loss will teach you to find your own mistakes, practice and master the skills and try again and again, until you succeed. Isn’t this what we need in life? Instead of stressing out, you learn to focus and work hard to perfect something (even if nothing is ever perfect) until you achieve your goals.

4. Fencing is a very safe and low injury sport

Fencing is one of the safest sports in the world. Hard to believe, right? Fencers must wear protective gear, made of high-tech materials, including masks and gloves. Body contact is prohibited, and safe and proper protocols are taught from the start. Fencing is one of the sports with the lowest risk of injury — occasionally, there may be a few small bruises if someone hits too hard accidentally, but that is a big maybe!

5. Fencing teaches you time management

Well, you learned the sport, you got busier… now you have to manage all the time you have to succeed everywhere. During sparring with your opponents, you will learn to manage time in “split seconds”; during practice you will learn to manage your time to complete everything the coach told you to do; outside of practice you will learn to manage your time for academics, training, competitions, family and friends so you can accomplish everything you want.

6. Fencing is for everyone

Any size, any age, any gender, any ability — you can succeed in fencing! This sport is called “physical chess” for a reason. It’s all about using your unique traits to your advantage. Unlike sports like volleyball and basketball where height is an absolute game-changer, fencers primarily utilize their lateral movement, quickness, and precision. This means that shorter and taller people can both use strategy to score a touch on their opponents. Fencing is a demanding and safe sport that one can practice throughout a lifetime, which means that you may cross paths with fencers from ages 8 to 80 and learn from all different kinds of people throughout your fencing journey.

7. Fencing can help you get into college

Your child may not be thinking of fencing as they prepare for college admissions, but maybe they should — especially, if he or she has a passion for and dedication to the sport. Fencing can give your child that extra edge that’s needed to get into a great college. 32% of male fencers and 38% female fencers who compete in high school will continue to compete in college with a partial or full scholarship. Compare that to football which only sees about 7.8% of its students continue with the sport in college. Fencing can really benefit your college application and enrich your college experience.