By Christina Lee
Town Crier Editorial Intern
At 6 feet 5 inches, Sean McClain could have been a basketball player. The Stanford graduate in industrial engineering could also have pursued a lucrative corporate career.
Instead, the 26 year old from Mountain View is happy being a champion fencer. And he has the medals to prove it.
Devoted to a sport that receives little recognition in the United States, McClain is helping ignite the same passion for fencing that exists in Europe. An activity that focuses on fitness, endurance and mental stamina, fencing is attracting everyone from children to adults, from soccer players to dancers.
When McClain began fencing 16 years ago, it barely existed on the U.S. sports scene. Though admitting initially he was forced into trying the sport at a demonstration, McClain said, “Once I got there, I had never seen anything like it. And after getting involved, I just fell in love with it. It’s hard to remember what drew me to it, but I think the whole idea of sword fighting is always fascinating for kids.”
Like all sports, fencing at a high level requires sacrifices. “I was hooked right from the beginning, and I don’t come from a very wealthy family,” McClain said. “When I started, I would mow lawns during the summer and use all of the money to take my family to a fencing tournament. I paid for everything - the hotel, the airline tickets and my coach to go to nationals.”
The biggest sacrifice McClain made, however, was leaving home at 14 to live and train in Rochester, N.Y., with U.S. Olympic women’s coach Buckie Leach. For several years McClain lived and breathed fencing. This dedication was rewarded in his continuous success at tournaments. McClain has represented the U.S. in several international tournaments and seeks to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Though he said much of what first attracted him to fencing is different from what fascinates him now, he still loves that it’s a one-on-one sport. Having played basketball for 10 years, McClain said what is truly rewarding about fencing is “every time I win, I’m the reason. It feels exactly like I shot the winning basket. The flip side of that is that every time I lose, I’m also the reason. But I enjoy that pressure. It makes me work harder.”
Despite any preconceptions, fencing isn’t for nonathletic nerds. “You have to have complete control over your body, more than in most sports,” he said. The slightest tension can mess everything up. It’s a combat sport. The strategy and tactical aspects in deciding each action are intricate and challenging, and the physics (athletic aspects) are just as demanding.”
In recent years, the fencing scene has picked up across the nation. “Since I’ve been fencing, the sport has grown tremendously. More significant than just a growth in numbers, though, is the United States’ success in it. We’ve been winning more, especially at the junior levels, and we’re getting there in the senior levels. … I think in five years we’ll be winning numerous championship titles.”
McClain works to promote the same enthusiasm for fencing that drew him to it. After nine years of club coaching experience, McClain plans to start his own club. He also teaches weekly classes in Palo Alto.
McClain said his passion has taught him a new way of life.
“You really have to be able to focus on your positive energy when everything and everyone is against you,” he said. “Sports are very important in children’s lives. Sports help you to grow as a human being - and fencing even more, because of the concentration that you are personally responsible for. You can get a lot of confidence from it.”
McClain, who coaches about 20 students, said, “What’s most important for me is to give the student the same enthusiasm for the sport that I have and help him or her progress as far as he or she wants to go. I definitely do have aspirations of bringing kids to an elite international level of fencing, though. But overall, just knowing that I’ve had a positive impact on a young person’s life is reward enough.”
Already training one of the top-ranked youth fencers in the country, McClain is making himself known not only as an Olympic candidate but also as a passionate and dedicated coach. With the Ivy League schools constantly on the search for top-ranked fencers and the sport’s increased popularity, more and more people are finding themselves slipping on a mask and heading toward the strip.
