Today we’d like to introduce you to David Sierra.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My academic background and training is as a research scientist in cell and molecular biology, but I’ve been a fencer since I started in college my freshman year at Texas A&M University. While I was never a high level fencer, it was always a lot of fun. Fencing is a fast-paced, engaging sport with a great community of people.
I started working as a referee in the sport, and have been a member of the national referee cadre since 1998, working at all levels of domestic competition up through and including the Olympic Trials. That’s been an exciting and rewarding secondary career.
Additionally, as my competitive career was winding down, I started teaching on a volunteer basis in beginner classes, and pursuing coaching training and certification, and I always had the dream of someday opening my own fencing facility. Various factors came together over the years, and now, I own my own fencing club, and have been awarded the title of “Fencing Master” by the United States Fencing Coaches Association. I was recently elected to a leadership position on the Certification and Accreditation Board of the Coaches Association, and I’m now working on new training curricula and certification protocols for the next generation of fencing coaches as part of an organization-wide restructuring process.
Along the way, I’ve taught countless kids and adults the sport that I love, and some of them have had some impressive competitive successes. Fencing is a unique sport because one can start competition as a youth, and pursue an internationally competitive career well into one’s 70’s (in age restricted competition of course!). I’ve produced a number of fencers that have been ranked first in the region that includes Texas, and the current national 1st place points holder in the Women’s 40-49 age division is one of my students. I’ve sent off students to fence at the NCAA level, and next season one of the top recruits in the country is a fencer from our club who will be attending Notre Dame University.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Opening a small business is always challenging. Learning the various “small business” aspects of things has probably been the most time-consuming part of the whole process.
Lease negotiation is especially fun!
As much as I love the sport and as great as it is for people of all ages, just letting people know we exist and they can train as a swordsman or woman has been challenging as well. Many times, someone will stumble across us and say “I wish I’d been able to find you earlier!”
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Cutting Edge Fencing Center – what should we know?
We teach the Olympic sport of Fencing and specialize in the weapon known as sabre. We are the only dedicated, full-time fencing facility in Tarrant County, and bring people together from across the western part of the metroplex. Our coaches all possess internationally-recognized certifications, and are dedicated to the concept of the athlete as a whole person.
The community of people who make up our fencing club is our greatest strength. They are a great group and work hard together in training and competition. We are known for our cheerful and supportive demeanor when we compete.
And we’ve had a surprising amount of competitive success for “a little club from Texas.” Fencing is most popular in the major population centers of the east and west coasts, but the biggest compliment we’ve received is that when our fencers show up at a national event, the big-time powerhouses do not take us for granted. Their coaches pay attention when their fencers are competing against ours.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My wife, Kate, is a rock and steady anchor. We own CEFC together, and she deserves a huge amount of credit for where we are today. She’s a former public school teacher (already deserving of nomination for sainthood for that), and she has played a massive role in organizing the curriculum we use for training our students, as well as fostering the friendly, welcoming atmosphere of our fencing club.
She’s also the aforementioned competitor who is ranked first in the 40-49 age group, so the fact that she can kick the snot out of her competition on a national level is what first got us noticed on that stage (she took home a Gold and two Bronze medals at a national competition this past weekend in Baltimore).
I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some extremely talented youth athletes over the years. As any coach worth their salt will tell you, sometimes the right person just walks in your door. One of those young fencers will be attending Notre Dame next season and competing on their Division 1 NCAA program; Notre Dame just won the National Championships this past March so that’s a big deal.
I’ve had some great mentors over the years. The greater fencing community is actually pretty good at helping people come up through the ranks. Fencing Master’s Jerry Benson from Oklahoma City and Vinne Bradford from San Antonio (now recently retired back here to her home town of Forth Worth) helped train and expose me to modern coaching techniques. As a fencing referee, I was mentored by some truly fantastic individuals including the late Gerrie Baumgart, Ariana Klinkov, David Sach, Bill Oliver and many others.
Pricing:
- An introductory course is $99 for a month of group lessons once a week.
- Regular ongoing membership starts at $100 a month for class based instruction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5328 Rufe Snow Drive
North Richland Hills, TX 76180 - Website: www.cuttingedgefencing.com
- Phone: 817-428-5599
- Email: info@cuttingedgefencing.com
- Instagram: cuttingedgefencing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuttingedgefencing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cutting-edge-fencing-center-north-richland-hills
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