In this episode, we speak with Elizabeth Tartakovsky, an outstanding women’s saber fencer, 2024 Olympian for Team USA, and the 2022 NCAA National Champion in Women’s Saber at Harvard. Elizabeth has achieved remarkable success in the world of fencing with a blend of creativity, strategy, and athleticism that has taken her to the pinnacle of her sport. From her early days getting kicked out of ballet class for chatting too much to standing on podiums at FIE World Cups, Elizabeth's journey is as inspiring as it is unique.
[0:00:01] BW: Hello, and welcome to First to 15, the official podcast of USA Fencing. I'm your host, Bryan Wendell, and in this show, you're going to hear from some of the most inspiring, interesting, and insanely talented people in the sport we all love. First to 15 is for anyone in the fencing community, and even for those just checking out fencing to see what it's all about. Whether you're an Olympian or a Paralympian, a newcomer, a seasoned veteran, a fencing parent, a fan, or anyone else in this wonderful community, this podcast is for you. With that, let's get to today's episode. Enjoy.
[EPISODE]
[0:00:40] BW: Today, we have the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Tartakovsky, who is a woman sabre fencer, 2024 Olympian for team USA, the 2022 NCAA national champion. Elizabeth has achieved remarkable success in the world of fencing using a blend of creativity, strategy, and athleticism that's taking her to the top of the sport. We're excited to chat about all of that and more today. Welcome, Elizabeth.
[0:01:03] ET: Thank you.
[0:01:05] BW: I read that you actually started your kind of athletic career, you could say, in ballet class, and you got kicked out of ballet class. We're kind of glad that that happened, because now you're in fencing. What led you to fencing and what got you started in the sport?
[0:01:20] ET: Yes. When I was little, my sister and I, we both started out with ballet. I guess, we started around maybe four years old. I think my parents just wanted us to kind of learn to be athletic, flexible, dance, I guess kind of a very generic thing for young girls to do.
[0:01:43] BW: It's a rite of passage for every young kid.
[0:01:45] ET: Yes, absolutely. I was a very energetic kid. My sister was pretty good at ballet. I just didn't have the patience for it. I really loved it, I truly loved dancing. But yes, I got kicked out of ballet class for talking too much. I was the chatterbox of the class. My ballet teacher would always complain about me. My parents wanted to find something I think a little bit more stimulating for my sister and I. I think we were kind of growing out of ballet and our ballet school. We tried out different sports as well like tennis, swimming, nothing really stuck. What actually led us to fencing is, Yuri Gelman, my coach, he is a relative of mine. He's like my dad's uncle in a – we're distantly related. He's almost like my dad's uncle. Both Yuri and my parents are from the Soviet Union. They're all from Kyiv, actually. In the US, he's basically the closest family we have. I knew Yuri before I started fencing.
I was introduced to fencing in 2008. In 2008, Yuri Gelman, he was the Olympic coach for the men's sabre team. They had won a silver medal in the team event. I remember my parents pointing to the TV like, "Hey, look. That's your Uncle Yuri. He just won an Olympic medal with his team." Then, I saw the videos and images of fencing, and we tried it out, both my sister and I. I fell in love right away. I mean, it was really engaging, it was really fast. I think I was a very sneaky, intuitive kid, so, I caught on to the strategy right away. My parents told me, and I loved smacking my oldest sister with the sword.
[0:03:35] BW: It makes sense with your connection to Yuri that you would pick sabre. But also, it sounds like that kind of is a natural fit for you anyway. Your energy, and the fact that you couldn't sit still in ballet. What was it that really hooked you? Do you remember what made you want to come back so much?
[0:03:52] ET: I guess, I was truly very young when I started, eight, nine years old. I loved competing, and the social aspect of all of that. I was very talkative, so I loved going to local regional competitions making friends.
[0:04:11] BW: That's a good way to do that, right?
[0:04:12] ET: Yes. I think, for me competing, I didn't really think about, to be quite honest, the winds and the success early on did come very quickly and naturally for me. But I wasn't really counting the metals. I love getting a little metal around my neck, but it was almost a way for me to perform. I mean, I think the only thing I liked about ballet was performing, getting ready for a show, being in front of a crowd. So, a competition was almost like a way to perform, so I fell in love with that.
[0:04:41] BW: The longer you go, the bigger the crowd too.
[0:04:43] ET: When you're really young, the local, regional competitions, we went to them quite often. So, it was fun. I started making a ton of friends, exchanging emails. I think that those are my first memories, and I have the fondest memories of first starting out fencing.
[0:05:00] BW: Then, was it right away that you got more into the strategy side? Because you've talked about, fencing being physical chess, and like a strategic sport. That's something else that's drawn you to it. Were you fascinated by the strategy right away, or was that kind of a second step for you, a second phase?
[0:05:17] ET: I definitely had a second phase where I kind of had to mature a little bit. Like I said, I think my first knack, I made the top eight. My last Y10 Nationals, either won or got second. I was pretty successful early on. It came just very naturally and intuitively. But there was a period, I think, when I was in around 12 years old, maybe. When I was kind of reaching that kind of growing, maturing, and fencing against older competitors, I didn't see that same level of success. I had some rough points in competitions, where my parents were like, "Oh, she doesn't really look like she's trying." At practice, they would notice that I was kind of not really focused.
They had a conversation with me, say, "Hey, this is going to take effort, and you can quit today. But if you really love this, and you want to continue the sport, you have to put an effort. You have to actually push yourself to learn and to grow." After that conversation, I actually, it sounds bad to say, but then I said, "Okay, I want to try." I started trying, and then I think that process was a lot more rewarding. Well, A, because I was more mature, I was more conscious of what I was doing. B, just starting to explore the actual, I guess, like tactical side of fencing, and how do I become mature as a fencer, how do I trick my opponents, as my coach says, and just – I think that was the best period of growth for me as a fencer.
[0:06:54] BW: I think that's a good lesson for younger fencers too, because there's going to be periods where they have great success, and it does come easy to them. There's going to be those down periods where it's like, "Nothing I am doing seems to work. I'm losing at tournament after tournament. Is this sport right for me?" But it seems like if you can refocus, and kind of change your mindset, then it can happen for you, right?
[0:07:15] ET: Yes. Really, the only way to learn, even now, the best way to learn is when you have that wake-up call, you have a bad competition, or you're not getting the results you want. Then, that's a sign. Okay, something needs to change. So yes, it's a great life lesson.
[0:07:32] BW: You find a silver lining when you have an early exit, for example. Even today, you tried to?
[0:07:36] ET: Yes, I tried to.
[0:07:38] BW: No, I know. It's easier said than done. But, I mean, there was no early exit for you in 2022 at the NCAA championships. Want to talk about that, like what that feeling was like, because you're a proud representative of the Harvard Fencing team. What was that like winning that individual title?
[0:07:53] ET: It really was, I think, still is one of the best memories. Fencing is very – I mean, it's an individual sport. At times, it can get lonely, and I think the best part of about being on a collegiate team is that you're no longer training with people you're directly competing against. You're like working towards the same goal. Obviously, I'm grateful, like in Manhattan Fencing Community, we always have a good competitive energy, but we're like, extremely supportive of each other.
In college, it's to another level, because every bout we win, it helps the entire team. I think, also NCAA is a really tough tournament. Having the support of my teammates the whole day really meant a lot. Having that – when I actually won, I just – I got to turn around, and see the faces, and the way that my teammates were celebrating for me. It was just the best feeling that people were truly happy for me. It's people that I've been training with day in and day out, and saw the hard work I put in, it was amazing. It truly felt like I got to share that experience, and it wasn't just for myself.
[0:09:15] BW: I mean, the format of that tournament is so interesting to me, because it's like you said, in the beginning, you're fencing. Kind of for your own result, because you want to make that top four. But ultimately, you're fencing for the team. The better you do for the team, the better your chances of making that final four, and having a chance to fence for an individual title. But before that point, it's all about the team, and then it makes that shift, where now, you've got 15 touch bouts for yourself, but you still have the support of your team. I just think it's such a fascinating format, and it all happens over the course of one crazy day.
When did it really sink in? Was it right there on the strip? Was it when you're holding up that giant trophy? When did it sink in?
[0:09:55] ET: Yes. I mean, it's when I actually won, and I turned around, and I had this big Harvard Fencing cheering squad. I got to – unfortunately, it was COVID. So pre-COVID, you'd get tossed around on the stage, didn't get to do that. But I immediately ran up to my teammates, got hugs. One of my teammates, Veronica was crying for me.
[0:10:16] BW: That's awesome.
[0:10:16] ET: I mean, it's a really special feeling, and a very special accomplishment. Especially, because I was also surrounded by my coaches on the team were Daria, Daga, and Eli. Daria and Eli, both were also NCAA champions, so they were like, "Welcome to the club."
[0:10:41] BW: That's a pretty elite club.
[0:10:42] ET: And all people I look up to.
[0:10:44] BW: You've mentioned before that, that Daga is one of your heroes, your mentor. What is it about her that has helped your own fencing, and now you're following it in your footsteps, going to the Olympics?
[0:10:57] ET: I mean, Daga is just an incredible person and incredibly selfless. I think, as top athletes and high-level athletes are, they do have to have a little bit of selfishness in order to be number one. But Daga is really just – I think I've known her because she trained to MFC as well, and under Yuri. I've known her since I was 10. There was never a moment where she just wouldn't allocate time for even a second to just – without you asking for it, just saying, "Hey, here's some advice for this." Yes, we built a relationship over the years.
She's just always been very open to share her experiences, and checking in, and offering advice. She's a very hard worker, and amazingly accomplished fencer. So yes, I think we've just built that relationship for so many years. The fact that she was with me at Harvard for two was even more incredible. It was the best gift.
[0:12:02] BW: Yes. I want to talk about your two bronze medals at FIE World Cup. February 2023 in Tashkent. Then. I think it was like almost exactly a year later, if not exactly in February 2024 in Lima. What kind of validation did that give you about the hard work getting those two medals at the highest level of the FIE?
[0:12:23] ET: Yes. Medaling both times was amazing. Medaling for the first time, though. That was the 2022 to 2023 season. I think that season for me was really pivotal in my, I guess, senior career. Just because, before that, I would consistently make it into the second day, make it into the 32s, but I didn't really feel like I belonged. I didn't feel like I belonged past that, because I was competing against all these fencers that I had looked up to and watched. For me, I would still get this level of this little sense of being starstruck. But yes, I think the season where I medaled for the first time, I started to kind of climb up the ranks a bit. I beat some fencers ranked higher than me, ranked top 16 in the world.
Medaling for the first time, I think truly showed me like, "Hey, I belong here, and I can compete at a high level, especially against older women, more experienced women." I think, the result that led me to be in the top 16 in the world, yes. Then, I think, the second time medaling this past season, getting the bronze was a great way to show that I can do it again. It wasn't a fluke. I struggled a bit at the beginning of this season, at the beginning of Olympic qualification, just because I think it's always hard to fence the season after the best season of your life. It's always the hardest. Because I set the bar so high, I made the top 16 in the world, which wasn't even a goal of mine that I thought I wanted. Then, once I got it, I wanted to stay in there.
[0:14:13] BW: I never want to leave this. Yes, exactly.
[0:14:15] ET: Yes. I just had so many expectations for myself, and thinking that I made all these amazing results last season, I need to repeat them. Now, it's an Olympic qualification season, so the stress is even higher.
[0:14:27] BW: Yes, the stakes are raised.
[0:14:28] ET: There are few tournaments where I went out, you go straight to day two, and you're in top 16. I just lost my first match of the day, top 64 Then the next time, lost my first match, top 64. I was starting to lose hope a bit. It just felt like it was completely mental. I was just – it felt like I was choking. But then, I found my footing a little bit, came to terms with the fact that, that fear, those expectations are going to be there, and it's okay. But I could still kind of, feeling all of those things, I could still fence to my potential. Then, I made a top 16 at the next World Cup. It was a Grand Prix in Tunisia, that gave me the confidence I needed after I won my first bout, I cried. I bawled my eyes out, just winning the top 64 bout.
[0:15:14] BW: You're like getting over that hurdle, that mental hurdle.
[0:15:16] ET: Because I just got over that hurdle. Then, from there, it was still difficult, but it was a little bit easier to just navigate all of that pressure. The bronze was a great way, a great highlight of the Olympic qualification season.
[0:15:30] BW: Yes, it validates it. I've often wondered what it's like to be in the top 16, one of the best fencers in the world. Because you don't have that warmup period of day one, you're going right there, and you're immediately thrown into a do or die bout against someone who is also really talented. They're not in the top 16, but they're super talented to have made day two. I'm like, is that an advantage or is it a disadvantage? I'd love to hear how you feel. Most people that I've talked to have said, they don't want to fence on day one, if they can avoid it. But still, it's a lot of pressure once you get there.
[0:16:03] ET: Yes. I mean, it's a double-edged sword. It's taken me some time to get used to. I think I'm still getting used to it. But I think, it's definitely psychologically a different mindset. When you come in after day one, you fence all the preliminary rounds, you are kind of already really warmed up in a good way. Some of the nerves are out. It's almost like, in pools, you drop a few touches, or you drop a bout or two, you can still make it out, but the nerves are out.
People come in hungry for day two, they're ready. They want to – the underdog always wants to be the person on top. I felt like for a little bit, going straight to day two, having that be my first match, it was difficult to feel warmed up, because all of those nerves were bottled up. I just felt like, the mentality is different. I felt like I was defending my place instead of fighting for it. I felt like, I was on defense mode, which is not a good place to be. You want to be the assertive one, you want to be the attacker.
[0:17:05] BW: Sure, yes, especially in sabre.
[0:17:07] ET: Yes. It took some time to get used to, but now, I really warm up all day. Day one, when everyone's fencing pools, all warm up before every pool round with my teammates, with others, just to break a sweat and almost like simulate some five-touch bouts some 15-touch bouts and really say like, "Hey, this is to make day two," for example.
[0:17:30] BW: You're making your mind and your body go through the similar motions.
[0:17:33] ET: A little bit of stress, yes, and to just get uncomfortable.
[0:17:36] BW: Can we talk about the qualification process? Because here in the US, we have a pretty unique system, which is that, it's points-based. You have to earn your spot; a coach isn't going to select you for the top three. In your case, you had that locked in pretty early in the game. But when was that moment where you understood that the math was in your favor, that you weren't guaranteed one of those top three spots? Did a coach tell you? Did you figure it out? Like if you knew that you had finished in this result, when was that?
[0:18:08] ET: When did I realize that I was –
[0:18:11] BW: That you made the team for the Olympics?
[0:18:13] ET: Officially?
[0:18:13] BW: Yes, that it was guaranteed.
[0:18:16] ET: Okay. We were in Belgium for a World Cup, and I think, I already had a sense that I would make it after I won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Lima.
[0:18:27] BW: Basically done, but maybe not mathematically locked in at that point. Is that right?
[0:18:30] ET: Not mathematically locked in, but I had a really good cushion of points. I'm someone that, I do look at the points.
[0:18:38] BW: Okay. You do the math yourself.
[0:18:39] ET: I think, for me, information is power. I would spend so much time thinking about what are the points, that I might as well look at the points and face the facts.
[0:18:47] BW: Sure, yes. Instead of just saying, I'm not going to look, I'm just going to go out there and finish as highly as I can.
[0:18:53 ET: Yes. So seeing –
[0:18:53] BW: Interesting.
[0:18:54] ET: – that after I won the bronze in Lima that I had a good cushion. I was back to number one. It was definitely a nice little breath of relief, and just gave me a little bit more space to focus on our team, because we still have to perform as a team, even though we're competing as individuals. Also, I think, once you reach the goal of qualification, you want to focus on the bigger goal of how to be top in the world, how to position yourself in the best place for a medal. Yes, it was a little bit anticlimactic once I mathematically qualified, because I kind of knew. But still, amazing to have it locked in, and to say, "I did that."
[0:19:36] BW: Yes, completely. I can see in other sports how it would be cool if there was one tournament where it's the person who wins this goes to the Olympics. But also, that really wouldn't work in fencing. You want someone who has, like you, is consistently great throughout the season, and you're on your spot that way. I think it makes complete sense. Let's talk about some of what you like to do when you're not fencing. You've talked about some of your hobbies are piano and art. Do you still have time for those hobbies today? Are you still able to turn off the fencing brain, and just disconnect for a little bit with something else?
[0:20:14] ET: Yes. I just graduated from Harvard in May. Following my graduation, I took the entire year off just to dedicate to training, and postponed a full-time job offer, because this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be all in. But as you said, you don't want to be in that fencing mindset 24/7. My favorite hobby is piano. It's something that I kind of stopped doing a little bit in college, but I think it's important to kind of work the other side of your brain, and be a little bit, do it creative activity.
For me, that's piano. I've been playing piano since I was probably also around eight years old. I love classical music. I'm at a level where I don't have to work on my technique anymore, I can really just pick compositions that I really enjoy, and learn them, and make them my own. I really get into them. It's a great emotional outlet for me. When I do have time, when I'm not traveling, unfortunately, a piano is not portable.
[0:21:18] BW: This is true, yes.
[0:21:19] ET: When I do have time at home – I make time every day to play piano.
[0:21:24] BW: I mean, you got your fencing back already, just get a keyboard in there or something. What does that look like? Are you at the end of a day of training, you might come home, and just like sit at the piano, and just play for an hour or something? Is that how it goes? Let's say, a normal week where you're not traveling?
[0:21:39] ET: A normal week. We actually practice in the evenings, because that's when the high school, the college kids are done with their classes. I actually have – my free time is in the mornings. Other than going to my trainer, and doing recovery, or other stuff like that, my creative time and my downtime is in the mornings. I can have a relatively slow wake up, I'll make my breakfast, have some coffee, read a book, play piano. It's like, I have a really nice, and a very soft and creative start to my day.
[0:22:11] BW: Yes. I like that.
[0:22:11] ET: Which I'm very grateful, it's a great change of pace from the go, go, go of high school, college, fencing every weekend.
[0:22:18] BW: Where every hour is booked, every half hour. The physical side, obviously you've got that nailed down. But the mental side, I feel like is an underrated thing that a lot of younger fencers maybe don't focus on. Do you have someone that you talk with about your fencing and some of maybe the mental hurdles that you need to overcome? Or is that something that you just deal with on your own and work through yourself?
[0:22:40] ET: Yes. I've been working with sports psychologists for many years now. I think since high school, his name is Rob Udewitz. He was recommended to me by my coach, he's worked with other fencers. I've really built a great relationship with him. Because he's known me for so long, he's really helped me learn about those parts of myself. I think, for me, the reason why I've been working with him for so long is because, I think the mental aspect of fencing is so important, and it should not be overlooked. Because in order to perform in a high-pressure situation, you're going to experience fear, you're going to have to deal with loss, deal with expectations. It's been really, I think it's really tough work, it's very slow work, so you're not going to see progress like you see after going to the gym consistently. It'll show up when you least expect it. But I work on my mindset very religiously. Every week I meet with him, I have some things that I work on. I set a routine for myself. It's incredibly rewarding.
[0:23:59] BW: Yes. Obviously, it's been effective. Also, you speak Russian fluently? So, how has maintaining those ties to your culture, and your heritage kind of influenced your fencing career?
[0:24:14] ET: Yes. I mean, Russian was my first language. Like I said, my parents grew up in Kyiv. They're from the Soviet Union, or they moved from the Soviet Union. I think it's really nice that there are a lot of Russian-speaking people in the fencing world, because it's a way that I can continue to speak and practice the language. Because, although it was my first language, I definitely use English more. It's nice to kind of, especially, connect with my coaches and speak to them in their native language. Yes, it was also really fun to go to World Cups when I was younger, and even now, and speak to those that speak Russian. When I went to my first World Cup, I spoke to some Russian fencers in Russia, and they're like, "Wow. Does everyone in America speak Russian?" It's like, "Of course." It's very useful at the fencing world, because we have a lot of Eastern Europeans.
[0:25:15] BW: Yes. For you, a first language, that's super useful as well.
[0:25:19] ET: Domestically at competitions, if you're speaking to your coach and in a different language, not English, then others can't understand you. Which is what I liked when I was younger, and I would go to national competition or regional competitions. I'd hear parents yelling advice at their kids, and I would be like, "I can hear you."
[0:25:39] BW: Right. I know what you're about to do.
[0:25:40] ET: Attack right now. My parents said, yell something in Russian, and I felt like I had a little secret weapon.
[0:25:46] BW: It's a secret code. It is, yes. That's hilarious. Speaking of younger fencers, advice for those who dream of reaching the Olympics o making it to your level someday.
[0:25:57] ET: Advice, so many things I could say. I think, number one, for me is just, whatever you do, I think it's really important to have passion and have that be at the forefront. Because to be successful, it takes a lot of work, a lot of discipline, a lot of sacrifices. The only reason I wanted to do that is because I was so – I had so much passion about fencing, and I kept on checking in with myself, year to year. Do I still love this? What do I love about this? What is my next goal? What do I want out of this? It's something that my parents started asking me, they started asking me these questions when I was younger, because it was a commitment for the entire family to go to competitions so often.
[0:26:47] BW: So they would check in with you and say –
[0:26:49] ET: They will check in and say, "You can quit." Even when I was in high school and had made multiple national teams, if I had a rough week of practices, they said, "Do you want to quit? You can quit tomorrow, everything will be okay. If you don't want to do it, we'll find something else to do."
[0:27:06] BW: Right, Go back to ballet.
[0:27:07] ET: Yes. It was a nice way to just say like, "Okay. Why do I love this?"
[0:27:12] BW: Yes, a reset.
[0:27:14] ET: And to continue to come back to that, because you're going to have rough patches in everyone's career.
[0:27:20] BW: They were helping kind of challenge you. Let's talk about your family, because they've been super supportive of you, your sister, and your parents. I've gotten to see them cheer you on at some events. What is it like having that support system in your corner?
[0:27:33] ET: Yes, it's amazing. I'm incredibly, incredibly lucky to just have received so much unconditional love from them, which sounds like, obvious, your parents should love you unconditionally. But, I never felt pressure from them to get a result, or they never treated me differently after a bad competition. The only thing they would get mad at is if I didn't work hard. Then, it would be not mad, but disappointment just because it's – hard work is something they instilled in me.
[0:28:04] BW: They knew what you were capable of.
[0:28:05] ET: Yes. But other than that, it was always 100% support no matter what I was going through and what my fencing results were. I think it's great to have that, because in the big picture, no matter how many Olympic medals you have, no matter how many National medals you have, there's nothing more important than then your family. Those folks that are around you, supporting you, that genuinely love you for who you are, and not your results. It's important too. My parents always remind me of that and I'm very grateful.
[0:28:41] BW: They're so nice too. There's a lot of nice fencing parents, but yours are right near the top. They're just nice people.
[0:28:49] ET: It can be.
[0:28:51] BW: Yes.
[0:28:52] ET: In the right moment.
[0:28:53] BW: Who's going to be your cheering section in Paris? Who's going to be there cheering you on? Who's going to be watching from home and watching every single touch?
[0:29:01] ET: Yes. My parents are coming, my sister's coming, who has been a great support of mine too. I mean, we fence together until she finished college.
[0:29:11] BW: Harvard as well, right.
[0:29:13] ET: Harvard as well, yes. She was my captain when I was a freshman. She was a senior and a captain. But she still watches even though she stopped fencing, she still watches. So yes, my family, my sister, my sister's fiancé, my boyfriend, Teddy Lombardo, who fences, he's an épée fencer. Then, a bunch of my friends were planning behind my back, getting tickets before I even qualified. I kind of knew they were doing it, but I didn't really want to ask them because it was stressing me out. But afterwards, once I qualified, they told me like, "Yes, we spent a bunch of money, bought these tickets, and made all these plans."
[0:29:47] BW: Those aren't so hard to get either. I mean, those aren't easy to get, I should say. They're sold out and they were sold out right way.
[0:29:53] ET: Yes. I had friends waking up at 4am waiting in the queues to get the tickets.
[0:29:59] BW: That's awesome.
[0:29:59] ET: I mean, I feel incredibly lucky to have such a great support system, and they're going to be there. I hope it's a fun experience for them as much as it is for me. So, yes, I'll have a good squad.
[0:30:13] BW: That's great. There'll be cheering loudly, we hope. How about you? Obviously, you're there to do a job, which is to fence. But what if you, when you've thought about the experience, what are you most looking forward to about everything outside of what happens in the Grand Palais outside of the fencing venue.
[0:30:27] ET: Yes, to be honest, I don't know what to expect, which is a good thing. I'm incredibly excited to be amongst great athletes. To feel like, I'm part of the greater Team USA. I mean, I've represented Team USA for a while at Junior World, Senior Worlds, but it always felt like it was within our smaller fencing community. Now, being able to represent that at a bigger stage means a lot. And to see other athletes that are, also incredible in what they do. Yes. I mean, I'm just excited to enjoy the experience and take it in, in general. I really don't know what to expect. So hopefully, it exceeds expectations.
[0:31:14] BW: I'm sure it will. Lastly, obviously, you're still writing your story, and will be for a long time, we hope. But what do you want your legacy to be in fencing? What would you like people to say about you as a fencer, as a person?
[0:31:28] ET: Yes. What my parents also, another lesson they always taught me, and what they always reminded me is, in 10 years, 20 years after my career, no one's going to be counting how many medals I won. No one's going to be counting how many medals I won, or how many things I accomplished. What they most will remember, is that, okay, yes, I was a good fencer, but she was a good person, or this person was not. I think, I just want my legacy to be that I did what I could to help others around me, I was a good person. I loved the sport of fencing and tried to make this fencing world that better place.
[0:32:20] BW: I love that. No, that's great. Well, that's it for today, but much more to come. We'll be cheering you on in Paris and beyond. Elizabeth, thank you so much for taking some time.
[0:32:29] ET: Thank you so much.
[END OF INTERVIEW]
[0:32:30] BW: Thanks for listening to First to 15, the official podcast of USA Fencing. We'll be back with our next conversation in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can stay up to date on all the latest fencing news by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If you liked this podcast, please help us grow and reach more people by leaving us a rating or review. Until next time, I'm Bryan Wendell, and I hope to see you real soon out on the strip. Bye.
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