Today we have a very special guest: Luao Yang! Luao is one of Team USA’s brightest young stars – he’s the newly crowned 2025 Cadet Men’s Foil World Champion. This season he’s racked up impressive international results and made history for USA Fencing, all while still in high school. In this episode, we’ll chat about Luao’s recent competitions and big wins, his journey in fencing (including some standout moments), what it’s like training at his home club in Michigan, and what’s next on his horizon – including college plans – all in a fun, light-hearted conversation. Ready? Let’s get started!
Luao Yang on the Road From Michigan to a Cadet Men’s Foil World Championship
Today we have a very special guest: Luao Yang! Luao is one of Team USA’s brightest young stars – he’s the newly crowned 2025 Cadet Men’s Foil World Champion.
This season he’s racked up impressive international results and made history for USA Fencing, all while still in high school. In this episode, we’ll chat about Luao’s recent competitions and big wins, his journey in fencing (including some standout moments), what it’s like training at his home club in Michigan, and what’s next on his horizon – including college plans – all in a fun, light-hearted conversation. Ready? Let’s get started!
SEASON 2 EPISODE 6
[EPISODE]
[0:00:02] BW: Hello and welcome to First to 15, the USA Fencing Podcast, where we celebrate some of the people behind the sport. Today, our very special guest is Luao Yang, who is one of Team USA's brightest young stars and the newly crowned 2025 Cadet Men's Foil World Champion. This season, he's been rocking up some really impressive international results and made a bit of history for USA Fencing, all while still in high school, which is crazy. In this episode, we're going to chat about some of his recent competitions, his journey in fencing, what it's like training in his home club in Michigan, and everything else on the horizon. Hey, Luao. Welcome to the podcast.
[0:00:38] LY: Hi, Bryan. Thank you for having me.
[0:00:40] BW: Yeah. I mean, let's start in Wuxi. I was lucky enough to be there watching you and cheering you on with your gold medal, the cadet world championships in Wuxi, China. You were actually the first US cadet men's foil world champion since 2021. It'd been a little while since our last one. When you were up there and got the gold medal, did it sink in at that point that you were a world champion? What was going through your head?
[0:01:04] LY: No, definitely not. I was in the moment, but I didn't realize I won. It was really surreal experience, to be honest, just seeing the crowd, the stage in front of me and just being handed a medal. Then in the morning that day, I definitely wouldn't have expected me to win Worlds. In the end, I pushed through and I got the gold and it felt really amazing after.
[0:01:25] BW: Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, you're standing up there, had you pictured that moment, had you even allowed yourself to picture, because you've been at the top of medal stands before, just not at a world championship. have you ever said like, I wonder what this would feel like if I was doing it at the highest level of the sport? Had you ever allowed yourself to think about that?
[0:01:44] LY: Yeah, definitely. I feel like, I thought about it more. Last season, last year's World Championships. Obviously, I didn't met it last year. I think this year, I definitely thought less about it. I definitely thought about it maybe once or twice, like, when I was training and preparing for world championships. I didn't really let myself think that, “Oh, I'm going to win, right?” I was thinking that I can always be better, so I need to keep working and I just need to, whatever happens on that day, it's one day, it's one event. Whatever happens, that day happens and I will accept it either way.
[0:02:15] BW: Yeah. You hear some athletes say that they actually learn more from those tough losses. You brought up last year, at Cadet World, you got fifth, right, in 2024? That's as close to the medals as you can get, right?
[0:02:29] LY: Yeah.
[0:02:31] BW: Did that change your approach, or give you extra motivation to say, I want to get back and get a medal? What was that like for you?
[0:02:36] LY: Yeah, I was definitely very disappointed last year. I definitely thought I could have fenced better, especially because, I mean, as I said, it's only one event, right? Basically, however you perform that day is, I mean, that's your result for basically, the whole year, right? Last year, honestly, I feel like, I fenced better last year in pools than I fenced this year. I think last year I did win all my bouts. This year I dropped one. I feel like, so the first D I fenced last year, it was against a very tough opponent. Earlier in the season, I beat him 15-14. It's always been very close and he's a very strong opponent.
Honestly, I was pretty surprised that I fenced him my first bout. I was definitely a little bit scared, but I feel after I won that bout, I started cruising, which I don't know if that was the right mentality or not, because after the bout, I thought, “Oh, I'm good.” But my next two bouts were definitely closer than the first one. In the last bout, I wasn't really ready to perform at my best. I just feel like, in the bout, I lost in the top eight, I definitely didn't fenced to my full potential. After I got off the strip, I didn't cry, or anything, but I was definitely pretty disappointed. I missed a lot of touches.
[0:03:43] BW: Yeah, and it's so tough, because, let's say, you go to a NAC and you have a disappointing result. Well, the next NAC might be coming in a month or two, so you can rebound. The next ROC might even be sooner than that, right? Or you're going to your club. But with world championships, you got to wait a whole year. How did you make sure that that was motivation, but also, you weren't just wallowing in that near miss for an entire 12 months?
[0:04:11] LY: Yeah. Well, in the end, I feel like, world championships, obviously isn't everything, especially, well, to me, right? Just because, okay, oh my God, once again, it's one tournament, right? I have the entire season to build up to it. I have, instead of thinking about like, “Oh, the next tournament's only a month away, for a NAC or something, for world championships, I can have a slow buildup, right?” It doesn't have to be immediately right after world championships. I have to fence. I have to fence. I have to fence. I have to get back to my highest level. Instead, I have the entire season to fence many different tournaments, junior workouts, cadet workouts. Through those experiences, I feel like, have helped me perform and end up where I am today.
[0:04:46] BW: You had a really good season on the international circuit, right? Some golds and silvers at the cadet level, and I think a silver at a junior World Cup as well, right?
[0:04:54] LY: That was last season. Yeah. I felt like, I don't know, this season, I don't think I fenced as well throughout the season, this year compared to last year. But I might not ever fence as well as I fenced internationally in the season before. I mean, that was definitely eye-opening, because basically, so in the 22, 23 season, I was injured throughout most of it. I made one Cadet World Cup top eight maybe, and then the Junior World Cup I fenced, it was really bad. I lost my first DE. But the first season I fenced World Championships, I felt that was really eye opening, because the first two Cadet World Cups I fenced, I got second and first, and then I got a second at a junior World Cup, which was crazy, because the season before, I mean, I lost my first bout in Junior World Cup. I feel like, that was a crazy jump for me.
Last season was definitely like, brought me back to the ground a little bit. Obviously, I'm not going to make second at a Junior World Cup every time. Just not how it works, obviously, right? You can't just go up one year and you just keep going up. That's just not how any sport works. I feel like, this year was a good growing year for me, because I think it was filled with lots of more tough bouts, because, well, I just feel my first season of making Worlds, it was – I didn't really have that many ups and downs, right? It was pretty much just up.
Especially, I started my season semi-nationals. I medalled in all my events. But last year, I made one junior 16, did one 64. Especially after nationals, I was really disappointed in myself. Basically, it's just, I think it was a tougher season overall, because I feel probably more people knew about my fencing. Then, obviously, once more people know they're going to game plan for you, and it's definitely harder. This season, I feel it was a good growth year, because I definitely started off this season pretty weak and I slowly built back up, and then for cadet, worlds, obviously. I think it was lucky timing, where I think the one tournament I formed and I fenced my best was at Worlds. That was lucky.
[0:06:49] BW: Yeah. Well, that's when you want to do it and that's when the best step up. It's interesting, because fencing, it's so difficult, I would imagine, to assess your own growth, because it's so dependent on who your opponent is, right? You're not just fencing against yourself. In something like, triathlon, let's say, you can be like, “Okay, my swimming is getting faster by this many seconds, my biking, my running.” But in fencing, how do you like to say, “I'm getting better by this amount?” Because it can't just be, like you said, it can't just be solely dependent on the medals.
[0:07:21] LY: Yeah. Honestly, I don't know. For me, it's just, I know when I get to the competition. After the first about I fenced, I feel like, I know I've gotten better, I've gotten worse, or I'm not fencing very well. Because I think when you're fencing at practice, it's definitely different, especially – I mean, you're fencing your teammate and you fence your teammate every day. I feel like, they always – I mean, I have a pretty good idea of what my teammates are going to do, right? I would assume they have the same idea about me. I think it's definitely different because, especially because we're all growing together in our fencing ability. I feel like, personally, it's pretty hard to determine whether you're getting better or not. I feel like, once I get to the competition, oh, no, right? I feel like it's pretty obvious once you get to the competition.
[0:08:02] BW: I think that's interesting. Let's rewind a little bit to talk about how you got into fencing, for people who don't know your story. I think you started about eight years ago, is that right, at Renaissance Fencing Club in Michigan?
[0:08:12] LY: Yeah. Yes.
[0:08:14] BW: How did you get involved? Did someone invite you? What was the story there?
[0:08:17] LY: Yeah. It's a funny story. Through my school, right? My mom signing up for a summer camp. I think back then, I wasn't the brightest kid, so I didn't know what fencing was. The day before the camps started, I was telling my mom like, “Yo, why do you want me to go in the summer and build fences?”
[0:08:32] BW: Oh, geez.
[0:08:33] LY: I didn't know what fencing was. I thought that was funny. Yeah. That camp was great. Yeah. I was running with Anatolie Senic, Ann Marsh-Senic. Yeah, the whole coaching squad, right? Yeah, I love that camp. I mean, obviously, I stayed.
[0:08:44] BW: This was a camp for people who had never even picked up a blade at an –
[0:08:47] LY: Exactly, exactly.
[0:08:48] BW: Wow. You were already getting some coaching from Anatolie and Ann Marsh. That's really cool.
[0:08:53] LY: It was great. Yeah. I felt like it was a really good experience. Obviously, it was.
[0:08:57] BW: It worked out. It worked out well. Okay, and then how about determining early success? Was there a moment where you were thinking, “Hey, I might be pretty good at this.” It's a lot more fun than building wooden fences, obviously. I think you got a Y-14 national title, right? Even before that, how did you know, “I might actually be good enough to go and get some medals at tournaments”?
[0:09:18] LY: Yeah. Basically, I think six months in, I fenced my first RYC in, I think, Y8 and Y10. At that point, I don't know. That was pretty bad. The first event was Y8. I lost to a girl. It was disappointing.
[0:09:30] BW: It happens.
[0:09:31] LY: Yeah. Then I didn't fenced for my national my first year. The first tournament of the new season, I think I made – I think it was top eight in Y10, which was, it was okay, right? It's nothing super impressive. After those, once I got to the next year, I think I was pretty consistently making top four in the regionals. At that moment, I thought, it's not bad, right? I think it's pretty good. I definitely thought I had a decent chance to get national points. Maybe once in a while, maybe a medal in SYC. I think it mainly started – That was my first year of Y10. In my second year of Y10, in March NAC, I think I did top eight. At that moment, I thought I should probably stay in the sport. I think I had a chance.
[0:10:14] BW: That was your first national medal, then.
[0:10:16] LY: First national medal, yeah.
[0:10:18] BW: Which is super special. I mean, before that, though, how did you were ready for a national tournament? Because it's one thing to have enough points to go to these national tournaments, if you want. I mean, the ones that you have to have points for, but it's another to be like, “I'm going to invest the money and time to go.”
[0:10:33] LY: Yeah. Well, I live in Michigan, right? I'm in region two. I feel like we have a decent amount of SYCs. We honestly had a pretty decent group of strong youth fencers, before I got good, basically. Seeing these guys compete at the national level and then fencing with them, well, at least by my second year, I felt I could compete at the same level as them.
I mean, in the first year, I lost to them, basically every time. In the second year, I was definitely sometimes lose, sometimes win. At that point, I thought I could do it, because if these guys were succeeding too, then maybe I could do it, too.
[0:11:08] BW: Yeah. I think that makes sense. It's great to have someone who you can see and have that belief, because of what they've done. How about your own proudest moments, aside from the World Championship this past April, are there some specific tournaments, or victories that you consider a breakthrough, or a proud moment for you?
[0:11:28] LY: I mean, this is recent, I guess, but I think my silver in Bangkok, for me, it was a big breakthrough, because –
[0:11:32] BW: That's a junior World Cup, right?
[0:11:35] LY: Yeah. Because that's back-to-back weeks with one of the Cadet World Cups and it's in France. It's in Cabries, right? Last year in Cabries, I think I fenced pretty poorly. I made 32s and I was definitely very disappointed with myself, especially because it's such a vital tournament, especially last year, because the competition – Obviously, every year is very strong, but the competition for making cadet team, I feel like, last year was stronger than most years, right? Missing out on pretty significant points. I mean, I was very disappointed, even though, yeah, I was leading everybody in points. It's so competitive that you just never know. You have to stay on it. Just missing out on that was disappointing and I was definitely down for a bit.
From Cabries, we flew straight to Bangkok. In those days, I was definitely a little bit down, right? Because that was my second year Fencing Junior World Cups. At that point, I made a 32, which is, I was very proud of myself for that. I don't know, fencing Junior World Cups was definitely still very mentally challenging for me. Bangkok, I was really surprised that I got my second place. I was so happy after winning my top 32 bout into 16s, that I think I screwed the most in that bout, where I was just so excited to make a 16 and just get my points up. Then after that, I'm like, if I can beat this guy, maybe I can beat the next guy. Then, I guess, I just continued, and yeah, second place.
[0:12:55] BW: How do you look at points? Are you someone who's constantly thinking through the what-ifs and saying, “Hey, I've got to do this well at this tournament to guarantee myself a spot on the world team,” or, you just checking in at certain intervals? What's your relationship with that points list?
[0:13:10] LY: I feel like, I just check in once in a while, because I feel like, I think I have a general idea of what I have to do. Obviously, every tournament I want myself to do the best I can. Sometimes, once in a while, if I don't do well, I'm like, yeah, it's okay, right? I just have a small mental note of what I need to do. If I don't get it there, then maybe I can just get at the next tournament, right? To me, it's not like a huge deal, right? I mean, if you miss points, there's always somewhere you can make it up, especially with the amount of tournaments we do.
[0:13:37] BW: True.
[0:13:38] LY: I feel like, as American Federation, I feel like we do more tournaments than a lot of the other countries.
[0:13:43] BW: That makes each one a little less do or die, right? Because –
[0:13:47] LY: Yeah, exactly.
[0:13:47] BW: - you can have a setback. Speaking of setbacks, is there a tough period in your career so far that you've been able to overcome and learn from? I mean, maybe it is that fifth place finish in 2024, or something else where you're like, this is a reminder that fencing isn't always happiness and victories.
[0:14:05] LY: I feel it was probably more my 22, 23, when I got hurt. Because, honestly, at the beginning of the season, I thought that I could make team, but then I got injured a few times. I mean, summer nationals, I was healthy, but basically after that, I twist my ankle and then my knee and then blah, blah, blah. Then it was like, it was pretty bad overall. Basically, I skipped. I think that's the first time I've skipped a NAC in a very long time. That's not for a woke up. I skipped January NAC, because just to help my knee recover. It was just disappointing for me in a season where I thought I had the potential, especially in the beginning of the season, I wasn't down that much for the team to make team.
Especially after that injury, I was just very disappointed and also in my result, because so, I skipped January NAC and then I fenced the last two cadet World Cups and I made a 16 and a 32, which isn't bad, but also, I definitely felt like, if I was healthy, I definitely could have done better, which I mean, I guess, that's what everybody thinks. It's an excuse, right? I think what really pulled me through that is at JOs, I felt I was pretty healthy and I also felt I had a pretty hard path in Juniors, but that's the first time I've ever made a junior top four, which I think really brought me through to make me think that I could do it, because in the 16 and the eight bout, I beat two of the very strong competitors that were fighting for the cadet team that year. After that event, I felt I was in a really good position to succeed for the next coming season.
[0:15:29] BW: Yeah. Obviously, it went well. Let's talk about your club a little bit. It's an amazing club, Renaissance Fencing Club in Michigan, which it sent a lot of fencers to junior and cadet Worlds, right? What's it like training there? Coach Anatolie Senic, we talked about him and the whole crew of teammates that you have there and coaches. I'm curious what that environment is like.
[0:15:50] LY: Yeah, I feel like, we succeed because we really push for success, but we're also not super competitive when we're in the club. Because I feel like, competition obviously is good, right? It's what makes you better. For some clubs, it's just super fierce when you're in the club, and there's – not even in fencing, right? There's arguments and stuff. I just feel in our club, we have a really good environment, where we all push each other to succeed, but we're also all friends. We're all fine with each other. Also, the coaching staff. I think our coaching staff is, I mean, obviously, it's my opinion, but I would think our coaching staff is the best in the world. It's all Olympians, where they fenced at World Championships, or they sent fencers to World Championships.
I feel like, our coaching staff has – we just have a lot of knowledge, and they're all pretty diverse in their opinions and they all have a lot of different opinions and they all talk to each other about it. I feel just a really good environment, where you can gather a lot of information and you can put it together yourself, and they just give you the best opportunity to succeed just because of how much they're supporting you.
[0:16:52] BW: I love that. I think that sounds like a healthy environment. Obviously, it's proof that you don't have to have this unhealthy competitiveness to still have success, right? You're proof of that and your teammates are as well. What's a typical training week for you? I know school is still in session, so let's say, during the school year, a week during the summer where you might be able to change your schedule a little bit, but how often are you training, taking lessons, doing fitness conditioning, and then how are you balancing that with other extracurriculars that you might have and obviously, homework and stuff as well?
[0:17:22] LY: Yeah. Normally, I would train, I have group practice from Tuesday to Saturday during the school year and then I would usually do –
[0:17:29] BW: Every day?
[0:17:31] LY: Yeah, Tuesday through Saturday. That would be around two hours a day, and then I would take a private lesson from Monday to Friday, so five times for 30 minutes. Then during the school year, when it's busy during the season where the bulk of the competitions are, I'll try to get some physicals in, but sometimes it just doesn't work out because of school and whatnot, right? Right now, I'm trying to do physicals twice a week. But for me, I mean, it works for me, but it might not work for everybody else. But I feel in the season, I don't really do that many specific physical training sessions, because I just feel it's more important to get my bouts in, and I mean, obviously, succeeding in schools. I feel like, school is getting the bouts in during the season is very important, because during the off-season, you're training your actions, you're just finding things at work, but once you're in the season, you just have to keep yourself in that competition mindset, where you just try to fence, you try to get your actions to work and then just making sure you're ready for that competition weekend.
[0:18:31] BW: part of being ready, I imagine is staying motivated and not getting burned out. I mean, talking about your schedule two hours a day, five days a week, and then lessons on top of that. How are you keeping that motivation high?
[0:18:45] LY: Well, for me, I just want to win, right? My motivation is high. Yeah. Obviously, sometimes I'll take breaks. I think the weekend is a good time, because, I mean, obviously it's the weekend, right? It's time to have fun with friends. It's time to go out. During the week, I mean, it's time to work, right? You're in the season. You're trying to be the best. I mean, yeah, it's time to lock in.
[0:19:08] BW: Yeah. I mean, that's the grind that athletes have to commit to, right? Yeah, I think that's great. That's a great way to keep that fire burning. Once you actually get to a competition, do you have any pre-match, pre-bout rituals, or anything that you do before you fence? I know, some people say, there's a song that they listen to, or they might have a piece of gear that, like a lucky something that they look at, or grab on to. What is it for you?
[0:19:33] LY: I don't really buy into that.
[0:19:34] BW: Okay.
[0:19:34] LY: Yeah. No, I think I just, mainly for me, pre-competition, usually I will take a warm-up lesson. That's what I usually do. I feel like, that works for me, just because so I can get my hand warm. Because in competition, usually you get there maybe an hour early, right? You have maybe 30 minutes to fence. But that might not be enough time, right? You have to adjust to how you're feeling that day. I mean, it's always different. Every day for competition is different. It just depends on how you feel that day. I feel like, a lesson. It's more of a schedule, right? Because usually, I take lesson every week, five lessons a week, right? I feel just getting that lesson in pre-competition, it makes me relax a little bit. It just makes me try to remember what I've been practicing and what actually I'm going to do that day. I just feel like, it's really good preparation for how I'm going to fence later in the day.
[0:20:22] BW: Okay, can we get really specific here? Okay, let's say, it's summer nationals, cadet men's foil is at 8 a.m. on whatever day it's on. What time are you waking up? When are you going over the convention center? What are you doing with that time, that type of thing?
[0:20:37] LY: If it's 8 a.m., I would probably wake up around maybe 6.10. 6.15, depending on how far the hotel is from the venue, obviously. I would eat breakfast. then I would try to get to the venue around early 7, maybe 6.50, right? Then I would try to spend the first five minutes, five to 10 minutes, just warming up. Then, preferably, I'd like to take my lesson for around 20, 25 minutes until approximately 7.50, maybe 30 minutes before the event starts. Then, after that, I just try to get some bouts in, and then try to feel my arm, and then just preparing myself mentally and physically for the first full bout of the day.
[0:21:16] BW: Hopefully, you're there for all day, right?
[0:21:18] LY: Exactly. Yeah.
[0:21:20] BW: Getting that medal and then coming back the next day, possibly for the junior competition, right?
[0:21:24] LY: Exactly.
[0:21:25] BW: Yeah. Hitting that reset button. Do you have any role models, or idols within fencing, people that you try to emulate their style, or someone that you look up to, or maybe someone outside of fencing that you consider an athletic hero, let's say?
[0:21:39] LY: Yeah. I think style-wise, I don't really think I idolize anybody style-wise. Definitely, when I was younger, I definitely idolized Alex Massialas a little bit. Yeah, because, I mean, he's an Asian guy, right? Usually, you don't see Asian guys in sports. Yeah. That was definitely fun. Yeah. Because, basically, the last time I was in China was for the Wuxi 2018 senior world championships. I remember getting autographs from all the guys, all the foil fencers, and that was fun. There's a picture of me and Alex, Alex signing the picture.
[0:22:08] BW: You were there as a fan, as a fan and watching this.
[0:22:11] LY: Yeah, exactly.
[0:22:12] BW: Oh, my gosh. That's crazy. Then in that same city, what, seven years later, you were winning it all. That's so cool.
[0:22:19] LY: Yeah. That was fun.
[0:22:20] BW: All right, what about goals for you? You've got the cadet gold medal, right? You're the world champion in cadet men's foil. What's your next goal? You can answer that however you want, short-term, long-term, whatever.
[0:22:32] LY: Yeah. Obviously, the next goal would probably just be, I mean, just making the junior team, right? Because I definitely missed out on that this year. I mean, that's the probably easiest goal, for me to say out loud, right? Because that's the next step, right? After cadet team is to make junior team. Well, I also do want to maybe switch on my style a little bit, because my style is as I feel like, most people would after seeing my fencing, I'm definitely a very defensive fencer, which has been working for me, so far. As when you go to the senior level, oh, it might work, but there's also a decent chance that it might not.
I'm in these next few months, years, I'm definitely trying to develop my style a little bit more into just having a little bit more variety. Because I've been trying to do that over the last few years. I mean, I've definitely gained some variety, but there's definitely a lot I can still work on. Not just in my results, but also just how I fence.
[0:23:24] BW: Yeah. Changing a style that has been so successful on this level, are you concerned at all like, if I try to change too much, am I going to still get the results? Or is it one of those things where, yeah, I might have a couple tournaments where I don't meddle, or don't have a finish that I'm happy with, but that's what it's going to take to get to where I want to go. What's your mindset there?
[0:23:48] LY: Yeah. I think, at least so far, I've been doing small changes, because definitely, if you look at my fencing two years ago and you look at my fencing now, it's definitely very different. I think I definitely felt that a little bit in the beginning of this season, where I was definitely trying to be a little bit more aggressive. That didn't pay off super well. I think, I mean, if the bad result happens, it happens, especially when you're just trying to grow as a fencer. I also feel like, I should try to hold on to my original style, but I'm just trying to add upon it, just trying to change it completely, because changing completely is also like, I don't know, it's definitely very tough. I'm not sure if that's what I want to do, because I definitely enjoy how I'm fencing right now.
[0:24:27] BW: Yeah. I think that makes sense. What about college fencing, your future plans there? Obviously, you're a junior in high school. I imagine that you're on the radar of a lot of college coaches.
[0:24:36] LY: After I graduate from high school, I'm committed to a school right now, but I'm definitely very ready to do my best. I mean, I'm ready to help them win. I definitely don't see myself quitting fencing anytime soon. I'm going to work my ass off in college.
[0:24:47] BW: I love that.
[0:24:48] LY: Ready to fight for it.
[0:24:49] BW: They'll be lucky to have you. That's our main question. Then now, with this podcast, we've been doing these rapid-fire questions we call quick hits. It's just a lightning round, first thing that comes to mind. All right, first question. If you could have any superpower that you could use in a fencing bout, what would it be?
[0:25:07] LY: Stop time.
[0:25:07] BW: Stop time. That seems so easy. You're winning every bout 15-0 if you have that. All right, do you have a go-to snack, or meal after a big win? Is there something where you're like, “Okay, I got a gold medal and now I'm craving X.”
[0:25:23] LY: I really enjoy my steaks. I really enjoy a steak.
[0:25:25] BW: Do you? Okay, cool.
[0:25:26] LY: Yeah, yeah. That's my –
[0:25:27] BW: That's something you can find in most cities too, right? If you're like, “I'm going to get a steak.” All right, I love that. How about a hidden hobby or talent that's not fencing related at all that might surprise people? Something you love to do when you want to just not think about fencing.
[0:25:41] LY: I'm crazy at block glass of like, seven million high schooler.
[0:25:44] BW: Nice.
[0:25:44] LY: That's it. I don't know.
[0:25:46] BW: I don't know if seven million is really good, because I'm not familiar with that. It is. Okay.
[0:25:50] LY: Yeah. I mean, it's trending anymore, but yeah.
[0:25:52] BW: People who hear that and know the game will be like, wow. Okay, that's great. All right, how about anybody that you would want to fence that's a fictional character, or someone from history where you're like, “It'd be really interesting to fence this person”?
[0:26:06] LY: Pass. Pass. Pass.
[0:26:08] BW: Okay, that's fine. All right, and then, how do you describe your fencing style in three words? We were talking a lot about your style. What three words capture you as a fencer on the strip?
[0:26:18] LY: Defensive, prep, attack. I don't know. Defensive, prep, attack.
[0:26:22] BW: Okay. Yeah, yeah. That sounds good. Well, this has been a lot of fun. Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. It's really been fun watching you fence and learning more about your story. Obviously, we're going to continue rooting for you at future world championships in college.
[0:26:38] LY: Thank you, Bryan.
[0:26:39] BW: Wherever you end up fencing at the NCAA level. Yeah, thank you so much. Good luck the rest of the way.
[0:26:45] LY: Yeah. Thank you for having me, Bryan. Thank you so much.
[0:26:47] BW: Thanks.
[END OF INTERVIEW]
[0:26:48] BW: Thanks for listening to First of 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 like 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.
[END]