Howdy, friends! It’s been a while!
So many amazing things happening in our sport right now. Our travel squads are bringing home the hardware🏅, the World Fencing League Premier just launched in LA 🎥, we have our own sports theme composer 🎶 and we are revving up for the ‘28 Olympics, baby. Let’s go!!! 🤺🤺🤺🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I’m writing with a quick but important update: today is the first day of the 2026 USA Fencing Board Elections for two open At-Large Director positions. Here are the details:
Voting opens: 8 a.m. Eastern Time on May 13, 2026
Voting closes: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31, 2026
Board of Directors: Two At-Large Directors to be elected
Hall of Fame: The Class of 2027 to be elected
Referees' Commission: Three seats to be filled on the Referees' Commission
If you are eligible to vote, please do so. I would like to encourage you all to review the Board Candidates’ information pages here:
To be sure, there are many qualified and wonderful candidates on the slate this year. That said, I would like to take a moment to personally endorse Abdel Salem OLY for reelection.
Mr. Salem’s fencing experience includes being an Olympic fencer, parent of a fencer, an Olympic Coach, and a club owner. He has also served as a national referee and former President of the US Fencing Coaches Association. He retired as Head Coach of the US Air Force Academy NCAA Div 1 men’s and women’s team after 21 years.
In other words, he’s done it all. He’s also an incumbent who has proven that he’s willing to stick with us and lead our organization even when things get tough. He’s not a quitter or a grand stander. And he’s not afraid to call a spade a spade. He shows up and gets the job done. And every time I see him at a tournament he is calm, polite, thoughtful and supportive.
So, I urge you to put Salem at the top of your ballot. It’s ranked choice voting so make sure you look carefully at all of your options before ranking your choices.
Thanks so much for your time. I look forward to seeing all of you very soon.
xoxoxo
Christina