Life & Sport with Weymouth Walker IV

Today we’d like to introduce you to Weymouth Walker IV.

Weymouth, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
A little over two years ago I decided I wanted to try fencing. So, after eight years of soccer, I took my first fencing lesson at Dunwoody Fencing Club. I quickly decided it was the sport for me. My first tournament was in September, and I have to admit, I did not do as well as I hope I would. I continued to practice and compete in tournaments. I did much better at my second regional tournament and came in 3rd.

I was able to qualify for Summer Nationals in 1 event, Y14 Men’s Epee. My goal was to make it past the first DE (direct elimination) round. I won 2 DEs and finished 63rd out of 196.

During my second full year of fencing, I also started High School and joined the Centennial High School Fencing Team. During the High School Season, I finished in the top 16 at each tournament and qualified to fence in the individual championship and was asked to be a part of the four man team for the team championship. The team took silver, and I finished second.

I was able to qualify for Junior Olympics in both Junior and Cadet Men’s Epee. (In order to qualify, you have to fence in Regional or National tournament and earn enough points in each event).

This year, I was able to qualify for five events for Summer Nationals, Cadet, Junior, Div IA, Div II, and Sr. Team. While there, I won a National Title for Div II. There were 226 men competing in the event. In order to take first place, I won all of my pool bouts and came out of pools in first place. This gave me a bye in the round of 256, and then I was able to win my next 7 DEs to come in 1st.

I am continuing to work on my skills, and this past weekend, I earned enough points to qualify for Junior Olympics again, and also Summer Nationals in July.

We are just starting the High School season, and as a Captain of the team, I am looking forward to helping coach and mentor the new fencers on our team and am hoping to do well during this season.

Can you give our readers some background on your sport?
I am an Epee Fencer. It is a sport that requires thinking, planning and adjusting.

How do you think about success and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success is doing better at the next tournament than you did at the last. It is also learning a new skill and being able to put it into practice. Sometimes success is just knowing what you did wrong and knowing you can do better the next time.

How can someone see you in action and/or root for you?
I fence at Local, Regional, National, and High School Tournaments. Fencing tournaments are free to attend and a lot of fun to watch. Fencing fans and parents are all very friendly and love to talk about fencing. Go to a tournament and someone will explain it to you!!

Contact Info:

• Website: dunwoodyfencingclub.com

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