Today we’d like to introduce you to Sorah Shin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sorah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the age of 17, I started fencing because my sister wanted to fence. I joined the class with her and fell in love with the sport. Thus began a long journey to the wonderful sport of fencing.
I started fencing at Swords Fencing Studio and after attending UC Berkeley, and stumbling through other well-meaning professions, I found that my life was missing something. I went back to this intriguing sport that captured my attention when I was in my last year of high school. I was always halfway involved in teaching and coaching while I was in school and then decided to take the plunge and coach full time in 2014 with Swords Fencing Studio.
I devoted myself to learning more and honing my teaching skills to better help students of all ages. Even though my original coach had a more Russian approach to coaching, I felt that every student had strengths and as a coach, it would be my job to try to bring out the best in all those who put forth their best effort as well. I approach each student as a puzzle that can be solved with enough time and effort. With this approach, my students became more like family and their successes, as well as their failures, became my own. All the hard work came to fruition when one of my original students, Stafford Moosekian, earned his first National Championship title in Y12 Men’s Epee and I earned my first Coach’s medal.
After spending many wonderful years with Swords Fencing Studio, I decided to move forward to focus on the next generation who would be under my primary tutelage and opened Allez Fencing Studio in May of 2017. “Allez” a French fencing term for “Go” seemed aptly appropriate for a new fencing studio ready to hit the ground running. It’s also a mantra to encourage fencers to keep fighting and I intend to keep pushing my fencers to the best of their abilities. I love working with fencers of all ages and work with them on accomplishing the goals they set for themselves. Fencing brought out the best in me and I plan to do the same for all the students that I work with.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, not at all! I was originally in the medical field, administratively and in the back of ambulances. There, a path is more set and laid out for you. In fencing, you have to forge your own path to be truly successful. Also, not having come from the traditional Russian or foreign country national championship path, I had to work harder. I did not take everything at face value and tried to learn about all facets of epee fencing and see what made the most sense. My background is in the Russian style of fencing, but I have found value in all different types of styles, from the French, Italians, and the Koreans. It is a multi-faceted sport that trains and stimulates the mind and body.
I also struggled as being one of the few female coaches, not only in the area but in the sport in general. It is definitely a male-dominated sport, but more women are entering the field which I find refreshing! The head coaches are generally male because the generation they came from, in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe primarily focused on the male aspect of the sport. It has been around for over 100 years, yet women were only allowed to start competing in epee in 1996 in the Olympics and fully in all three styles starting in 2004.
Also, fencing can be quite obscure in general so a struggle is just getting it out there and getting interested students. It is not as well known as say Tae Kwon Do or other mainstream sports, so generating interest is always a struggle. It still surprises me at how many people still don’t know what fencing is even though I have been doing this for over 15 years now. I have started to see a change in interest with fencing becoming a popular sport to supplement college admissions, so hopefully, a shift will start occurring in the next few years.
Please tell us about Allez Fencing Studio.
Allez Fencing Studio focuses on just epee fencing, but we partner with Precision Athletics Fencing Club for those interested in foil fencing as well. I am so proud of all my students and how hard they try. It is always great to see them succeed at tournaments, both locally and nationally. I have new students looking to my young, more seasoned fencers earning medals and that inspires them. I know that being a female coach gives me a different perspective on how I train and interact with my students. I am not only looking for results but more about nurturing every fencer to bring out the best in each of them. The effort and enjoyment they get out of the sport is what I strive for. I want to see them train hard, be disciplined, see success, learn from failures, smile, and enjoy the sport of fencing as much as I do and I plan to be there for every step of that journey with them, firmly and with guidance.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have always been an active child and did not get the chance to fence when I was younger as most kids do now, so my favorite memory from childhood doesn’t relate to fencing. My favorite memory comes from when I acknowledged a fear and made a resolution to overcome it. My worst fear was heights and I became resolute to overcome it by going on any and all roller coaster rides at Six Flags. It was hard at first, but I kept going to the point where I love roller coasters now and have gone sky diving twice as an adult. Knowing that I could get over that, helped me get through high school and most of the other struggles that people face on a daily basis. If I set my mind to it, I can do it.
Pricing:
- First class is always free to try!
- Group classes are 2 hours long and start at $175 a month
Contact Info:
- Address: 22543 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505
- Website: www.allezfencingstudio.com
- Phone: (818) 331-6318
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/helloyttik
- Facebook: facebook.com/AllezFencingStudio
- Other: instagram.com/AllezFencingStudio
Image Credit:
Grace Lee, Swan Kim, Forrest MacDougall
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