Business & Tech

Mission Fencing Can Help College Hopefuls Make Final Cut

With athletics and clubs in danger for local students, Rocky Point home to premier fencing center.

With cuts to athletics and extracurricular activities a possibility either this year or in the near future at local school districts, students may be left searching for a way to separate themselves from the pack in their college applications.

One local option for students is one of the lesser-known sports with one of the richer histories: fencing.

Fencing is one of only four sports to be included in every modern Olympic Games, since the first in 1896. It is also the only combat sport with no weight classes. Madonna, Tom Cruise, Will Smith and David Beckham...what do they have in common? Aside from being famous celebrities, they are also fencers. But, how would one get in to a sport like fencing these days? Local students won't have to look far.

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in Rocky Point is the largest Full-Fencing Facility in the United States at over 30,000 square-feet. The school has had 55 students fence for NCAA schools.

Mission hosts the largest regional competitions in the country and competitions are free for spectators to come and watch. They have had more All County, All Long Island, County Champions, National Medalists, and International Medalists then any club on Long Island.

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Owners Jeff and Jennie Salmon are also the Ward Melville High School coaches, and coach Dennis Kolakowski is a three-time Nassau County Coach of the Year at Cold Spring Harbor.

"While Fencing will not guarantee you a scholarship it is often the difference between getting accepted or rejected from your top choice school," Kolakowski said. "Harvard let in just 5.9 percent of applicants from across the country. 3800 applicants were the No.1 student in their school. Mission Fencer Kara Lee was accepted to Harvard due to her fencing Status and competed in the NCAA tournament as a freshman."

Mission teaches all levels of fencing, and is open Monday to Friday from 4-9 p.m. Those interested in looking deeper into the sport of fencing can call 631-821-1131 or email Dennis@MissionFencing.com.


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