Former St. John's University students on U.S. Olympic fencing team

Published: 2004-08-10

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) -- When Ivan Lee was introduced to the Peter Westbrook Fencing Foundation in 1994, he was not impressed with what he saw. "The first time I visited the gym I saw a bunch of kids stabbing each other. That didn't go over too well with me," Lee told The Tablet, newspaper of the Brooklyn Diocese. But Westbrook, who earned the bronze medal in fencing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, told Lee "not to knock the sport until you try it." "He was right. The first time I fenced I got hooked," said Lee. He went on to compete in fencing in high school, at Vincentian-run St. John's University, and today is a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing team competing in Athens, Greece, at the Summer Olympics. The fencing competition was scheduled to begin Aug. 14, the second day of the Aug. 13-29 games. With Lee on the team are two of his St. John's teammates, John Tiomokin and Keeth Smart. Smart's sister, Erinn, a graduate of Columbia University's Barnard College, also made the Olympic team. Lee and Keeth Smart will compete in saber, and Tiomokin in epee. Smart's sister will compete in foil.

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