We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Vail. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Kathy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?

One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned is how important a sense of belonging is to our students. Coaching high school and middle school students, I often ask them to tell me why they like fencing. While the answers differ from fencer to fencer, the majority say something about liking the people they are fencing with. This struck me as one of the most important aspects of youth sports: Enjoying a fun, healthy activity in a safe, structured environment with people who share a common interest

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

DFC is a highly competitive fencing club that also welcomes recreational fencers. The combination of highly competitive with recreational sets our club apart. Our coaching staff are all professional, certified coaches who complete continuing education courses in our field each year.
We were recently honored as a 2023-2024 USA Fencing Club of Excellence. Only five clubs in the nation were selected for this honor. We were doubly-honored in that this is the second year we have received this national recognition.
As the head coach and owner of Dunwoody Fencing Club, I have been involved in the sport of fencing for 20+ years. I was honored to be recognized by USA Fencing for Service in Youth Sport. I completed USA Fencing’s Leadership Academy, class of 2022.
DFC Coach James Wallace was selected for USA Fencing’s Youth Coach Fellowship this year

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that a genuine love of our sport and willing to work hard to bring fencing to our community are the keys that built my reputation as a coach and business owner.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

While everyone struggled during the pandemic, participatory sports were hit especially hard. It’s difficult to fence with someone when you aren’t in the same room :-) Adapting to an online format using lecture, video analysis and demonstrations required a shift in mindset and outlook. We learned and have used what we learned in those years to hone our coaching techniques to benefit our fencers in new ways

Contact Info:

• Website: dunwoodyfencingclub.com
• Instagram: Dunwoody_fencing_club
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083274824210&mibextid=b06tZ0
• Twitter: @EpeeClubCat