Olympic fencers point the way for Bay Area youth

Four members of the U.S. Olympic fencing team showed up at Pier 39 Sunday, to the delight of dozens of kids who hope to follow in their footsteps.

Close to 100 young fencers-in-training, some of them barely 4 feet tall, lined up with their fencing gloves to get signatures from the Olympic athletes.

The kids also showed off their skills, putting on fast-paced exhibition competitions while decked out in full fencing gear.

The event was to celebrate the triumphs of the U.S. team, which came away with four medals at the Rio Olympics, as well as to encourage participation in the sport, frequently referred to as a “physical chess game” for its mix of strategy with athleticism.

“You want to set a trap to win the game,” said Dagmara Wozniak, 28, a member of the women’s saber team that won the bronze medal.

Massialas, 22, won the silver medal in the individual fencing foil competition and was part of the men’s foil team that won bronze.

[...] the fastest-growing market is China, which has seen the number of fencing clubs grow from seven to 60 in the past seven years, said Donald Anthony, president of the United States Fencing Association.