Pursuing my dreams with dedication and determination
Hi! My name is Marissa Ponich and I’m on the National Team
for women’s sabre fencing and I am one of the top fencers in Canada. I started
fencing when I was 19 I’ve only been fencing for 7 years. I train at Sergei’s Sabre Club with Sergei Kazimirski and
he’s been my coach since I started fencing. I have grown quickly
and I am continuing to grow in this sport because it is a serious passion of
mine.
Last year was my first year fencing internationally and I
was selected to go to both Pan American Championships in Colombia and to World
Championships in Hungary.
At Pan Ams, I helped my team place 3rd in
the Team Event and at my first World Championships I placed in the top 64 in individual. My
ultimate goal for the future is to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio and I’m
on the right track. In order to do this, I need to continue to attend and gain
experience at international events such as World Cups so that I can qualify for
and compete in Pan American Championships and World Championships again this season.
There is little funding available for this sport, so this is where I need your help! When I travel to both National and International events, I must pay for all expenses including my flights, food, accomodations, and registration fees. These expenses are on top of my training costs for each month and on top of costs for new equipment when I need it.
Here is a list of the events I plan to attend this season (2014):
World Cup - Ghent, Belgium - February 21-23
Training Camp - France - February 24 - 27
World Cup - Bolzano, Italy - February 28 - March 2
World Cup - Chicago, Illinois - May 2 - 4
Nationals - Ontario - May 23 - 25
Pan American Championships (Pending Qualification) - San Juan, Puerto Rico - June 20 - 25
World Championships Training Camp in Europe (Pending Qualification) - July 7 - 14
World Championships (Pending Qualification) - Kazan, Russia - July 16 - 23
I will continue to put everything into this until my hard work and dedication pay off! Follow me as I pursue my goals on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you for your support and for helping me make my dreams come true!
Hi! My name is Marissa Ponich and I am one of the top women's sabre fencers in Canada. I have been a national team member since 2013 (the same year I started fencing internationally). I started fencing at the late age of 19. I train at Sergei’s Sabre Club with Sergei Kazimirski and he’s been my coach since I started fencing in 2006. I have grown quickly and I am continuing to grow in this sport because it is a serious passion of mine.
