Join me on the Road to Tokyo 2020!
My name is Marissa Ponich and I started fencing at the age of 19 and have been a National Team member since 2013. I fence at Sergei’s Sabre Club in Edmonton and Sergei Kazimirski is my coach. I’ve worked very hard and learned many valuable lessons, and thanks to those who have helped me in past years (thank you again), I was able to travel around the world to compete and get that much closer to Tokyo 2020. The past six seasons, I’ve been to 21 different countries (some of them multiple times).
I am currently ranked 1st in Canada for Women's Sabre Fencing. This season is an important step toward qualifying for Tokyo 2020, and I know we can do it! The end of the season is the beginning of Olympic qualification, so it is important I attend as many events as possible.
Individually, I’ve won bronze medals at satellite tournaments in Mexico and Iceland, numerous National medals including gold at last year’s National championships, and bronze at the 2017 Pan American Championships.
As a team, we are well on our way to qualifying for the Olympics. Last season was our best yet overall. We also achieved our personal best at World Championships and moved up in the rankings. We are growing stronger as a team all the time. If we continue like this, we will qualify for the Olympics in 2020!
The end of this season will be the beginning of the Olympic qualification. Every event I go to starting in April will count towards the Olympics. As of this moment, I plan to go to Iceland, France, USA, Greece, Belgium, and Tunisia. Pending qualification, I will also attend the Pan American Championships (location is still to be determined), World Championships in Budapest, Hungary (which is where my first ever World Championships were located), and the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Team is the top priority, but to help my individual ranking, I will also attend tournaments in Mexico, Korea, and Russia this season.
To travel to all these places, I need your help. I do not receive funding and I’m humbly asking you to please consider sharing, contributing, and joining my journey. I am ineligible to receive developmental carding like many other younger fencers because I started later than most, so I work a full time job and run this campaign to help fund my Olympic dream.
The Olympics are so close I can feel it. Your support will help make my dreams a reality and you will be an integral part of my journey. Thank you for your support and encouragement!
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.
