Click the photo/banner at the top of the page to watch my video (thank you to Richard Skura, Capsure Photography for recording and putting it together!)
Photo Credit: Richard Skura, Capsure Photography
When I didn't qualify for Tokyo after we came so very close, it was heartbreaking. The past few years have been full of so many ups and downs - great accomplishments and crushing defeats. However, the amount of progress I've made the past few years (and oddly enough, especially through COVID) has been incredible. I hope that you will join this journey by supporting me and encouraging me as I take on this last leg of my fencing career to Paris 2024 (less than 3 years away!). There is still much work to be done and I will persevere! Thank you to all of you who have been by my side over the years and who have encouraged me to keep going. I would not have gotten this far without all of you!
This season is going to be a little different as we are all still navigating how life is going to work, but it looks like I will be going to competitions again! Here is the list I have at the moment and I will update it as I know more (but there are definitely more training camps and competitions that need to be added - I'm just waiting on the Canadian Fencing Federation to announce which ones count for team qualification and when they will be):
October 31, 2021: North American Cup - St. Louis, MO
November, 2021: High Performance Competition in TBD
November 11-13, 2021: Grand Prix in Orleans, France
December, 2021: National Championships in TBD
December 9-12, 2021: North American Cup - Columbus, OH
January 14-16, 2022: World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia
January 28-30, 2022: World Cup in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
March 4-6, 2022: World Cup in Athens, Greece
March 18-20, 2022: World Cup in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
May 6-8, 2022: World Cup in Tunis, Tunisia
June 2022: Pan American Championships - TBD - Pending Qualification
July 2022: World Championships - TBD - Pending Qualification
Your contributions will go towards travel to these competitions, competition fees, and training fees. I need pay for all of these competitions on my own (including flights, accommodations, food, registration fees, etc.). Despite being one of the top women's sabre athletes and being on the National Team since 2013, I receive no funding. I work full time and train 6 days per week (during lunch breaks and again after work). Training at my fencing club alone costs me a total of about $500 per month (lessons and club fees). This does not include my fitness training or nutrition. In one fencing season I spend anywhere from $20,000 to $35,000 of my own money to train and compete.
I hope you join this journey with me to Paris 2024! You can join by contributing, sharing, and/or just following along and encouraging me. Let's do this together!
Marissa Ponich
Team Canada
Women's Sabre Fencing
PS: I want to give a special thanks to all the various trainers and professionals I work with to keep my body and mind in the best shape possible:
Fencing Coach: Sergei Kazimirski, Sergei's Sabre Club
Personal Trainer: Nicoline Hebert
Mental Coach/Visual Trainer: Jaci Freeman, Optik IQ
Massage Therapist: Sun Yong, Unique Health and Wellness
Physiotherapist: Chris Hines, Pleasantview Physiotherapy
Chiropractor: Dr. Darrell Morin, Summerside Chiropractic
And again a huge THANK YOU to Richard Skura, Capsure Photography for the amazing photos and video that he put together for me again this year. I greatly appreciate it!
