LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It has been about two months since Lexington's Lee Kiefer struck gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Now that the word has spread far and beyond, her home club has noticed the increased interest.
"I wanted to have a club that is well-rounded," said Frank Thomiszer. "A lot of clubs are."
Thomiszer will teach the newest class at the Bluegrass Fencer's Club -- a six-week class for adults.
"It is physical, but it's also very much a mental sport," said Megan Romano, a member of the club. "I get more and more passionate the more I'm around it."
The club has continued to grow to the point where the phones have been ringing off the hook.
"They've seen enough newsreel to say oh gosh, we've got a great fencer here," Thomiszer says. "That's an interesting sport. Maybe my junior child wants to get into it, or teenager, or maybe something I want to pursue."
Thomiszer wants to expand the club for more adults. Romano is not a new member, but she thinks this type of class will encourage more people to take a stab at it.
"This is like my family now," Romano says. "This is something that's a huge part of my life and I'm really thankful for it."
If you're an adult interested in a competitive nature, you can do that. You can also learn in a non-competitive environment too.
"There's a lot of opportunity to pursue the sport and have fun with it at different levels," Thomiszer says.
Romano says just from being involved, you will gain more than just knowing about the sport.
Here I am tearing up talking about my fencing family and all the unexpected things I have gotten out of it besides just the exercise," Romano says.
As Romano puts it -- you can also gain a family.
