Armonk Fencer Set to Square Off in First World Championships
Sylvie Binder has competed successfully in national and international fencing tournaments, but when she heads off to Tashkent, Uzbekistan next week, it will be a whole new experience for her.
Binder, 15, an Armonk resident and a Byram Hills High School sophomore, is headed for the Apr. 3 World Championships, one of three Cadet foil fencers representing the United States in the 17 and under group. She will be competing with hundreds of other high ranking hopefuls, who like Binder, are among the best young fencers from around the globe.
“I’m really excited. The whole year I’ve been training to make it on the team,” Binder said during a break in a recent training session at the Fencing Academy of Westchester in Hawthorne. “Now that I’ve made it on the team, I’m focused on the actual prospect of going to World Championships. It’s kind of surreal because my coaches and the other fencers at my club were all so happy for me. I’ve been training and I’m excited, but it hasn’t really sunk in.”
Binder qualified for the team by finishing with the third highest ranking in the U.S. in her age group during the 2014-15 season. She was able to accomplish that by excelling in national competitions, the North American Cup and capturing the Sparkassen Cup in Germany earlier this campaign. In addition, Binder, who can confuse opponents as a lefty, took home a bronze medal at a competition in Hungary to help secure her ranking.
While there is little down time for a competitive fencer even at her age, the past few weeks have been especially hectic for Binder. She has been training five times a week in preparation for the World Championships, and participates in a four-hour open training session each Friday sparring with other youngsters at the Fencing Academy of Westchester.
Her spot on the U.S. team may not have completely sunk in yet for Binder, but she spoke of never being completely content with her performance as motivation.
“It’s been a steady progression,” Binder said. “Obviously, if you take my results from three years ago until now, you’ll see I’ve become a lot better and I’ve seen I’ve become a lot better. But there’s no point when you say that you’re satisfied with yourself and that I’m doing so well.”
Anya Katkova, who coaches Binder at the academy along with Slava Grigoryev, said Binder has earned her berth on the U.S. team not only by developing her physical tools but she has the personal drive to be among the best. She also said that Binder has outstanding concentration and the ability to think ahead, comparing fencing to a chess match.
“She’s a hard worker. That’s what I would say,” Katkova said. “She’s a hard worker because she loves it.”
Binder’s mother, Cindy, and father Jeff have been taking her to lessons at the Fencing Academy of Westchester for about eight years, and more recently, Sylvie’s two siblings. Cindy Binder said that for the first few years she enjoyed the activity, but at about 10 years old, Sylvie won her very first tournament in Brooklyn.
From there her interest and commitment blossomed. It is also consistent with Sylvie’s determination and self-motivation, Cindy Binder said. When the World Championships were within reach, she pursued the berth full throttle.
“She’s put her mind to it and decided she wanted to do it this year and she made it,” she said.
Sylvie Binder said she’s looking forward to testing herself against some of the world’s competitor, facing a variety of styles. When asked about a spot on the Olympic team one day, Binder said it’s a dream but that there’s a lot of work to do.
“It’s everybody’s dream,” she said. “That would be great, but first I have to win at this level.”
Binder is also trying to raise funds through an Internet crowd sourcing campaign to help pay for her coaches and family to travel to Uzbekistan. As part of that campaign, she has pledged to donate 10 percent of all funds raised to the U.N. Human Rights office because of the region’s weak record on human rights. For more information, visit https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/1476.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/