Olympic Touch: Kat Holmes Will Be 'En Garde' for Team USA in Rio

An Eagle will soar in Rio this summer.

 

 

This represents the achievement of a goal Holmes has pursued for most of her life, and she accomplished it during the most remarkable year of her young career, what her coach calls a "breakthrough" season: She won the gold medal at the Pan Am Games last summer and followed it up with two top-16 finishes in international tournaments. At the start of May, the International Fencing Federation ranked her 21st in the world.

 

Holmes has been pointing toward the Olympics even before she came to NCS; she started fencing lessons when she was 9. As a student here, she won the national 14-and-under title in 2008; a year later, she took second place at the Cadet World Championships.

 

Today she practices six days a week, many hours a day, a regimen that required her to put her studies at Princeton University on hold during her Olympics preparation.

 

Holmes answered questions about this decision and other matters this spring via e-mail. The interview has been edited for length:

 

 

It was the spring of my sophomore year at Princeton, in 2013. I was very close to making my first Senior National Team, but to do so, I had to finish in the top 32 at my first-ever Senior World Cup (which, coincidentally, was held in Rio). Never having fenced internationally on the senior level, I was not sure what to expect or what would come out of it. I ended up finishing within the top 32, and that was the moment that I really thought I could do it, that I would really represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games.

 

 

Even when I was not sure whether the Games were within my reach, I always planned on taking time off from school to at least try. When I was looking at colleges, it was something I talked about with each college coach. ... I wanted to put everything I had into qualifying for the Olympics. School and my career will always be there for me, but there is a very short timeframe in one's life to train and compete at the highest level. I would never want to look back 10, 20 years from now and ask myself, "What if?"

 

 

People have very different reactions on top of the medal stand. Some cry, some beam uncontrollably, some stand there in complete disbelief that it is actually real. For me, it was a feeling of pure joy and happiness that washed over me and an incredible sense of pride as the national anthem played and the American flag was raised high above me. It is a feeling unlike any I have ever had, a pure, unadulterated joy that radiates from the core of your being.

 

 

I have always been very focused both off and on the strip. It is what drives me both athletically and academically. ... When competing, I block all out and focus only on the immediate task at hand. I don't think about winning or losing. Sometimes I don't even think about the score. The only voice I hear is my coach's voice, regardless of what else is going on.

 

When I'm in the zone, I'm not really thinking at all. I don't need to think because I know what I need to do and I let my mind and body communicate freely without getting in the way. It is more like there is an intense humming or buzzing in my head—when I hear this hum, I know that I am focused and ready to go.

 

 

Rio is one of the most beautiful and complex cities I have ever been in. It is a city nestled within a jungle and tucked beside a beach. The sheer natural beauty of the city is simply breathtaking. Combine that with a fascinating culture, wonderful people, and amazing cuisine, and the whole experience is just plain awesome.

 

To be honest, though, what I am looking forward to the most—apart from the fencing, of course—is just kicking back on the beach for a bit and relaxing. The water (on the ocean side, not the bay side!) is always warm and beautiful, and the sand is perfectly white and soft! After two years of grueling training, after my event, it will be nice just to relax a bit in such a gorgeous setting.

 

 

It enabled me not only to become the fencer but also the student/scholar I am today. First and foremost, it allowed me to handle NCS's academic demands with my training regimen. Fencing practice in high school was late, from 6:00-10:00 pm every day. Playing a sport at NCS would have meant I would not have been able to start homework until I got home around 10:30 pm. Independent Studies gave me the time I needed to get my work and studying done so that I could have a strong and focused practice. Additionally, it taught me how to focus and get down to work before practice. My parents' rule was no grades, no fencing, so I pushed myself hard to make sure that I was both studying and training efficiently.

 

 

In order to succeed at anything, you have to believe that you can do it. That is the first step. You have to believe that what you are doing will get you where you want to go. You have to believe that you are training hard, strong, and smart. You have to believe that you are prepared. If you don't have that fundamental belief in your training and in your abilities, you won't believe that you can achieve your goals.

 

When going for something big like the Olympics, there will always be people and the voices inside your head telling you that you can't do it. It can be hard to shut those voices out and tell yourself you can. NCS worked so hard to instill in me the fact that, if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything. That set me up well for coping with this enormous stress and helped me maintain my belief that, so long as I kept working and stayed positive, I could do it.