Kathleen “Kathy” Hermes, a Guilford native, recently returned back from Saudi Arabia at the Veteran Fencing World Championships.

Kathy has been fencing since 2007 as a foil fencer, competing in around 150 tournaments over the years. She was inspired to start fencing by her son when he started fencing in 2001.

“My son began fencing at The Foil Club in Madison, which is now Fencers School of Connecticut in Guilford and then went on to fence at Guilford High School. I enjoyed attending competitions with my son and it looked fun to do,” says Kathy. “I’ve been a lifelong runner but have never had any skill in other sports. I wasn’t confident that I could learn the sport and thought I was too old to start anyway. My husband, Paul, knew I was interested in the sport and gifted lessons to me for my 49th birthday. Now I’m 17 years in. Was it difficult at first? Yes, and it’s still difficult. There is so much left for me to understand, learn, and perfect.”

Her coach, Matthew Catino, has been coaching her since 2006, when she would attend her son’s practices at the time.

“She was a complete beginner and had no previous fencing experience when we started. Her son was fencing in my youth classes,” said Catino. “She got bored sitting on the bleachers during practice and wanted to give it a try. We’ve been training together four days a week since then.”

After three years of training, Kathy began competing in 2009 against competitors much younger than herself. She notes that it is difficult to find tournaments in our region for veteran fencers over the age of 40.

“I participated in my first national event in 2014. I won some bouts and finished in the middle of the pack. This encouraged me to continue. Later that year, I went to Toronto, Ontario, to fence in the CAN/ AM Veterans Cup. My first international competition. It is a great event and I have been participating in it annually,” says Kathy. “My best result in Canada was winning gold this year. Outside of the continental U.S., I’ve fenced in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Peru. Peru was my first participation in the Pan American Youth and Veteran Championships.”

The veteran category has no correlation with military service, it is just the way that fencing classifies older ages.

Every fencer begins as a “U” unrated, and then, as they start competing, they are able to get their E, D, C, B, and A ratings, with A being the highest.

“A breakthrough for me was earning my first rating while at a competition in Arizona. Every fencer begins as a ‘U,’ unrated. I won a veteran foil competition in Chandler in 2017 and earned my first rating, an ‘E,’” says Kathy. “My first national medal (seventh place) was earned in 2018, and I renewed my ‘E’ rating. In the 2020 season, I placed third and earned a ‘C’ at the only national event held that year. This earned me a spot on Team USA for the 2020 Veteran World Championships. Covid prevented the event from being held.”

In 2023, Kathy fenced in the National Championships. Prior to this competition she was struck by a car while running, just two weeks prior to competing.

“I was fortunate to not be severely injured but was badly banged up on my right side and had an injured left ankle. I wasn’t able to practice fencing. I went to the competition with braces and taping and ibuprofen and competed,” says Kathy. “I was nearly last, but I did it. I earned enough points by competing to keep me near the top in the national rankings. Setbacks are inevitable. You can only do your best and forge ahead.”

This year, Kathy was able to qualify for the 2024 Veteran World’s Championships held in Dubai in the beginning of October.

“In the individual event at World Championships, Kathy was seeded 27th, beat a fellow American in the first round, and won a massive upset in her next bout, knocking out the no. 2 seed from France. She lost to the eventual gold medalist and finished in eighth place. Her result in the individual event qualified her for the team event, where she helped the USA team win the women’s foil gold medal,” said Catino. “Kathy qualified for the 2024 Veteran’s World Championships, held this year in UAE Dubai. There are three domestic tournaments during the season, and to qualify for the USA team, you need to finish the year ranked in the top four on the National Point Standings.”

For the Veteran World Championships, Kathy was accompanied by her two sons and husband to cheer her on. She notes that their support is priceless.

During this championship competition, Kathy notes that it was a bit overwhelming, but she managed to stay calm.

“I placed eighth in my age group, working up from an initial seeding of 27. This result in the individual event qualified me to participate in the team event the following day. The team was comprised of two 50+ fencers, two 60+ fencers and two 70+ fencers,” says Kathy. “The USA team defeated France, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, and Germany to earn the gold medal. It was a thrilling day. How many can claim to be part of a world champion team? I feel fortunate to have had this experience.”

Over the course of 17 years, Kathy notes that there have been numerous challenges with fencing, starting with the unfamiliarity of the sport.

“Many of us have a basic understanding of basketball, for example. Learning to fence was building from the ground up. There is the challenge of an older mind and body learning something new,” says Kathy. “The frustration of working very hard for years and still finishing at the bottom of the results. I considered quitting more than once. I needed to remember that I didn’t get in to fencing to win medals but to have fun. I keep that in mind at every competition now. My mantra is to relax, do your best, and have fun.”

As she continues to keep fencing, she looks forward to many more years in the sport, learning every day and spending more time with her fellow competitors that she has met along the way.