Penn State Fencing alumnus Tom Strzalkowski (class of '95) was 11 years old when he immigrated to the United States from Poland. While he wouldn't attend Penn State until many years later, his connection to Penn State began as soon as he arrived in Richmond, Virginia where he met current Penn State Fencing Head Coach Wes Glon.
Glon, whose immigration to the U.S. was sponsored by the same church as Strzalkowski's, actually traveled to Richmond alongside his future sabre star without knowing it.
"We came over to the U.S. on the same day and on the same plane. I've known Wes for 37 years," said Strzalkowski. "Even before I went to Penn State he took me under his wing and became my first fencing coach ever."
Before reaching his ultimate goal of competing at the Olympics, Strzalkowski was coached by Glon as part of a very competitive Penn State men's sabre squad.
"I think one of the reasons we were so successful is because of what our coaches instilled in us," said Strzalkowski. "We all had the same goals, the same values and the same dream of winning an NCAA Championship and that's what we did."
During his freshman year, Penn State hosted and won the NCAA Championship in front of friends, family and fans. Aside from winning the national championship, Strzalkowski's favorite part about being on the Penn State fencing team was the comradery.
"Having the fencing team as a family was amazing," said Strzalkowski. "We were a very close team and we did a lot of things together like study and socialize. We all became very good friends."
Working with Glon at Penn State, Strzalkowski learned the importance of having a hard work ethic. That included coming into the gym earlier, leaving the gym later and working harder. Over time, those small actions that Glon instilled in Strzalkowski added up.
He became one of the top three fencers in the nation, earning himself a trip to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Wes is one of the best coaches in the world. He got me to the Olympics. He kept his promise," Strzalkowski said. "He taught me to push forward no matter what and I stuck with that theory throughout my career. It worked pretty well for me."
While the USA Olympic Fencing Team did not win a medal at the 1996 Olympics, Strzalkowski still looks back fondly on his journey to competing on the world stage.
"All of the people who supported me as a fencer were able to come and watch me compete in Atlanta which was great," said Strzalkowski. "But if I had to do it all over again, I would rather have the journey than the actual experience of competing at the Olympics. I met a lot of great people who I am still friends with and still see when I travel as a coach to tournaments now. That was really the best part of the experience, just getting there."
Shortly after competing at the Olympics, Strzalkowski retired from fencing and entered the corporate world working for Airwalk Shoes in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He became the Director of European Sales in 1999 and Airwalk International relocated him with their team to Denver.
"For about four years I was completely out of fencing. I didn't coach, referee or fence because of work," said Strzalkowski. "But, when I got to Colorado, the Air Force Academy coach approached me and said that if I ever wanted to help out or visit practice that they'd love to have me."
Strzalkowski missed fencing and jumped at the chance. He joined the Air Force Academy's team as a full-time volunteer assistant coach and was in charge of running the sabre squad's practices. Strzalkowski coached at the Air Force Academy for seven years until he took a new corporate job that greatly restricted his time.
"I really enjoyed coaching and I missed it when I had to stop that time," said Strzalkowski. "I still never thought that I would become a full-time coach though."
Little did Strzalkowski know that his five year-old daughter Ola's interest in fencing would lead him to do just that.
In 2008, Strzalkowski started a small, recreational fencing class at a local facility just for Ola and a few other kids in the Denver area who wanted to fence. The class needed a minimum of six kids to sign up in order for it to run, which Strzalkowski was nervous about. He just didn't know if there would be enough interest.
"I remember calling the facility to see how many kids had registered for the class," said Strzalkowski. "The facility operator, Gina, said 'I think we have a problem' and I thought to myself, 'That stinks we probably only have three or four kids signed up.'"
Much to Strzalkowski's surprise, 43 kids and adults had signed up for his beginner class.
As the club continued to grow and become more competitive, Strzalkowski was forced to look for a larger space to fence. He and many of the club's members renovated a 5,000 square foot facility in December of 2010 and the Fencing Academy of Denver was born. The academy is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this month.
Since 2010, Strzalkowski has been a full-time coach and has worked with hundreds of kids, including current Penn State fencers Inti Farfan-Bayerl and Tyler Yungeberg. And now, he can add one more Penn State fencer to his repertoire – his daughter, Ola.
"I'm proud to say that without my influence at all, Ola just committed to go to Penn State," said Strzalkowski. "I'm really happy that my little fencing club project that I took on 12 years ago resulted in my daughter following in my footsteps and fighting for an NCAA Championship with Penn State just like I did when I was younger."
"I know that she is going to thrive at Penn State and hopefully have as fun of a career as I did when I was there," said Strzalkowski.
