SBHS senior Tyrese Goldson has always been athletic. At age 10, he started playing flag football. In middle school he ran cross country, a sport he continues to do in high school along with playing volleyball. But, he wanted to expand his sports repertoire. So, when Goldson and his childhood friend, College Academy student Johndale Carty Jr (JR), did a search for “cool sports” to try, fencing popped up.
“I thought I’d give it a shot,” he said. “JR really wanted to get into it and I thought it was cool, so why not?”
That was five years ago. Last July, Goldson competed in USA Fencing’s 2025 Summer Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and placed 10th in the nation for Division II Men’s Épée.
“I’ve qualified to compete for nationals once before, two years ago, but it was a different feeling this time around, to actually compete and win,” said Goldson.
Fencing is a combat sport where two opponents use one of three weapons—foil, épée, or saber—to score points by touching the opponent’s target area on a 14-meter strip called a piste. Matches are decided by electronic scoring via blade, with victory going to the highest score after three 3-minute periods.
“It’s a very technical sport that requires a lot of athleticism to do,” said Carty. “ I’ve been beaten by people who are very unathletic just because they were smarter than me. And I’ve been beaten by people way more athletic than me just by them being more technical.”
Florida has a robust and growing fencing scene, ranking 6th nationally in 2017 for top fencing clubs. The sport attracts all ages, with participants ranging from children to adults. Often referred to as “high-speed chess”, fencing combines speed, agility, precision and on-the-spot strategy.
Goldson agrees that it took time and patience and practice for him to get good. “You can’t rush into things when you’re fencing,” said Goldson “You have to take your time and analyze your opponent, and I struggled a lot with that when I was first starting out.”
Goldson competes in Épée, where athletes score points by landing touches with the weapon’s tip anywhere on the opponent’s body, from head to toe. According to Goldson there’s a rating system: U, E, D, C, B, and A. E is entry-level and A is the top.
“Right now, me and JR are both B-rated fencers,” said Goldson. “If I’m being honest, we beat A-rated fencers all the time.”
In the Summer of 2021 Goldson and Carty played their first tournament, initially practicing at the Miami Lakes Fencing Club (MLFC). The club distinguishes itself from other clubs in the region by fostering family participation, allowing parents and children to train and compete together.
“After a while we kind of beat everyone at Miami Lakes, and we weren’t being challenged as we needed so we left,” said Goldson.
Now, they both train at the South Florida Fencing Club (SFFC) in Boca Raton under the guidance of coaches Mario and Lubo Jelev. SFFC is one of the most successful fencing clubs in the state for competitive Épée. They have a strong reputation for producing top-tier competitive fencers, with a heavy concentration in Epee, including 5 A-rated fencers and multiple national titles.
Like many competitive sports, fencing is not cheap. An Épée fencer’s gear, including essential safety items and weapons, typically costs between $350 and $800 for beginner-to-intermediate sets, with high-end competition gear exceeding $1000. Then there’s the training. South Florida Fencing Club charges a $250 monthly fee for advanced classes and for a coach to accompany you to competition there is another added fee of $75-100 dollars. According to Goldson these costs are covered by his mother and family.
For practice, Goldson makes a 30 minute commute, thrice a week, for three hour sessions.
“It gets kinda tedious and tiring after a while, but I think it’s worth it.” said Goldson
In the world of fencing, the landscape is often perceived by its roots as a historically European-dominated sport. For Goldson, entering the competition space often means being the only person in the room who looks like him.
“At the smaller tournaments, I’m usually the only Black one,” said Goldson.
The demographics of any given sport often shifts based on geography, but the national level of fencing remains consistent. At the top tier, the field is dominated by White and Asian athletes. While in South Florida, Goldson notes a stronger Hispanic and Black presence in tournaments.
“I do feel like I’m representing my community,” said Goldson. “At nationals at least in the tournaments I was in, there were maybe less than ten Black people in the entire division.”
After the high of winning nationals, Tyrese took a break to focus on other sports, but the itch to compete came back. With a local tournament on the horizon this April, he’s back to a strict training regimen.
“At home, I made a marker on my wall where I can hit it with my sword and practice accuracy. I’ll do that every night” said Goldson.
As for the future, he has his sights set on something bigger than just club trophies. While there aren’t NCAA fencing schools in Florida, he has a different path in mind.
“My plan is to get back good,” said Goldson “and I’m going to join the Jamaican national fencing team.”
