All posts by Iris Zimmerman

About Iris Zimmerman

Rush native, Iris Zimmermann has made quite a name for herself in the world of fencing.  In 1995 at the age of 14, she earned the distinction of being the first US fencer, man or woman to win a World Championship in any weapon or age category.  She went on to win the Cadet World Championship again in 1997, was the Junior World Champion, a bronze medalist at the Senior Worlds in 1999, a member of the US foil team for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and 2000 NCAA Champion for Stanford University. Although she didn’t medal, she had the joy of sharing the Olympic experience with her older sister who was also on the team.   Together they were two points shy of capturing the bronze medal.  Today, Iris is married and the mother of two young children who are patients at Legacy Pediatrics.  She was inducted into the US Fencing Hall of Fame in 2013.  Along with her sister, Felicia Zimmermann, Iris co-owns the Rochester Fencing Club where she’s training the next generation of American fencers.

All for One, A Sport for All: The Olympic Sport of Fencing

Fencing for RIO

I was an awkward kid. By awkward, I mean, I never graduated to the next level in swimming; I was a disaster in gymnastics; and I certainly wasn’t dainty enough to be a dancer. So, in an effort to get a strong and solid little girl to stay active and not to drive two kids to different activities, my parents signed me and my sister up for fencing. It was truly love at first lunge. Why fencing?

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