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NewsvineJoking and congenial, Iris Zimmerman really puts you at ease. You forget that you are talking to an Olympian and one of the most accomplished fencers in the nation.
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Iris Zimmerman, pictured at the 2000 Summer Olympics, leads the Stanford fencing team into the first annual Titan Games this Saturday at the San Jose State Events Center.
Starting tomorrow, Zimmerman, a Stanford senior and a competitor in the 2000 Summer Games, will lead the U.S. Fencing Team into the 2003 Titan Games, a brand-new competition held at the 5,000-seat San Jose State Events Center.
The team will also feature three-time All-American Alex Wood, a 2000 Stanford graduate from San Francisco. One male and one female competitor will represent each fencing weapon (épée, foil, and sabre) and compete against teams from Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
Developed by the United States Olympic Committee, the Titan Games will feature a “U.S. vs. the World” format in dual and triangular meets in all of the summer Olympics combative sports. The venue will accommodate four fencing platforms, with competition continuously happening on at least three platforms throughout the three-day event. Team and individual winners will be named for each sport, with the honor of “Ultimate Titan” up for grabs.
“This is part of the USOC’s campaign of ‘The Olympics aren’t every four years but everyday,’” Zimmerman said about the games. “It is used as a way for the athletes to get to know who their competition is for Athens [Summer Games 2004]. It makes the athletes and the sports more accessible to the public. It also gives the athletes and the USOC exposure that they don’t often get.”
Zimmerman, a 22-year-old political science major, will “head Team USA,” according to the Titan Games’ press release. She has had a long international fencing career, starting at age 14 when she became the first U.S. fencer in history to win a world championship title. Zimmerman captured gold at the 1995 World Under-17 Championships. Since then she has become a multiple under-20 and under-17 world medalist, and she finished 11th individually and fourth with the U.S. team at the 2000 Olympic Games. She currently captains the women’s varsity fencing team at Stanford, and finished first in the women’s foil competition at the 2001 NCAA championships.
Asked about her thoughts entering these high-profile games, Zimmerman said, “I am very excited about this event. It gives me a chance to show my friends and professors what I am doing with my life outside of school. I like the campaign and the idea that the Olympics are everyday, because it is for true for me.”
Wood, her former Cardinal comrade and Titan Games teammate, was the 1999-2000 captain of the fencing team and a three time All-American. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation.
Other members of the U.S. Fencing Team that will compete this weekend include Eric Hansen and Kristin Suchorski on épée, Colin Parker and Sada Jacobson on sabre. Both Zimmerman and Wood are foilists, giving Stanford a monopoly on that weapon.
Zimmerman expressed enthusiasm at the weekend’s prospects, and its promises of promoting the underexposed sport of fencing.
“This publicity stuff goes doubly for fencing, since we often don’t get any coverage,” Zimmerman said. “People always ask me if fencing is in the Olympics, some even try to convince me that what I am doing is more of a dance than a sport.”
Zimmerman encouraged the Stanford community to come and support her and the rest of the U.S. Fencing Team this weekend.
“I want everyone to come,” she insisted.
Pre-sale tickets can be obtained through Ticketmaster. Alternatively, the events will be delay-broadcasted on ESPN2 on March 29 from 3 - 4 p.m. (EST), and 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. (EST) on March 30.