Fencing icon gives lessons in Freeport

For more than 50 years, Tatyana Adamovich has left her mark on the Freeport community. The former Olympian in fencing, who hails from Belarus, has been teaching the fine points of the sport to both children and adults at the Freeport Recreation Center.

Adamovich, 81, who now lives in Bellmore, recently spoke about the value she derives especially from instructing children in the art of fencing, referencing the Ancient Greeks.

“Greek people surrounded themselves with the young generation because they give a lot of energy and keep them young,” she said.

Speaking about her fencing style, Adamovich said, “I’m very aggressive… I’m always attacking.”

Born in 1942, in what was then the Soviet Union, her first years were marked by the political turbulence and aggression of the era. Fleeing to safety with her family from World War 2, they settled near the Ural Mountains for a number of years before returning to their home in Belarus.

“My mother took me and my sister and all the people to be safe,” Adamovich recalled. “They sent us to the Ural Mountains when I was young.”

She discovered fencing at the age of 14 after a knee injury halted her burgeoning career in track and field, in which she was already an age-group champion. Her coach in school asked her to try fencing, and she quickly developed an affinity for the sport, which is often described as a sort of “physical chess,” because it’s a game of both strategy and physicality.

Adamovich is a foil fencer, referring to the type of blade used, as opposed to the “épée” or the “sabre.” Every type of blade has a different set of rules, which has developed and changed over time.

The foil is the most commonly used blade in all of fencing. With the foil, fencers must aim for the torso area of their opponent with the tip of their sword in order to score a point, as opposed to the sabre with which the cutting edge of the blade can also score a point.

When Adamovich first began fencing, all women were foil fencers, but now women’s fencing has expanded to include the two other weapons as well.

She met her husband George, a Belarusian-American, when he went back to visit Belarus. For a few years they sent one another letters across the sea, until he asked her mother for permission to marry her. The couple settled in Brooklyn in 1967, and four years later, they moved to Freeport.

Once she came to the United States, she immediately rose through the ranks at the New York Fencing Club, but because she wasn’t a citizen yet she couldn’t compete in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. In the meantime, she competed in a number of tournaments, both national and international and garnered a national championship.

The United States Fencing Association submitted her for Olympic consideration and Adamovich’s citizenship was fast-tracked so that she would be able to compete in 1972.

She competed in five world championships leading up to the 1972 Olympics, when she competed in Munich, Germany. She fared extremely well, defeating the woman who would eventually go on to become Olympic champion.

Adamovich later transitioned into coaching, sharing her expertise with generations of students, some of whom — like former Freeport resident Michael Lofton — have gone on to become Olympians and successful fencing instructors themselves.

Lofton competed in three Olympics — in 1984, 1988 and 1992.

The International Olympic Committee presented Adamovich with a special Golden Rings Award in 1998 for her contributions to Olympic athletics.

Tony Duffy, 47, a Freeport resident, and avid fencer helps Adamovich educate students in the art of fencing. Duffy stressed Adamovich’s legend-status in the broader fencing world. “Anyone who’s fenced in Nassau County knows Ms. Tanya,” he said, referring to the former Olympian by the same moniker as her students.

Adamovich still works out at the recreation center, staying fit with swimming and aerobics, in addition to continuing to give fencing instruction. Her husband died eight years ago, and she has her son Dennis keeping her company. Freeport residents continue to appreciate her contributions to the community and the sport of fencing.