Ballet with Swords: Sunnyvale Youth Captures Gold at South American Tournament

11-year-old Ella Defensor traded in her ballet slippers for an epee and most recently won gold at the Pan-American Youth Championships.

Ella Defensor came to fencing the way many American kids do: by watching the Olympics. She had no background in the sport. What she had was ballet.

“My parents told me it’s like ballet with swords,” she said.

The comparison held. Within months of starting at Academy of Fencing Masters, located at 1269 Forgewood Ave., in Sunnyvale, she was showing what her father, Jeff Defensor, calls an unusual knack for the sport — and an unusual commitment.

“I was one of those kids that tried a bunch of stuff that didn’t stick,” he said. “To see Ella immediately gravitate toward something, immediately love it and show some aptitude … We know kids that have already left the sport. We haven’t seen many kids stick around like Ella.”

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“For her age, that is very advanced,” Jeff said.

Ella said the training “made me lighter on my toes and quicker.”

Her season is split between regional events and the Super Youth Circuit, where fencers earn national points directly. Last season she focused on the circuit, qualifying for the Pan-American Youth Championships in Lima, Peru, where she went undefeated in nine bouts and won gold, earning her the title of Pan-American Youth Champion.

The competition abroad was stiff, and so was the environment. Rules and equipment are regulated more strictly at that level, and the language was unfamiliar. Jeff said it helped that Ella already had friends on the team.

“I was nervous at first, but playing with my friends helped me feel better and relax more,” Ella said.

That calm matters in a sport this fast, her father said. So does what happens after a loss.

“Every bout there are teaching moments,” he said. “Her resilience has improved quite a bit. As a parent, that is what you want.”

This season Ella will fence in her own Y12 category and in older age groups. At national events, that can mean opponents as old as 16.

Igor Chirashnya, who founded the academy in 2013, calls fencing “chess at 90 mph.” Fencers have to react in a split second, he said, while planning their next several moves, their next bout, and the bouts after that.

“You fail a lot,” he said. “It is a sport that requires a lot of grit, a lot of determination.”

Chirashnya said talent can work against young athletes, because gifted kids often learn they can coast. Ella hasn’t, he said.

“Ella is exceptional, because she is one of the most hard-working girls,” he said. “To have the blend of passion, talent and ability to work hard is rare.”

Despite her success, her goals for the year are comparatively modest: keep training, sharpen her technique, get more competitive experience, and — perhaps most importantly — keep having fun.

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com