Direct Elimination Podcast

USA Fencing's CEO, Phil Andrews, reveals influencer and K-pop deals, a sport-saving radio campaign & what the sport's growth strategy is as we approach the LA 2028 Olympic Games. This episode will surprise you.

The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.

In this episode, you'll discover:
• How USA Fencing became the ninth most mentioned brand on US radio in December (the only sport ever to achieve it) and why that matters more than Paris 2024 medal counts for long-term growth
• The full celebrity and influencer strategy targeting LA 2028: from the Gardiner Brothers and Dolph Lundgren to Jenson Button and a K-pop activation designed to open fencing to entirely new audiences
• Why the NCAA pipeline is central to USA Fencing's future, including new programs at Trinity College, HBCU outreach, and how membership growth is directly funding more athletes — including para fencing for the first time
• What Phil Andrews actually walked into when he became CEO in 2022, and how a British ice hockey player ended up leading one of America's most storied Olympic sports federations

Phil Andrews has served as CEO of USA Fencing since 2022, previously leading USA Weightlifting. He is one of the most unconventional and candid executives in American Olympic sport.

💬 What would it take for YOU to bring a friend to try fencing? Drop your answer below — Phil's actually thinking about this.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Intro & Welcome to the New York Athletic Club
00:01:06 - US Fencing Foundation Gala
00:03:02 - Phil Andrews' Background: From London 2012 to USA Fencing CEO
00:05:10 - Stabilizing USA Fencing: Challenges Inherited in 2022
00:08:14 - USA Fencing's Mission to Grow & Popularize the Sport
00:09:08 - iHeartMedia Deal & Radio Campaign Impact
00:11:30 - Celebrity & Influencer Activations: Gardiner Brothers, Dolph Lundgren, Jenson Button
00:13:59 - Community Outreach
00:19:06 - Lowering the Barrier: How Fast Can Someone Try Fencing?
00:20:38 - Paris 2024 Results vs. iHeartMedia Campaign Reach
00:22:44 - NCAA Pipeline, HBCU Outreach & Trinity College Announcement
00:24:19 - Athlete Funding Growth Across Weapons & Para Fencing
00:25:56 - US Fencing's Rising International Competitive Results
00:30:15 - One Light Answers
00:35:05 - Closing Remarks 

💬 BEST QUOTES
"Fencing is not well enough respected in the circles that it should be. I think that's something that we're hoping to change between now. I think we've started to change it, and I think it's something we're hoping to change between now and 2028."
"If 4 or 5 people from that [collaboration] go 'that looks cool, I want to go and try some fencing.' That is success."
"[Fencing was] the ninth most mentioned brand on the US radio during December of last year, the only sport ever to have achieved that."
"I like being the dumbest human in the room. Great news in fencing is I'm usually dumbest person in the room."
Theme Song Written and Performed by Colin Campbell
🔗 Connect with Colin
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=en
🔗 Connect with Phil Andrews
🌐: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philandrews2
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.phil/?hl=en
🔗 Connect with USA Fencing
🌐: https://www.usafencing.org/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usafencing/
Thank you for listening!
🔗 Check out FencR
🌐: https://www.fencr.app/
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🔗 Connect with Us

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast
📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination
🔗 Prieur USA

🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/

What does it actually take to raise a World Champion fencer? Jerry Simmons reveals the parenting philosophy no one talks about.

The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.

In this episode, you'll discover:
• Why Jerry and his wife never pressured their children about results, rankings, or college scholarships — and how that restraint became the foundation of their success
• The hotel room meditation lesson in France that Jerry taught a 15-year-old Ari the week of competition, and what happened to his fencing immediately after
• The exact moment Jerry realized fencing was no longer a hobby — and why he went all-in financially and logistically without looking back
• What sleep science actually says about athlete recovery, reaction time, and how to manage circadian rhythm during international travel

Jerry Simmons is the father of 2 former NCAA Division 1 Fencers, Camille Simmons (Episode 11) and our Co-Host Ari Simmons (Cadet World Champion, 4x NCAA All-American, USA World Team Member and more), and a physician whose background in sleep science gives him a uniquely grounded perspective on youth athletic development. He joins the show to offer an honest, experience-tested look at what elite youth sport support actually demands — and costs — from a family.

💬 What's the hardest part of being a fencing parent? Drop your answer below — we read every comment.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:03 - How Ari Got Into Fencing: The Origin Story
00:05:18 - Jerry's Six Months as a Fencer
00:08:17 - The All-In Moment: Summer Nationals in Reno
00:12:35 - First Tournament Travel and Early Memories
00:23:28 - Parenting Philosophy: Never Pushing for Results
00:30:37 - Supporting Athletes Through Failure
00:35:20 - Meditation in France: A Life-Changing Hotel Room Lesson
00:47:35 - Watching Your Child Become World Champion
00:54:38 - Advice for Fencing Parents Today
00:58:47 - Sleep Science: How Much Does Sleep Actually Matter for Athletes?
01:07:12 - Sleep Maxing Trends: Mouth Tape and More
01:09:03 - One Light Answers

💬 BEST QUOTES
"You've got to lose to be good. You know, that's part of the process."
"I think the most important time for a parent is probably how you deal with the failures."
"When you look back, I mean, the money comes and goes. You're not going to remember, but it's these opportunities that really transform someone individually."
"You build on your opportunities and on your successes. And if you don't take these early steps, how are you ever going to get to the later ones? You don't just all of a sudden arrive. You have to build up that momentum."
"We didn't look at fencing as, oh, this is a ticket to get you into a college. You were fencing because you wanted a fence. And we recognize how it's good to build character."

Theme Song Written and Performed by Colin Campbell
🔗 Connect with Colin
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=en

🔗 Connect with Jerry Simmons
🌐: https://www.csma.clinic/
📺: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoJ63AFmFyA
📺: youtube.com/@jerrysimmons1727
Thank you for listening!
🔗 Check out FencR
🌐: https://www.fencr.app/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fencr.app
🔗 Connect with Us

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast
📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination
🔗 Prieur USA

🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/

Colin Campbell wrote the Direct Elimination theme song on sticky notes during construction breaks — and he's a Notre Dame fencing champion.

The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.

In this episode, you'll discover:
• How Colin wrote, performed, and produced the Direct Elimination theme song — including the bossa nova chord progression, fencing-inspired lyrics, and his stacked harmony technique
• The concrete parallels between competitive fencing and the arts: adaptability, attack planning, committing fully, and performing under pressure
• Colin's journey from age-10 fencer in Washington D.C. through a Senior World Cup appearance, to being on Notre Dame NCAA and ACC championship winning teams, and into Juilliard and professional performance
• How his short film 'The Sharp Way Out,' shot at a former Staten Island correctional facility, and his theatrical adaptations are building toward a serious acting and filmmaking career

Colin Campbell is a multi-instrumentalist, actor, and filmmaker currently studying at Juilliard. He's also a decorated competitive fencer who won ACC and NCAA championships with Notre Dame — and the person behind the theme song you've been hearing at the top of every episode.

Here's our question for you: What's a skill from your sport that showed up somewhere completely unexpected in your creative or professional life? Drop it in the comments.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:36 - Welcoming Colin Campbell
00:03:11 - The Story Behind the Direct Elimination Theme Song
00:04:15 - Colin's Musical Origins
00:09:21 - Fencing Roots: Starting at Age 10 in Washington D.C.
00:19:36 - Going All-In on the Arts at Notre Dame
00:21:25 - Early Filmmaking with Teammates
00:27:46 - Colin's Competitive Fencing Career
00:30:55 - Coaching at Sheridan Fencing Academy
00:34:04 - How Fencing Parallels Music, Acting, and Artistic Discipline
00:47:37 - Flow State, Authenticity, and Performing Under Pressure
00:53:26 - The Sharp Way Out
01:03:55 - Upcoming Projects and Continuing to Weave Fencing Into Art
01:06:47 - One Light Answers
01:14:07 - Closing Reflections and Live Performance of the Theme Song

💬 BEST QUOTES
"I will always know from fencing the ability to just adapt to things being thrown at you and taking accountability for your mistake in just a split second."
"Fencing taught me how to understand the way that I moved, my body and my vessel and focusing on carrying through my plan.. and having an attack plan."
"When you're an adult all the fun may seem like it's behind you. No it's not. You can find it, and you can create it with people that are your pals."
"I wrote these lyrics down because I wanted to implement fencing, and I knew that I could do that because I know the sport"

🔗 CONNECT WITH COLIN
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=en
Thank you for listening!
🔗 Check out FencR
🌐: https://www.fencr.app/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fencr.app
🔗 Connect with Us

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast
📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination
🔗 Prieur USA

🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/

The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.
Ari beat Olympic and world champion Masaru Yamada at the Medellín
Fencing World Cup, Stephen and the New York Athletic Club won the Senior National Team Championship, and somehow we still squeezed in three weddings, a sponsor visit, a full-reset hike in the mountains above Medellín, and a tarmac wait that almost cost us a flight to Switzerland.

This is the end of the 2025–2026 fencing season — every win, every loss,
and what it taught us heading into LA 2028.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open
00:22 Catching up after a wild stretch of fencing
02:43 Senior Nationals: Nathaniel Wimmer makes history
03:36 Stephen + NYAC win the Division I team championship
04:32 Ari's mental lapse!
07:12 Ari's 9th place finish — and the full-body cramps
08:13 Touchdown in Medellín, Colombia
11:24 The Easy Path Crew is born (USA teammates drawn against each other)
16:16 Day off: a mountain excursion above Medellín with no cell service
21:42 Day 2 in Medellín — Ari's career-best run begins
23:14 Drawing Masaru Yamada — Olympic medalist, world champion silver
27:53 The fall heard around the venue
29:33 Sudden death: beating a world champion
32:14 Congrad Kongstad brings reality back
34:30 Between Colombia and Bern: weddings, work, and prep
37:58 Ari ranked 5th — a sudden Bern qualification
42:00 Four hours on the tarmac
43:23 Bern Day 1: Easy Path Crew, take two
50:53 Processing a loss the same way you'd process a win
52:34 Stephen finds the "Jake Jets"
56:17 Working a full-time job from a Swiss hotel until 11 PM
58:34 Day 2: rematching Akira Komata
1:03:36 Team event: the Kazakhstan comeback
1:11:00 Shout-outs: Alexandre Pittet & Anton "Soup" Piskovatskov
1:18:30 LA 2028 is officially real
1:22:24 Thank-yous and sign-off

Theme song written and performed by Colin Campbell
🔗 CONNECT WITH COLIN
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=en
Thank you for listening!
🔗 Check out FencR
🌐: https://www.fencr.app/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fencr.app
🔗 Connect with Us

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast
📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination
🔗 Prieur USA

🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/

Paris Olympian Elizabeth Tartakovsky opens up about women's saber fencing, chasing the Olympics, and what comes after the dream.

The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.

In this episode, you'll discover:
• How Elizabeth Tartakovsky went from getting kicked out of ballet to becoming a Paris Olympian in women's saber fencing
• The mental game of defending your best-ever season when Olympic qualification is on the line
• What legendary coach Yury Gelman taught her that had nothing to do with fencing technique
• Why elite fencers quit after college — and what the sport loses when they do

Elizabeth Tartakovsky is a Paris 2024 Olympian, two-time World Cup bronze medalist, Pan American champion, and NCAA individual champion who fenced for Harvard University under coach Yury Gelman, one of the most respected names in saber fencing.

What's your biggest mental challenge in fencing — the competition itself, the training grind, or staying motivated after a big result? Drop it in the comments below.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:26 Introduction & Guest Credentials
00:02:02 Origin Story: How Liz Found Fencing
00:05:21 The 'All In' Moment: Going Competitive
00:08:27 Peaks and Valleys: Navigating Plateaus
00:12:33 The Paris Olympic Journey
00:14:42 Career Highlights & Favorite Memories
00:18:24 Life After Paris: Taking a Break & Coming Back
00:23:32 The Dropout Problem: Fencing After College
00:27:25 Coaching Legend Yury Gelman: Behind the Curtain
00:33:51 Harvard Fencing & the Power of Team
00:37:01 New Jersey State Champion & Fencing's Small World
00:40:46 Upcoming Clinic with Maya Chamberlain & Nora Burke
00:43:29 One Light Answers: Rapid Fire Round
00:45:40 Flunge Tips, Tennis & Closing Fun
00:51:54 Closing Remarks & Where to Find Liz

💬 BEST QUOTES
"I loved being unique and kind of telling my friends, you know what I did?"
"I think I learned just from a few painful losses. It was it was kind of a turning point early on that, like, okay, this is a serious thing. If I want to continue, I actually have to put in the work, and want it for myself."
"The year before Paris was my best season ever. I surpassed every goal. I didn't know I'd ever be ranked in the top 16 in the world."
"It's a game at the end of the day. And I think this is the most amount of kind of play I've had in the sport in a long time."
Theme song written and performed by Colin Campbell
🔗 CONNECT WITH COLIN
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=en
Thank you for listening!
🔗 Check out FencR
🌐: https://www.fencr.app/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fencr.app
🔗 Connect with Us

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast
📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination
🔗 Prieur USA

🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/