This is Gia. He was the head coach when our Dasha was fencing varsity at Notre Dame.
He is a genuinely nice guy.
I was at Notre Dame to watch Dasha fence Saber at the DiCicco Dual Meets many years ago. Dasha was fencing against Purdue. The Purdue team was so bad I was actually in the audience but shouting down to the Purdue team with advice. After about 10 minutes, Gia stopped the match on the competition floor and shouted up to me in the bleachers to come down and coach the Purdue team. I did. 2 weeks later I was at Purdue coaching them. I actually paid the 'floor fee' to get into the building to coach Purdue that first day.
I've had many interactions with Gia over the years. Dasha has not fenced for him for a few years and he still comes up to me, greets me like family, smiles and welcomes me. Initially I assumed he was a "politician" who did his job as a recruiting coach, but over time I've come to realize he is a really nice person.
I hope you enjoy the video. I know fencing is a niche sport that is not well understood, but if you are bored and want to learn a bit about how the Notre Dame team has won 13 national championships for fencing this is an insight.
He is a genuinely nice guy.
I was at Notre Dame to watch Dasha fence Saber at the DiCicco Dual Meets many years ago. Dasha was fencing against Purdue. The Purdue team was so bad I was actually in the audience but shouting down to the Purdue team with advice. After about 10 minutes, Gia stopped the match on the competition floor and shouted up to me in the bleachers to come down and coach the Purdue team. I did. 2 weeks later I was at Purdue coaching them. I actually paid the 'floor fee' to get into the building to coach Purdue that first day.
I've had many interactions with Gia over the years. Dasha has not fenced for him for a few years and he still comes up to me, greets me like family, smiles and welcomes me. Initially I assumed he was a "politician" who did his job as a recruiting coach, but over time I've come to realize he is a really nice person.
I hope you enjoy the video. I know fencing is a niche sport that is not well understood, but if you are bored and want to learn a bit about how the Notre Dame team has won 13 national championships for fencing this is an insight.