U.S. Olympian Tim Morehouse Talks Teaching Fencing In Schools

Coming off a silver medal finish at the 2008 Beijing Games, Tim Morehouse, 34, entered the London Olympics with his eyes on the gold. And while Morehouse and his teammates failed to medal, this appears to be a minor hiccup in the otherwise stellar career of Morehouse, who has complemented his athletic success as a strong media presence and an advocate for the sport among young people.

Born in New York City, Morehouse came upon fencing by accident when he was a student at Riverdale Country School. He originally took part in the sport just to miss his physical education class. Little did he know that this decision would change his life. Morehouse became the team’s fencing captain and was named the most valuable player in his junior and senior years. While at Brandeis University, Morehouse earned All-American honors in his final three years, and in 2000, Morehouse was voted by players and coaches as the NCAA men’s sabre fencer of the year. Four years later, Morehouse was selected as an alternate to compete for the U.S. Fencing Team in the 2004 Athens Olympics. In addition to earning a silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Morehouse is a two-time U.S. National Champion, and was ranked as the top U.S. men’s sabre fencer from 2008-2011.

Morehouse has made appearances on several high-profile television shows, including NBC’s Access Hollywood and The Today Show, Fox’s Good Day New York, Bloomberg News and MSNBC. He has also been featured in magazines and newspapers such as Vanity Fair, USA Today, Esquire Magazine, and the Sports Business Journal. In 2009, Morehouse even had the opportunity to teach President Barack Obama a few fencing skills at the White House.

Morehouse has directed his passion for fencing beyond Olympic competition, and he believes the sport can open up a world of opportunities for young people. “I’ve just started this foundation, Fencing in the School, to try to bring the sport to places that typically haven’t had it,” Morehouse told Uinterview in an exclusive interview. “There is a lot more awareness about the sport now, and now it’s about creating the opportunities for kids to try it out now, and hopefully find a passion with it.”