Veteran Fencer Profiles

Capital Fencing Academy’s fencers in the veteran age categories (i.e., 40+) are some of the most competitive and successful fencers in the country, including numerous national and world medals and championships. Read more about some of our amazing fencers below!

Chris Matt

Veteran category: V60MS

Current occupation: Business Consultant

Top national and international results

• 2025 Veteran 60s Men's Sabre World Champion

• 2024 Veteran 60s Men's Sabre World Champion

• 2024 Veteran Team Men's Sabre World Champion

• 2024 Veteran 60s Men's Sabre U.S. National Champion

• 2023 Veteran 60s Men's Sabre U.S. National Champion

• 3-time Veteran Team Men's Sabre U.S National Champion

• Member of "Golden Sweep" - April 2023 - Gold Veteran 60s Men's Sabre

• 2014 Veteran 50s Men's Sabre - Pan American Champion

• Current ranking (2025) 60-69 Men's Sabre: #1 in World, #1 U.S.

Number of years fencing: 15

How you started fencing: I followed my kids into the sport

Favorite fencing memory: There's so many! Aside from my two world championships, probably winning Gold in Men's Team event at 2024 World Championships with Ron Thornton.

Hobbies: Traveling and bike riding.

Pietro Ferraro

Veteran category: V40MS

Current occupation: Chief Growth Officer - Health & Care @ Sodexo

Top national and international Results

• National: Gold April NAC 2024, Bronze January NAC 2025 and Summer Nationals 2025

• International: Bronze Medal - Team Veteran World Championship 2025 (Manama, Bahrain)

• Current US ranking: 3rd (V40MS, A25 rating)

Number of years fencing: 21, including five as a veteran (i.e., 40+) fencer

How you started fencing: Fencing is a Ferraro Family tradition, for 2 generations before me, and hopefully for many generations to follow! So that is why I started fencing when I was 6, when my dad brought me to Petrarca Padova (Italy) for the first time. And that is also why I restarted in 2021, joining Capital Fencing Academy, to "show the way" to my boys, with whom I am now lucky to cross sabers!

Favorite fencing memory: starfish pose after winning the bronze medal touch at the 2025 World Championship Team event - a summation of sense of achievement, relief, adrenaline, exhaustion, adrenaline and pure joy!

Hobbies: Skiing; gardening; cooking (tiramisu is my signature dish)

Jeannine M. Bender

Veteran Category: V70WS

Current occupation: Retired healthcare policy expert

Top national and international Results:

World Championships

• 2024, Individual Bronze V70 Women's Saber, Dubai, UAE

• 2023, Team Gold Women's Saber, Daytona, FL

• 2023, Individual Silver V70 Women's Saber, Daytona, FL

• 2013, Individual Silver V60 Women's Saber, Varna, Bulgaria

• 2012, Individual Bronze V50 Women's Saber, Krems, Austria

National Championships

• 2025, Gold, V70 Women's Saber, Milwaukee, WI

• 2024, Gold, V70 Women's Saber, Columbus, OH

• 2023, Gold, V70 Women's Saber, Phoenix, AZ

• 2014, Gold, V60 Women's Saber, Columbus, OH

How did I get started fencing? The day I successfully defended my PhD dissertation in front of an academic panel marking the last hurdle before graduation, I got home and realized for the first time in YEARS 100% of the hours in my day were not taken by jobs or my graduate studies. I had NOTHING to do. I saw an advertisement for a beginning foil class in a local Mechanicsburg, PA paper, signed up and never looked back. From there I quickly transitioned to saber even though women's saber was not yet a sanctioned event. My male club mates were more than happy to teach me the basics which still included a fleche attack and was still scored by sight.

Hobbies: Fencing

Favorite fencing memory: Participating in 2024 veteran World championships in Dubai with my Capital colleagues

Garik Gutman

Veteran category: V70MS

Current occupation: Retired from NASA

Top national and international results

• National Champion, 2014 and 2024

• Bronze medals at Veteran World Championships, 2023 and 2025

• Ranked #3 in USA and #3 internationally

Number of years fencing: 57

How did I get started fencing? I started learning sabre fencing in 1968-1969 in a scientific town "Academgorodok", located near a big industrial and cultural city in Siberia – Novosibirsk (also, a city where S. Pozdnyakov, a five-time Olympian sabre fencer started his career). I was always crazy about “Three Musketeers” and imitated fencing since I was a child. Shortly after our family’s move from Moscow to Siberia, a fencing club “Victoria” opened in our town. I went to check it out and was accepted to a sabre group. The rest is history…of 57 years.

Favorite fencing memory: My earliest (1973-74) favorite fencing memory is when I beat a guy in my pool (no electric sabre yet, with a rather subjective refereeing). My coach took me aside and asked if I knew who I just beat. It turned out to be the last year Champion of Leningrad. Maybe, it was good that I was unaware of that!

Hobbies - guitar, pickleball, making photo montages