RIP Graceful Fireman

The most sincere homage I can pay to the man who gave so much and asked for so little is to simply write what comes naturally. Most of you never knew Joe Pechinsky, but he was one of the greatest names in US Fencing. I know what most of you are thinking, fencing? The only sport that might be considered preppier than crew, was mastered and edified by a true blue collar fireman from the North Shore. With minimal formal training, Joe managed to successfully develop the skills necessary to produce highly competitive fencers on the national and international level. In fact, one of Joe's pupils was on the US Olympic Fencing Team from 1968-2000. Those sort of credentials often serve as the foundations for lucrative careers in other sports, and other countries; however, not for Joe. He never profited a cent from any of his efforts. His natural predilection was to give back to the community and share everything he had with others. I worked with him for 4 years, and he pushed me harder than anyone else in my life. When I started with him I wasn't even sure if I was tough enough. Through exhaustive, hour-long, forearm cramp filled lessons, Joe was stoic and relentless; however, once the mask was removed he revealed a smile that only adorable babies or puppies with their mouth open and tongue hanging out could match. He saw limitless potential in his students, and always pushed us to be better than we ever thought we could be. His words were fierce, and his slash was often painful, but every time you walked away from a training session with him you knew you were just a little bit better, and a little bit stronger. If I were to really think back upon it, my eternal optimism today, came from the mental toughness that I developed with Joe. I knew that if I could just get to the next water break, or finish the next set of prime-flick, double-riposte combinations, I could get to the handshake, the smile, and the hug. I just found out that he has passed away, and I already miss him, but I am truly thankful for every moment that I ever got to spend with this man who embodies everything that is important in this world: friendship, kindness, generosity, faith-in-others, grit, and love. I love you Joe.