Head Coach of Boys' and Girls' Varsity Fencing for 41 years, Ted Li traveled to Moscow last month, where he was named to the S.E.M.I. Commission of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), the sport's international governing body. This prestigious honor occurred not a year after he was named to U.S.A. Fencing's Hall of Fame, among many other accolades he has received over the course of his fencing career.
Every Olympic quadrennial, members of various FIE Commissions, including the S.E.M.I., are elected. (S.E.M.I. stands for Signalisation Electrique, du Matérial et des Installation.) Only one representative from any given country is permitted, and preference is given to individuals with engineering backgrounds and degrees. Mr. Li, who earned degrees in English and Biology from Wesleyan University and recently retired after 42 years teaching English at Pingry, was nominated by USA Fencing. ("It seems that a lack of engineering degree does not negate competence and practical experience," he remarks.) At the end of the FIE Elective Congress, just held in Moscow, he was one of 10 professional fencing experts from around the world named to the Commission.
As a member of the S.E.M.I. Commission, Mr. Li will be studying the safety of fencing equipment and its testing procedures, reporting his findings to the Executive Committee of the FIE. His selection to the Commission is but one more honor on an already impressive resume: Over the course of his four-decade career in the sport he has held many key positions that have allowed him to guide its development, including as a rules interpreter, tournament organizer, referee, and acclaimed armorer for multiple USFA international teams and NCAA National Championships. He has also served as Chef de Contrôle for three Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000) and for multiple World Championships.
As Coach Li explains, his appointment to S.E.M.I. and his knowledge of the material side of fencing allows him to deal with equipment problems in a timely manner, and elucidate certain situations during practices or a match. His new role might also give him access to equipment before it becomes commercially available, or to prototype equipment for evaluation. And no doubt, as he enters his 42nd season coaching Big Blue, his Pingry athletes will continue to benefit from his vast experience.
Congratulations, Coach Li!
Contact: Andrea Dawson, Senior Writer, adawson@pingry.org