Episode 19: Maureen Griffin

Maureen Griffin decided to start fencing foil at age 14 when she quit the swim team and her dad told her she had 24 hours to find a new sport. Four years later she came to the US on a fencing scholarship at the University of Wisconsin. After her retirement from fencing in 1988, she came back two years later as an epée fencer, eventually earning a spot on the Canadian National Team. Maureen moved to the west coast in 1995 because it was an epée hotspot and seriously focused on her training in San Francisco. That led to a Bronze medal that year in Team Women’s Epée at the PanAmerican Games. She lost her berth at the Olympic Games in 1996 by a very small margin and talks about how she overcame that disappointment.

Maureen’s transition to coaching started in foil, moved to epée, and culminated with a trip to Hungary to study under legendary Laszlo Szabo. She served as the Junior Women’s Epée Coach from 2008-2013.

Maureen has been the owner of Golden Gate Fencing Club in San Francisco for 20 years. She works tirelessly to build a positive team culture there and encourages a healthy competitive environment amongst the athletes. During this interview you’ll hear how she does that, as well as her views on the difference between losing and being beaten on the fencing strip.

Tune in today to hear the fencing and coaching career of an extraordinary woman: Maureen Griffin.