Ivan Lee
Encyclopedia
Ivan Lee (born Ivan James Lee, March 31, 1981 in Brooklyn, New York) is a world-class American sabre fencer
.
, placing 12th in the individual competition and 4th in the team competition, missing the bronze medal by one point.
Lee graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School
in Brooklyn, New York in 1999, earning a full scholarship to St. John's University in Queens, New York. At St. John's, Lee won 2 NCAA individual sabre titles and, along with fellow Olympian and long time clubmate and friend Keeth Smart
, led the school to its first Division 1 national championship in 2001. For his accomplishments on the collegiate, national and international levels, he was awarded the USOC's Male Athlete of the Year Award for fencing in 2001. He went on to take double gold at the 2003 Pan American Games
in Santo Domingo
. He graduated in January 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism.
After failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Team, Lee announced his retirement in 2008, but not before winning his final competition, his 6th U.S. National Championship and 5th on the senior level. He still holds more world championship medals (4) than any American male ever, and he remains the only American male fencer ever to win a Junior Olympic Championship, a National Championship, an NCAA Championship, a World Championship, a Pan American Championship and make an Olympic Team.
Lee began fencing in 1994, at the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF). He currently serves as a volunteer instructor for the club's Saturday morning classes.
Mrs. Lee, a teacher, staff developer, and administrator in the Brooklyn public school system for over twenty years, always made it a point to provide options for him. Fellow teacher Audrey Smart, mother of Olympic medalists Erinn Smart
and Keeth Smart
mentioned to her that her children participated in a non-profit fencing program for children in Manhattan. Mrs. Lee saw the opportunity for her son, and talked him into trying it. He was hooked immediately.
Ivan is engaged and has no children.
's Office of Strategic Mentoring for a series of mentoring workshops he conducted for the student body in 2005 and 2006.
Sabre (fencing)
The sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport fencing, and is alternatively spelled saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and...
.
General
He was a member of the 2001 U.S. Junior World Sabre team, anchoring the team to its first men's world title at the 2001 Junior World Championships in Gdansk, Poland, and also becoming the first man of African American descent to win a world fencing championship. He was also a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, placing 12th in the individual competition and 4th in the team competition, missing the bronze medal by one point.
Lee graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
in Brooklyn, New York in 1999, earning a full scholarship to St. John's University in Queens, New York. At St. John's, Lee won 2 NCAA individual sabre titles and, along with fellow Olympian and long time clubmate and friend Keeth Smart
Keeth Smart
Keeth Thomas Smart is a US sabre fencer who became the first American to gain the sport's #1 ranking for males. He received a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.-Early life and education:...
, led the school to its first Division 1 national championship in 2001. For his accomplishments on the collegiate, national and international levels, he was awarded the USOC's Male Athlete of the Year Award for fencing in 2001. He went on to take double gold at the 2003 Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
. He graduated in January 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism.
After failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Team, Lee announced his retirement in 2008, but not before winning his final competition, his 6th U.S. National Championship and 5th on the senior level. He still holds more world championship medals (4) than any American male ever, and he remains the only American male fencer ever to win a Junior Olympic Championship, a National Championship, an NCAA Championship, a World Championship, a Pan American Championship and make an Olympic Team.
Lee began fencing in 1994, at the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF). He currently serves as a volunteer instructor for the club's Saturday morning classes.
Personal
Ivan is the first and only child born to Rev. Desmond Lee and Mrs. Cynthia Lee, happily married for 30 years. Rev. Lee, pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Chapel in Brooklyn, is whom Ivan gives credit for getting him to take fencing seriously. Ivan, a big time baseball fan, wanted to play baseball in high school and beyond, but it was his father who saw the scholarship opportunity in fencing and convinced his son to make the decision that would benefit him in the long run.Mrs. Lee, a teacher, staff developer, and administrator in the Brooklyn public school system for over twenty years, always made it a point to provide options for him. Fellow teacher Audrey Smart, mother of Olympic medalists Erinn Smart
Erinn Smart
Erinn Smart is a U.S. fencer who is a member of the United States Fencing Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she is competing in the women's individual and team foil events. Smart is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds, and is coached by Buckie Leach...
and Keeth Smart
Keeth Smart
Keeth Thomas Smart is a US sabre fencer who became the first American to gain the sport's #1 ranking for males. He received a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.-Early life and education:...
mentioned to her that her children participated in a non-profit fencing program for children in Manhattan. Mrs. Lee saw the opportunity for her son, and talked him into trying it. He was hooked immediately.
Ivan is engaged and has no children.
Professional and Volunteer Work
Ivan is currently working in law enforcement in Queens, NY. His volunteer work includes working with the youth at his church, teaching weekly classes at the fencing club, mentoring high school and college students at the USOC's F.L.A.M.E. (Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere) program, and counseling teenagers at New Horizons Ministries. He was also honored by Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
's Office of Strategic Mentoring for a series of mentoring workshops he conducted for the student body in 2005 and 2006.
Awards and honors
- 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Member
- 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 U.S. Men’s Sabre National Champion
- 2003 Pan American Men’s Sabre Champion
- 2003 Pan American Men’s Sabre Team Champion
- 2001, 2002 NCAA Men's Sabre Champion
- 2001 USOC Male Athlete of the Year, Fencing