SKARBONKIEWICZ Magda

Personal Information

Residence Portland, OR, USA

Occupation Athlete, Student

Languages English

License number 20112005000

Club

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? She took up the sport at age six.

Why this sport? Her father had been a competitive fencer and coached the sport.

Club / Team Oregon Fencing Alliance: Portland, OR, USA

Name of coach Adam Skarbonkiewicz [father, club]

Training Regime She trains for two to three hours a day, four or five days a week.

Handedness Left

General Interest

Hobbies Art. (usafencing.org, 03 Apr 2020)

Most influential person in career Her father. (usafencing.org, 03 Apr 2020)

Hero / Idol US fencer Mariel Zagunis, Greek fencer Despina Georgiadou. (WPNA.FM YouTube channel, 10 Aug 2022; usafencing.org, 03 Apr 2020)

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs "[The night before a competition] I make sure I am not doing much with anybody after dinner, I just go to my room, rest, read and pray. When everything is packed and I'm about to fall asleep, I just think of how the day will go tomorrow and how I want it to go, but also making sure I don't put too much pressure on myself. I also eat way more during tournaments." (USA Fencing Facebook page, 17 May 2022; The USA Fencing Podcast, 16 May 2022)

Sporting philosophy / motto "Just have fun, don't let other people pressure you into your goals. Make your own goals, have your own plans, and just enjoy the journey because there's going to be ups and downs, and don't change yourself for other people. Just be you and enjoy the tournaments you are going to and enjoy who you are becoming. Just have fun because at the end of the day, if you win and you didn't enjoy it, it's not worth it." (WPNA.FM YouTube channel, 10 Aug 2022)

Famous relatives Her father Adam Skarbonkiewicz was a US national champion in fencing. (usafencing.org, 03 Apr 2020; oregonfencing.org, 01 Jan 2022)

Ambitions To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (The USA Fencing Podcast, 16 May 2022)

Other information BALANCING SPORT AND SCHOOL
She has spoken about the difficulties she has had balancing fencing and her school work. "Towards the end of the school year, it is very difficult to balance. It is school, fencing, school, fencing during the school year, and there is not much of a break. It's like, 'Teachers, I'm going away to travel [for competitions] and I'll do my homework'. When I'm travelling I find a little time to look around the country or the places I've gone, and then I go back to school and reality, and I'm sleep-deprived doing homework. It's like a cycle." (WPNA.FM YouTube channel, 10 Aug 2022)