Potomac, Columbia, and Eastern Shore Fencers to Compete in Veteran Fencing World Championships
Photo: From L-R: Kerry Swick, Kristin Foellmer, DCFC Head Coach Janusz Smolenski, and Charlotta Bowie. Photo by David Ruskin
October 6, 2026
Washington, D.C. – Fencers from Potomac, Columbia, and Still Pond, Maryland will represent Team USA at the 25th Veteran Fencing World Championships, held Oct. 9-17 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The world’s best veteran fencers – age 40 and above – will compete in epee, sabre, and foil in both individual and team events, representing the spirit of lifelong competition and camaraderie that defines fencing at every age. Charlotta Bowie, Kristin Foellmer, and Kerry Swick are among the Team USA athletes who earned spots at “Vet Worlds” based on best two out of three results from the 2025-2026 USA Fencing national season. All three are members of DC Fencers Club in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Charlotta Bowie, 73, Still Pond, Md. is the 2026 Vet 70 Women’s Epee U.S. National Champion. Bowie is a four-time member of the Vet World Team, taking bronze and sixth place in two previous Vet Worlds. She started fencing eight years ago, intrigued by her son’s years as an epee fencer. She commutes from the Eastern Shore twice a week for high-level vet coaching and training at DC Fencers Club.
“This sport makes me feel alive in so many ways,” said Bowie. “It can be highly creative in the way you deal with the many fencers you encounter. I’m never bored, always challenged.”
Kristin Foellmer, 51, of Potomac, Md., returns to the U.S. Vet World Team as the reigning Vet 50 Women’s Epee World Champion after winning the title in her 2025 Vet Worlds debut. She is also the 2026 Vet 50 Women’s Epee U.S. National Champion. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the U.S. National Team, representing the United States at the Senior World Championships and competing on the World Cup circuit. Born in Germany and raised in Guilford, Connecticut, she is a four-time high school state champion, three-time NCAA All-American, and inductee into the Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I’m thrilled to be going to Vet Worlds with my teammates from DCFC. I’m excited to compete alongside them and represent our club and the United States,” said Foellmer. “Let’s bring home the gold!”
Kerry Swick of Columbia, Md. is making his debut on the Vet World Team, competing in the Vet 70 Men’s Epee event. Swick’s fencing career began in 1971 at Brentwood High School in New York and he returns to international competition for the first time in 38 years. His top results for this season – bronze at two North American Cups in Cincinnati, Ohio and Richmond, Va. When he is not fencing, Swick dotes on his grandchildren and is an armorer for DC Fencers Club.
“It’s a bit surreal,” said Swick. “After two years of hard work, realizing I’ll be going to the World Championships feels incredible.”
Over a 28-year period, DC Fencers Club has sent fencers to each and every Vet Worlds since they were first competed in 1998. DCFC’s own Kaz Campe took the World Champion title in Vet 60 Men’s Epee that year.
Veteran fencing (for ages 40+ to 70+) is a growing category that offers mature athletes an opportunity for serious competition in a sport that rewards mental acuity as much as physical agility. Since 2017, the US Fencing Association has also hosted Vet 80 exhibition events.
Stateside fans can cheer on Bowie, Foellmer, Swick and all of Team USA with live results on the official Vet Worlds website.
About fencing
Modern sport fencing consists of competition in three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. In epee, the entire body is the target. Fencing competitions in all three weapons usually consist of two rounds of bouting. In the first round of “pools,” 6 to 8 fencers compete in a round-robin of 5-touch/3 minute bouts. Pool results inform the seeding of the next round, Direct Elimination (aka “DEs”). These elimination bouts are 15 touch/9 minute bouts (10 touch/6 minute bouts in the veteran category. Winners of DE rounds advance to the table of 64, 32, 16, semifinals, and finals.
About DC Fencers Club
For more than 30 years, DC Fencers Club (DCFC) in Silver Spring, Md. has consistently produced national and international champions. We polish the skills of fencers who strive to compete at the highest level, and we encourage fencers of all ages and ability levels. For more information on classes, camps, and lessons, visit us at www.dcfencing.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
# # #