Faculty Highlight — July/August 2009
Fencing is a family tradition for TAMU-SA professor and her daughter
July 14, 2009
SAN ANTONIO — Each family has its own traditions, and for one professor at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, one sport serves as her family’s tradition—fencing.
Dr. Tracy Hurley, an associate professor of management at TAMU-SA and a division head for the university's of Division of Business, Arts & Sciences, has spent a majority of her life in the sport. Through fencing, she has traveled around the world, met her husband, and now one of her daughters—Kelley, 20—will compete in the upcoming Olympics in China.
“We call ourselves ‘Team Hurley,’” Dr. Hurley said. “I started fencing when I was 12 and met my husband through fencing. We both were highly ranked national fencers at one point.”
Dr. Hurley pointed out that both of her daughters grew up around the sport as “my husband and I would drag them around to fencing tournaments since they were born.”
These experiences have led to both of her daughters competing in the sport, and for Kelley, a berth into the Olympic Games. Kelley is the youngest competitor in her event. Kelley’s life revolves around fencing and—taking a cue from her parents—she met her boyfriend through the sport.
“I have been fencing for a long time, since I was young,” Kelley said. “Traveling to different countries is second nature to me now, so I don’t really have a normal social life I suppose.”
Kelley narrowly missed the last Olympics in Athens in 2004. As an epee, she won the Under 17 (Cadet) World Championship in 2005, becoming the first American to win a gold medal in epee at a world championship. She also won the Junior Women’s Epee Championship held in Italy in April. According to the NBC Olympic web site (nbcolympics.com), Kelley showed her flair for the dramatic as she was seeded 18th, and “squeaked by her first two opponents by 15-14 margins, then upset [the] #2 seed.” She then won her gold-medal match, 15-11.
As a personal highlight, Dr. Hurley pointed out Kelley’s victory in her semi-final bout at the NCAA Championships this year. Down by two touches with seven seconds left to go, Kelley persevered and won the match.
Kelley hopes to win the Senior World Championship in addition to her Olympic aspirations, but she said that her greatest long-term goal is to team with her younger sister—Courtney, 17—at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“Qualifying for the Olympics in fencing is quite difficult when you compare it to some other sports … where the U.S. is guaranteed two or three athletes per event,” Dr. Hurley said. “In fencing, no country is guaranteed any spots—each athlete must earn it on their international ranking.”
Due to the spots being determined by an international ranking, this year there is only one athlete from the U.S. entered into women’s epee for the Olympics—Kelley.
“There are only 25 women in the world that will be fencing her event on August 13,” Dr. Hurley said.
With such high criteria in order to be placed onto the Olympic team, Kelley has put in a great deal of commitment, but as Dr. Hurley said, wouldn’t categorize it as a sacrifice.
“It doesn’t seem like it was a sacrifice,” Dr. Hurley said. “It was just something that needed to be done. Whatever sacrifices were made have been more than compensated for by the rewards.”
“Team Hurley” is a family where each member understands each individual role.
“I often find myself home alone while my husband travels with my two daughters to world cup events all over the world,” Dr. Hurley said. She then joked, adding, “someone has to stay home and work to pay the bills. I just consider it my contribution to the team.”
Kelley credits her inspirations as her parents, her coach (Paul Pesthy), and her boyfriend. She said that her toughest competition in Beijing will be China as they “have been training for this for the last eight years….I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out of this with the most medals.”
Despite what the outcome will be from the upcoming Games, Kelley will always have plenty of support.
“I remember the victories more than the defeats, which is probably not surprising,” Dr. Hurley said. “But I remember her first national competition at nine-years-old when she was defeated pretty badly. She was crying and claiming she would never fence again. Fortunately, that was short-lived.”
It is fortunate for the United States as well.
The Olympic Games from Beijing, China, will begin on August 8. The women’s epee event will be held on August 13. Kelley Hurley’s bio can be found at http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=940/bio/index.html.
For more information about Texas A&M University-San Antonio or Dr. Tracy Hurley, please contact Brandon Oliver at (210) 932-6261.
Images courtesy of fencingphotos.com.