Sports
Top Fencer in Nation: Alec Walker of Severna Park
Talented in both academics and athletics, this teen overcame an eye condition to master the sport.
Athletes from around the world, and one from Severna Park, descended upon Hartford, CT. for the 2011 Scholar-Athlete Games, part of this year's World Youth Peace Summit.
Alec Walker, 17, and a junior with Laurel Springs (a distance-learning school), has a special talent for fencing that got him into the games. He has been in the national under-20 rankings since he was 12 years old, and is now in the top 40 in the nation in the under-20 division.
The Olde Severna Park resident started fencing five years ago, after he saw his brother take part in the sport. “I used to sit on the sidelines and do homework. I was never one to sit on the sidelines of anything,” said Alec.
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His journey to becoming one of the top fencers in the nation was not easy. He suffered from an eye condition that caused him to see double. “It was really hard for my brain to combine
the left and right eye images of something sitting still. Imagine how hard it was to see the tip of a sword that moves slightly slower than a bullet,” he said.
To overcome his condition, Alec had to undergo two years of intensive eye therapy where he had to train his eyes to work together. His therapy involved taking two images that he saw and merge them into one with both eyes. The sessions required so much concentration that he would often fall asleep on the way home.
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With the help of his coaches at the Baltimore Fencing Center and Washington, D.C. Fencer’s Club, as well as his hard work and dedication, he's become one of the best fencers in the nation.
The Scholar-Athlete Games are for students across the world who excel in both athletics and academics. To get in to the Scholar-Athlete Games, one must have an honor-roll average, be a high school student, and show proficiency in a sport.
While at the games, participants compete in their sport, take part in artistic exercises, and listen to speakers from around the world discuss a variety of topics pertinent to the games’ message.
Alec has done all that and even more at the games. He has also helped hundreds of athletes learn about fencing, attempted hurling (a traditional Irish sport), as well as taking part in dancing and concerts.
To see a video of the games, click here.