Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Five Questions With … FENCING HEAD COACH GIA KVARATSKHELIA Gia Kvaratskhelia joined Notre Dame's fencing coaching staff in 2007 and has served as the head coach of the team since December 2014. Prior to arriving in South Bend, he spent 10 years as coach of the Kanza Fencing Club in Salina, Kan. During that time, he transformed Kanza from a small recreational club into one of the nation's top foil centers. Kvaratskhelia grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and began fencing in 1988 at the age of 13. He progressed quickly and was a member of the Georgian National Foil Team from 1990‑94. BGI: What is your average day like? Kvaratskhelia: "The kids have two practices. One is the individual train‑ ing, which is called the lesson. We find gaps between classes and they come in and work with the coaches one on one, since fencing is a highly specific sport — similar to boxing. "Then 4 to 6:30 is conditioning or additional lessons." BGI: How is fencing unique from other sports? Kvaratskhelia: "It's a highly physical sport. There are a lot of aspects involving strategy as well. They call it the 'physical chess,' it requires so much intelligence and strategy." BGI: How did you sell now freshman Axel Kiefer — the No. 1 recruit nationally in his class — on Notre Dame? Kvaratskhelia: "He was the second one out of the family with [sister] Lee Kiefer [to come to Notre Dame]. It's always hard to recruit against the Ivy's, schools like Harvard, but we knew he could get a similar education here, plus the community, family atmosphere and the quality of our program. "Of course you feel a little pressure as a coach with, 'Here's the crown jewel of the recruiting class,' but with Axel we offered him our terms and he basically committed on the spot." BGI: Axel's sister Lee is taking a year off to train for the Summer Olympics in Rio. Does she plan to return to school after? Kvaratskhelia: "She'll be back with certainty. Lee has unfinished business here — she's won three NCAA championships individually, but she's never won the team competition. "She loves Notre Dame intensely. Even as she's competing now as we speak at the Olympic level, she has her Notre Dame badge on her mask." BGI: What do you want your student‑athletes to remember most about fighting for you at Notre Dame? Kvaratskhelia: "My wish is every day that they show up over four years, we want them to know some‑ one truly cares for them. That's the most important thing. "Every single day, regardless if they competed well or what kind of day they've had, someone was there for them. A big thing for us is family atmosphere, both within our team and the university." — Jordan Wells KVARATSKHELIA