FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2010

Overcoming life-threatening obstacles through sheer determination and dedicated volunteers, Julia Richey has managed the Arnold Fencing Classic for eight years. A part of the Arnold Sports Festival, the Arnold Fencing Classic continues to become bigger and better every year.

Columbus, Ohio, September 18, 2010 – In 2004 Royal Arts Fencing Academy head coach and owner Julia Richey created the Arnold Fencing Classic as one of the Olympic sports of the Arnold Sports Festival. Richey reached out to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s event organizers with the goal of bringing youth fencing to the attention of the American public. Seven years later, the event is a signature fencing event that allows over 170,000 athletes and spectators see fencing competition.

Organizing an event with that much traffic and includes international events is not an easy task. The Arnold Fencing Classic is entirely volunteer run. It is a tribute to the parents, fencers and supporters that volunteer every year to run the event and a testament to Richey’s enthusiasm and dedication to the sport that creates an atmosphere that fosters the investment people put into the Arnold Fencing Classic.

Richey, a former international fencer and thirteen-year member of the Russian national team, moved to the US in 1999. By 2001 she had formed Royal Arts and began to grow athletes. Only five years in this country she decided that it was time to run a tournament and not just attend them.

True to her nature of never doing things small, she negotiated with the Arnold Sports Festival staff to create her first tournament in grand fashion rather than just a small tournament at her local club. Each year she works tirelessly year round on the event in addition to coaching her students, including a national champion.

Raising the event to what it is today was not an easy task. In addition to the hurdles that come from organizing and running any large event, Richey had a couple of unique obstacles to overcome. In 2005, she broke her back and had to rehabilitate herself while organizing and running the Classic. The biggest test was in 2008.  In January, Richey was in a car accident that was supposed to be fatal. Doctors said that if it were not for her training as a world-class athlete she would not have survived.

With extraordinary zeal the parents of her students and volunteers from the Columbus area banded together and insured that the Classic would run even without Richey. In a time when their thoughts were on Richey and her survival they overcame all odds and rebuilt the event, in their own way fighting for her while she fought to survive.

Richey, a force to be reckoned with on the strip and in life, defied odds and was out of the hospital in time for the event. Though not completely herself and facing a year of rehabilitation, she continued to drive harder to make the event better every year.

The 2009 Arnold Fencing Classic added an FIE Satellite world cup event to the roster, the only one hosted on American soil ever. When most people would have quit, Richey continued to drive on with even greater ambition. The 2010 event added Cadet and open events and for the first time and opportunities for the 170,000 plus spectators to participate in the event.

The Arnold Sports Festival namesake Arnold Schwarzenegger may officially have the title, but Julia Richey may be the true, unstoppable Terminator.

About the Arnold Fencing Classic:

The Arnold Fencing Classic is a part of the Arnold Sports Festival, the largest multi-sport festival in the nation. In 2009 the Festival boasted more athletes than the Olympic games, making it one of the largest mulit-sport events in the world. The event has hosts over 180,000 athletes and spectators over four days. All events at the Festival are entirely volunteer run. Royal Arts Fencing Academy proudly hosts the Classic every year with the support of the Columbus area fencing community, families and corporate sponsors in order to help it to continue to be a signature fencing event for America’s youth fencers.