- Peter Westbrook
Peter Westbrook (born April 16, 1952) is an American
sabre fencing champion.Westbrook was born to an
African-American father and aJapan ese mother, who had met while his father was stationed at amilitary base in Japan.Fencing career
Westbrook grew up in
New Jersey , and attendedEssex Catholic High School , where he took up fencing after being bribed by his mother, and became state champion.Wadler, Joyce. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E0DA1639F935A3575AC0A9669C8B63 "PUBLIC LIVES; A Saber Rattler Teaching Sportsmanship"] , "The New York Times ", September 6, 2000. Accessed October 23, 2007. "He started fencing, at Essex Catholic High School, only because his mother bribed him with $5.... Mr. Westbrook was a statewide champion in high school, received a full athletic scholarship to New York University, attended his first Olympic Games in 1976 at age 24."]College
For college, he attended
New York University on a full scholarship, and graduated in 1975.In 1973 he won the
NCAA fencing championships in sabre.National championships
He won the U.S. national men's sabre championship 13 times (1974-'75, '79-'86, '88-'89, and '95). [http://www.fencingonfairfield.com/westbrook_peter.htm] He also called it his lucky thirteen for those times.
Pan American Games
He won gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1983 and 1995, silver medals in 1979 and 1987, and a bronze medal in 1975. [http://sports123.com/fen/mpa-sa.html]
Olympics
He won a bronze medal at the
1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was a member of 5 other Olympic teams as well. Westbrook was the flag bearer for the United States at the1992 Summer Olympics closing ceremony [http://www.usfa.org/Documents/Newsletter/2002Spring.pdf] .Peter Westbrook Foundation
After his retirement he founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation in
New York City , which seeks to guide inner-city youth away from gang violence by having them participate in fencing. Four of his students from the Foundation,Keeth Smart ,Kamara James ,Ivan Lee , andErinn Smart fenced in the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens, Greece . Ivan Lee won the 2001, 2004,2005, and 2008 sabre national championships, Keeth Smart won the 2004 and 2002 sabre national championships and was ranked # 1 in the world in 2003, Erinn Smart won the 2004 and 2002 women's foil national championships, and Kamara James was ranked # 1 in the world in women's épée in 2004.Notable Fencers trained by the Peter Westbrook Foundation
Keeth Smart ,Ivan Lee ,Erinn Smart ,Kamara James,Aki Spencer-El,Benjamin Bratton ,Dwight Smith,Harvey Miller III,Herby Raunard,Dwayne Smith,Carlton Henry,Ras Davidson,Marty Williams,Daniel Bak,Ibtihaj Muhammad,Torian Brown ,Epiphany Georges,Nzinga Prescod,Carrington Harris, Adam Crompton,Andre Crompton,Ahmed Yilla.Writing
Westbrook wrote his memoirs, "Harnessing Anger" ISBN 1-888363-39-8, ISBN 1-888363-67-3 in which he describes turning his childhood tendency to fight into a drive to succeed at his sport.
Halls of Fame
Westbrook was indcuted into the New York University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985. [http://www.nyu.edu/athletics/hof/year.html]
Westbrook was inducted into the
USFA Hall of Fame in 1996.He was also inducted into the
Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2002.ee also
*
USFA Hall of Fame
*USFA
*List of American sabre fencers References
External links
* [http://www.peterwestbrook.org/ The Peter Westbrook Foundation]
* [http://members.forbes.com/fyi/2006/0918/057.html "The Right Touch," by Finn-Olaf Jones, about Peter Westbrook Foundation, in "Forbes," September 18, 2006]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1214279/bio IMDB bio]
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