Teen athlete a positive influence on his peers
Sam Everson lunges with his foil. • Photos Submitted
By Tom Victoria
Sam Everson doesn’t just want to excel in everything he does, he helps others achieve success, too.
The 16-year-old fencer helps coach his teammates in the sport.
“That’s my goal: everybody does the best they can,” Sam said.
His efforts were recognized earlier this year. He was awarded the Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Award for the 2019-20 season.
“I really wasn’t expecting it,” Sam said. “I was very honored.”
While a sophomore at Aquinas Academy in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Sam led his fencing team to a 19-5 record. The team captain was named the most valuable player for the Crusaders.
He began foil fencing in 8th grade. His mother, Tara Everson, suggested he try the sport. An older friend already was on the team.
“I really enjoyed it and stuck with it,” Sam said.
He said having been a kung fu student since a child help acclimate him to fencing, which is a challenging sport.
“It can be difficult to grasp sometimes,” Sam said.
He credited his background in martial arts, which involves stances and flexibility, as well as athleticism for adapting to the complicated moves, including lunging and parrying, required to gain the advantage during fencing.
“That’s my goal: everybody does the best they can”
“I use athleticism instead of (just) technique,” Sam said.
He joined the school’s fencing program when it was opened to middle school students.
Sam immediately began a recruiting drive, convincing a number of his friends to join him.
As the fencing program expanded, the coach had more students in multiple age brackets to guide. Sam eventually started coaching his teammates during bouts.
“I can be a little intense,” he said about his fervor. “I won’t be able to talk the next day.”
Sam also trains in martial arts.
Sam wields a blade in a kung fu routine.
But it’s not just about performance for Sam, it’s bolstering others.
“If you don’t support each other, it can be difficult to deal with,” he said. “It’s very intimidating.”
Sam explained there is no differentiation between skill levels, so a novice can go up against an expert. When he started, one match was with a ranked junior Olympics qualifier.
Following Sam’s lead, younger brother Ben joined. Ben, 14, then brought his friends as well.
Along with the high school league, Sam enters tournaments that encompass all age groups.
As if engaged in two activities and maintaining well over a 4.0 grade point average, the junior also completed an Eagle Scout project this year honoring military veterans buried in Glade Run Cemetery.
Sam salutes the veterans buried at the Glade Run Cemetery.
More than 100 veterans are buried at the cemetery, which is near Sam’s Middlesex Township home. Sam decided to construct a memorial honoring those veterans.
The project required an extensive amount of research verifying the 126 veterans and their time of service.
“It was an intensive process,” Sam said.
Tara and her husband, Sean Everson, praised their son’s leadership and determination.
“It makes us extremely proud,” Tara said.
At the September memorial dedication, U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly lauded Sam’s work. Kelly said America’s greatest asset is its youth and that Sam embodied the best of America.
Sam Everson lunges with his foil.