From Brooklyn to Beijing - Erinn Smart, Olympic Silver-Medalist in Fencing

From Brooklyn to Beijing - Erinn Smart, Olympic Silver-Medalist in Fencing talks about the right mindset for success, the importance of family, and the power of resilience.

Erinn Smart is a former member of the United States Fencing Team. Erinn was the United States National Champion in 1998, 2002, 2004, and 2008 and ranked 11th at the 2003 World Championships. She was an alternate for Team USA at the 2000 Summer Olympic competition in Sydney, Australia.

In 2008, she was part of the United States Fencing Team during the Summer Olympics, where she and her brother Keeth Smart both won silver medals in their team events.

Prior to fencing, Erinn participated in numerous sports. Her late father, Thomas Smart encouraged her to participate in fencing after he discovered a program focused on minority participation in the sport. At age 9 she began fencing at the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Peter Westbrook, the foundation’s namesake and founder is an Olympic bronze-medalist. Erinn credits Peter Westbrook for paving the way for her in the sport, as her mentor.

She is from Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate from Brooklyn Technical High School. Erinn has a degree in economics from Barnard College at Columbia University. She also has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Erinn still participates at the Peter Westbrook Foundation as a mentor.