Home Away From Home – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
Nov. 5, 2002
One of the most memorable – and sometimes painful – events an individual faces during their life is saying goodbye to their loved ones the day they leave for college.
Junior fencer Alexandra Shklar came to Ohio State from Israel in 2000 to be a part of the Buckeye fencing program and to learn from one of the most intelligent minds in the business, head coach Vladimir Nazlymov.
“I met coach Nazlymov at one of the World Championships,” Shklar said. “He told me that he was looking for some fencers for his team. We then started talking and I became very interested.”
Ohio State was not the only school which sought-after Shklar. St. John’s University in New York was the other school in the running for the Shklar sweepstakes. Friends and family in Jerusalem were much more familiar with the bright lights and endless opportunities the Big Apple presented and suggested St. John’s instead.
“All of my friends including myself had never heard of Ohio and told me not to go,” Shklar said. “No one had ever heard of Columbus. Now after being here two years and traveling to all the other schools and tournaments, I can honestly say that I am very lucky and that I made the right choice.”
Shklar said she always wanted to go to school in the United States where she could combine fencing with academics, something she was unable do in Jerusalem.
“I always wanted to go to school in the United States,” Shklar said. “It is the only way to participate in fencing and go to school at the same time. I am very, very happy that I came here.”
Shklar and her family moved to Israel from Russia in 1990 when Shklar was 9 years old. Shklar’s father, Vladimir Shklar, started the ASA Jerusalem fencing program in Israel to benefit Shklar and many other young athletes interested in fencing. It was then when she began to pick up the sport at such a young age. After high school Alexandra Shklar served in the Israeli army from 1999-2000.
Living in the United States has given her a different viewpoint on life. Fencing has opened up many opportunities for Shklar, traveling from country to country, city to city, seeing the world. Though she misses her family back home, Shklar knows she had to do what was best for her.
Because of the terror back home in Jerusalem, Shklar’s family remains on her mind constantly.
“I call home everyday to ask what is going on,” she said. “When I hear the kind of stories I do everyday it really bothers me.”
One particular incident weighed heavily on her mind. One day her mother, Maya, missed boarding a bus which exploded minutes later. It is those kind of stories that make Shklar feel unsettled.
“My father once missed an explosion at a restaurant by five minutes,” she said. “When I hear those types of things I really want to go back and be with my family, but I know that this is the best place for me right now. I went back this summer to visit and it doesn’t even feel like home anymore because it’s so scary.”
Sadly, she said the people back home are becoming used to that way of life and learn to live with the threats.
“I ask everyone there, ‘how can you go out at night or how can you take the bus everyday when things like this are going on?’ I guess they just think differently over there.”
Shklar knew it would be hard to leave, but she knew she had to do what was right for her future.
“I know I still have a lot to learn about America and the culture,” Shklar said. “It’s nice to discover new things and talk to different people everyday and try something out for yourself instead of someone telling you that you can or can’t do this or that. I get to explore and make decisions on my own.”
Though her father is thousands of miles away, Shklar feels very lucky to have a father figure here in the states in coach Nazlymov.
“She is not only a strong fencer, but a strong person as well,” Nazlymov said. “She has very strong goals in life. It is sometimes hard for her because she is experiencing a new country and a new way of life.”
A concerned Nazlymov always make sure to ask how Shklar about how her family is doing.
“I am very close to coach,” Shklar said. “He expresses a lot of interest. Sometimes I get very emotional about it when I watch what is happening on TV. I think (Coach Nazlymov) pays just as much attention to it as I do. If I ever had a personal problem or something like that, I know he would be there for me.
“When I got here he gave me the feeling that I don’t have to miss my parents all the time. He is like my father away from home. He fulfills that role of a parent figure that I sometimes need. The whole team is wonderful as well. I sometimes think of them as my family. I didn’t speak any English at all when I came here and the whole team was very warm and nice to me from the beginning.”
Shklar made an immediate impact when she arrived as a freshman in 2000. She posted a 34-5 record as a freshman and finished sixth at the NCAA championships. While many other collegiate fencers may have been tickled pink by this accomplishment, it was disappointing to Shklar. Her competitive nature allows her to settle for nothing but the best.
“I was somewhat disappointed that I did not do better during my first year,” Shklar said. “Even though I earned All-American, I was very frustrated getting sixth.”
Nazlymov said Shklar puts too much pressure on herself.
“She takes 20 credit hours at a time,” Nazlymov said. “That is not normal for athlete. That puts a lot of pressure on her to make time for academics and fencing. Now she is more experienced and should be able to balance her time better.”
Nazlymov knows the best is still to come from Shklar and continues to help her improve. But he also realizes that you cannot fence forever and must have a good education to fall back on.
“Coach pushes us all the time to be the best, but he always stresses the importance of (education) at the same time,” Shklar said. “I think it’s amazing how he stresses both of them equally. Sometimes he lets us miss a practice if we are behind on our studies. It is sometimes hard to do, but I’m grateful that I have a coach like him who teaches discipline while motivating and challenging us at the same time.”
