Eli Dershwitz on Why He Bought Zeta Fencing, His Childhood Club

<p><strong>Season 2, Episode 8</strong><br /><strong>Guest:</strong> Eli Dershwitz — Olympian, 2023 World Champion, owner/head coach at Zeta Fencing</p><p><strong>What we cover</strong></p><ul><li>Coming home as owner/head coach: why now, who he called, and the vision for Zeta</li><li>Building an environment kids <i>want</i> to attend — fun first, challenge second</li><li>How he partners with parents: clear expectations, routines, and responsibility</li><li>College recruiting sanity check: focus on small, continuous progress over years</li><li>Staff development: “watch first, then tune” and slow-and-steady culture building</li><li>Community impact: expanding access via a foundation and growing the pipeline</li><li>Athlete vs. coach in 2025–26: how he’ll decide on a push for LA 2028</li><li>Rapid fire: the EAT mantra, the Milan 2023 gold, overrated drills, Djokovic’s mindset, and a coach’s pre-practice routine</li></ul> <p><p>--</p><p><strong>First to 15: The Official Podcast of USA Fen...