Hard work made S.F. teen nation's top youth fencer
When Ethan, now 14 and an eighth-grader at San Francisco's Gateway Middle School, first came to the Halberstadt Fencers' Club on South Van Ness Avenue in the Mission seven years ago, his coaches didn't think much of his chances.
Ethan's mother, Brett Glickman, was told she might be better off saving her money rather than buying the expensive equipment the sport requires.
At home, while his buddies play video games in his room, Ethan shows off a collection of more than 50 medals he has earned over the years.
Ethan and his dad, Joel Mullennix, who takes him to tournaments around the country, thought that showing would be good enough to boost him into the top five nationally in the U.S. Fencing Association's rankings in the youth division.
When he's not at the club, he's practicing his saber work with ferocious intensity on a rubber dummy he calls Bob.
After warm-ups and personalized training sessions, Ethan and the other students hook their uniforms to the electronic scoreboard with an elaborate wiring setup that connects both to their sabers and their backs.
The room is filled with the sound of clashing sabers and beeping scoreboards as they fight to the finish during a mock tournament.