Coach's Corner: Henry Harutunian

"With admiration to my students for their loyalty: `...we don't select champions, they select themselves by work, passion and determination to achieve the highest results.'" This quote, which hangs on the door to the fencing room in Payne Whitney Gymnasium, expresses head fencing coach Henry Harutunian's feelings for his athletes. When one speaks with Harutunian, the love and respect he has for his fencers is immediately obvious. His continual praise of the team's intelligence, dedication, and heart make such admiration obvious. "I love them very much," he said. "If you give them your love and attention they'll return it ten times more."

The reciprocal affection that Harutunian receives is well deserved. In the 27 years he has coached at Yale, he has spent 16 to 18 hours a day at Payne Whitney working on the weapons (epée, sabre, and foil), giving individual lessons, and running team workouts. According to men's captain Taka Sudo, PC '98, it is this dedication which makes Harutunian a great coach. "He spends so much time with us--he does everything," Sudo said. "Most big schools have more than one coach, but he's the men's coach and the women's coach."

Courtesy Office of Sports Publicity

As Bulldog history shows, Harutunian succeeds at balancing his dual coaching duties. His teams regularly compete succesfully at the NCAA Championships. Last year both the men's and women's teams placed fifth at the national competition, and earned second place in the combined team standings.

When Harutunian lived in his native Armenia, he coached the Soviet National Team from 1962 to 1966. Since coming to the United States, he has coached numerous World University Games teams, including the 1979 and 1983 Pan American Games teams, and the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. Following the 1995-96 season, Harutunian received recognition for his coaching efforts with the title of USFCA Coach of the Year.

But it is not from his awards that Harutunian derives the most gratification. "The most satisfying or enjoyable thing is when you take [fencers] with no experience and make them very, very good. This makes me happy," he said. Harutunian, therefore, should be overjoyed because he has repeatedly transformed first-time fencers into champions. One of his most successful pupils, Ed Barksdale, BK '80, did not begin participating in the sport until his sophomore year at Yale. With Harutunian's guidance, however, he eventually finished fourth at the NCAA championships and earned All-America honors.

Harutunian obviously knows how to train people to become succesful fencers, but he teaches more than athletic skills. His goal is to offer his athletes the tools to be successful in life. Former Yale fencer James Borin, SM '93, MED '98, explained Harutunian's approach: "He's brilliant and insightful. Coach believes that things need to be beautiful," Borin said. "Not only does he teach you the skills but he teaches you honor and sportsmanship and about life. He doesn't just want you to win; he wants you to win with dignity."

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