Don’t Fence Him In
By Bonny Osterhage
Photography by Robert French
When you first meet local fencing instructor Jose Sanchez, you are instantly captivated by his boundless energy, his charming personality, his composure and self-assurance and, let’s be honest, his striking good looks.
You would never imagine that this 27-year-old with his perfectly toned physique once weighed more than 200 pounds, was labeled “not very athletic” and suffered from low self-esteem. Having turned his own life around, Sanchez is determined that, under his tutelage, other children will be inspired to follow their own dreams and lead their best possible lives.
Off to a rough start
Sanchez’s family came to San Antonio from Mexico to start their own business and live what Sanchez calls “The American Dream.” I hate stereotypes,” he laughs, “But we lived the stereotypical first generation Mexican American family life. You come here, you work hard and you raise good children.”
Raised on the South Side, Sanchez attended Harlandale Independent School District where he was faced with his own set of challenges. Extremely overweight, Sanchez was teased by the boys and ignored by the girls, which caused his self-esteem to plummet. As a result, Sanchez fell into the “wrong crowd” and dabbled in his share of mischief-making which included getting in trouble for shoplifting. After that wake-up call, Sanchez began to take a hard look at the road he was traveling. But it wasn’t until he was trying to help his father hang a ceiling fan and he wasn’t strong enough to hold it up that Sanchez realized it was time to get off the couch and do something about his weight. “I kind of had an epiphany where I realized I am better than that,” he shares.
From fat to fit
The first step in Sanchez’s quest to lose weight was to get moving. He began by waking up early every morning to shoot hoops before school. His father installed a basketball goal in the driveway, and Sanchez spent hours shooting, rebounding and shooting again. “I was doing interval training and didn’t know it,” he says. As his weight went down, his confidence went up, and Sanchez began to explore the traditional team sports such as football, baseball and basketball but none were a good fit. “I discovered I am not a team guy,” he laughs. “It’s too much pressure.”
Martial arts, however, was where Sanchez discovered his inner athlete and he began training and competing in karate and Olympic-style Tae Kwan Do kickboxing. Although he never got there himself, Sanchez became fascinated with the Olympics, and when he saw what he describes as a “big-haired blonde woman in an Olympic jacket leading a bunch of Caucasian kids in knickers” through the halls of Harlandale High, his curiosity was peaked.
The “big-haired woman” turned out to be Vinnie Bradford, the head coach and manager of the Community Olympic Development Program. Her middle-school fencing students were holding a fencing demo at Harlandale against the high-school football players. “The middle-schoolers were winning,” Sanchez grins. He was hooked.
Physical chess
Often called “the sport of kings,” fencing dates back hundreds of years. It has been included in every modern Olympic Game since the first on 1896. But even with such a distinguished history, fencing is not a sport that most high-school kids think of when they dream of becoming star athletes. In fact it may seem a bit medieval to some, with the odd-looking uniforms and facemasks –not to mention the sword-like weapons. Add to that the fact that you never hear about the head cheerleader dating the captain of the fencing team, and you can see why some people were confused at Sanchez’s decision to pursue the sport.
However, fencing is extremely challenging and is based not just on athleticism but also on cunning and mental skills. “In the end it is not about who’s stronger or faster; it’s about who’s smarter,” explains Sanchez. “They call it physical chess for a reason.”
Coming full circle
Sanchez attended fencing classes through the San Antonio Sports Foundation’s Dreams for Youth program in conjunction with Palo Alto College, and at the ripe old age of 18 he was the oldest student in the class. “They didn’t expect me to stick around, but look where I am now,” he says with pride. Sanchez quickly advanced through the program, competing at national and international levels before becoming an assistant coach. He trained under Bradford whom he describes as “my mentor.”
Today, Sanchez teaches Bradford’s class at Palo Alto and at the San Antonio Sports Foundation center on San Pedro. “I came full circle, ya’ know,” he laughs. He works with children on a daily basis, and Sanchez says his goal is to encourage these youngsters to live their dreams and not give up on themselves. And while some of Sanchez’s students have gone on to win national titles, he offers the same encouragement to those children who may never make the competitive circuit, reminding them that fencing is a lifetime sport as well as a social vehicle.
“That is especially helpful for the military kids who move around a lot,” he explains. “You can find a fencing club pretty much anywhere in the world and make friends” Sanchez credits fencing with teaching children tools for life, including perseverance, determination and self-confidence. “… all the things you must conquer within yourself before you can conquer the world,” he says.
The future looks bright
Conquering the world seems likely for Sanchez. After graduating from Harlandale, he went on to get an education degree with a specialty in kinesiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and says he hopes to go into nursing.
For now though, Sanchez is content to instruct his students in the sport he loves most. “I have such a great job,” he gushes. “How many 27-year-olds can say they have worked for the same company for 11 years?”
Whatever his future holds, one thing is certain: Sanchez will attack it with his trademark gusto and determination. Because, Sanchez says, when it comes down to it, he believes the way your life turns out is all up to you.
“You are your own best coach,” he says. “The others are only here to guide you.”
