during the Olympics
(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Tiomkin)
Hewlett-based 5T Fencers Club will be moving to 65 East Second St. after being approved by the Mineola Village Board recently. The relocation, according to co-owner Viviana Sconzo, is to better serve its athletes, which mostly reside on the north shore. 5T started in Hewlett in 2004.
“It’s a great school and I think the spot will fit perfectly in the area,” she said.
Sconzo said the ample parking in the area played into selecting the Mineola spot.
“We had looked at other locations on Jericho Turnpike, but they didn’t really have parking,” Sconzo said.
The club will operate Monday through Friday, between 3:30 and 8:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Concerning traffic, Sconzo said that 90 percent of her customers are dropped off and picked up at the location.
5T currently holds private and group lessons, led by 2004 Olympic fencer/co-owner Jonathan Tiomkin and national champion Gidon Retzkin.
“I started the club after Olympics,” Tiomkin said. “I love fencing. When I first noticed fencing, it looked funny and my friends begged me to try it.”
The begging paid off as Tiomkin, a freshman in at Hewlett High School at the time, took down the captain of the school’s fencing team. He qualified for the Junior National Team at age 17.
“It just came naturally to me,” he said. “Two year later, I was national champion at 19.”
Today, Tiomkin has one thing on his mind: passing down his skills to the next generation.
“A year or two before the Olympics, my coach at the time let me do some of his group classes,” said Tiomkin. “Even when I was in high school, I was good at helping people. I enjoyed it. When I started running group classes, I understood fencing at a different level.”
The new 5,000 square foot location will hold the 30 students currently attending the Hewlett school. The larger Mineola space would lend to the skill level of students, Sconzo said.
“We like the larger space,” she said. “We have a program that lends itself to a bigger space where kids can do their exercises.”
The club charges $35 for a private, 20-minute sessions. The full program runs monthly and costs $600, with beginner course totaling $120.
