Peter Westbrook
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Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for United States | |||
---|---|---|---|
Men's Fencing | |||
Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | Individual Sabre |
Medal record | |||
---|---|---|---|
Competitor for United States | |||
Pan American Games | |||
Bronze | 1975 Mexico City | Individual sabre | |
Silver | 1975 Mexico City | Team sabre | |
Silver | 1979 San Juan | Individual sabre | |
Silver | 1979 San Juan | Team sabre | |
Gold | 1983 Caracas | Individual sabre | |
Silver | 1983 Caracas | Team sabre | |
Silver | 1987 Indianapolis | Individual sabre | |
Silver | 1987 Indianapolis | Team sabre | |
Gold | 1995 Argentina | Individual sabre | |
Gold | 1995 Argentina | Team sabre |
Peter Westbrook (born April 16, 1952) is an American sabre fencing champion.
Westbrook was born to an African-American father and a Japanese mother, who had met while his father was stationed at a military base in Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Fencing career
Westbrook grew up in New Jersey, and attended Essex Catholic High School, where he took up fencing after being bribed by his mother, and became state champion.[1]
[edit] College
For college, he attended New York University on a full scholarship, and graduated in 1975.[1]
In 1973 he won the NCAA fencing championships in sabre.
[edit] National championships
He won the U.S. national men's sabre championship 13 times (1974, '75, '79, '80, '81, '82, '83, '84, '85, '86, '88, '89, and '95).[1] He also called it his lucky thirteen for those times.
[edit] Pan American Games
He won gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1983 and 1995, silver medals in 1979 and 1987, and a bronze medal in 1975.[2]
[edit] Olympics
He won a bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was a member of 5 other Olympic teams as well.
[edit] Peter Westbrook Foundation
After his retirement he founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City, which seeks to guide inner-city youth away from gang violence by having them participate in fencing. Four of his students from the Foundation, Keeth Smart, Kamara James, Ivan Lee, and Erinn Smart fenced in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Ivan Lee won the 2001, 2004,2005, and 2008 sabre national championships, Keeth Smart won the 2004 and 2002 sabre national championships and was ranked # 1 in the world in 2003, Erinn Smart won the 2004 and 2002 women's foil national championships, and Kamara James was ranked # 1 in the world in women's epee in 2004.
Notable Fencers trained by the Peter Westbrook Foundation
Keeth Smart, Ivan Lee, Erin Smart, Kamara James, Aki Spencer-El, Benjamin Bratton, Dwight Smith, Harvey Miller III, Herby Raunard, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Henry, Ras Davidson, Marty Williams, Daniel Bak, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Torian Brown, Epiphany Georges, Nzinga Prescod, Carrington Harris, Adam Crompton, Andre Crompton, Ahmed Yilla.
[edit] Writing
Westbrook wrote his memoirs, Harnessing Anger ISBN 1-888363-39-8, ISBN 1-888363-67-3 in which he describes turning his childhood tendency to fight into a drive to succeed at his sport.
[edit] Halls of Fame
Westbrook was indcuted into the New York University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985.[3]
Westbrook was inducted into the USFA Hall of Fame in 1996.
He was also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2002.
[edit] Peter Westbrook Foundation
Since his retirement he founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City, which aims to guide inner-city youth away from gang violence through participation in fencing. One of his students from the Foundation, Keeth Smart, fenced in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Many current and former Westbrook Foundation students can be found in the US National Fencing rankings. Fencers who are alumni or current students of the foundation include Akhi Spencer-El, Keeth Smart, Erin Smart, and Herby Raynaud among others.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wadler, Joyce. "PUBLIC LIVES; A Saber Rattler Teaching Sportsmanship", The New York Times, September 6, 2000. Accessed October 23, 2007. "He started fencing, at Essex Catholic High School, only because his mother bribed him with $5.... Mr. Westbrook was a statewide champion in high school, received a full athletic scholarship to New York University, attended his first Olympic Games in 1976 at age 24."
[edit] External links
- The Peter Westbrook Foundation
- "The Right Touch," by Finn-Olaf Jones, about Peter Westbrook Foundation, in "Forbes," September 18, 2006
- IMDB bio