Northwestern University Athletics
Getting to Know: Kayla Kelch
6/1/2016 11:37:00 AM | Women's Fencing
As part of its monthly Getting to Know feature with members of the Northwestern fencing team, NUsports.com caught up with Kayla Kelch. She enters her senior season with a 28-8 record at Northwestern.
NUsports.com: Why did you choose Northwestern?
Kayla Kelch: "I chose Northwestern because it is the school I had always wanted to go to ever since I started fencing. My coach's daughter went here and absolutely loved it and, as soon as I took a tour and first stepped on campus, I knew this was where I wanted to go."
How did you get your start in fencing?
"My parents have always wanted me to do a ton of sports, so they were always signing me up for different camps. They found a fencing camp in our area that was about three hours a day for a week. For me, it was the sport I found the most interesting, and I fell in love with it right away and have been doing it ever since."
What was it like being a fencer in Michigan, which is not a traditional fencing hotbed?
"There was definitely a lot of traveling. In order to get the training and competition I needed to get better, I would fence at my club in Grand Rapids three times a week and then travel two and a half hours to Detroit twice a week. In the summers I would go to a camp at Notre Dame to train and condition about nine hours a day for a week. I took what was available and made it work."
What are you most looking forward to heading into your senior year?
"I think just having a more relaxed year is what I am looking forward to the most. Thus far my life has consisted mainly of science classes and fencing. My senior year I hope to do more relaxed classes such as intro to painting and sculpting as well as join more organizations. I would like to broaden my horizons to encompass more than just fencing and the sciences, so I can become a more well-rounded person."
What are some of your hobbies outside of fencing?
"I love art of all kinds, whether it is 2-D such as drawing and painting or 3-D such as sculpting. Being active in other sports and activities, such as long boarding and rock climbing takes up the rest of my time."
Where is your favorite place on campus?
"It would definitely be the Shakespeare Garden behind Ford. When all of the flowers are in bloom it is a pretty magical place to just chill and relax."
What is something people might not know about you that they should?
"I love to bake. In high school it was something I did when I was stressed out. I would bake everything from cakes to macarons."
What is your favorite thing about fencing?
"My favorite thing about fencing is how individualized it is, yet at the same time you can still have the team aspect. I enjoy the fact that you can't really blame anyone but yourself for bad results. Fencing is a very competitive sport and you can dislike someone while fencing them and then be friends after the bout is over. It is definitely a different dynamic than a lot of sports I have played."
What is your major and why did you pick it?
"I am a Communication Sciences and Disorders major. I picked it because I am also pre-dental and I didn't want to be a Biology major like most pre-medical students. The major is very broad encompassing fields such as speech pathology, audiology, and other disorders that may affect communication skills, which keeps things interesting. It is also applicable to dentistry as much of it focuses on the vocal mechanisms as well as the throat and mouth area, putting me slightly ahead of the game."
What are your career / future plans?
"My plan is to go to dental school to become a dentist and then specialize. At the moment I am hoping to specialize in orthodontia, but who knows what will happen."
NUsports.com: Why did you choose Northwestern?
Kayla Kelch: "I chose Northwestern because it is the school I had always wanted to go to ever since I started fencing. My coach's daughter went here and absolutely loved it and, as soon as I took a tour and first stepped on campus, I knew this was where I wanted to go."
How did you get your start in fencing?
"My parents have always wanted me to do a ton of sports, so they were always signing me up for different camps. They found a fencing camp in our area that was about three hours a day for a week. For me, it was the sport I found the most interesting, and I fell in love with it right away and have been doing it ever since."
What was it like being a fencer in Michigan, which is not a traditional fencing hotbed?
"There was definitely a lot of traveling. In order to get the training and competition I needed to get better, I would fence at my club in Grand Rapids three times a week and then travel two and a half hours to Detroit twice a week. In the summers I would go to a camp at Notre Dame to train and condition about nine hours a day for a week. I took what was available and made it work."
What are you most looking forward to heading into your senior year?
"I think just having a more relaxed year is what I am looking forward to the most. Thus far my life has consisted mainly of science classes and fencing. My senior year I hope to do more relaxed classes such as intro to painting and sculpting as well as join more organizations. I would like to broaden my horizons to encompass more than just fencing and the sciences, so I can become a more well-rounded person."
What are some of your hobbies outside of fencing?
"I love art of all kinds, whether it is 2-D such as drawing and painting or 3-D such as sculpting. Being active in other sports and activities, such as long boarding and rock climbing takes up the rest of my time."
Where is your favorite place on campus?
"It would definitely be the Shakespeare Garden behind Ford. When all of the flowers are in bloom it is a pretty magical place to just chill and relax."
What is something people might not know about you that they should?
"I love to bake. In high school it was something I did when I was stressed out. I would bake everything from cakes to macarons."
What is your favorite thing about fencing?
"My favorite thing about fencing is how individualized it is, yet at the same time you can still have the team aspect. I enjoy the fact that you can't really blame anyone but yourself for bad results. Fencing is a very competitive sport and you can dislike someone while fencing them and then be friends after the bout is over. It is definitely a different dynamic than a lot of sports I have played."
What is your major and why did you pick it?
"I am a Communication Sciences and Disorders major. I picked it because I am also pre-dental and I didn't want to be a Biology major like most pre-medical students. The major is very broad encompassing fields such as speech pathology, audiology, and other disorders that may affect communication skills, which keeps things interesting. It is also applicable to dentistry as much of it focuses on the vocal mechanisms as well as the throat and mouth area, putting me slightly ahead of the game."
What are your career / future plans?
"My plan is to go to dental school to become a dentist and then specialize. At the moment I am hoping to specialize in orthodontia, but who knows what will happen."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Fencing
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