August 4, 2016

Graduate School dean discusses own experiences as Olympian

John Naber and Mark Smith Mark Smith, dean of Purdue's Graduate School, shakes hands with swimmer John Naber at the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Naber won five Olympic medals, including four gold, in swimming. Smith competed on the U.S. men’s fencing team at Los Angeles. (Photo provided by Mark Smith) Download image

Mark Smith, dean of the Graduate School, was a member of two U.S. Olympic men's fencing teams. A two-time national fencing champion, in 1981 and 1983, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980 and 1984. The 1980 team did not compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, when the United States and other nations boycotted the games after the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. In 1984, Smith competed on the U.S. men's foil team, which placed fifth. He was one of the final runners carrying the Olympic torch to the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The 2016 Summer Olympics begin Friday (Aug. 5) in Rio de Janeiro. Smith talks about his experiences as an Olympian.

What was it like to be a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympics team but not compete at the Moscow Games?

The first reaction that I had was complete disbelief and denial. I was in Europe training when I heard the news and couldn't imagine that the U.S. Olympic Committee (a private independent organization) would let such a thing happen. But it happened. It took some time for it to sink in. After I accepted the facts, I felt conflicted. While I felt strongly that the Olympic Games should not be used as a political tool, I also felt an obligation to support my country. It was a very disappointing time in my life. I'm glad I had another shot at the Olympics.

 

Mark Smith Mark Smith
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What type of fencing did you compete in -- foil, epee, or sabre?

I fenced in all three weapons at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the NCAAs, however, I competed in foil. My first love is foil, and that is what I competed in at the Olympics.

Where did you, and the U.S. men's team, finish in the 1984 Olympics?

I didn't compete individually. I competed on the foil team, which finished fifth. It was a tough competition. Italy was first, Germany second, France third and Great Britain fourth. I do remember one match against a British fencer whom I had faced twice before that year in other competitions, and lost both times. But I beat him in the Olympics, and it made my day. He was very upset about losing.

How did being an Olympian influence your life and career?

After fencing on the varsity teams in high school and college, I entered my first U.S. national championship tournament in June 1978, the summer preceding the start of my entering the PhD electrical engineering program at Georgia Tech. The tournament was a grueling two-day event. To my delight, I finished third, which put me on the national squad. So now I was faced with an interesting dilemma. Should I focus on my PhD work, or should I take time off the following year and focus on making the 1980 Olympic fencing team? I chose the latter. You only live once. Although my time away from campus training delayed my graduation, it enriched my education in many ways. It was an experience that taught me perseverance, how to be strategic, and how to focus.

Are there any experiences from participating in the Olympics that stand out above the others?

There were many adventures on the road to the Olympics that are special to me, such as our experiences with the Soviet team. Preceding the 1984 Olympics, there were a number of very large international competitions, such as the World University Games, the Pan Am Games, World Cup tournaments, and the World Fencing Championships. We had competed against and interacted with virtually all of the national teams many times prior to the 1984 Olympics. In the 1980s, we were in the Cold War, and there was strong political tension between the East and West. The Soviet Union and the former East bloc countries were our adversaries then. But the climate among the athletes was very different. We quickly discovered a common denominator -- trade. Fencing equipment is very expensive to buy in the United States. The Soviet fencers are given all of their equipment free of charge in almost unlimited quantities. In the Soviet Union, jeans, watches, and designer clothes were very difficult to obtain. So, we did a lot of trading. Ironically, the Soviet and former East bloc fencers were bigger capitalists than we were. While the cultures can be quite different from country to country, I enjoyed getting to know athletes from all over the world and discovering how much we have in common.

Writer: Greg McClure, 765-696-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu 

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