Wonder Woman of the Week: Becca Ward

I write about a lot of athletes on this blog, and for good reason. Student athletes especially balance their role as a student, an athlete, and are expected to lead a successful social life. All of that is not easy, and more often than not those athletes have to make hard choices about how they balance their lives. This week’s spotlight is no exception. She was a high school Olympian who chose college over a second appearance in the Olympics. Her gold medals outnumber all other awards, and she’s a strong advocate for environmental protection. Becca Ward is the Wonder Woman of the Week.

At nine years old, little Becca Ward was looking for the pool at her community rec center. She was lost. Upon opening a door in the recreation center, she saw a group of fencers practicing the sport. Ward was confused, stood there for a while trying to figure out what she was looking at, then went home and told her parents she wanted to be a fencer. The thought of making boys cry when she beat them up with a sword was all too appealing. [1]

Rebecca Ward fenced all through school along with whitewater kayaking for three years while in high school. In 2007, she won five gold medals out of nine world-class tournaments, ten out of fifteen in 2008, and between 2009 and 2012 Ward took Gold three out of the four years as the NCAA Champion in saber. (In 2010, she took silver.) At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Becca Ward took bronze in both the individual and team saber competitions. [2]

While in Beijing, Ward experienced horrendous smog. She constantly had headaches, and the rain stained her clothes. Upon return to the United States, she enrolled at Duke University as a major in environmental sciences- specifically environmental policy in the federal government. [3] Ward never wanted to be identified by her sport. Unlike many athletes who would chose the Olympics over college without a second thought, Becca Ward put her education first. When she was a shoe-in for the London Games- even favored to win gold in her event- she turned down the offer and focused on her studies so she could graduate from Duke. [4] In her senior year at Duke, Ward became the NCAA champion in saber for the third time. “I won the last bout,” Ward said. “I got the last touch, and I turned around and my coach was teary-eyed, and I just started crying, and my team rushed in and it was a very nice final note to end on.” [5]

Rebecca Ward still fences today and even leads her own fencing club, but she does not let the sport define her. She graduated from Duke University in 2012 and became involved in environmental public policy. She plans on moving on to earn her Masters Degree and help businesses abroad develop positive environmental policies. [6]

Like a few Wonder Women before her- Becca Ward chose to pursue her education, understanding that gold medals aren’t everything. She’s still however a near unbeatable swordswomen. (272 wins to 7 losses over four years is frighteningly good.) She’s a strong advocate for the environment, especially in public policy and business, is a director at her local fencing club, and is one powerful role model.

"First Person: Becca Ward, 23, Washington, Fencing Coach/Olympian, Arlington Fencers." Washington Post. June 13, 2013. Accessed May 13, 2015.

"Rebecca Ward." Team USA. Accessed May 13, 2015.

"Duke University Alumni: Becca Ward '12." YouTube. Accessed May 13, 2015.

"London Isn't Calling." London Isn't Calling. June 3, 2012. Accessed May 13, 2015.

Krishnan, Vaishnavi. "Ward Picks Duke over the Olympics." The Duke Chronicle. March 29, 2012. Accessed May 13, 2015.

"Becca Ward." LinkedIn. Accessed May 14, 2015.