Is There a Monster at Penn State University Fencing?
When you read this article, you will likely conclude. like me, that there is indeed a monster running the show at Penn State Fencing (PSU Fencing), a monster that the PSU authorities have allowed to roam free and inflict enormous harm on women fencers and fencers of color despite numerous complaints over several years.
Zara Moss’ Story
On Tuesday, a friend emailed me a Facebook post by the Fencers of Color Network featuring a TikTok video created by former PSU fencer Zara Moss with an adamant message that I must watch it.
I was horrified by what Zara revealed in her video - her PSU coach had repeatedly said immensely abusive, offensive and misogynistic things to her during her 4 years on the NCAA fencing team at PSU.
I followed Zara to her TikTok account, and found another video where Zara shares the trauma she suffered at the hands of her PSU coach. Finally, Zara posts that despite filing a complaint with PSU’s compliance department in March 2020, she never heard anything back.
Zara was a straight A student in high school and she had been athlete recruited to PSU with a full ride scholarship. Zara was ranked number 7 on the Women’s Saber National Junior Points List in her junior year in high school and finished out her senior year ranked number 5 on that list. Zara showed immense promise as a fencer as she entered her freshman year at PSU, and both her PSU coach and Ed Korfanty, the then National Saber coach had high hopes for her making the 2020 Olympic team.
But all these hopes and dreams unraveled for Zara at the hands of an abusive, misogynistic and racist monster of a coach at PSU.
Click the image to watch the video or click this LINK
Click the image to watch the video or click this LINK
Click the image to watch the video or click this LINK
what happened during Zara’s FOUR years at PSU?
In our conversation on Wednesday, Zara Moss and her mother Julie, shared with me the overwhelming trauma that Zara’s fencing coach at PSU had inflicted on her during her four years on the NCAA fencing team there. Zara’s fear of retaliation, and especially her fear of losing her full ride scholarship, stopped Zara from speaking out against this abusive coach sooner. She finally did so in March 2020 , her final semester at PSU, but as you know from Zara’s video, she received no response whatsoever from the PSU compliance department.
long term damage
Zara has been diagnosed with PTSD, and suffers from insomnia and recurrent nightmares as a result of the abuse she experienced at the hands of her fencing coach at PSU. Zara has had to seek help from sports psychologists and therapists during her time at PSU as she became increasingly traumatized by the abuse. By her junior year at PSU, Zara was terrified and she had lost all motivation to fence. Her hopes to become an Olympian were gone and she only hoped to survive until graduation.
See article: When does coach yelling crossover to abuse? which includes discussion on the long term damage caused by emotional and verbal abuse.
Physical Assault
During a private one on one lesson with Zara, her coach got mad at her for her inability to execute a parry he had taught her and as a result of the coach’s anger, Zara says that he forced her to mock fence him in her t-shirt, leggings and fencing mask. The coach hit her repeatedly with his full strength and refused to stop despite her telling him that he was hurting her and she was sobbing the whole time. He refused her request to put on her protective fencing uniform. Zara ended up with severe bruises on her arms and stomach. Zara shared this terrible incident with both her mother and her therapist. She asked her therapist not to escalate the issue as she was afraid that her coach would exact revenge on her if he found out she had told on him. She was terrified.
Forcing Zara to fence despite injury
Concussion
Zara experienced symptoms typical of concussion after she took a hard hit to the head at a tournament. She had difficulty focusing in class, developed an aversion to bright lights and had bouts of crying for no reason. But her coach insisted that it was not concussion but that they were symptoms of her period, he claimed to understand the issue because he has daughters. He declined to let her seek medical help.
Zara sought medical help anyway, and the doctor confirmed that she had suffered a concussion.
Ankle Injuries
Zara had trouble with her ankle throughout her freshman year, but her coach dismissed her problem and lay the blame for her ankle injuries on her alleged laziness. Zara underwent ankle surgery during the summer as her injury was severe. She had to rest her ankle for 12 weeks after the surgery, and returned to PSU for her sophomore year still in a boot.
Chronic Compartment Syndrome
Zara experienced chronic compartment syndrome in her legs towards the end of senior year, a condition that can lead to permanent nerve damage if left untreated. As the NCAA championship was only a few weeks away, the team doctor reached a compromise with Zara to delay her surgery, but she strongly advised her to reduce her training load. However, her coach was unsympathetic, and devised an intense and tough 5 day a week training plan for the team, including Zara, totally ignoring the doctor’s advice. Instead, Zara says that he told her the doctor had, in an email, cleared her for training at full strength, but he refused to share the email with Zara.
When Zara told him that her legs were numb, he cruelly responded that it was a good thing since she could not feel the pain.
Meanwhile, a white male fencer on the team had a sprained ankle at about the same time. The coach released this fencer from training and told him to get more rest.
systematic verbal and emotional abuse
Throughout her four years at PSU, Zara was subjected to a systematic pattern of deliberately misogynistic and offensive language that was highly abusive and deeply traumatizing (watch Zara’s video HERE).
Here are just a few examples:
He denied her access to her trusted high school coaches and told her she needed to spend less time with her family.
He threatened her scholarship on a regular basis.
He told her what she needed was a boyfriend.
He told her lies about what other people were saying about her and berated her in front of her teammates. One day, he called her into his office and told her she should be embarrassed because she was a disappointment to him . . . to the fencing team . . . to the entire university . . . to her friends and . . . to her family.
These examples are only the tip of the iceberg, there is much worse.
I understand from Zara that she is not the only victim, and that many more fencers on the PSU fencing team have suffered abuse from this coach. According to Zara, this coach singles out women fencers and male fencers of color for abuse, while allowing many privileges to the white male fencers on the PSU team. He has little respect for women, and does not even trust diagnoses made by the two women team doctors at PSU.
who is this monster?
Wes Glon. After serving his three month suspension from fencing imposed by SafeSport for failing to report a sexual abuse case in 2021, Wes Glon is back as head coach of PSU’s NCAA fencing team.
SafeSport and FenceSafe
For the safety of all current and future fencers at PSU, Wes Glon must be thoroughly investigated by PSU, SafeSport and FenceSafe, and removed from his position of power and authority over fencers of any age, if he is found guilty as charged. Pending the outcome of these investigations, Wes Glon needs to be suspended as a coach and from membership of US Fencing
We understand from Zara that in addition to her complaint to PSU, she has today filed her complaints to both SafeSport and US Fencing’s FenceSafe. SafeSport is investigating and will make a decision whether to take jurisdiction in Zara’s case or to leave jurisdiction with US Fencing.
The Board of US Fencing has empowered the FenceSafe Review Group to temporarily suspend a member as recommended by the Safe Sport Coordinator, if deemed reasonably necessary for the safety and well-being of USA Fencing members, either prior to the U.S. Center for SafeSport determining whether to accept jurisdiction, or prior to the outcome of an investigation initiated by the SafeSport Review Group.
The FenceSafe Review Group should immediately use its powers to temporarily suspend Wes Glon pending the outcome of a full investigation.
We look forward to justice being done for Zara.
call for legal advice for zara
Zara will need legal advice as she moves forward with her complaints against Wes Glon. If you are a lawyer with the expertise to guide Zara or you know a lawyer with such expertise, please contact me (Donna Meyer) at editor@fencingparents.org or Zara through direct messaging on social media.
Note: Zara’s videos have gone viral since Tuesday, and PSU is now paying attention to Zara’s complaints. So, we should keep up the public pressure. You can call or write to the following officials at PSU:
ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICE
Bob Boland
Athletics Integrity Officer
rab473@psu.edu
814-865-8391
Sandy Barbour
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Athletic_Director@athletics.psu.edu
814-865-1086
