Fencers and skiers swap skills in Park City Olympic crossover

Olympic fencer Anne Cebula guides US ski team members through a fencing bout. Photo: TownLift // Heather Bergeson

PARK CITY, Utah — Two Olympic fencers joined U.S. Ski and Snowboard athletes last week in a surprising exchange of sports and training, bringing together athletes on the road to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.

On Thursday, Team USA fencers Nick Itkin and Anne Cebula taught the Park City-based athletes basic fencing techniques at the Center for Excellence. The next day, the group hit the slopes to introduce Cebula and Itkin to the world of aerial ski jumping.

When aerial skier Danni Loeb first heard about the crossover event, she admitted she was confused. “[Fencing] has nothing to do with winter time,” she said. “It would have never crossed my mind.”

But as Loeb suited up and wielded the fencing sword, she was surprised by what she discovered. “You have to be very athletic, obviously, for fencing and skiing, but the quick decision making is also pretty similar to aerial skiing,” she said. “In fencing you have to think really quickly because you’re trying to take the other person out. And when you’re on snow, if something just doesn’t go right in the air, you have to have quick decision-making skills in order to fix yourself so you don’t get hurt and you do your jump to the best of your abilities.”

Loeb’s aerial skiing teammate Kyra Dossa said fencing could be a valuable way to cross-train and keep her athleticism sharp in the offseason. “This was the best part of my day,” she said. “I came from training, and this has been so fun.”

Itkin noted that he’s always excited to introduce others to fencing, a sport whose nuances are often unfamiliar to newcomers. He also enjoyed connecting with the Park City athletes and finding common ground in their shared Olympic pursuits. “We all live similar lives, and we’re dedicated to our sports,” he said. “We talked about how much we trained and we’re like, yeah, we have the same schedules, basically. It’s cool to be around people who have similar lifestyles.”

Though their sports are quite different on the surface, the exchange revealed the shared discipline, focus, and camaraderie that unite Olympic athletes.