MHS Fencer with Dyslexia Focuses on Strengths to Succeed

Chase Emmer, 14 years old and a life-long resident of Morris Township, NJ, has been fencing since he was just five and half years old and is currently ranked number one in the entire United States for his age group.

Ironically, right around the same time that his parents noticed that Chase had innate talent for fencing,they also figured out he had dyslexia.

When a child is diagnosed with a learning disability like dyslexia, it’s very natural for everyone to focus on the challenges and shortcomings that student will have to overcome academically. This story is about how one student focused on his strengths and worked hard to succeed both in school and his sport despite, or maybe even with the help of, his dyslexia.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological disorder experienced by 1 out of 10 people in the United States. It is a common misconception that people with dyslexia see and write their letters backwards or upside down. In fact, people with dyslexia just process information differently. Unfortunately, because of the difficulty they have recognizing and decoding words, students with dyslexia find tasks like reading, writing and spelling, to be tiring and difficult.

Happily, there are countless examples of successful and famous dyslexics who have overcome those challenges including Richard Branson, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison to name just a few. Those individuals succeeded by focusing on their strengths and pursuing their passions.

Most dyslexics share common strengths including above average visual processing, spatial awareness, and puzzle solving abilities. Many are good at sport and have a high energy level, fast reflexes and great dexterity. They also tend to have an excellent memory for rhythm and beat. Furthermore, because many dyslexics have great peripheral vision and difficulty focusing visually on any one thing, they often see the “big picture” both literally and figuratively and are therefore very intuitive, empathetic and creative.

Using Strengths to Succeed in Fencing

In Chase’s situation, he has been able to harness his strengths and passion to excel at fencing. Chase is currently ranked number one in the country in his age group. For his type of fencing, men’s foil, he is ranked third among all cadet fencers age 16 and under and has qualified to be on the United States fencing team.

In the past couple of years, Chase has competed and won against athletes who fence on the Olympic team and/or NCAA schools like Princeton and Stamford. Earlier this month, Chase was a bronze medalist at the October North American Cup in Milwaukee, sharing the podium with the 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Gerek Meinhardt who won gold and Brian Kaneshige (Hoboken, N.J.) who secured Silver as well as Miles Chamley-Watson (New York, N.Y.) who tied Chase for third place in Division 1 Men’s Foil.

Notably, Chase also won a silver medal at the Junior Olympics this past February, losing in the finals of the Junior Men’s Foil to Julian Knodt, a member of the Princeton fencing team who is coached by Greg Massialas, the head of the Men’s Olympic foil team. Prior to that Chase won the 12U national championship in Salt Lake City in 2017 and the 10U national championship in San Jose in 2015.

Succeeding Academically

Amazingly, even with his rigorous schedule and the additional challenges he faces because of his dyslexia, Chase does well academically. He and his parents credit the outstanding support of the Morris School District which Chase has been part of since second grade. He received special education classification starting at age six. Chase, his parents, teachers and the child study team at the Morris School District have worked together to ensure he can continue to compete at a national, and now international, level while still succeeding academically.

In addition to the support and guidance Chase has received from the Morris School District, he has had the good fortune to have access to two incredible tutors, Diana King, a leading expert and educator focused on Dyslexia who passed away this July, and John Babula who has been with the Morris School District for more than 15 years. He also spent three summers at Camp Spring Creek in North Carolina which is run by Susie van der Vorst. During those summers he received multi-sensory Orton-Gillingham based instruction to help him overcome the academic challenges associated with his dyslexia.

What’s Next for Chase?

It’s going to be fun to watch what happens with this passionate, hard-working, talented and determined teen! Not just in his fencing career, but academically as well. Chase is very excited to join the fencing team at Morristown High School this season.

For any of you out there struggling with dyslexia or similar learning disabilities, the message is clear. Figure out what you are good at and go after it! Find what you love, work hard at it, get the support you need, and you can be anything you want.

Additional Resources

Dyslexia

International Dyslexia Association Fact Sheets

9 Common Strengths of Dyslexics

University of Michigan: The Many Strengths of Dyslexics

Scientific American: The Advantages of Dyslexia

Fencing

USA Fencing Organization

V-Fencing Club