The Many Sides of Safa

Competition often brings out a different side of people, but the contrast is even more pronounced in someone like mild-mannered Safa Ibrahim, the lone senior for nationally ranked Temple fencing in 2017-18.

Ibrahim is as laid back as they come in her everyday life, introverted but quick to smile. She came to Temple as a shy freshman in 2014, having made the transition to college fencing solely because her mother made it happen by setting up a meeting with head coach Dr. Nikki Franke.

"I really didn't communicate with college coaches," said Ibrahim. "I didn't even think that much about fencing in college. It was actually my mom who spoke to Coach Franke! I was so resistant before that, it was all my mom."

Ibrahim first took up fencing briefly in her native Chicago at age nine, and again at 12 a few years after her family moved to the Bronx. This time it stuck as she joined the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF) and received serious coaching for the next few years.

In her younger days, Ibrahim struggled with her emotions while fencing. Through her time at PWF, Ibrahim learned how to control her aggression.

"When you're competing, a different side of you comes out," she said. "You become more aggressive. You're fighting when you're fencing. It's just a whole different personality that comes out in me. When I was younger I'd get angry and didn't know how to control my emotions, but now I'm more able to learn from my losses and accept them and move on."

She credits much of her success and training to Peter Westbrook, who has inspired her through her fencing career. Westbrook, a former Olympic medalist, founded the PWF in 1991 in order to use fencing as a means of developing life and academic skills for young people from underserved communities of New York City.

"He really supplied my whole foundation of fencing," said Ibrahim about Westbrook. "He funded the competitions I went to like the World Cup. Without him, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now. He's given me so many connections, including fencers who came to Temple before me, and that really influenced my decision. He's also given me a lot of feedback and fencing strategies. He's been a big role model for me."

Through PWF, Ibrahim met Temple alums Epiphany Georges and Kamali Thompson, the latter an All-American for the Owls who was the second alternate to the Olympic team in sabre in 2016. Perhaps more notably, Ibrahim has made a friend in PWF alum Ibtihaj Muhammad, best known for being the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics.

"I would call her a friend," said Ibrahim of Muhammad. "We're not the closest but we've known each other for so many years. We have good conversations when we see each other."

Ibrahim, a Muslim American herself, is the lone female Temple student-athlete to wear the hijab.

"Part of me is aware of being a Muslim athlete but part of me isn't," she said. "It's pretty obvious," she laughs. "Sometimes I'm aware but other times I don't really think about it. I'm really comfortable with myself as a person and wearing the hijab."

Part of Ibrahim's comfort stems from never being part of a big Muslim community.

"My dad converted to Islam and he's the only one on his side of the family, and my mom's parents converted after college," she says. "So we're a small community even within our own family. We are more often around non-Muslims."

Her proximity to Olympians through PWF led Ibrahim to one who would truly change her future – Temple's head coach. Franke and Westbrook have been friends for many years and fenced together in the 1976 Olympics.

Once Ibrahim's mom set up the meeting with Franke, her future at Temple was sealed, and it would prove to be extremely bright.

As a freshman, Ibrahim smashed the previous epee record for wins in a season, going 72-28 to break the previous mark by 15 wins. She earned an NCAA Tournament berth as a rookie, and placed 16th overall. As a sophomore she returned to the national meet and placed 17th, before having her best showing a year later with a ninth-place result and honorable mention All-America honors.

If you've ever attended a fencing meet, you likely know that a touch, like a point in many tennis matches, often elicits a scream from the competitors. Although not a "screamer" in her younger days, Ibrahim admits that's part of her fencing routine now.

"Once you get that touch you feel relieved, and it's like you're throwing off your stress," she said. "It helps you build confidence also, and can startle your opponent. For me, it helps me get into the zone."

Ibrahim's personality off the strip hasn't changed too noticeably. She'd still prefer to go quietly about her business and stay out of the spotlight. But with age and increased confidence has come increased responsibility, and the shy freshman has now become team captain for the Owls.

"I did not imagine ever being a captain a few years ago," she says. "It has taken me by surprise but it's a challenge I'm happy to take on. I know it'll help me grow as a person and help me for the future. I hope I can be a good role model and help us grow as a team and achieve even better results."

When Ibrahim was interviewed by a radio station back home last summer, she was sent out of her element by the host. They asked her, as part of the interview, to go out on the streets in her neighborhood and find out what, if anything, people knew about the sport of fencing.

"It was definitely interesting!" she said of the experience. "I used to do a lot of documentaries (in high school) so I was more comfortable with it than maybe I normally would be. I was like 'I'm just gonna go for it.' Most people's reactions were like, 'what in the world is fencing?' If anything, they would relate it to movies like Zorro or The Parent Trap. They also would say 'it's a white sport' and that's really all they knew about it."

That documentary experience will serve Ibrahim well in her future, as she hopes to use her sociology degree to work with different cultures all around the globe.

"I really want to do research, primarily about different social problems," she said. "I'd love to travel to different countries and do research abroad. I don't know specifically about what, but I definitely want to travel and hopefully I can help with certain issues like drug abuse and education. After I publish research I'd love to do documentaries about my research."

Her future fencing plans are up in the air and dependent somewhat on how her senior season plays out, but Ibrahim thinks the sport will almost certainly stay with her.

"I've been asking myself a lot if I'll stay with fencing," she said. "It's so expensive! It really depends on how much I can afford it, but I definitely don't want to just abandon it. I really enjoy fencing and its given me so many opportunities and has taught me so much about myself. I've met so many great people. I do want to stick with it if possible, but I'm going to take that day by day and see what happens. I feel like fencing will probably always be a part of my life."

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