Journey to Japan: San Antonio fencing sisters hope to touché their way to gold
HOUSTON (KXAN) — Before Épée fencers Courtney and Kelley Hurley ever learned how to walk, they were learning about the world of fencing.
"Both [of us] were raised around fencing," Kelley said. "My parents met in fencing, they got married, they had us."
"We basically came out of the womb fencing," Courtney added.
That would show throughout the years, with win after win and title after title. Each sister showcasing their personality through their fencing style.
"Courtney is a very strong-willed, strongly-opinionated person, and when you see her fencing out there on the strip she just goes down and dominates people," Kelley said.
"Whenever I’m going out there [my teammates] are just like, 'release the Kraken!' And I just go and start attacking like crazy," Courtney said smiling. She said Kelley's "more elegant, she uses more footwork, and it reflects in her personality. She cares about what other people think, she wants to please everybody."
Kelley realized that and said, "I try to analyze more, and step back and let the other person make mistakes. I care about what people say and what people think — whereas Courtney is not like that."
Despite their differences, the sisters agree on one thing — without each other's support, they may not be on their way to Tokyo.
"I don’t think we could have done it without each other," Courtney said.
"We complement each other," Kelley added. "I don’t know what came first the chicken or the egg? Whether we just became that way, because we had to or whether we were that way, and that’s what made it so easy to work together. I don’t know, but it’s worked out."