Assistant coach Ian Farr named to U.S. coaching staff for women's sabre World Cups
Ian Farr - a former standout sabreist for Penn State and member of the Oregon Fencing Alliance, which has produced several Notre Dame fencing prospects - enters his second year with the Irish fencing team as an assistant coach and sabre specialist.
In his first season with the program - a National Championship season - Farr helped the maximum four fencers qualify for the NCAA Championship and earn All-America recognition in the process. Senior sabreists Barron Nydam (6th) and Eileen Hassett (3rd) both entered the Irish record books as four-time All-Americans following the 2011 campaign, while Avery Zuck (2nd) concluded with three such accolades. Farr also helped sophomore Lian Osier (9th) capture third team All-American in her first NCAA Championship.
Before joining the Notre Dame coaching staff, Farr worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern. While there, he was in charge of coaching 35 female student-athletes, providing each member of the eight-person sabre squad with one-on-one instruction on a consistent basis. In his one season in Evanston, Ill., the Wildcats put together a very successful 45-5 record. Before accepting the volunteer coaching position at Northwestern, Farr worked in their camps department, leading fencing related drills and activities for open and competitive fencing camps in the summer of `08.
Prior to joining the Wildcat staff, Farr worked for 11 months in the Portland State athletics department (2007-2008). His responsibilities there included, but were not limited to, assisting event managers in preparation for athletic events, including football. Farr also served as the intermediary between the officials and visiting teams to ensure a safe and friendly environment for all parties, as well as managing the student-worker staff. Before entering into the athletics field, Farr served as a documents and legal assistant at Thompson & Bogram P.C. in Portland, Ore., from 2007 through 2008. While there he maintained existing cases and was responsible for organizing incoming discovery.
During his college career, Farr competed with a very talented Penn State team, including the `07 team that went on to capture the NCAA title. Along with helping the team capture the title, he also grabbed All-America honors in each of the `04 and `07 seasons and served as the men's fencing team representative in `06-07 for the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. Farr also was chosen to represent the United States in several World Cup fencing competitions.
