George Schnabel

The good old days: A younger, more in-shape me takes to the strip in a high school fencing bout.

Olympic fencing matches ended Sunday, meaning I'm starting to come off my Olympic high. Sure, watching people like Michael Phelps or Gabby Douglas go for gold is exciting — but to me, it's nothing compared to the sights and sounds of two blades clashing.

I became interested in fencing the same way a lot of kids probably do: loving the sword fights in movies like "The Princess Bride" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood." I tried other sports like field hockey and softball, but nothing captured my heart like fencing.

Sadly, fencing is only discussed every four years, when the Summer Olympics come around, and is not viewed very highly by Americans. As Mike Wise put it in an article in The Washington Post last week, "no one but fencers cares about fencing after the Olympics are over" and "niche athletes need to savor the Games and smile more often for those two weeks ... because they really matter to most of us only every four years."

Wise is not alone in this rather dismissive view of the sport. Frankly, I think fencing takes more effort to understand than other sports. Also, because of all the required gear, it's not as visually sexy as beach volleyball or swimming, so often people don't take the effort to watch it.

But as a former "niche athlete" who fenced for eight years, I'm always excited to see the sport finally return to TV. I enjoy watching it with my fencer friends to talk about old times, and with my non-fencer friends and co-workers to explain what’s going on. Those who take the time to try it often find it really engaging.

Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP - Getty Images

U.S. fencer Mariel Zagunis, seen on the left, faced Ukraine's Olga Kharlan during the women's sabre bronze medal bout at the Olympics on Wednesday. Zagunis lost and placed fourth.

This year I felt more people than usual were talking about fencing, thanks to American sabre fencer Mariel Zagunis, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who was going for her third straight win in the individual competition and was also named the flag bearer for Team USA, an honor many Olympians dream of. Zagunis didn't medal, but the U.S. Olympic Fencing team didn't go home empty-handed; the U.S. women's epee team took home bronze on Saturday.

But you didn't get to see much of epee on TV; instead, sabre seemed to be the most featured television fencing event. In fact, it always seems to get the most attention of the three weapons (the other two being epee and foil). It is an obvious choice for TV because it’s faster and looks a lot more like the swashbuckling sword fighting people see in the movies.

By now you may be asking: What's the deal with all these weapons? Basically, foil, epee and sabre differ in shape, size, which part of the weapon you can hit your opponent with to get points, and the target areas on the body that you can hit. (To learn more, visit the United States Fencing Association website.)

George Schnabel

In high school my coach almost switched me to sabre because I was fast and aggressive. Instead I stayed in foil and used those traits to my advantage.

As a dedicated foil fencer, I'll admit I'm biased towards the weapon and was sad not to see more of it on TV this year. Still, even watching the other weapons was enough to make me nostalgic. I miss not only the physical challenge of fencing, but the battle of wits against opponents. Combined, these two aspects made fencing much more challenging than any other sport I've tried.

But it's the people I met along the way that made the sport truly amazing: from the high school coach who taught me to face my fears, believe in myself, and never settle for anything less than 110 percent to the teammates who had my back and who I fought for in return. Not to mention the godlike Olympians I'll never forget meeting at various competitions: I glimpsed Zagunis at a college meet and once went head to head in a meet with Olympic foil fencer and Harvard alumna Emily Cross (I managed to get three points on her before she crushed me). Olympic fencers always left the rest of us in awe: These were the people representing us to the world and giving us a voice in America when no one else seemed to care.

I think 2012 has been a good year for "niche" sports, as Wise would label them. For example, NBC reported that archery was receiving bigger viewing numbers then usual; more people across the country seem to be interested in it thanks to movies like "The Hunger Games."

Jamie Kraut

En garde! Here I am saluting my opponent before starting a college fencing meet as part of Tufts University's varsity team. There's nothing like the anticipation before a bout, saluting, putting on your mask and raising your foil!

But unlike archery, fencing is still ignored by most. Yet no one can convince me it's any less important a sport than those in the spotlight during the Olympics. While some people might like me to be a good little fencer and shut up for the next four years, I'm not going to. I'm thinking of dusting off my foil and getting back into competitive fencing. I'll also keep talking about it and encouraging people to give it a chance.

Yes, I'm biased, but to me it's the best sport. And if you think otherwise, try picking up a sword and see how it feels. After that, you won't be able to say anything's cooler.

TODAY.com producer Lisa Granshaw's fencing nickname in high school and college was Lil' Killa. Just as you shouldn't ignore niche sports, you also shouldn't underestimate short people!

More:

• Team USA flag bearer dreams of owning pig  
• Olympian on why he chose archery: 'My dad wouldn't let me race'
• Video: En garde! Matt and Al duel on the plaza

Lisa Dixon

From Bow To Wow is right for Stella! She went from shelter dog to faithful companion of Olympian Michael Phelps.

It's a true love story: Olympic swimmer goes on morning talk show, and by the end is hopelessly smitten with a beautiful young girl named Penelope — who also happens to be a shelter dog.

You may recognize Penelope from TODAY's Bow To Wow segment in November. On that fateful winter day, Michael Phelps was on set to chat about his training regimen and ended up lending a hand by walking Penelope out on the plaza. In that brief moment, Phelps decided he had to adopt her and the pair have been partners ever since.

TODAY

Love at first sight! Michael Phelps met Penelope on TODAY and couldn't help but adopt her.

The Catahoula mix — now re-named Stella —  isn't Phelps' only dog. According to Michael's mom Debbie, Stella is getting along famously with Michael's other pooch, a bulldog named Herman. She said the happy trio are all doing well.

Lisa Dixon

Relaxing on vacation, Herman is the other faithful hound of Olympian Michael Phelps.

It's easy to see that Phelps is dedicated to his dogs just from a glance at his Twitter page. He regularly shares updates and photos of Herman and Stella, like these two from the end of May:

And, of course, how could any dog owned by an Olympic swimmer resist the water? Michael's mom told TODAY.com that Stella is going to learn to swim soon and from the below photo it's clear Herman doesn't shy away from the waves. 

Lisa Dixon

Herman, king of the dock, surveys all around him.

Lisa Dixon

Stella may not know how to swim yet but we're sure she will soon be a master of the water just like her owner!

While the pair of pooches won't be traveling with Michael if he continues to the Olympics, it's clear they'll certainly be in his thoughts and cheering him on!

More:

• Michael Phelps' mom: 'Don't push' kids into sports 
• Dogs rule the office: 16 Take Your Dog to Work Day photos
• Video: Meet Mugly (he's ugly) 

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Debbie Phelps is the quintessential Olympic mother: Her support for her 14-time medalist son, swimmer Michael Phelps, is clear at every competition. This summer, Debbie is preparing to watch her son compete in another Olympics  — most likely for the last time.

With her final Games on the horizon, Debbie fondly remembers the first ones she attended with Michael. Her advice for mothers going to watch their children compete for the first time is the same as for mothers with young kids just starting out in sports — don’t push.

“Children have to do what they enjoy,” Debbie told TODAY.com. “You have to let your kids find what’s best for them and what their own niche is.”

Though Debbie was an athlete herself (volleyball, basketball and high jump), she never pressured her children to follow in her sports footsteps. In fact, when 11-year-old Michael started to swim at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club with coach Bob Bowman, Debbie recalls Bowman coming to speak with her and Michael’s father about their son’s swimming future. Bowman laid out a plan for Michael’s swimming career all the way up to 2012, and Debbie started to laugh.

Bowman asked what was the matter and Debbie was blunt. “I told him, ‘If [Michael] doesn’t enjoy it, this isn’t going to happen!”

If refraining from pushing is the first step toward supporting your child, the second, according to Debbie, is listening. If your child isn’t having a good time, don’t force it.

Debbie remembers a time when even the amazing Michael Phelps no longer wanted to be a swimmer and was hesitant to continue. When he was entering high school, all his friends began getting physicals to play school sports, and Michael started to feel left out. That’s when he told his mother he wanted to switch to golf!

“I sat him down and we took a look at his swimming and where it could take him,” Debbie recalls. “You have to let them decide what to do. It’s about educating them about the opportunities that can open up.” As you can guess, Michael stayed with swimming.

Education is the third element on Debbie's list for supporting a child with sports potential. Even learning how to handle their own luggage can be valuable: “I never packed their bags, I never carried bags. It was about them learning to be responsible, and part of their education.”

It was a lesson Michael learned the hard way. Once when he was at a competition at age 14, he reached for his goggles and realized he didn’t have them. When he looked over at his mom, she just lifted her empty hands. “There was nothing I could do about it! He hasn’t forgotten his goggles since,” she laughed.

Debbie, a middle school principal, is passionate about educating kids about the dangers of drinking and driving. As a spokesperson for The Century Council, she tries to bring this message to kids and encourage parents to talk about the issue with their children.

Like any other mom watching her child compete in a sport, Debbie is excited to be heading to another Games. She still tears up at the thought of Michael receiving his medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the moment the cameras didn’t capture: when Michael went up to his family, medal in hand, and said “Look what I did!”

“It was like a dream,” Debbie recalled tearfully. “I was so proud.”

But the whole experience of attending an Olympics is incredible, according to Debbie. “Everyone is there supporting their kids, wanting them to win, and for a little while, there’s peace. Watching your child compete is very rewarding.”

So is Michael really done competing in the Olympics after London? When Matt Lauer asked Debbie if there was any chance of her son changing his mind about competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she answered with a firm no. “He will not swim there. No, no that’s final,” Debbie said, later confirming the decision to TODAY.com.

But what about Debbie and Michael attending as spectators? She isn't sure. “It’s four years away, who know what will happen by then? Maybe he’ll be playing golf!”

Yet even if she never attends another Olympics after this one, Debbie believes there are still ways those of us at home can support our athletes. “Remember them,” she insists. “Don’t forget these athletes. They only make an appearance every four years, and when the torch is put to rest, it’s easy to forget. People remember football, baseball, and those athletes because their sports are seasonal.

“Remember the hard work these athletes are doing for the Olympics.”

TODAY.com producer Lisa Granshaw is glad her parents didn't push when she decided to hang up her fencing sword, stop competing, and become a journalist. The pen is mightier than the sword anyway, right?

More:

• Olympian Rowdy Gaines on the US swim team's gold medal pressure
• Video: Olympic swimmers gear up for London
• Brendan Hansen hopes to get back in the (Olympic) swim