Three Generations, One Strip: The Chang Family’s Fencing Dynasty

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In 2017, long before the word “dynasty” entered the conversation, a local newspaper floated a bold idea: Someday, three generations of Changs would compete at the same Nationals. The prophecy came true — and the family hasn’t stopped writing new chapters since. 

“Starting around the late 1980s, Boston Fencing Club became our second home,” Heidi Chang says. “We spent much of our time in practice, lessons, and teaching classes… Our parents, Fritz and Sue, respectively became our armorer and team and travel manager. Time we used to spend on summer vacations was repurposed for traveling to tournaments throughout the year.”

Those miles mattered. Heidi’s younger brother Tim made U.S. Junior and Cadet teams in the 1990s. The three year Stanford Fencing team captain was also a member of the 2001 Senior World Men’s Foil team. Three years later,  Greg earned a place on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Men’s Foil squad that finished fourth in Athens. Greg — later a Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Famer — still counts that walk in the Olympic closing ceremony among his most cherished memories. 

Family patriarch Fritz (“Tung‑Shan”) provided a master class in longevity: bronze in Vet-70 Men’s Foil at the 2009 Veteran Fencing World Championships in Moscow — proof that a love for the strip can outlast any “shot clock.” 

“Throughout my life, I had a front‑row seat, watching my father’s journey from a recreational local fencer to an athlete on the world stage,” Heidi says. 

More recently, Fritz struck again at the 2024 Summer Nationals in Columbus, winning Vet‑80 Men’s Epee gold and adding bronzes in Vet‑80 Foil and Saber. “Team Fritz” T‑shirts weren’t required — but strongly encouraged. 

“Ava [my daughter] even coached her grandfather in the Vet‑80 Epee final,” Heidi says. 

The next wave has arrived, too. Greg’s son, Parker, took Y‑12 Men’s Foil gold at the September 2025 Motor City SYC in Michigan. He’s currently No. 4 in the Y‑12 Men’s Foil national rankings. Elle, Greg’s daughter, also recently started competing, earning medals this year in local youth tournaments.  Finally, at the 2025 summer nationals, Tim’s son Kaiden won Division III Men’s Foil gold, and Ava, Heidi’s daughter, placed 21st in Division III Women’s Epee.

“Seeing the grandkids grow through camps at their grandparents' club, New England Movement Arts (NEMA) Fencing, has been so meaningful,” Heidi says.

Heidi, a 2014 Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, stepped away from fencing after college — then returned in 2017, rediscovering the joy (and community) that first pulled her in. 

“After a 21‑year break, I returned to fencing in 2017 with the main goal of re‑engaging in a sport that I’ve always loved,” she says. “Earning a spot on this year’s Vet‑50 women’s epee team made me realize my competitive career was not yet over.”

Now she heads to Manama, Bahrain, where the 2025 Veteran World Championships run Nov. 12–20. 

“Going into Bahrain is incredibly special for me,” Heidi says. “I might be the final member of the Chang Gang to make a national team, but I have the benefit of learning from my family’s world‑championship experiences.” 

The rituals endure: warm‑up laps with each other  when schedules align, sideline coaching for one another, and a text chain that lights up with bout videos and bracket updates. 

“For our family, fencing is a topic that can engage and connect across three generations,” Heidi says. “Friendship, teamwork, discovering your inner voice and strip presence — those lessons endure.”

Fencing in the “Chang Gang” has spanned decades, including the 2020s. As for the 2030s? There’s always room for more Changs.