Picture an athlete in the middle of a game, tournament or competition, doing well against a competitor and still going strong. Their victory is imminent and they have worked hard for this moment and nothing can stop them now, except for this: asthma.

For many, asthma has become an obstacle on their way to success. Many people see asthma and the difficulty it causes as a reason or excuse to quit athletics, but some choose to stick it out and work to overcome it.

Freshman Zoe House is one of the few who chooses to overcome the obstacle. For five years, House has participated in various sports, including running, swimming, biking and fencing. But for most of her life she has struggled with asthma.

“I’ve had asthma ever since I was a little kid,” House said. “I always tried my hardest in P.E. and athletics, but asthma would overwhelm me. Sometimes, I pushed myself too hard and started to cry because I couldn’t breathe.”

Despite her asthmatic condition, House has always enjoyed physical activity. When she was younger, she and her little sister Macy, now in seventh grade at FC, joined a fencing class at Carden Elementary.

“At my old school Fresno Fencing Academy (FFA) offered an after-school fencing program,” House said. “My sister Macy wanted to try, so I decided to give it a shot. I ended up really liking fencing and I have stuck with it since.”

House fences with a club at the FFA. Coming from Ukraine where he was in the top ten fencing coaches for many years, House’s coach, Vladimir Ostatnigrosh, has taught fencing at FFA since he opened it in 2005.

Ostatnigrosh appreciates House as a student for her work ethic and effort. He has especially enjoyed coaching her because of her ability to comprehend and apply new techniques of the sport.

“She is a good girl,” Ostatnigrosh said. “One of the best things about her is that she’s working very hard and she is not lazy. She is also quick at understanding things if you explain something to her.”

Although she is not currently competing in her fencing due to other extracurricular activities, House has experienced success in past tournaments. In March of 2011, House won the Paul Pesthy Memorial Super Youth Circuit Tournament in San Francisco.

“That victory felt amazing,” House said. “It was awesome to have that win as well as the experience itself.”

Naturally, House has experienced frustration because of her condition, especially since she is very motivated to excel in her sports and extremely competitive. She has found comfort in the encouragement offered her by her family and friends and in the minor victories over her asthma.

“I thought it was unfair that I had asthma,” House said. “I wanted to do as well as I could in terms of fitness, and I really wanted to overthrow my asthma. There’s always a sense of accomplishment when I finish a fencing or triathlon practice, though, and sometimes I just have to push through.”

Throughout her sports career, House has appreciated the encouragement and advice her dad, Matt House, has given her. According to Zoe, her dad is one of the people who has helped her continue to pursue and enjoy her athletics in spite of her asthma.

“Fencing is a sport with two people on a narrow strip,” Matt said. “Sometimes a large crowd watches. If you lose, you lose alone and in front of a lot of people. This was hard for us at first.”

For all of her fencing career, Matt has found himself encouraging House to not be too hard on herself or get too frustrated because he realizes that it will not do her any good in the competitions.

“If you are too emotional, you are not going to win the point,” Matt said. “We talked a lot about the idea that you have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win, and I have seen this development in her. Rather than being upset after a loss, she is thinking about what she can do next to improve. ”

House has not only struggled with asthma in her career but also with the pressure she has placed on herself to succeed and the pressure she has felt from others. As she has progressed in her fencing and in triathlons she has learned to see beyond the immediate win or loss. This discovery has helped her to really enjoy the sport.

“I was pressured to beat my teammates, rather than myself,” House said. “The stress almost destroyed me because I couldn’t see the big picture. I should of been fencing for the sole reason that I love fencing. I admit it took me years to learn it, with my dad helping me. I learned to lose, and then I could finally learn to win.”

Ostatnigrosh agrees that he, too, constantly finds himself reminding House to not be so frustrated. According to him, becoming discouraged and irritated does more harm than good.

“Sometimes people are better than her and she gets frustrated,” Ostatnigrosh said. “I just have to tell her to calm down and enjoy it. If you get frustrated, you tense up more. I tell her to just stay loose and have fun and you will be better.”

As House has grown older she has been able to control her breathing better due to her discipline in swimming laps and running for her triathlon team, iCAN Junior Triathlon Club. Every once in a while, her asthma does flare up, especially in her fencing. But lately an inhaler has become enough to prevent breathing attacks.

“Fencing is a quick sport, and asthma makes it really hard sometimes,” House said. “But it’s gotten better, and I think keeping at it is what has helped me overcome it. Swimming and riding my bike has helped, and I’ve just had to push through.”

Matt appreciates Zoe’s genuine personality in sports and in life. Especially because of her asthmatic condition he is proud of her for sticking with fencing and her other sports. He realizes that it is easy to get frustrated with losses and with asthma but admires the fact that she continues to try to do her best with the ability that she has.

“In fencing, I am proud that she always tries her best,” Matt said. “In life, I like who she is. Zoe not only fences, she also is on a triathlon team, cycles and swims twice a week and loves to snow ski. Even though her asthma has limited her, I am proud that she participates.”

Despite the frustration with herself and with her asthma House has decided to stick with fencing strictly for her love of the sport, and because of the encouragement her parents have given her.

“I’m really competitive, so sometimes, I’m more absorbed in beating others in performance than beating myself,” House said. “My dad has helped me learn that it’s okay to lose. Now I just do the sport because I like it, not because I have to beat everyone else.”

For information on Fresno Fencing Academy, see their website or call 559.224.1910.

For more features, see Nov. 29 article, Yearbook editors dedicate time, display strong leadership.