Catherine Menges
{{short description|American rower}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Catherine Zagunis
| full_name =
| image =
| caption =
| sport = Rowing
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|9|9}}
| birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| death_date =
| death_place =
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Catherine Zagunis (née Menges) (born September 9, 1952) is an American rower. She competed in the women's coxed four event at the 1976 Summer Olympics during the first appearance of the event in the Olympic Games.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/catherine-menges-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171908/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/catherine-menges-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Catherine Menges Olympic Results |access-date=August 26, 2018}}
Personal life
Menges is the mother of Mariel Zagunis, the most decorated American fencer in history.{{cite web |title=Mariel Zagunis' honor as U.S flag bearer has family scrambling to attend Olympic Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/olympics/2012/07/mariel_zagunis_honor_as_us_fla.html |website=Oregon Live |publisher=Advance Local |accessdate=July 24, 2020}} Her two sons, Merrick who is older than Mariel and Marten who is younger, are champion fencers.{{cite web |title=Mariel Zagunis Biography |url=https://playerswiki.com/mariel-zagunis |website=Players Wiki |publisher=Players Wiki |accessdate=July 24, 2020}} Her former husband, Robert Zagunis, was a fellow competitive rower who also competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.{{cite web |title=Everything you need to know about Beaverton Olympian Mariel Zagunis |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/everything-know-beaverton-olympian-mariel-010720139.html |website=Yahoo Sports |publisher=Yahoo |accessdate=July 24, 2020}} The pair divorced in 2004.{{cite web |last1=Hersh |first1=Phillip |title=The greatest Olympic athlete you've probably never heard of |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-xpm-2012-06-30-ct-spt-0701-olympics-mariel-zagunis-fencing-20120701-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |publisher=Tribune Publishing |accessdate=July 24, 2020}}
Fencing
Since 1998, Zagunis has been the director of programs at the Oregon Fencing Alliance. Zagunis managed the United States teams at the Junior and Senior World Championships in 1999, 2000, and 2001. She was the squad manager for the USA Fencing Women's Sabre Squad from 2005 to 2017. At The Oregon Fencing Alliance (OFA), she works closely with U.S. Women's Sabre Coach Ed Korfanty to develop marketing, create programs, and manage the fencing activities of OFA.{{cite web |title=Coaches & Staff |url=https://www.oregonfencing.org/coaches-staff |website=Oregon Fencing Alliance |publisher=Oregon Fencing Alliance |accessdate=July 24, 2020}} Zagunis was asked to take over the leadership role by OFA founder Colleen Olney on a trip to the Junior Olympics when Olney knew that she was not going to be able to continue to run the program. At that point, Zagunis had been heavily involved in travel and support of OFA while Mariel and her two sons competed nationally.{{cite web |last1=Chirashnya |first1=Igor |title=Refreshing Olympic Parenting Insight with Cathy Zagunis |url=https://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/refreshing-olympic-parenting-insight-with-cathy-zagunis/ |website=Academy of Fencing Masters |publisher=Academy of Fencing Masters |accessdate=July 24, 2020}}
Zagunis's support of her daughter Mariel to the top of the fencing world has led to her becoming an authority on parenting champions.{{cite web |last1=Rogers |first1=Jason |title=WORKING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S FENCING |url=https://www.betterfencer.com/articles/working-together-to-support-your-childs-fencing |website=Better Fencer |publisher=Better Fencer |accessdate=July 24, 2020}} She is an outspoken advocate for a measured approach to sports parenting that does not focus on achievement but instead on balance. Zagunis has attended all of Mariel's major competitions throughout her long career. Zagunis was consistently involved in her daughter's career through the Olympic Games in Rio.{{cite web |last1=Staff |first1=KGW |title=Mom steps in after Mariel Zagunis' Olympic bag, gear lost in transit |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/olympics/mom-steps-in-after-mariel-zagunis-olympic-bag-gear-lost-in-transit/271225789 |website=KGW 8 |publisher=KGW-TV |accessdate=July 24, 2020}}
Following the birth of Mariel's first child in 2017, Cathy's role shifted to helping care for her granddaughter while Mariel continued to pursue high level fencing.{{cite web |last1=Eggers |first1=Kerry |title=Mom, medalist back on point |url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/12-sports/400177-291314-mom-medalist-back-on-point |website=Portland Tribune |publisher=Pamplin Media |accessdate=July 24, 2020}}
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Menges, Catherine}}
Category:American female rowers
Category:Olympic rowers for the United States
Category:Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics