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Kathy Zucker

Award winning writer • startup founder • mom of 3

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Create a Community That Cares About Your Family’s Success

April 23, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

We have to hurry ‪home‬ so I can get ready for the party, I say. I have just picked my ‪kids‬ up from ‪school‬. My hair is wet. I am wearing a ‪pink‬ ‪silk‬ button down shirt and no makeup. Every adult I encounter takes a second look and says, have ‪fun‬ tonight!

Let’s put the presents in the ‪car‬ so you don’t forget them, my ‪daughter‬ says. She and her ‪siblings‬ helped pack and decorate original ‪art‬ of my ‎college‬ ‪fencing‬ ‪team‬ created by a renowned graphic ‪artist‬. And when the babysitter arrives? I race out the door.

Two days ago, I drove into Manhattan. Called my husband to meet me at the car, and then walked together through the gathering dusk carrying packages and bags to a building I have walked past hundreds of times. And inside? Gasped at the white marble stairway. The soaring glass walls with steps wrapping around them. And when I entered the banquet room? Smiled involuntarily to see a room full of people I adore.

I sat at a table draped in white linen. All around me, people clustered so closely that when honorees approached the stage, we had to shift seats to make room for them to pass. The only way I could make my way to the back of the room for a much-needed bathroom break was by tiptoeing out to the garden that spanned the length of the dimly lit ballroom. When I returned, the room was dark while a movie played on stage. I stood at the back of the room in companionable silence with the coach, waiting for a moment when I could return to my seat. I watched faces unguarded by darkness as they laughed at scenes from the past year.

During memorable moments, I wish for a bottle to capture the scents and sounds that surround me. All too soon, they will vanish as people depart for their various destinations. In the next few months, students will graduate and scatter like petals tossed on the wind to far-flung locations. Much as I would like to, I cannot freeze time. The next best option? Is to return to scenes of the past and imbue them with new meaning.


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: celebration, entrepreneur, momlife, sports

Find Yourself – 2016 #NCAAFencing Championships

March 29, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

There are moments in every person’s life when you have the opportunity to make an impact on other people’s lives. And along the way? To find your place in the world.

I spent this past weekend at the NCAA Fencing Championships in Waltham, MA. And? I was there without my husband. I missed him every moment of every day. Every time I ran into someone I knew – and I knew probably half of the coaches and officials because I used to fence with them – they asked if Noah was there. My answer? I left him home with the kids.

Why did I go to the most prestigious college tournament without my husband, a two-time All-American and someone so synonymous with college sports that for decades, people have approached him on the street because they recognized him from our school newspaper? Because I needed to do this.

I had a stealth fencing career, primarily after college. I remember a fencer coming into the locker room at our club and saying, I took a look at the results list from a NAC and you are really good! She had no idea that I was consistently making the top 32 at national competitions. And she wasn’t the only one. People largely identify me with administrative roles in the fencing world. But the reality is that at the same time as I was serving on boards of directors and running tournaments, I was also training and competing at a pretty high level. My husband and I used to fence each other multiple times a week – when we started again this fall after an absence of a decade, the experience was so familiar and joyful that we both started laughing. We are competitive with each other, don’t get me wrong. We both want to win all the time. But that doesn’t stop us from recognizing what the other needs to do, and getting out of each other’s way.

And that is what happened this weekend. Was my husband jealous that I got to watch our college win it all? Absolutely yes. But he also knew that I need to get out from under his shadow and establish my own identity. I can more than stand on my own in the fencing community. And now the entire world knows that.


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: entrepreneur, fencing, momlife, sports

Recap – Day One of 2016 #NCAAFencing

March 24, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

It was ladies first on Thursday, March 24th at the 2016 NCAA fencing championships at Brandeis Gosman Athletic Center. Rounds one through three of women’s épée, foil and saber were fenced. Rounds four and five are set to begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST, with the individual finals to be fenced beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The day began with foil.

Epée was the second event to be fought.

Saber closed out the day.

Team rankings at the end of day one.

NCAA_day1_results

Click here to see live results, or watch on Periscope.


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: entrepreneur, momlife, sports

Social Media Spotlight – 2016 NCAA Fencing Team Championship

March 22, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

I just got off the phone with the Brandeis media coordinator for the 2016 NCAA fencing championships, and here is my media plan for the event.

  • My focus will be on the team event. With four teams in the medal hunt (Columbia, Notre Dame, Princeton and St. John’s all qualified a full roster of twelve fencers) the title will be hotly contested. Could another team with fewer qualifiers win? Anything is possible, but typically more athletes on the field add up to more bouts won.
  • I will be using a variety of social media platforms to cover the team medal race as it unfolds over four days. I plan on posting video using Vine (https://vine.co/u/955648382284845056) and Periscope (https://www.periscope.tv/kathyzucker) – the home base for all my social media will be on Twitter (https://twitter.com/kathyzucker). I will NOT be posting video of the individual semi-final and final matchups since they have zero impact on the team results. You can watch live results at https://www.escrimeresults.com/NCAA/NCAA2016.html.
  • At the end of each day, I will compile a recap of the team competition on Storify (https://storify.com/kathyzucker) and my blog (https://kathyzucker.com/).

If you would like to see coverage of anything specific at the 2016 fencing NCAAs, please tweet a request to me @KathyZucker. I cannot guarantee I will be able to respond directly since I expect to be on the run during the event, but I will do my best to include requests.

Thank you for all your interest, I am SO EXCITED about attending NCAAs for the first time in twenty years!!!!

Kathy

Read more 2016 NCAA coverage at Girlfriend Road Trip – NCAA Fencing


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: entrepreneur, momlife, sports, writing

Girlfriend Road Trip – NCAA Fencing

March 20, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

Three weeks ago, my husband and I bought a second car. Our plan? Was for me to take girlfriend road trips. This Thursday, March 24th, I will be heading to the NCAA fencing championships at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. And? I am bringing a friend who I met at an alumni meet at my alma mater, Columbia University.

I will be live blogging my adventure by updating this post. If you want to watch the action unfold in real time, I will be posting updates on social media at @KathyZucker.

Here are some of the tools I used to plan my trip.

Map to Brandeis Gosman Athletic Center.

Brandeis alumni website listing local hotels.

Brandeis NCAA website – click here for event schedule.

Once you arrive, you will want to find the best place to view the action!
floorplan

Watching fencing makes me work up an appetite.

Table service is available at 99 Restaurant, Jake n JOES (click here for dinner menu), The Chateau, Margaritas and Not Your Average Joe’s.

Grab express deli at Prime Deli, Moe’s, Panera Bread, Subway, Starbucks and Wendy’s.

Snag a slice at Anna’s Pizza.

Fill a cart with international groceries at Market Basket and organic fruit at Hannaford Supermarket.

Add to your wardrobe at Watertown Mall and Arsenal Project.

See you in Waltham!

Update 3/22/16: I have a media plan for this weekend at NCAAs. And yes, that plan involves Periscope. Read more at Social Media Spotlight – 2016 NCAA Fencing Team Championship.

Update 3/24/16: Day One Recap – Ladies First

Update 3/25/16: The women’s event is over. The men begin tomorrow. More coverage on Storify.

Grateful to have been able to see this bout in person.

Update 3/27/16: The men are off to a strong start. Day 3 recap and team standings.

#NCAAFencing Championships Team Standings After Day 3:

1. Columbia: 147
2. Ohio State: 134
3. St. John's: 131 pic.twitter.com/QgI9eZkA5U

— Kathy Zucker (@kathyzucker) March 27, 2016

Update 3/28/16: Columbia has won the NCAA championships in team and individual men’s épée (Jake Hoyle) for the second time in a row.

Final 2016 #NCAAFencing Championships Team Standings:

1. Columbia: 174
2. Ohio State: 167
3. Princeton: 161 pic.twitter.com/kDNduZKhAl

— Kathy Zucker (@kathyzucker) March 28, 2016


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: adventuretime, entrepreneur, momlife, sports, travel

Create Opportunities For Kids to Connect With Champions – NCAA Fencing

March 20, 2016 by Kathy Zucker

I want to give something to the ‪‎fencers‬, my nine year old ‪daughter‬ says. Let’s see what we have in the ‪gift‬ cupboard, I respond. We pull out colorful goodie bags left over from her ‪baby‬ ‪sister‬’s ‪birthday‬ party. Water bottles. ‪Chocolate‬. We decide to add containers of powdered ‪Gatorade‬ that my ‪husband‬ uses when he competes in ‪fencing‬ tournaments.

Can I ‪draw‬ on the bags? she asks. That is a great idea, sweetie pie! Make sure to put the permanent markers back in the locked bin when you are done so your sister can’t use them to decorate the walls. She covers the bags with ‪NCAA‬ trophies, using her father’s as a model. Inspirational sayings. And then packs them carefully in a giant Ikea bag for me to transport to the venue.

Spring break begins this week. My kids are set to go on a fishing trip with family members. When my husband and I agreed to buy a second car, the intention was that I would use it for girlfriend road trips. One week ago, my college fencing team – the current NCAA champions – qualified a full roster to this year’s championship tournament, which begins in five days. And when I discovered an incredibly low hotel room rate through a list of alumni housing options via the host university? I booked it minutes before the deal ended.

With transportation and housing all set, I reached out to a fencer who has been incredibly kind to my family, and asked if she wanted to accompany me on the trip. Much to my joy, she said yes. After laughingly discussing sleeping on her dorm room floor, we agreed that she would take the train to my home early on the first day of competition, and we would drive down together.

This is why I do what I do – to spend time with amazing people. When I first became an entrepreneur, I attended numerous networking events. And came away feeling empty, much like speed dating. So when I identify the possibility of spending significant chunks of time with a room full of people I would love to know? I jump at the opportunity.


Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Filed Under: Speak Up, Uncategorized Tagged With: entrepreneur, momlife, sports

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Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, author, speaker, mom of three and startup founder of the Metro Moms Network® and other companies. She lives in the NYC area, and when she isn't working she enjoys sword fights with her husband and three children.

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