Taro Yamashita

Major:Computer Science (Brown University 1995)

Hometown:Littleton, MA

Birthday:March 26

Fencing Hand:Both

USFA Rating:B08 (epee); U (foil and sabre); certified coach

Years Fencing:18

Taro competed for Brown University in both foil and epee from 1990-1994, where he was also the team captain or co-captain from 1992-1994. Taro was the first ever Northeast Fencing Conference Individual Epee Champion in 1994 with a league record of 29-1, and finished 3rd in the New England Championships in 1994. While Taro was at Brown, the Brown men's team won the team championship all four years, including a one-bout decision over UMass in 1994.

After Brown, Taro came to UMass to coach for a semester under Paul Filios. However, at the end of the semester, Taro returned to Brown to complete his degree in computer science and to coach the Brown Fencing team. He regrets only that he was only able to cheer/admonish epee double touches in Brown v. UMass meets.

The following season (1995-1996), Taro was the assistant coach at MIT. Soon afterwards, he cut back on coaching to dedicate his energies to competing, so that later, he could return as a more knowledgable coach.

Under the tutelage of Brandeis University head coach, Bill Shipman, Taro developed into one of the stronger epee fencers in the New England Division, becoming the Division champion in 1998 (and the runner-up every year since then through 2002), and the North Atlantic Sectional champion in 2000 (runner up in 1998, 2001, and 2002). Despite evidence to the contrary, Taro dislikes losing gold medal bouts. In the summer of 2000, Taro finished 6th in the USFA Division 1-A National championships, and in 2002 Taro finished 18th at the USFA Division I National Championships.

Taro has also competed internationally, competing in Senior "A" world cup events in Montreal (March 1999, 2000, and 2001) and a "B" world cup in Recklinghausen, Germany in January, 2002. Taro has been ranked as high as #302 in the world and as high as #34 in the US National rankings for men's epee.

Taro is also a founding member of the Friends of UMass Fencing, Inc., the friends and alumni support body for the UMass Fencing Team. He served as the organization's president from its inception in February, 1998 to June, 2003. He also served as the Vice President of the Friends of Brown Fencing, the parallel organization for the Brown University fencing team from 2000 to 2003.