Fencing, despite its masked and padded exterior, hurts.

And not in the physical sense.

You get hurt emotionally, more than anything else, Greg Massialas said. Because its still a confrontation. Its life or death, in a sense.

He should know.

A fencing veteran of three Olympics (1980, 1984 and 1988), Greg was turned away each time and each time without hardware. But after coaching last years USA fencing team, Greg will again return to the grandest of international stages this month for the 2012 London Games.

Though hell return not only as a coach.

When I was five or six, I may have not understood the grandeur of the Games, Gregs 18-year-old son, Alexander Massialas said, the youngest male fencer at this years Olympics. But I told my dad, Hey, Im going to be an Olympic champion.

Given his childhood, the early proclamation is anything but surprising. His youth was one dominated by the sight of his fathers foils and Olympic rings. But the 6-foot-2, 155-pounder a recent graduate of San Franciscos Drew School and the International Fencing Federations No. 13 senior foil fencer in the world never had a blade forced upon his right palm.

I never forced them into doing it. If anything, I actually kind of kept them away from it, said Greg, whos daughter also fences. Its something they wanted to do for themselves. Unless its something you want to do for yourself, you will not be successful, in my opinion.

And so far, the younger Massialas has succeeded. In shuffling schooling and fencing careers for most of his adolescent life, hes collected numerous championships and medals, including a bronze in the 2012 Paris Foil World Cup.

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Father-son duo lead USA fencing team in 2012 London Games