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August 12, 2004 7:03 pm

Coach’s competition loss motivates Mattern

By Ann Green

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece — If Seth Kelsey wins gold in men's epee at the 2004 Olympics, look for that old recruitment pitch about "Join the Navy and see the world" to get a slick update featuring the Air Force.

Kelsey, a 1999 grad of Oregon Episcopal and a 2003 grad of the U.S. Air Force Academy, is an Air Force second lieutenant. He's assigned to a military program that allows top athletes to train and compete in two-year rotations.

"It's the best job in the world. I've been to more countries than I can remember, from Estonia to Cuba to Australia to Argentina," he said Thursday at a press conference featuring U.S. fencing team members.

Cody Mattern, from Tigard, Ore., also will compete in men's epee. He said the draw has him facing Ivan Kovacs, an old rival of his fencing coach, Michael Marx, from a past Olympics.

"He knocked out my fencing coach in the Olympics," Mattern said. "I'm looking at it as revenge for my coach. I'm using that for motivation."

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