Commanders defensive end Deatrich Wise picked up a sword and traded out a helmet for a mask during an outing to the Elite Fencing Academy in Springfield, Virginia, last month.
"It was a really cool opportunity to learn more about the sport," Wise said. "Most of us have only seen the traditional sports of basketball, football, baseball, tennis, soccer. And after that, a lot of other ones take a backseat. The more you learn about other sports, the more you realize the work they put in to be great, the skillsets, the hand-eye coordination."
Wise's teacher for the day knows all about what it takes to be great. Michaela Joyce, a senior at fencing powerhouse Notre Dame who grew up training at the academy, put Wise through the paces during a unique opportunity for two talented, hard-working athletes to share, learn and, of course, compete.
The Elite Fencing Academy invite was extended to Wise because of a celebration he has been known to perform on the football field.
"Honestly, it just happened. My rookie year I had a few sacks, and I just did it," he said. "It was really me pulling out a sword and sword-fighting with it."
Rule changes around celebrations led Wise to turn the gesture into more of a fencing sword, and then not too long ago, he got a call about coming to the academy. The woman who invited him had a perfect opponent and host in mind for the visit.
"It meant the world to me that I got the call because I'm a DMV native," Joyce said. "Every summer I would go watch the [Commanders training] camps with my dad. I grew up in RGIII era, so it was exciting times."
A member of three national championship-winning Notre Dame teams and a World Championship-winning USA Junior team, Joyce was happy to give Wise a crash course in her sport. During these exchanges, there was a sense that these two competitors had plenty connect on.
"Even though football is one of the more popular sports, and fencing is a smaller sport, we have so many commonalities because at the end of the day we are all athletes," Joyce said. "When I was speaking to him, walking through everything, introducing him to all the equipment, he was picking up on everything so fast…there are things that just come naturally, no matter the sport. I feel like it extended beyond the actual fencing -- just also the extreme amount of respect that I have for him, and also the extraordinary respect he had for me as well."
Wise, who suffered a significant knee injury during the 2025 season, has been working his way back to full fitness. He described the fencing experience, which included a handful of intense bouts with Joyce, as "rehabbing for fun." And make no mistake; the workout was a challenge for the NFL veteran.
"It's a very cardio-based sport. That little strip, it may seem small but it's like you're doing mini suicides going line to line," he said. "You're lunging, coming back, lunging, coming back. You're on your toes the whole time. I had my Whoop [fitness tracker] on, and my heart rate got to like 192 for a good 45 minutes."
Joyce, like all Commanders fans, looks forward to seeing Wise back out on the field disrupting offenses and hitting his sack celebration this upcoming season.
"I know there will be many chances to see it. He's extraordinarily talented," she said.
After finishing their session, Joyce and Wise spent time signing autographs and taking pictures.
"It was also great that we used the facilities at Elite because a bunch of the younger kids were there, and they loved meeting him," Joyce said. "It just meant the world to our whole community because when we do get the spotlight, it's very rarely from other athletes, and it's just great because it feels good to be seen."
Perhaps it'll be one of those kids or someone at home who saw these two on their screens who decides fencing is their calling. That "maybe" was the biggest driver and delight for both athletes on the day.
"This could inspire somebody to help find a sport for them and find out what they're into," Wise said. "And then, you know, within four years, they could in the Olympics because they saw Michaela on TV playing with an NFL player."
