University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday Fencing Feature: Nate Seaman
March 6, 2009 | Fencing
March 6, 2009
Each week throughout the season, TarHeelBlue.com will spotlight several UNC fencing seniors in the Friday Fencing Feature. Read on for more on Nate Seaman and check back next Friday for a new feature.
Nate Seaman, a senior from New Haven, Conn., is in his third year on the UNC team and is a co-captain of the men's foil squad. An economics major, he works at Senior Care Development and has studied abroad in India and Poland. This summer he will cycle cross-country as part of the Bike and Build program.
TarHeelBlue.com interview by Lee Becker, UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant
TarHeelBlue.com: What's your favorite thing about being a member of the Carolina fencing team?
Nate Seaman: I love being able to contribute to UNC's athletic success and tradition of athletic as well as academic excellence. UNC finishes highly every year in the race for Directors' Cup which takes into account the success of every Division I program in the NCAA.
THB: What has been your favorite fencing moment at UNC?
Seaman: The atmosphere when we fence at Duke is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Duke refuses to fence us at our place so when we go to their gym it becomes the closest thing we have to a home meet. Every person in the gym cannot help but pay attention to what is going on and listen to the cheering.
THB: What's the biggest misconception people have about fencing or something most people don't know about fencing?
Seaman: Fencing is nothing like sword fighting on Pirates of The Caribbean, and in the event of a sword fight I would have very little if any advantage.
THB: Who is your favorite Carolina athlete of all time and why?
Seaman: I should say something like John Friedberg because he starting fencing his freshman year in college and went to the Olympics; but, I am a basketball fan and Jordan was just amazing.
THB: What's the most challenging thing about being a collegiate student-athlete?
Seaman: Many teachers in the Economics department do not recognize athletic excuse notes and will not allow anything to be made up. In the event a test is missed, and with fencing we miss basically every Friday during the season, the weight is moved to the final exam. I have gone in for finals before knowing they make up 70-80% of my final grade.
THB: What has been your favorite class at Carolina and why did you like it?
Seaman: This is an easy question to narrow down but extremely hard to answer. I absolutely love the entrepreneurship program Carolina has created. I love all of the staff associated with this program, the topics covered, and especially the way the classes are taught. I would have to place Economics 327 - Creating Scientific Ventures at the top of my list of favorite classes. This class allows students one on one instruction with some of the region's top entrepreneurial talents to create a hypothetical or real business.
THB: What's your favorite memory of your time as a Carolina student?
Seaman: Beautiful spring days sitting in either the pit or on the quad not doing a thing but talking to friends.
THB: What is your favorite thing about being a student at UNC?
Seaman: I love going to a school with a tremendous tradition of excellence. I love being able to speak to either high school teachers or my parents' friends and get a, "Wow, congratulations," after telling them where I attend.
THB: Why did you choose to attend UNC?
Seaman: I choose to come to UNC because of the success of both the athletic and academic programs. I wanted to be at a large school in a great college town. Franklin Street is the perfect college street.
THB: What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
Seaman: Ten years from now I will likely be getting ready to start my own business. I will be taking some time to travel the world after I graduate and then would like to get some experience before I try and do my own thing.
THB: What was your favorite part about studying abroad in Krakow? India?
Seaman: India was eye-opening. Studying there showed me a culture that I never would have gotten to see without the program. Studying there took us to small villages and provided us with guided tours of every place we went. I believe that India is the perfect place to study abroad if you are trying to get a whole world perspective.
Krakow was great and allowed me to travel all through Central Europe. I had not been to Central or Eastern Europe and living in Krakow I was able to jump on a train and be in a different city every weekend. I was able to get to over half of the EU in the four months I was living in Poland.
THB: What is Senior Care Development and how did you get involved?
Seaman: SCD is a one of the few successful for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community developers in the country. They build five-star hotel quality in apartment-style residences for the elderly. I have been assisting them with site selection and pre-development responsibilities for the past three years. I have spent a majority of my time developing a data base that will analyze every factor that goes into selecting a piece of land for development.
THB: What kind of business would you like to start?
Seaman: I have not decided this yet and will likely not decide for a number of years. However, I absolutely love real estate development and believe that developing international five-star hotels and resorts would be ideal. If the market conditions are not right however I will have to re-evaluate my ideas when the time comes.
THB: What is Bike & Build and how are you involved?
Seaman: Bike & Build is an amazing organization that is seeking to raise money and awareness for the affordable housing problem in the United States. Bike & Build participants have peddled over three million miles and have raised more than $1.6 million dollars to help with affordable housing. Bike & Build participants bicycle across America and work on build sites, physically constructing homes with organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
I am leading and organizing the Southern United States route this summer. This route takes 70 days and is 3,534 miles long. During the ride we will spend seven days assisting with the continued rebuilding of the New Orleans area. This is an unpaid position that will allow me to contribute greatly to the landscape of the Southern United States. Bike & Build is not a guided tour; every year the route, stops and work sites are planned and managed by the volunteer trip leaders. Over the next four months, it will be my responsibility to find sleeping quarters for our 30 member group for each of the 70 nights we are on the road, to find food for the group and to identify the build sites on which we will volunteer. During the trip, I will motivate the other 30 riders for the 3,534 miles, manage the limited budget, and make daily presentations to the communities we are visiting.
