Seth Kelsey doesn’t consider himself a collector’s item.
With that in mind, imagine his surprise last March when George Mason, a fellow fencer, informed Kelsey that he was on a commemorative stamp that was going into Mason’s collection.
The stamp, released by the African country of Benin, featured four athletes from the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Kelsey was one of them.
“I totally was surprised,” Kelsey said. “I didn’t know anything about it, but I thought it was pretty cool.”
Kelsey takes his newfound notoriety into the Beijing Games with another surprise. He’s among the favorites in men’s epee, and if he wins a medal, he could get a U.S. postage stamp in recognition.
An American has never won an Olympic medal in men’s epee. Kelsey goes into the Olympics ranked fourth in the world.
“After I read that I was one of the favorites, I felt a little jolt of pressure,” Kelsey said. “I had to remind myself to take things one step at a time.”
Kelsey is taking his second step into Olympic competition more calmly.
“I’m just as excited about this time, but I think it will be less startling than Athens,” Kelsey said. “The Olympics are something you train for all your life. It seems almost like a dream when you’re there. It’s hard to take in everything, but I’m going to try and see it all again.”
Kelsey has another objective while in Beijing once the competition is over.
“I hope to find time to take a cooking class while I’m there,” Kelsey said. “I’ve prepared family dinners before. I cook quite a bit.”
Kelsey, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, where he won a national championship in 2003, took up fencing when he was 11.
“I was playing baseball, but (was) kind of dissatisfied with it,” Kelsey said. “A coach said to come down and try fencing. I was looking for something else. I wasn’t very good, but I had a lot of fun. What kid doesn’t like to play with swords?”
Kelsey has trained for his Olympic competition while assigned to the Air Force’s Elite Athlete Program.
A copy of his commemorative stamp is on the wall at his home in Portland.
“I have no idea what it’s worth,” Kelsey said. “It’s worth a lot to me.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Kelsey bio
Born: Aug. 24, 1981, Portland, Ore.
High school: Oregon Episcopal, Portland
College: U.S. Air Force Academy
Family: Fiancée Paige Fox, father Morton, mother Susan, sister Holly
Hobbies: Cooking
Avocation: Recovering sunken ships from the ocean
