About 2 1/2 years ago, Gina Vierheller was looking to get her 8-year-old daughter, Giana, involved in activities as part of the Upper St. Clair recreation program. She allowed her daughter to choose whatever sport, game or hobby she so desired.

But Gina was more than surprised at her daughter's selection.

"She was looking through the brochure, and she said, 'I want to try that,'" Gina said, referring to fencing. "And I said, 'Really?'

"My daughter likes to be different, likes to try different things. She's certainly not a follower. She does her own thing; she is a leader."

Now, Giana is leading the country for her age group in fencing.

She won a gold medal at the U.S. Fencing Association's national competition in 10-and-under Epee earlier this month in Grapevine, Texas.

"When I won I really couldn't believe it at first," she said. "But then it just hit me. I got so excited. It was very cool."

Vierheller, who recently turned 11, took to the sport quickly as part of the Upper St. Clair program. Soon she was training twice a week at the Tiger Fencing Club in Carnegie with head coach Elmira Ioultchieva and assistant coach and manager Tim Yultchiev.

"She understands the strategy so well," Yultchiev said. "She has the natural ability to think real fast and act with strategy and use it the right way. That gives her a great advantage compared to other kids.

"She also can control her emotions. A lot of times when you tense, you can get emotional and that can lead to mistakes. But she keeps it very cool. She doesn't get upset or nervous, and that makes her more advanced than other kids."

Yultchiev said Vierheller is the first athlete trained at Tiger Fencing, one of the top fencing centers in Pennsylvania, to win at nationals.

Vierheller, who attends Boyce Middle School, qualified for nationals by winning the gold medal at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this year.

Her showing at nationals raised her rating to level 'D,' which is considered extraordinary for a fencer of her age.

Fencing is just one of the varied and unique interests Vierheller possesses, including musical theatre and playing the viola. Reached earlier last week via phone from Penn State -- where she was attending fencing camp -- Vierheller talked about why she enjoyed fencing so much.

"It's a lot of fun, and it makes you work very hard and it gives you a lot of strength and endurance," she said of the sport. "It's very enjoyable and it makes you think. There's a lot about it to love.

"When you're fencing, you have to observe how your opponent fences. You have to build a strategy on how to win against that person, and you have to work hard to push yourself to get to that point."

Vierheller enters competitions every couple of months, often in Ohio or in the surrounding states. She said she intends on keeping fencing a part of her life indefinitely, hopefully teaching it when she gets older.

Her goals for a competitive career include taking a shot at the U.S. Olympic team. While that's a ways off, Yultchiev isn't ready to dismiss the that possibility.

"If she keeps working hard enough like she's been working now and continues to compete in the competitions she's been in and continues to work on fencing, she has the potential to be in the Junior Olympics," Yultchiev said.

"And we believe maybe even higher. A lot of factors are involved in that and most of it is hard work. But she has all the right ingredients to be a fencer already herself."