Prescod Institute for Sport, Teamwork, and Education (PISTE)

“I was an anomaly.”

Nzingha Prescod, founder of the Prescod Institute for Sport, Teamwork, and Education (PISTE), is a product of extraordinary circumstances. With access to Olympic-level sport education, she broke  boundaries in the white and wealthy-dominated international competitive fencing scene, defying the odds of the under-resourced and under-programmed Afro-Caribbean Flatlands community she grew up in.

After retiring in 2019, Nzingha returned to her lifelong dream of opening a fencing club in Flatbush. For Nzingha, fencing isn’t just a sport. From split-second decisions in the middle of a match to saluting opponents at the end, it cultivates important character virtues that serve athletes beyond their time at the fencing mat, also known as the piste.

It’s not just fencing either. “94% of C-suite women played sports,” shared Prescod. Founding PISTE became Prescod’s way of inspiring underrepresented youth to unlock their potential through sport.

Starting with Fencing in the Park, a free summer program taught by experienced fencers, Prescod expanded to the cornerstone of her vision: PISTE Fencing Academy.

Students aged 8-11 commit to a year-round intensive training program supported by high-quality instructors and equipment. Additionally, they receive 1:1 tutoring, and access to standardized test prep for greater academic success.

PISTE also partners with NYC schools to provide recreational programs at no cost to students, and Prescod and her team frequent family days and back-to-school fairs to increase the visibility of fencing and showcase the opportunities it can open up. In total, PISTE offers 40+ hours of programming per week.

At the core of each of these programs is one concept: accessibility. “Fencing is an exclusionary sport,” reflected Prescod, and she is determined to keep PISTE “geographically accessible, financially accessible, and also culturally accessible” to the predominantly Black and Brown communities of Flatbush and wider Brooklyn.

Led by BIPOC instructors, and located in the heart of Brooklyn, PISTE’s fencing program converts $15,000 worth of high-caliber fencing into a deeply affordable $375 per year, with ample scholarship opportunities to further reduce the costs.

PISTE’s international trips also carry a high price tag but Prescod is adamant about the value of allowing young people to see the leaders they can become in the world. This past year, PISTE organized a training program in Calgary and a trip to France that included a viewing of the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics at significantly reduced costs to families.

PISTE strives to maintain its deeply affordable vision, but as Prescod says, “It’s tough to sustain a program where your costs are so high.” This is where Brooklyn Org comes in. For PISTE, having Brooklyn Org’s support means they can continue offering their programs at a price point that reflects the needs of their community.

More than funding, Prescod is also optimistic about the network and community-building support Brooklyn Org can offer. “I’m looking forward to connections to different opportunities that will help us sustain and continue to expand our programming. Brooklyn Org supports leaders in the growth of the organization, stabilizing of the organization… and making sure you have the funding and infrastructure to do those things sustainably.”

PISTE hopes to open more academies in the future and sponsor more international trips to foster a network of excellence-oriented youth with the opportunities to rise above the odds. To demonstrate the power of their network, Prescod describes how one of PISTE’s students was able to go to Paris, join Prescod on the Kelly Clarkson show, and is now slated to appear in a Dove ad.

“It’s a life-changing, empowering experience to have those opportunities and to have that exposure, and to see what’s out there in the world as a young person.”

PISTE’s mission extends beyond the sport. Like the way its students take command of the piste, lunging, parrying, and thrusting with precision and confidence, PISTE shows the youth of Flatbush and the wider NYC community that they have the power to develop themselves into forces in the world.

This story was written by Ellie Chang, one of Brooklyn Org’s January 2025 interns from Brown University’s Careers in the Common Good internship program.