To meet Shoreham-Wading River High School senior Charles Pedersen, nicknamed “King” Charles for his many achievements both on and off the fencing strip, is to know many of the characteristics of a modern-day renaissance man. His wide range of knowledge in subjects including history, health and music coupled with a humble and open-minded persona and intellectual curiosity stand simultaneously with his athletic abilities.
“There are many avenues for self-expression,” Charles said.
A member of the high school’s modern band, Charles has also developed a love for playing bass, drums, guitar and banjo and is teaching himself how to play harmonica. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has succeeded in several Advanced Placement courses, noting a favorite as AP United States History. His interest in history has led him to an internship at the Wading River Historical Society and Museum, an 1826 building that he finds fascinating with its collection of documents and artifacts pertaining to the local area’s history.
In his younger years, Charles liked baseball, basketball, soccer and wrestling, but was searching for something different when he and his family happened upon a van advertising Mission Fencing Center in Rocky Point.
And with that, he found his athletic niche.
As a freshman, Charles earned third place in the Suffolk County championships in boys foil fencing. As a sophomore, he placed fourth, as a junior he took home second-place honors, and to finish out his high school fencing career, he was named 2025 Suffolk County champion in boys foil fencing.
Charles also qualified for the USA Fencing Summer Nationals for two consecutive years as a junior and a senior and recently participated in the 2025 USA Fencing Junior Olympics in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he placed 234 out of 359 competitors.
His academic and athletic career will continue when he joins the freshman class at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, as a member of the Lyons Men’s Fencing Team. There, he plans to pursue a dual major in American history and music production and looks to a future as a museum curator while pursuing his music.
Oh, and Charles has also set his sights on the 2028 Olympics.
“Everything is worth trying,” he said.
Date Added: 3/5/2025