Smart was born in New York City, New York, and lived on Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. Before taking up fencing, she had taken ballet, ice skating, tennis and track. After her father, an employee at Sports Illustrated, learned about a program aimed at encouraging minority participation in fencing, she began to take up the sport at age 11 at the Peter Westbrook Foundation, whose founder, Olympic saber bronze-medalist Peter Westbrook, has been her mentor. Her brother Keeth, 18 months her senior, took up the sport six months later.[4][5]
Smart was the United States National Champion in 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008, and was ranked 11th at the 2003 World Championships.[4] Both Smarts won at the 2004 U.S. Fencing National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, with Erinn edging Hanna Thompson 13–11 in the semifinals, and then defeating three-time former Olympian Ann Marsh by 15–7 in the tournament final to take the title.[7]
^ abcRobbins, Liz. "OLYMPICS; Sibling Rivalry Foils the Obstacles", The New York Times, July 8, 2004. Accessed July 27, 2012. "Erinn had flourished in ballet, ice skating, tennis and track, and at age 11, she discovered she could combine her grace and athleticism in fencing. Six months later, her brother, scrawny and often the last picked for baseball teams, joined her."