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Maria
Gelman
Founder and Head Coach
Foil, epee
Maria Gelman grew up in Moldova where she started learned the art of fencing since 1965. In 1967, she has won her first Junior State Championship. Maria was a member of Moldova’s team between 1965 and 1970. At that time Maria Gelman began coaching foil and prepared one of her students to to participate in the USSR Junior Olympics. In 1970 Maria moved to Tashkent, Uzbekistan where she continued fencing for Uzbekistan team until 1972. That year she earned a title Master of Sports in Fencing.
Maria Gelman graduated from the Uzbek State Institute of Physical Culture, earning a B.S. in Physical Education with a major in Fencing. Coach Gelman continued coaching and preparing numerous fencers to win gold medals and become champions of various national Soviet fencing tournaments.
Maria Gelman and her family immigrated to the US in 1988 and settled in New Jersey. She served as head fencing coach in Morristown High School and assistant coach in Milburn High School. In 2006, Maria Gelman founded Altitude Fencing School. She has raised numerous students who have been winning medals in various competitions throughout the state.
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Vasyl Stankovych
Coach
Foil, epee
Vasyl Stankovych descended from piste as one of the world renowned fencers, and he has been coaching now for over 20 years. Vasyl continues to be in high demand at the global sport arena as a coach of the finest fencing standards. His personal accomplishments put him in the hall of fame of world’s most titled fencers: silver team finisher at Olympics in Mexico City (1968) and Munich (1972), top-4 finisher at the Montreal Olympics (1976), silver medallist in Havana (1969) and gold medallist in Vienna (1971) World Championships, first and second place team winner in numerous World Championships and Cups between 1969 and 1975. Vasyl Stankovych is also a National Champion of numerous fencing tournaments in the USSR.
Coach Stankovych holds Master's Degree from State Institute of Physical Education in Lvov, Ukraine. He earned the titles of International Class Master of Fencing and Honored USSR Master of Sports. He has served as a coach for the USSR National Foil Team, Hungarian National Fencing Team, and, as a head fencing coach, in Kuwait and Indonesia. Vasyl Stankovych started coaching in the US in 2002, first at Columbia High School, then at Pingry High School, as a head coach at Maestro Fencing Club.
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Leon Spector
Coach
Sabre
Master of Sports in Fencing (former Soviet Union) Leon has more than three decades of fencing experience. He was a member of the USSR Kyrgyz National Youth Sabre Team during 1975-1979 and represented his region at the Soviet Union Junior Olympics in Tashkent in 1978.
Leon continued fencing throughout his college years as a sabre team captain. He earned Master's Degree in Civil Engineering at Frunze Polytechnical Institute, and 1990 he and his wife immigrated to the United States where Leon resumed competitive fencing by taking part in Garden State Games 2000, Sabre World Cup 2001 and other tri-state area and national competitions.
Leon Spector started coaching in 2005 at Altitude Fencing School. He later founded a fencing club Escrimeur in Central NJ. Leon's personal coaching style and philosophy help him to bring up fencing athletes in the best traditions of the sport.
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