Janusz Smolenski, Head Coach - Janusz holds an M.S. in Sports and Physical Education from the Polish Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland, and is a certified Fencing Master with the USFCA. Before coming to US, he worked at ASZ AWF Katowice, on one of the top fencing clubs in Poland. Since his arrival in 1990, the club grown from a small recreational club to one of the best in the nation. His DCFC students have won many medals at the National Championships, the Junior Olympics, Sectional and North American Cup competitions. An interview with Janusz is available here.
Dariusz Gilman, Coach – Dariusz is a highly accomplished fencer and coach from ASZ AWF Katowice in Poland and is a certified fencing master with the USFCA. A member of the Polish national team from 1991 – 2000, he was a many-time World Cup finalist between 1995 – 2000. He is a two-time Europe champion and a World Champion. In 1998, he was on the Polish team that earned a bronze medal at the World Championships, and was the Polish National Champion. He was also part of the gold medal team at the New York World Cup that year. He has a master’s degree in Physical Therapy and a fencing master certification from the Polish Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland.
Robert Suchorski, Coach – Robert is an A-rated epee fencer with extensive national and international competitive experience. While a student of the Polish Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, he was a Polish National Junior Champion. He competed at the World Championships, Military World Championships and multiple World Cup competitions as a member of the Polish National Team. He has trained with Zbigniew Czajkowski and the best Polish and Russian fencing masters.
Robert King, Assistant Coach – Robert has been fencing for over 13 years, is a nationally competitive A-rated epee fencer, and a longtime DCFC fencer with extensive coaching and competitive experience. He has been coaching under Janusz Smolenski for the past 10+ years.
Ilya Lobanenkov, Assistant Coach – Ilya is a US National Bronze medallist in team event and has over 16 years of fencing experience. He has trained with world class masters of the Russian, Hungarian and Polish schools. Some notable results from his students include two silver medalists in US Open Women’s epee team event, multiple “A” ratings and a top 16 finish in a US Junior Men’s epee circuit event. His blog is here.
