BCAF STAFF
MAESTRO MARK HOLBROW: HEAD FENCING MASTER
Maestro Holbrow is the Head Fencing Master and founder of Bucks County Academy of Fencing. Maestro Holbrow holds his fencing master's certification from the United States Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie D'armes Internationale. He studied under Stan Sieja, Head Fencing Master for Princeton University, for seven years from 1974 to1980, and acted as his apprentice and assistant coach for Princeton from 1978 to 1980. Over the last 20 years, he has produced a number of cadet (under 17), junior (under 20), and senior national finalists in all three weapons.
In 1986 Maestro Holbrow was a member of the US team that competed in the World Fencing Masters Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He was the only member of the five man team to qualify and compete in all three weapons at the championship. Although he considers epee to be his favorite competition weapon, he was on the three-man team who took the bronze medal for the US in sabre. In May of 2001, Maestro Holbrow was invited to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to take part in the US Fencing Association's new "Black Star" elite coaches training program. Coaches having students in the top 32 of the US national point standings were invited to participate in this program. Maestro Holbrow was one of 12 coaches from across the United States who took part in this program.
LISA MARTINI: CO-OWNER & OPERATIONS MANAGER
Lisa Martini started as a beginner at BCAF in 1996 and enjoyed fencing for 4 years. She is now Co-owner and Operations Manager of BCAF. Ms. Martini is here to answer questions, help with equipment ordering, keep track of class payments and schedules, etc. Please feel free to contact her with any questions, comments or feedback.
MAESTRO JAMES FLINT: FENCING MASTER
Maestro Flint is a Fencing Master certified by the US Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie d' Armes Internationale. He studied with Stan Sieja, Fencing Master and former head coach at Princeton University, Lajos Csiszar Fencing Master of Salle Csiszar and former head fencing coach at University of Pennsylvania, and Michel Sebastiani, Fencing Master and former head coach at Princeton University. He was the women's fencing coach and the men's assistant fencing coach at Princeton University from 1980 to 1983.
A two-time competitor in the World Fencing Masters Championships, in 1996 Maestro Flint was the silver medalist for combined three weapon result in Vichy, France. He is a former A-rated foilist and current A-rated epeeist. Maestro Flint was the 2003 National Veteran Men's Epee Champion in the 50-59 age group and member of the US team at the World Veteran's Championships in Limoges, France in September 2003.
DIRK GOLDGAR: MONITEUR (INSTRUCTOR)
Dirk Goldgar is certified by the USFCA and rated AAI in foil, epee and sabre. He is an independent computer consultant who resides in Pennington and has been an instructor with BCAF for over 14 years. He has over 18 years of extensive competition experience in foil and epee. He has dominated foil competitions at BCAF and has been one of the top ranked competition foil fencers in the Philadelphia Division for many years. Mr. Goldgar holds a B classification in foil and earned his A classification in epee at the NAC in Pittsburgh in December 2005. He is active in the Veteran's circuit and took 3rd in V50 Foil at Nationals in Atlanta, August 2006 and 3rd in V50 Epee at the Richmond NAC, December 2006.
MITCH DAVIS: MONITEUR (INSTRUCTOR)
Mitch Davis is certified by the USFCA and rated AAI in foil and sabre. Mr. Davis has been an instructor at BCAF for over 11 years and has more than 20 years of competition fencing experience.
SAM DUPRE: MONITEUR (INSTRUCTOR)
Sam Dupre started fencing with Bucks County Academy of Fencing in 1994. Since then he has competed in regional and national events under the USFA and on the collegiate level. He has recently returned from training and competing with Cuban saber coaches in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, representing Santa Cruz at the Bolivian Nationals. He served as the head coach for the Burlington High School (Burlington, VT) Fencing Club as well as the coach for the University of Vermont Fencing Club for 5 years respectively. Most recently he served as head coach for the Hunterdon Central Regional High School fencing team, consistently ranking in the top 5 teams in the state. Mr. Dupre is currently USFA rated in foil, epee and saber, as well as by the USFCA as a Moniteur in all three weapons.
JEREMY SCHMID: MONITEUR d'ARMES (INSTRUCTOR)
Jeremy Schmid is certified by the USFCA and rated AAI in foil, epee and saber and has been fencing for more than 24 years. Before he began teaching at BCAF in 1995, Mr. Schmid was assistant high school coach at Princeton Day School from 1993-1998. He fenced at North Hunterdon High School from 1983-1987 and at BCAF since 1986. He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and was editor of The Swordmaster, the USFCA's international journal for fencing coaches from 1999-2007. Mr. Schmid has coached finalists in USFA Youth Regional tournaments in men's and women's foil and women's foil finalists in Division II Nationals.
JIM FERRONE: MONITEUR d'ARMES (INSTRUCTOR)
Jim Ferrone is certified by the USFCA in foil and epee. He started fencing for North Hunterdon High School in 1987 and began instruction under Maestro Holbrow in 1988. Mr. Ferrone is currently an A-rated epee fencer and has competed in several national and regional championship events. In 1999, he helped BCAF to an 8th place finish in the team epee event at Summer Nationals. He was the head coach at the Lawrenceville School from 1995-1997, taught fencing at a summer camp program in 1996 and has been coaching privately since 1998.
SUE CHROME: INSTRUCTOR
Sue Chrome began her fencing career at BCAF in 1981 after playing and teaching tennis professionally. Ms. Chrome competed on the national level in foil before taking some time off to be with her family.
SUSANNAH "SUKI" DORFMAN: INSTRUCTOR
Susannah "Suki" Dorfman has been fencing for 12 years, since joining the North Hunterdon High School team in 1997. While studying at MIT (2001-2005) she was a 4-time New England Women's Foil Champion, a 4-time NCAA Northeast Regional Finalist, a 3-time NCAA National Championship competitor and she led her team as captain and MVP (2004-2005). She is the 2009 Mid-Atlantic champion in foil and bronze medalist in epee. Before teaching at BCAF, she trained athletes at MIT (2005-2006), Mr. Ma Fencing USA (2006-2009) and Princeton University (2007-present). Ms. Dorfman is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Geosciences at Princeton University and has served as a teaching assistant in calculus, physics, and planetary science.