Meet Our Coaches and Staff

Head Coach Rolando Balboa started fencing foil over a decade ago and began coaching in 2001. He founded Brooklyn Fencing in 2003 and since then his students have won numerous national--and a few international--medals. Rolando also coaches the fencing team and teaches fencing at St. Ann's School in Brooklyn.

Foil and epee coach Abdel Aziz

Abdel has been coaching for over 25 years. His distinguished coaching accomplishments include four years as Egyptian National Head Coach for both Junior and Senior teams; the Egyptian Team won the Arab Games all four years. His student Maged Shaker took 1st place at the Como Junior Foil World Cup in 1986, 8th place in the Junior World Championships in 1988, and was ranked 12th on FIE Senior Points Standings on 1996.

Abdel competed actively for over 17 years and was a member of the Egyptian national team for eight years. His best personal results include six first places (twice in foil, four times in epee) at the Egypt Junior National Championships and fourth place at the Linz Foil World Cup in 1983. He held the top points standing in Egypt for all three weapons in 1984.

Saber Coach Judy Cummins has been fencing for over 20 years and teaching fencing since 1993. Judy is certified by the US Fencing Association to teach all three weapons and is a member of the US Fencing Coaches Association which has certified her as a Moniteur de Sabre. She has been the Head Coach of the Women's Fencing Team at Yeshiva University since 1999 and has been with the Brooklyn Fencing Center since 2004. Besides YU and BFC, Judy has taught recreational, beginner and after-school classes to adults and children at New York University, Borough of Manhattan Community College, The Fencers Club, The Ramaz School, The Berkeley Carroll School and Yeshiva of Flatbush.

Judy is a former nationally ranked saber fencer and has medalled in more than 50 national, regional and local tournaments. She is a Veterans Saber Gold Medallist and took fifth in the 2006 Veterans World Championship. She was on the Board of Directors of the USFA Metropolitan Division/Section from 1993-2001 and served as Bout Committee Chair from 1998-2001.

Our armorer is Edwin Balboa. Like his brother Rolando, Edwin originally hails from La Paz, Bolivia. Edwin fences saber.

R.A. Fedde has served as Vice Chair for the Metropolitan Division for the past five years. She runs the website and most of the club's competitions, and has been fencing foil for 8 years. In real life, she's a documentary editor whose Emmy-nominated work has appeared on ABC, CBS, PBS, A&E and the History Channel.

Meet some of our Alumni >