Coaches

VLADIMIR NAZLYMOV

  • 3-time Olympic Champion & 10-time World Champion
  • Head Coach of USSR National team, personal coach of Olympic and World Champions
  • Fencing Coach and PE Instructor with KCMO School district
  • Head coach of Ohio State, leading Buckeyes to 3 National titles
  • This summer, Vladimir founded Nazlymov Fencing Foundation with the goal of enriching the lives of young children

FIKRAT VALIYEV

  • Athlete, 1980 – 1997
    • x9 National Champion
    • Career high – Silver Medal at 1997 World Cup
  • Coach, 1997 – Present
    • 2011- 2018 Azerbaijan National Head Coach
    • Personal students won medals at European Championships, USA Sabre Grand-Prix World Cup, placed 4th in the World and competed at London and Rio Olympics
  • Referee, 2003 – Present
    • FIE (International Fencing Federation) leading referee (2016 Rio Olympics, 2018 European, World, US National Championships and upcoming 2018 Youth Olympics)

JILL FELDMAN

  • Div III National Champion and Div IA Bronze medalist
  • Jill started coaching with Fairfax Parks & Rec in 1996. Subsequently, she co-founded two clubs in the area – International School of Fencing & Dominion Fencing
  • Assisted Vitali with Sidwell and Norwood after-school programs for the last 2 years
  • In 2018, Jill completed 4-month Coaching Course offered by International Fencing Federation in Budapest, Hungary
  • Jill is member of the National Tournament staff for USA Fencing and held offices in Capitol Division and the Mid-Atlantic Section of US Fencing Association.

ZHENG WANG & VITALI NAZLYMOV

  • Husband and wife team established Nazlymov Fencing LLC in 2018
  • Vitali was a candidate to the USSR 1992 Olympic team prior to transferring to Penn State on a full athletic scholarship
  • 3-time First Team All American, NCAA Individual and Team Champion
  • Worked with Vladimir on establishing a city-wide fencing program in KC
  • US Fencing International Referee for 2000, 2004, and 2012 Olympic cycles
  • Started after-school fencing program at Sidwell Friends in 2016, grew the network to 5 independent schools this year
  • Photo: at 2008 Beijing Olympics

JACOB HAZLE-CARY

Jacob started his fencing career when he was eleven, attending classes in a church basement along the main line of Philadelphia’s western suburbs. He developed a passion for the sport which carried him through middle school, past high school, and into college. At Drew University he became captain of the Varsity Fencing team where he crushed their regional rivals Haverford. After graduating, he got offered a position as assistant coach at Haverford, and from there he started on his coaching path. Jacob spent three years at Haverford, and six years at Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, where he specialized in Youth Development. Jacob started Refereeing Nationally in 2016, and is working hard to break into the International Refereeing Cadre. This past summer he earned his “4” in Sabre. In his off times, Jacob spends time writing creative fiction. He has a few projects bubbling underneath the surface, and if you see him staring off into space, it means he’s either thinking about a fencing drill or a new idea to write about.