Our coaches are from left to right: Neil Mittal, Gary van der Wege and Curtis Hardy. 



We are very fortunate to have all of our coaches well-versed in all three weapons.

 

 


Gary M. van der Wege
Gary is a certified Prevot d'Armes from the Academie d"armes Internationale/ US Fencing Coaches Association and upper-level coach by the US Fencing Coaches College (US Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, CO)

He has taught and coached at Austin Community College, Texas State University, and the Gary Jobs Corps Center. In addition, Gary developed chair fencing programs for the St. David's Rehab Center in Austin and the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. Currently, he is teaching at St. Edwards University in Austin, at the Genesis Academy in Seguin, and at Salle Pouj in the San Antonio Fencing Center.


In competition, Gary was a member of the 2004 US Paralympic Team in Athens, competing in individual foil and epee, and anchoring both the foil and epee teams. He was also a member of the 2002 US Team to the World Championships in Budapest. He was the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 US National Chair Epee Champion and the 2006 Chair Foil Champion along with numerous gold medals from other North American Cup events. He was the first Category A fencer in the US to medal at a World Cup (Seville, Spain), and was at one time, ranked 8th in the world.  
Gary is also a 6 time National Champion wih hs laterst being the 2009 Wheelchair Sabre winner at summer Nationals.

Gary was the first person in the US to be certified as both Armorer and National Level Referee. He is also a Certified Referee Instructor, and has officiated gold medal bouts at the National level, as well as the Modern Pentathlon World Cups and the Pentathlon World Championships.

As a member of the Society of American Fight Directors, Gary has staged weapons combat and fights for several plays and operas.
   

Neil Mittal
Neil began fencing more than twenty years ago under the tutalege of Gerald Poujardieu. Pouj described him as one of his students who maintained the greatest understanding of fencing he'd ever seen. His fencing career has spanned numerous events including the Junior Olympics (1988-1994), USFA National Champoinships (1990-1993, 1996, 1998 and 2004), the 1993 Men's Foil South Texas Division II Champion and the 1993 Men's Epee Sectional Champion. In 2004, he obtained his 'A' rating at the 2004 DeGall Memorial Tournament.

His coaching credentials inlcude assistant at the 2002 RRFC Camp and assistanct coach at the 2003 UTEP sunner fencing camp. He served as Pouj's assistant coach from 1996 to 2004 at Salle Pouj and continues coaching for Salle Pouj and the San Antonio Fencing Center.

Neil has recently earned his USFCA/AAI Moniteur d'Armes certification.

Neil has a degree in Art with a minor in Math and holds an MAT degree from TU. In addition to his coaching duties, he is a teacher at St. Mary's Hall.

 Curtis Hardy
His coaching career began early, when in 1985 he began the summer fencing program at St. Mary's Hall school. Today, he specializes in teaching beginning foil to adults and juniors.

An accomplished fencer and coach, he brings almost 25 years of experience to Salle Pouj. He began fencing in 1984 under Les Bleamaster and continued under Gerard Poujardieu Jr. Within two years he won back-to-back Southwest Collegiate Championships in foil and epee. He followed it with first place finishes in foil at the 1987 Southwest Divisionals and the 1988 Sectionals.

Curtis has recently earned his USFCA/AAI Moniteur d'Armes certification.
Curtis holds an impressive resume of wins, including the Bobcat Tournament, the Poujardieu Memoral and Texas A&M Heavy Metal. He was a member of the Junior Olympics Pentathlon Team. Curtis continues to fence at the National level while coaching and directing at fencing tournaments.
 Ian Penry
Ian is our new wheelchair fencing coach. He began fencing two years ago and has earned a silver medal in epee and a bronze medal in sabre at the 2009 Summer Nationals and bronze medals in epee and sabre at the 2010 North American Cup E.   In 2011 Nationals, he was a silver mdealist in the Epee and Sabre Wheelchair events.

Ian coaches not only special needs students but he also teaches able-bodied fencers how to wheelchair fence because it can help them to develop their "in-fighting" strategies when they are on the fencing strip.

Ian was recently certified as Asst. Moniteur by USFCA/Academie d'Armes Internationale

 

Kristina Ruiz-Healy 
Certified as an Assistant Monitour by the United States Coaches Association. Kristina is an accomplished foil and epee fencer.  In 2001 Kristina Ruiz-Healy was a Top 8 Finalist at the USFA Summer Nationals Division 2 Womens Foil event in Sacramento,California. In 2002, Kristina Ruiz-Healy earned Southwest Sectional Division-1A Womens Foil Champion at Shreveport,Louisiana.

Welcome back Kristina!


 Phillip Kimm
Phillip is one of our assistant coaches. He has been fencing with Salle Pouj for many years. He is an oustanding foil fencer with National rankings.


We would also like to welcome our junior assistant coaches:

Peter Tillman-Young
Peter is both a foil and epee fencer with National ratings in both. He has been fencing for five years and brings his wonderful caring spirit to the salle everytime he walks in.

Esther Vickery
Esther is a senior at the Believers Academy, and has been fencing at the SAFC for three years. She is is feared for her in-fighting technique and never backs down.