Olympia Fencing Center Founder and Director, Daniel Hondor
Daniel started his swordplay career with dreams of earning a spot among the Three Musketeers.
Enthralled by the adventures of the trio, 7-year-old Daniel picked up his first rapier, beginning a lifelong journey that continues today.
Member of the Romanian National Épée Team, 12 times in a row National Champion, multiple times winner of Balkanic Games (a fencing championship very popular in Europe) and a finalist in World Cup Competitions during the ’80s, Daniel basically grew up with the épée in his hand.
A receiver of the Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Bucharest, Romania, Daniel has laid down the sword and took up the mantle of coach, teaching the Romanian Junior Team techniques he’d learned throughout his career.
The 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games brought him to America, where he continues to share the art of fencing with students of all ages and experience levels.
Daniel named his club, Olympia Fencing Center, in honor of the Romanian fencing club where he grew up and trained, “Clubul Sportiv Olimpia Craiova” (in Romanian, Craiova being his hometown). Daniel’s coach was the reputable Dumitru Popescu (Maître), at the Junior Olympic Centre for épée, the same coach and the same place where Olympian Ana Maria Popescu spent most of her training years.
Daniel is a small part of one of the most successful Romanian Mens’ Épée Teams, many of whom are now fencing coaches all over the world.
Email Daniel using our contact form.
Lori Schmidt
Lori began fencing in college and was a member of the Boston University Fencing Club. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2010.
Prior to college, Lori had been playing tennis competitively for many years and started working with children, which became one of her life-long passions.
Ms. Schmidt has been with our club since 2013 and, as of March 2020, she raised five generations of Youth Competitive fencers, as a class teacher and private coach.
Lori works with young students brand new to fencing, and she’s an expert in getting them started, from the first En-Garde position, to coaching them in their first competition!
In addition to her coaching position, Lori is the Children’s Program Coordinator.
Lori still competes at the national level and aspires to compete internationally.
Angélica Allende Brisk
Many of us know Angélica as the mom of Alejandra and Isabela Trumble, Olympia’s former students, but very few know that Angelica is a Media Arts Studio teacher at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, where she and her husband (featured below), Mr. George Scott, have helped established the CRLS Falcons Fencing team!
Recipient of the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award Recipient, 2009 Harvard Graduate School of Education, Angélica’s career has revolved around her love for teaching, arts, and… fencing.
While Angelica’s daughters and stepson are all grown up and away in their adult life, Angélica and George are active foster parents, teachers, and active fencers in the veterans’ events. She’s also a proud supporter of many causes, including diversity and inclusion, especially focused on Latino and unprivileged students.
Angelica focuses on teaching fencing to teenagers, and she is available for private lessons.
George Scott
George has over 40 years of fencing experience, both as a coach, and a competitor. He started fencing during his freshman year at Temple University and ended with two conference team titles and the Most Valuable Player award as a senior. After college George fenced at the historic Salle Csiszar under Maestro Lajos Csiszar. Moving to Boston, George was an assistant coach at Boston College, from 1992 – 1999.
George shares his fencing passion with his son, Noah, an Olympia Alumn and currently a senior at Stevens College, in NY.
After a break to focus on his career and family, George returned to competition and coaching.
Along with his wife, Angelica Brisk, and her daughter, Isabela Trumble, they founded the Falcons high school fencing team at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, in their hometown of Cambridge, MA. George currently holds a Level 1 coaching certificate from the US Fencing Coaches Academy, an “A” rating in épée, and was ranked #1 in New England Region in the Veteran division.
Scott Foster
Scott Foster is a mathematics teacher with the Boston Public Schools and holds a Master’s Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Scott learned to fence at his local Y and, as a youth fencer, he reached the semi-finals at the National Junior Olympics solely on the basis of group lessons.
Scott continues to train and compete, as well as coaching our Musketeer classes, which include his nine-year-old son, Ivo.
Fun fact: Scott speaks fluently Korean and Polish, and is a chess fanatic!
Edward Mullarkey
Ed began fencing at a very young age, with Fencing Master Joe Pechinsky.
Among his great results during the years are the New England YMCA league championship, the New England High School Foil and Épée championship, and the NEUSFA U20 Men’s Foil and Épée Championships. Ed was a medalist in numerous USFA North American Cup events and placed 37th in the Veterans Men’s Épée World Championship in 2006.
A retired Electrical Engineer, Ed continues to fence competitively in both local and national events and dedicated himself full time to being a fencing coach.
Ed is available for private lessons by request.
Robert Hondor
Robert started fencing at the age of nine, and started training with his father, Daniel, soon after.
Even though fencing wasn’t his first choice of sports, and despite not being of an athletic nature, Robert’s passion for fencing determined him to work hard, and by his teen years, he won the Junior Olympics, medaled in several National and Regional Championships, and, finally, made the USA Cadets Team.
After high school, Robert was recruited to the Division I-NCAA at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and received the Academic Excellence Award, and Athletic Scholarship, which he maintained during his college years.
At the time he left for college, Robert was ranked 9th in the USA and 51st in the world.
During his college years, Robert won a Bronze medal at the NCAA 2021, and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering major.
Robert teaches classes at both locations, and is available for private lessons.
Junior Coaches
Tony Whelan
Currently a sophomore at Yale University, Tony started fencing by attending a trial class when he was 10 years old, and fell in love with it!
Attaining the Elite class level by the time he was in high-school, Tony has been competing at national and international levels.
His favorite past result is gold at the 2019 Capitol Clash Y14 event, where he made a comeback from a 4-13 deficit — reinforcing the fencing truism to take things one touch at a time.
Tony participated to numerous world cups, before leaving for college, and he also earned First-Team and Second-Team Academic All American distinctions from USA Fencing.
Tony is back home during every school breaks, teaching beginner/intermediate classes. He is available for private lessons by request during these times.
Phoebe Chisholm
Phoebe is a current sophomore at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. She started fencing when she was 7 years old and has been in our Elite Program since she was 10. Phoebe has been competing at national level tournaments since joining the Elite Program. This past year she began to compete internationally alongside team USA in Cadet Women’s Epee.
Phoebe’s best past results include 3rd at a Cadet NAC and 16th at a Cadet World Cup.
Alongside her club competitions, Phoebe has spent the past two years competing with her high school team. Cambridge Rindge and Latin won 1st and, respectively, 2nd in the state, during her years on the team.
Phoebe is currently coaching in the Newton and Cambridge location, kids across many ages and experience levels.
Ava Wade-Currie
Ava graduated Buckingham Browne and Nichols School, in Cambridge, MA, in 2023, and is one of the youngest female fencers to be recruited by Northwestern University as early as the age of 16!
Ava started fencing when she was seven years old, and by the time she was 13, she was promoted to the Elite Program, the most advanced program in our club.
At 14 years old she earned her A-rating.
As a member of her school fencing team, she won the Individual Massachusetts High School Fencing Champion in Women’s Épée in 2019-2020 school year.
– Most memorable event: Ava placed 5th in Cadet Women’s Épée at the 2020 Junior Olympics, among the highest-rated women épéeists in the country!
Jordan Macarty
Jordan began fencing two months before his sixth birthday back in 2013 and immediately fell in love with the sport. Jordan has been competing since he was eight years old, and has won as many as five tournaments in a single season! Currently a student in Olympia’s Elite program, Jordan prides himself on his fastidious technical prowess with the Epee.
Oddly enough, around ten years old of age Jordan woke up one morning and decided to start helping with the “little” kids, after his weekend private lesson. He became ever since a staple on our Musketeer classes.
Known as a perfectionist, Jordan is in the top echelon of his high school class, winning numerous academic awards. He plays piano and alto saxophone for the school band and in a small jazz ensemble at the New England Conservatory.
Co-Owner and Business Manager: Iulia Hondor
A proud fencing mom since 2009, Iulia learned about fencing by watching her son, Robert, from the beginning of his fencing career, until the present day.
To her surprise, seeing Robert transformed from a chubby and slow child who hated all sports, to an accomplished athlete, muscular, fast, and witty, she soon became mesmerized by the way fencing models people’s bodies and characters.
She quit her job in the banking industry to support her husband, Daniel, in his ambition to build his dream fencing club, to give more people the opportunity to discover and fall in love with this unique sport, and change more lives.
They founded Olympia Fencing Center in 2012, and worked tirelessly since, not only to make the often overlooked sport of fencing more popular, but to make Olympia the biggest and most successful fencing club in the country.
In 2022, their dream became reality: Olympia became officially the largest one-weapon club in the USA, and produced four NCAA medalists, a Youth Bronze Olympic Champion, and numerous national, and world medalists.
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Parent Liason: Allison Wade
Ms. Wade is a fencing enthusiast and mother, who learned about the sport while watching and cheering on her daughter, Ava, for over seven years.
An Adjunct Professor at Boston University and Clinical Worker by day, Allison is spending her nights at Olympia, during Ava’s classes. Due to her experience with fencing and fencing competitions, Allison quickly became a trusted parent advisor and office helper. She is the person behind the club’s newsletter, travel booking for coaches, events planning, and more.
A valuable asset to our club and a joyous presence, Allison is greeting everyone with a big smile, good advice, and great support.