Our
Coaches
Janos Gasparin
Head Coach
After spending seven transformative years in Hungary, developing fencing programs and nurturing a new generation of youth champions, Coach Janos Gasparin has now brought his passion for fencing to Alabama. Known for his ability to build and lead top-tier fencing programs, Janos has helped athletes reach their full potential, both abroad and before that, in Dallas, Texas, where he founded and operated his own fencing club.
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Coach Janos is a highly experienced coach with certifications from the FIE (International Fencing Federation) and the US Fencing Coaches Association. His dedication to the sport is reflected in his ability to train athletes at all levels, from beginners to international competitors. Janos also spent eight years as an elementary teacher and holds certification in Early Education Pedagogy, ESL, Health, and Physical Education. This combination of coaching and teaching expertise allows him to create a supportive, structured environment that fosters both athletic development and personal growth.
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Coach Janos is a graduate of Penn State University and member of a highly successful team that won NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2009.
Tatiana Gitcevich
Co-Founder
Coach Tatiana has an advanced degree in Sports Education for Fencing from University in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has coached at the St. Petersburg Olympic Sports School for over 5 years and has produced championship fencers for the Russian Federation. Tatiana was also champion and finalist of many national competitions of the Russian Federation. She is also recognized as a Provost of Fleuret by the United States Coaching Association.
Rylan Delap
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Rylan is the current President of the Alabama division for US Fencing. He is also the newly elected Chairman of the Southeast for the US Fencing Coaches association. Coach Rylan is one of the highest rated referee officials for United States Fencing and officiates internationally as well. He is one of the few Certified Referee Instructors (CRI) for US Fencing and is able to certify new US Fencing referees.
Rylan competed on the Varsity Fencing Team at Penn State where he fenced with members of the National and Olympic Team for the USA and his Penn State team earned the NCAA Championship title in 2014. Rylan was originally taught fencing in Birmingham under Yuanjing Wang and Hongyun Sun, both national team and olympic level fencers/coaches from China. He also trained under Maestro Walid Mahran. He was later coached by Gia Abashidze at Penn State and has proceeded to work with coaches all around the world to continuously pursue stronger abilities as a teacher. Rylan has already coached multiple national medalists and champions in his coaching career.
