Staff
Iris Zimmermann – Co-Owner/Foil Coach
Iris is best known for setting records in the sport of fencing. Not only was she was the first US fencer to win a world championship medal, she was also the youngest ever to win that medal and the youngest to win a national championships. In 2000, Iris made the Olympic team with her sister Felicia Zimmermann and together they were two points shy of winning the bronze medal for the United States. After two more runs at the Olympics and graduating from Stanford University, Iris is now a fencing coach at the Rochester Fencing Club. We are excited to have our very own Olympian on staff.
Email: rocfencing@gmail.com or iris@rocfencing.com | Cell: 585-424-0605 | Phone: 585-654-6047
Felicia Zimmermann – Co-Owner/Foil Coach
Felicia is a two-time Olympian and the first U.S. fencer to achieve the World Cup overall championship in the under-20 category. She was the first and only woman to win NCAA championships in both foil and epee. A graduate of School of the Arts and Stanford University, Felicia Zimmermann moved back to Rochester in August 2010 to be closer to home and the fencing club and to work for Xerox.
Email: felicia@rocfencing.com | Phone: 585-654-6047
David Taylor – Foil Coach
David Taylor has a passion for fencing and an ambition to coach at a high level. David started his coaching career as an apprentice to Polish Fencing Master, Tomek Walicki. David comes to us from England with experience as head coach for the Brentwood School in Brentwood, Essex and Westminster School in London. He has also coached at Salle Boston in London. 2010-2011 will be David’s first season coaching foil at the Rochester Fencing Club.
Email: rfc@rocfencing.com | Phone: 585-654-6047
Colin Clinton – Foil Coach
Colin graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in psychology. He was the first alternate to the 1993 Men’s Foil Cadet World Team. He also qualified four times for the NCAA Championships, taking All- American honors twice.
Email: colinclinton@hotmail.com | Phone:585-654-6047
Christine Griffith – Sabre Coach
Christine is a native of Sacramento, California where she fenced for 12 years before heading off to college at Temple University to fence with well-known head coach of Temple University Nikki Frank. While at Temple, Christine qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2007 and 2008, was the National Intercollegiate Women’s Saber Champion in 2008, Saber MVP in 2008, and ended her collegiate career with 152 victories (2007-2010). Christine’s academic career was just as successful as her athletic career. She majored in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise and sports science with coursework in physiology of physical activity, exercise and nutrient metabolism, and principles of health and fitness to just name a few. She left her personal training career at Vertex Fitness Personal training Studio in Bryn Mawr, PA to join the Rochester Fencing Club as one of our saber coaches.
Email: rfc@rocfencing.com | Phone: 585-654-6047
Susan Jennings Kantari
Susan has been a member of cadet, junior, Pan-American and World University Games national teams as well as 4-time First Team All-Ivy and All American while at Columbia University. After graduating from Columbia and working as a trader on Wall St she moved to Las Vegas, where in addition to her career finance, started the competitive youth program at the Fencing Academy of Nevada where she coached youth students to national and regional titles. Susan returned to Rochester in July 2011. The 2011-2012 fencing season will be Susan’s first season as a coach here at the RFC.
Email: susan@rocfencing.com| Phone:585-654-6047
Semion Kiriakidi, MD, PhD, Licensed Massage Therapist
Semion Kiriakidi began as a student of Makhachkala Fencing School in Russia, USSR and was awarded Candidate for Master of Sports of the USSR in 1979. Following 20 busy years of his medical career in Russia, Kiriakidi resumed his involvement with the sport of fencing as an athlete and a coach in 2003 when he moved to the USA. He was a volunteer sabre coach at the UR fencing club until 2008, then coached at Fencing Exchange in Scranton, PA until 2009. Since then Kiriakidi has been the head coach, in all three weapons, at Wilkes Fencing Club in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In addition he has been teaching a fencing course at the department of Phys Ed of Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, PA.
Email: skiriakidi@gmail.com | Phone:585-654-6047
