Coaches
Who We Are
Julian Rueda
Owner & Head Coach
Julian Rueda Espinosa brings over 15 years of coaching experience at both national and international levels. He graduated from the National Sports School in Cali, Colombia in 2015 and holds the Level 3 Fencing Master certification—the highest level—from the Royal Spanish Fencing Federation (2012).
In 2015, he was awarded an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship for Coaches and completed an advanced program in Applied Sports Sciences at the Institut Nacional d'Educació Física (INEFC) and the High Performance Center (CAR) in Barcelona, Spain. Julian began his coaching career with the Colombian Air Force and later served as the National Coach for Colombia’s Cadet and Junior teams. In 2018, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has since trained numerous high-performing athletes.
Julian's students have earned 30+ national and international medals, including recent golds in the Bratislava and Grenoble World Cups.
Among his most notable students are:
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Jonas Hansen, #1 in the U.S. during the 2023–2024 season and NCAA Champion in 2023, with over six national podium finishes.
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Luka Loncar, Cadet #1 in the U.S. for the 2022–2023 season, winner of three international gold medals (Grenoble 2022, Bratislava individual and team 2023), and over eight national podiums.
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Isabel Di Tella, 2022 Pan American Champion, silver medalist at the 2023 Vancouver World Cup, 2023 Pan Am Games Champion, and ranked Top 16 in the world during the 2023–2024 season.
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Ashley Lou, gold medalist at the 2023 Lima World Cup and three-time U.S. Nationals medalist.
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Sierra Springer, with seven U.S. National podiums and a current member of Team USA.
Coaching Approach:
Coach Julian prioritizes individualized development, refining technique, and instilling a winning mindset. His tailored coaching approach, combined with a keen eye for detail, strategic insights, and a supportive training environment, helps students unlock their full potential and achieve their goals.
Frédéric Fenoul
Coach
Frédéric Fenoul’s coaching career began in 2003, when he founded the Escrime Club Estudiantin de Paris (Paris Students Fencing Club, a club that still exists today). He then obtained his ‘Brevet d'Etat,’ the French ‘Maître d'armes’ diploma, in 2007. In 2008, his professional career took him to northern France, where he took over the local club in the city of Amiens. Within a few years, the club became a benchmark in French épée fencing, winning several French championships, both individual and team, in the U17 and U20 categories. Several of the club's fencers also qualified for international competitions, including Clément Dorigo, who became European champion and world vice-champion in 2015 with the French team. At the same time, Frédéric decided to give up his main professional activity as an R&D specialist to become a full-time coach. In 2016, he validated his 'DESJEPS,' the highest level of coaching qualification in France.
In 2017, Frédéric was recruited by the Belgian Fencing Federation to take charge of high-level épée fencing and coach training. The results came fairly quickly, with two Top 8 finishes at the U17/U20 World Championships in 2018 (Axelle Wasiak and Neisser Loyola). In 2022, Neisser Loyola won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, Belgium's first world medal in 71 years. At the end of the 2024 season, Frédéric decided to leave Belgium in search of a new challenge.
After a brief stint as national coach in Germany, Frédéric decided to join Leo Fencing Club, a club he discovered and grew to appreciate when he led two camps as a visiting coach in 2024.
Coaching Approach:
Coach Frédéric strives to support athletes in developing their strengths. He takes a holistic approach to performance, including technical, tactical, physical, and mental aspects. As a supporter of positive coaching, he tries to instill a growth mindset through a culture of hard work and a desire to improve.
