DescriptiAlexander is an accomplished fencer. A Three-time Ukrainian National Champion, he medaled in numerous international events including the World Cup and the European Championship. Alexander graduated from Ukrainian State University with a Master's degree in Physical Education and Sports and Coaching in 1994. He since worked as fencing coach, head coach and assistant manager in several prominent fencing clubs and colleges in the U.S. Alex is the Co-Author of the "Saber Fencing For Kids". Over the years, he has coached a number of this country's elite fencers, world cup winners, and medalists.on goes here

Head Saber Coach

Maestro Mikhail (Misha) Shimshovich graduated with a Masters degree from the Kiev Institute of Physical Education in Ukraine. He was a member the Junior and Senior Ukrainian National Team and a member of USSR Junior National Team. Maestro Misha was awarded an Honored Coach of Ukraine title in 1993, which is an official recognition of coaching achievements.

During his extensive career as a coach, Maestro Misha founded a children’s fencing program in Kiev High School 77. This program produced an Olympic Champion, Vadim Gutzaik, and many National and World Champions for the years to follow. As head coach of the Ukrainian National Team, his students included George Pogosov, the gold medalist of the 1992 Olympics in Madrid.

In addition to coaching at Allegro Fencing, Maestro Misha has previously served as the assistant coach for the St. Johns University 2001 NCAA Championship Team and organized an adult beginner program at the Fencers Club which was listed in the New York Times in 2006. He has numerous current students who are medalists and winners of National Championships and were finalists at the Veteran World Championships in 2014 and 2016.

Many of Maestro Misha’s students have been accepted to the top universities in the country including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and many more.

Saber Coach, Executive Director

Coach Igor Wilenski is a professional fencer with over 35 years of competitive and coaching experience. Coach Igor first started fencing in Kiev, Ukraine under Maestro Misha Shimshovich at the age of 11. During his competitive fencing career, Coach Igor was a Bronze Medalist at the Junior Dynamo All Star Championships in Kharkov, Ukraine.

Additionally, Coach Igor achieved several top-8 National Cadet and Junior standings, along with numerous top results in competitions throughout Ukraine. After relocating to Israel, Coach Igor was a Silver Medalist at the Maccabi Games in the Senior Men’s Saber event.

Following his retirement from competitive fencing, Coach Igor began his coaching career where he was a Saber Coach in Israel. Since 1990, Igor has been coaching in the US where he is a USA Fencing certified coach and continues to provide invaluable guidance to Allegro Fencing’s students, in addition to serving as Allegro Fencing’s executive director.

Boris's coaching career began in 1981 at the Olympic Reserve Fencing School in Kharkiv. In 1996, Boris immigrated to the United States, where his coaching career flourished. He began at the Polish-American Fencing Academy before being invited to join the NY Fencers Club and later the Manhattan Fencing Center, both among the most prestigious fencing institutions in the world. In 2007, he co-founded Island Fencing Academy in Long Island, NY, where he trained and developed numerous high-level fencers, including Sarah and Peter Pak, who went on to become national team members and world medalists.

A defining moment in Boris’s career came in 2007, when he was appointed as the USA National Junior and Cadet Sabre Team Coach by the U.S. Fencing Association (USFA). His contributions helped shape the next generation of top American fencers, including Olympians Dagmara Wozniak and Monica Aksamit, as well as Aleks Ochocki, a two-time NCAA Champion and the current Head Coach of the U.S. National Men Sabre Team.
On Long Island, Boris coached Cold Spring Harbor High School team for two consecutive years. Boris is currently in Charlotte and is a visiting coach and also run Allegro classes online.

Saber Coach

Coach Donal Mahoney is an accomplished fencer, with a long list of achievements in his fencing career. Coach Donal started fencing at Island Fencing Academy under former US Junior and Cadet National Team Coach Boris Khurgin and Maestro Misha Shimshovich, and is a former 2-time all Long Island fencer and was captain of the Garden City High School fencing team. During his competitive fencing career, Coach Donal placed in the top 8 of the 2016 Summer National Championships and was the gold medalist of the 2019 Atilla Peschauer Open Tournament.

During his collegiate career at UMass Amherst, Coach Donal was named captain of the fencing team, where he was a Bronze Medalist in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Individual Championships. In addition to coaching at Allegro Fencing, Coach Donal previously served as the Assistant Coach and more recently, as Head Coach of the Cold Spring High School Fencing Team, where he was responsible for recruiting and building out their high school fencing program.

Elite Saber Coach

Coach Andrew Fischl is household name in the fencing community, renowned for his YouTube and social media presence Cyrusofchaos, where his fencing videos, analytical discussions, and fencer interviews have amassed over 18 million views. Coach Andrew has been involved in the sport for over 20 years, where he first began learning at Island Fencing Academy at the age of 16 and became a mentor for countless students, including coaches Brian and Donal. Coach Andrew went on to fence at Vassar College from 2007-2011, and studied at numerous world class clubs, including the New York Athletic Club, training with dozens of top ranked coaches and fencers. Coach Andrew went on to achieve remarkable success both domestically and internationally, where he went on to become ranked as high as 5th in the US and 92nd in the world, competing as a member of the US Senior National Team.

In addition to his successful career as a national team fencer and YouTube work, Coach Andrew has also been a regular presence at Regional and National competitions as a referee, where he directed countless bouts over the years, including numerous Gold Medal matches at National Championships. Coach Andrew made the transition to coaching in 2021 at Globus Fencing Academy, where he immediately made an impact on the club’s students alongside Coach Hyokun Lee, the Korean National Men’s Saber Coach. Various students of Coach Andrew have been accepted into and are fencing for top universities in the US, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Two of Coach Andrew’s most notable students include Taylor Chon and Silas Choi. Having trained extensively under Coach Andrew, both are members of the US Junior and Cadet World Teams and are multiple-time national champions. Taylor was the world champion of the 2023 Cadet World Cup in Meylon, France and both fencers have been ranked as high as 5th and 2nd in the world, respectively.

Guest Saber Coach

Maestro Mikhail (Misha) Tsipis is a guest Coach at Allegro Fencing Center where he frequently trains Allegro Fencers through annual competitive training clinics and individual lessons. Maestro Misha Tsipis began fencing in 1967 in Kiev, Ukraine under the tutelage of Allegro Fencing’s Maestro Mikhail Shimshovich. As a former teammate of Allegro Fencing’s Igor Wilenski, Maestro Misha achieved the prestigious award of Master of Sports of the USSR at the young age of 17 and was awarded a position on the Ukrainian National Team at the age of 20. As a member of the Ukrainian Team, Maestro Misha went on to achieve top results in dozens of competitions internationally and was a 2-time champion of the USSR. Maestro Misha also went on to Mentor multiple-time World Champion and 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist George Pogosov, the current head coach of Stanford University’s men’s and women’s fencing team.

Since 1994, Maestro Misha began his coaching career at the Ukrainian powerhouse club “Dynamo” Kiev, which produced multiple Olympic and World Champions. In 2016, Maestro Misha moved to Chicago, where he currently is the 3-weapon head coach and director of the Life Sport Athletic Club Fencing program. As a coach in Chicago, Maestro Misha has produced a number of successful fencers including 2019 National Champion Emmeline Bae.