History

History of the Lincoln Fencing Club

The Lincoln Fencing Club (LFC) was founded by Kit Boesch, Rick Kohn, and Damon Scaggs in 1980. 

The club consisted of 6 fencers who dusted off their foils and decided it was time to have fun!!   Kit Boesch served as head coach.  She was a competitive fencer for over 20 years.  She coached two youth clubs in Wisconsin and spent 7 years coaching at Ohio State University.  She began her career by winning the under 19 Wisconsin Championships and has now retired from competitive fencing and is proud of the silver medal she earned at the National Senior Championships. 

As the fencing club grew, it was decided to hire the former Olympic Coach for Hungary, Janos Gasparin.  Janos was Jr. National Foil Champion for Hungary at age 16 and on the National team from 1972 to 1974.  He was slated to be a member of three Olympic Teams in 1976 but was denied a spot because his family was not a card-carrying memeber of the Communist Party.  He and his wife, Kati, who has continued to compete and earn many national medals herself, became involved with the Lincoln Fencing Club in April of 1995. The club ran under the direction for Janos and Kati Gasparin (with Kit keeping a close eye) till 1997.

After Janos and Kati left, Kit took over again as head coach.  The Lincoln Fencing Club decided to start the Icicle Invitational, which continues to be a great competitive tournament with fencers from the Midwest competing each January.  In 1991, once again LFC decided to hire a foreign coach: Archil Lortkipanidze from the Republic of Georgia.  He served as head coach till 2000, and Kit took the job over again till 2002.  Several fencers banded together as coaches, and in 2003, Kristian Anderson took over as head coach.  In 2008, Kristian stepped down as head coach and became an assistant coach. The current head coach is Cassidy Kovanda.

Today, LFC has over 75 members and continues to grow.  It focuses on competitive fencing in all 3 weapons: foil, epee, and sabre.  LFC is a 501c nonprofit organization, located at 2645 O St (at the corner of 27th and O Street).  We sponsor several tournaments, offer classes for youth age 7 on up to adults age 75.  LFC promotes directors and fencers to gain top-level ratings.  We demand safety, mutual respect, and the opportunity for everyone to fence. LFC provides a safe, family-centered, personally challenging fencing program that develops people as well as fencers.  We believe in safety, first and foremost; respecting ourselves as well as those around us; accepting responsibility for our own actions both on and off the strip; and being totally inclusive.

 Pictured:  Coach Dale Holt and Coach Kit Boesch