Our Mission
Ohio Fencing Center is a premier fencing club dedicated to providing top-notch Olympic fencing classes and lessons for all ages starting at 6yo.
With fully equipped facilities and expert coaches, we focus on nurturing young talent and fostering a passion for the sport. Our goal is to instill discipline, teamwork, and excellence in every student.
Discover a place where skills are honed, champions are made, and a lifelong love for fencing begins.
Coaches
Our team of skilled coaches and instructors are passionate about fencing and committed to helping students reach their full potential. With years of experience and a deep love for the sport, they provide personalized training and guidance to every student.
Siarhei Kavalioy
Siarhei Kavalioy was a National Champion of the Belarus Republic and has an extensive
list of successes as a saber coach, including a Cadet World Cup silver medal, a Veteran World Championship bronze medal, and several gold medals at Pan-American Championships.
His students have achieved top finishes at national and international levels, counting
2 nd and 3 rd places in Olympic Qualifiers, and a 22 nd place finish at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece.
Coach Kavalioy moved to Columbus, OH, in January 2018 to be part of the saber
coaching team at Columbus Fencing and Fitness in Dublin, OH, where he
coached until December of 2024.
In the US, he was able to get his students to high positions in national and international
rankings, including but not limited to the Veteran National Champion (2018-2019), 3rd Place in the Veterans World Championship (2018), Top 16 in the Junior Olympics, and 5th Place in the USA Fencing National Championships; July Challenge (2023).
Coach Kavalioy earned his master’s degree from the Belarussian State University of
Physical Culture in Minsk, Belarus, and was a saber coach and personal trainer in Brazil for 18
years (1999 - 2017).
Dmitri Lapkes
A six-time Belarusian national champion, Dmitri Lapkes competed at four Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012), including a fourth-place finish in Athens in 2004. In WorldCup competition, coach Lapkes claimed seven medals, including three gold. He also earned nine medals in Grand Prix events, including a gold in 2006. He earned silver in the team saber event at the 2011 World Fencing Championships. He was part of three Team World Cup Championships (2006, 2009, 2010). He served as the head coach of the National Saber Team in Belarus from 2015-18.
In January 2019, coach Lapkes moved to Columbus, OH, to join the fencing coaching team for the Ohio State University. Since then, his students have accomplished several titles, including the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships overall title in 2019 and the men’s and women’s titles in 2020, the men's and women's Central Collegiate Fencing Conference team crowns in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and the men only in 2024.
Coach Lapkes earned his master’s degree from the Belarussian State University of
Physical Culture in Minsk, Belarus.
Doug Findlay
Doug Findlay began his fencing career at The Ohio State University where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier and Big Ten Medal of Honor finalist. He served as a graduate student assistant for the OSU team studying under former Soviet masters and during this tenue won a Div1A national championship.
After retiring from competing, he began refereeing where he quickly became world-renowned and was selected as the U.S. referee for the Beijing, London, and Rio Olympics. After London, coach Doug was named the "Best Foil Referee in the World" by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime. He holds Prévôt de Fleuret certification from the The United States Fencing Coaches Association and has been focusing on coaching since 2012.
Coach Doug’s students have won over fifty National Medals, including the 2024 Division
1 National Championship bronze, and have gone on to compete for many major NCAA
programs.
Originally from Ecuador, Raul Arias is a saber coach with more than 25 years of experience. As an athlete, coach Arias was an Ecuadorian National Champion, and competed
internationally obtaining more than 20 medals in tournaments in the Americas and the
Caribbean.
As a coach, his students had successes both nationally and internationally, having a student in every category of the Ecuadorian National Team. Among his students accomplishments, one was the youth saber Pan American bronze medal in 2015 and another was the US National Paralympic saber championship in 2019.
In Ecuador, coach Arias was the captain of the national saber team from 1991 to 2009,
and in 2015 was designated national head coach, just before moving to the US in 2016. Here in Columbus, OH, he has worked with individual athletes and as a consultant coach for a private fencing club.
Raul Arías
Kaleb Myers
Kaleb Myers began his journey in fencing at the age of nine, diving into the sport's
national competitive circuit and competing at a high level through the 2020 Summer Nationals.
During his athlete’s career, he consistently earned recognition as one of the top fencers in the region, securing multiple #1 regional rankings, top #8 finishes in national competitions, and two gold medals at the prestigious Arnold Classic.
His fencing journey includes over five years of intense training with renowned coaches,
including former three-time Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Nazlymov (former OSU NCAA
Head Coach), as well as notable former Belarusian National and World Cup Champions
Alexander “Sasha” Sourimto (currently at Manhattan Fencing) and Siarhei Kavalioy (former
Columbus Fencing and Fitness).
In the Spring of 2024, coach Kaleb returned to his roots in Ohio after graduating from
Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
During his time in Florida, coach Kaleb began his coaching apprenticeship at ALLE Fencing
Club, where he took on a leadership role by running the club’s beginner and intermediate fencing programs, teaching fencers ranging from the Y-8 age group through high school athletes.
Since returning to Ohio, he has contributed to the ALLE's success at the 2024 USA
Fencing National Championships by assisting in their coaching, while also competing and
securing a top 32 finish in his own event. Additionally, he has taken on the role of Saber Coach for the Upper Arlington High School Fencing Club, further expanding his coaching experience and leadership within the fencing community and youth mentorship.