Coaches
Tarek Ayad, Head Coach
A member of the Egyptian National Team since 1998 and a two-time Olympian in London 2012 and Rio 2016, Coach Tarek has over 25 years of experience as a fencer and has coached numerous students at all levels since he moved to Los Angeles in 2016. Besides being an Olympic athlete, Tarek’s credentials include being the bronze medalist (team) in Havana World Cup in 2012, Cadet, Junior, and Senior National Champion from 2002 to 2016, Cadet and Junior World Cup finalist, African Champion with seventeen medals, bronze medalist of the Mediterranean championship, and top 18 Senior world rank. He is also a certified international referee for all three fencing weapons.
Educated as a production engineer, Tarek brings his passion for fencing and commitment to excellence to Elite Fencing Club. He has successfully prepared many students for national and international competitions. Among his students are North American Cup, Junior Olympics, and Cadet World Cup champions.
Madison Zeiss, Foil Coach
Coach Madison has been fencing for 20 years and has mastered foil fencing through her career competing on the national and international circuits since age 10. She competed as a member of the Cadet National Team, Junior National Team, and Senior National Team, winning many individual and team medals for Team USA. She went on to compete for the University of Notre Dame on their Division 1 Fencing Team and is a four-time All-American, finishing at the NCAA Championships in the top four all four years of her collegiate career. Following graduation from Notre Dame, she continued her training and began her coaching career serving as the Volunteer Assistant Coach and supporting the team to two back-to-back National Championships. Following an Olympic run for Rio 2016, she returned to her hometown of Los Angeles to continue her training with Coach Tarek and try for a spot on the 2020 Olympic Team. A season plagued with injury cut her Olympic aspirations short, but she is thrilled to return to the strip as a coach at Elite Fencing Club! When not giving lessons, Madison also works for the Los Angeles Chargers on their Sales and Marketing Team at the newly opened SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
Federico Canchez, Foil Coach
A professional fencer with over 20 years of fencing experience, Coach Fico has trained and competed for the Peruvian national fencing team, where he represented the team internationally at all competitions in the Olympic circuit, including World Cups, Zone Championships, and Satellite Championships. He has competed in six World Fencing Championships since 2012, Pan American Games and Qualifying Championship for the 2012 and 2021 Olympic Games.
Besides being a fencing champion, Coach Fico is well qualified as a coach. He completed the International Fencing Coaches Course at Ruben Limardo Foundation in Poland in 2017. He is also a national referee of Peru, having completed the International Fencing Arbitration Course in Lima. In addition to being a fencer, Coach Fico has a law degree from the UPC Peruvian University of Applied Sciences.
At Elite Fencing Club, Coach Fico is committed to working with club athletes and to training the next generation of fencing champions.
Patrizia Piovesan, Epee Coach
Coach Patrizia began fencing at 7 and has been a competitive fencer since she was 13. She joined the Venezuelan national team from youth to adult categories, and has competed in all international fencing events including zonal championships, world championships, satellite tournaments, and world cups.
In her over twenty year sports career, Coach Patrizia has achieved best results at the international level. She received silver and bronze medals in the XVIII Pan American Game 2019, silver medal in the Central American and Caribbean Games 2018, gold medal in the South American Games 2018, and double individual and team gold medals in the Pan American Championship U20 in 2014 and 2012.
In addition to being a fencer, Coach Patrizia received a degree in business administration at Universidad del Istmo Panama in 2021. She also completed “Introduction to Sport and Paralympic Movement” and “Introduction to Tourism, Marketing and Innovation” courses at Peruvian Sports Institute, National Directorate of Training and Sports Technique (PER).
