Former Olympian Marek Stepien - pictured in formal attire from a recent event in London - has joined the Notre Dame fencing staff as an assistant coach, with specific oversight of the epee fencers and the overall team's training regimen.

Epee Master Marek Stepien Joins Notre Dame Fencing As Third Full-Time Coach On Current Irish Staff

Sept. 17, 2007

The Notre Dame fencing program recently received a significant boost to its coaching ranks, as epee master Marek Stepien officially has come on board as a full-time assistant coach. Stepien – a former Olympic fencer with Poland’s National Team who served as a volunteer assistant with the Irish late in the 2007 spring season – joins head coach Janusz Bednarski and second-year assistant coach Gia Kvaratskhelia in giving Notre Dame three full-time coaches to lead the Irish in their quest for the program’s eighth NCAA team title.

The addition of a second full-time assistant should show immediate dividends in all aspects of the Notre Dame program, as Stepien combines with Bednarski (sabre) and Kvaratskhelia (foil) to provide all members of the Irish team with expert one-on-one instruction. As an added bonus, former Notre Dame sabre standout Patrick Ghattas (’07) recently returned to campus and will serve as the program’s intern coach during the 2007-08 season. Ghattas – a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA runner-up – remains one of the USA’s top-ranked men’s sabre fencers and should be a valuable addition while combining with Bednarski in instructing the young group of sabreists on the current Notre Dame squad.

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Marek Stepien (left) helped guide fellow Poland native Karol Kostka (right) and two other Notre Dame epeeists to All-America finishes at the 2007 NCAA Championships, as a volunteer assistant with the Irish.

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“This is a very exciting time to be a part of Notre Dame fencing,” says Bednarski, now in his fifth year as the Irish head coach after guiding Notre Dame to NCAA combined team titles in both 2003 and ’05.

“We began practicing last week and there is a great spirit of competitiveness and optimism in the gym – and much of that is due to the addition of Marek and Patrick to our coaching staff, in addition to the great work that Gia continues to do with our foilists. Having three full-time coaches will allow us to be more efficient in our daily practice regimen while also providing more individual attention to the fencers in their personal lessons. In the past, myself and my foil assistant had to split our time by helping out with epee ¬- but that all has changed, obviously for the better.

“Having three full-time coaches likewise will be a great benefit at the competitions, especially at the NCAAs where every bout is so important to the team’s success. We also should be able to recruit more effectively as a coaching staff. In general, I am very excited to see how this change will have a positive impact on all aspects of Notre Dame fencing.”

The 43-year-old Stepien – who had spent the past 10 years as a successful and highly-regarded fencing coach in the London area – first met Bednarski as a youth, when Bednarski was serving on the Polish Fencing Federation. They then became reacquainted at the 2006 USFA Summer Nationals (in Sacramento) and Stepien went on to serve as a volunteer coach with Notre Dame late in its 2007 spring season. Current sophomore Kelly Hurley capped that season by finishing as the women’s epee runner-up at the 2007 NCAAs while current senior captain Greg Howard (8th) and current junior Karol Kostka (11th) similarly posted All-America finishes in the 2007 NCAA men’s epee competition, with Stepien there to provide guidance every step of the way.

“Marek is an excellent addition to our coaching staff and already has some familiarity with our returning epeeists,” says Bednarski. “He has a great background in fencing and in training for athletics, and I believe his coaching style will combine with mine and Gia’s to give the team a quality experience on a daily basis. Marek’s ability to share his fencing knowledge, tactical epee experience and training practices could be very important to helping Notre Dame win another NCAA championship.

“Fencers and administrators who have worked with Marek in the past always are impressed with his motivational ability and infectious enthusiasm for the sport. He has boundless energy and is very effective at making his fencers believe in themselves. Marek encourages a tough physical and mental attitude and will add some demanding and contemporary training methods to our program.”

Stepien earned a spot on Poland’s four-man epee team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, with that squad going on to a respectable top-eight Olympic finish. An accomplished all-around athlete, Stepien also competed in the modern pentathlon (swimming, running, shooting, fencing and horseback riding) at the 1984 World Championships, held in Romania, and qualified for the 1988 Olympic pentathlon (in Seoul) but was unable to compete due to injury.

A three-time men’s epee participant at the European Fencing Championships, Stepien also twice won Poland’s national championship (1989 and ’90) and was ranked his nation’s top epee fencer in both 1990 and ’92. The Polish national team captain represented his home country at the World Fencing Championships four times – in Denver, Colo. (’89), Lyon, France (’90), Budapest, Hungary (’91) and Athens, Greece (’94; reached final-8) – in addition to competing at various World Cup competitions in Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, Italy, Hungary and England, from 1988-95.

Stepien’s experience at the 1992 Olympics included posting wins over three Italian fencers – Angelo Mazzone, Manizio Randazzo and Stefano Cuomo – who each were ranked among the top-10 in the world at the time. He won 1988 World Cup competitions at Innsbruck, Austria, and Darmstadt, Germany, while a 1989 World Cup in Heindenheim, Germany, saw him defeat the 1988 Olympic champion – Germany’s Arndt Schmitt – in the semifinals.

One of Stepien’s more noteworthy endeavors has been the training camp that he founded and oversaw, bringing together elite fencers from several countries. These training sessions – dubbed by participants as “Camp Marek” – were held from 2001-06 at the prestigious Olympic Sport Center in Drzonkow, Poland (located just across the border with Germany, near Berlin). According to the president of the Polish Fencing Federation, Adam Lisewski, the training camps run by Stepien were “considered the best in all of Europe” due to the combination of hard work with a fun and energizing atmosphere.

Stepien moved to Great Britain in 1997 and quickly made an impact on the London fencing community while becoming a member of the British Academy of Fencing and the British Fencing Association. Most notably, he served for six years as the fencing coach (in all weapons) at prestigious Cambridge University and sparked the Cambridge fencers to an impressive stretch of accomplishments and team spirit during his tenure. In addition to overseeing the team’s development in the key areas of technique, tactics, fitness training and psychological preparation, Stepien helped mold the Cambridge fencing team into a winning program with a re-energized level of participation.

Cambridge’s rivalry with Oxford is legendary in rowing but the head-to-head competition in fencing had been heavily lopsided in Oxford’s favor. That all changed in the 1998-99 academic year, as Stepien guided his new fencing team to an historic win over its rival (followed by similar wins in 1999-2000 and 2000-01). The Cambridge men’s fencing team also won the British University Students Association (BUSA) title in 2001 – Cambridge’s first BUSA fencing title in more that 60 years (dating back to 1947) – with both the men and women going on to win BUSA titles in 2002. Cambridge had the most fencers in BUSA final-eight bouts of any university in the United Kingdom, highlighted by fencers who reached BUSA title bouts in 2000 and ’04.

Stepien’s 10 years in England included overseeing the fencing program at the City of London School for Boys (1998-2007), where he also served as an instructor in other sports. He similarly spent nine years as a fencing instructor at the Haverstock Fencing Club (1998-2006), which is considered the top epee club in all of Great Britain. Stepien was responsible for fitness and flexibility training at Haverstock, in addition to providing individual coaching in all three weapons at all age levels.

He also coached one year at the University of London (1999-2000; all three weapons) while completing a stint at the Reading Fencing Club in England (1998-2000). During his time at Reading, Stepien was involved in individual and group training while also helping prepare two elite athletes – Stephanie Cook (gold) and Kate Allenby (bronze) – who went on to post medalist finishes in the pentathlon competition at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Cook and Allenby both credited Stepien as being a major factor in their Olympic-medal finishes, with each making big strides in their fencing ability under his tutelage.

Two other epee fencers coached by Stepien have turned in impressive results on the national and international levels. His Haverstock fencing student Greg Allen twice won England’s Commonwealth Games and was a seven-time World Championship qualifier (from 1998-2003, plus ’05). Allen reached a top-50 world ranking and placed third at the 2001 Innsbruck World Cup, in addition to being a member of the British team that beat Germany at the 2003 Poiters World Cup.

Youngster Jonathan May – who trained for five years with Stepien, at Haverstock and the London School for Boys – currently is the top-ranked cadet-level/under-14 boys epee fencer in all of England (he also is third in England’s junior-level/u-17 rankings). May has fenced in both the European and World Championships in each of the past two years (2006 and ’07). Andrea Wraith, another one of Stepien’s epee fencers at Haverstock, represented England at the 1998 Commonwealth Championships in Malaysia and returned home with the bronze medal.

Most recently, Stepien coached fencing at Dulworth College in London (2004-05) and taught advanced fencing classes to students at the American School in London, from 2004-06. He founded the Brixton Fencing Club in 2004 and – in three years with that club – helped inspire a new generation of fencers. Through the support of official sponsor Leon Paul and the coaching of Stepien, Brixton Fencing grew to a thriving club of 30 fencers that included two who qualified for the 2007 British Youth Championships.

“I had a terrific experience in England for 10 years and owe so much thanks to the people there for the opportunities they provided me, particularly individuals such as President Keith Smith of the British Fencing Association and the professors at the British Academy of Fencing, such as David Austin, Mike Joseph, Chris Northon and Bob Bales, plus others from the Academy – Ronald Veldon, Jim Perry, Janine Santer, Alex Agrenich, Jacqui Harvey, John Ince, Peter Barett and Nicholas Fang.

“In looking at the opportunity to come to Notre Dame, I knew that I wanted to become involved in a college fencing situation here in the U.S. – because I think that’s a wonderful way to see fencing competition, as both an individual and team sport,” says Stepien, whose many academic and recreational interests include extensive photography experience.

“Having been around the Notre Dame team last spring, I was able to witness the group’s great team spirit and its general team concept. I believe it’s important for every fencer – the stars and the reserves – to have a part in helping the team reach its goal. Here at Notre Dame, we have a great group of team members and people who are the support staff for the program. All of these individuals will help us be successful and that’s the type of fencing environment I want to be around. I also enjoy working alongside Janusz, as he does a great job organizing the team and the coaches and keeping us all focused on the team goals.”

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Marek Stepien’s extensive fencing experience includes working in his native Poland and England, plus several recent summers working in the U.S.

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Stepien previously has worked twice in the United States as a fencing or athletics instructor. He served summer stints from 1999-2001 as an Olympic Development Clinic director in Roswell, N.M., helping prepare the clinic’s fencing schedule while helping to develop fencers with Olympic potential. Stepien also worked during the summers of 1997-2000 at Camp America in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, serving as a tennis instructor for children ages 8-14 – with an emphasis on skills similar to those used in fencing (hand-eye coordination, footwork, speed and conditioning).

Prior to making his move to England, Stepien worked six years (1991-97) in his homeland at the Academy of Physical Education and Rehabilitation, located in Warsaw. As an instructor in the academy’s Integrated Sport Club for the Disabled, he oversaw rehabilitation classes while preparing the academy’s club team to compete in Poland’s first fencing championship for the disabled – in addition to the 1992 and 1996 Paralympic Games (in Barcelona and Atlanta, respectively) and World Cup competitions for disabled fencers that were held in Italy (Pisa) and France (Paris and Grenoble). During this time, Stepien specialized in coaching adults with quadriplegia, tetraplegia and amputees.

Stepien coached several disabled wheelchair fencers in preparation for the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, with his star pupil Jadwiga Polasik going on to win the women’s epee gold medal. Stepien – who had introduced Polasik to fencing – also was a member of the organizing committee for a Poland-USA-France disabled fencing tournament for the disabled and he served as a full-time lecturer at the Academy of Physical Education and Rehabilitation (1995-97), with a focus on the theory of disability in sport.

The mid-1990s also saw Stepien serve as a full-time physical education teacher at primary school 247 in Warsaw (1994-97), with particular emphasis in tennis and gymnastics. He previously had been a full-time faculty member at the Janusz Kusocinski School of Sport Champions in Warsaw (1992-94), where he lectured, taught general PE classes and mentored elite young athletes in modern pentathlon skills.

Stepien received a masters degree (’92) in physical education from the Academy of Physical Education and Rehabilitation, in addition to receiving his fencing master diploma from the same institution in 1992. He later added a postgraduate diploma from the University of Warsaw Faculty of Pedagogy (in politics and management education; ’06) and a postgraduate certificate in aspects of European development, from the University of Warsaw Center of European Integration (’07). He earlier had spent four years in PhD studies at the Academy of Physical Education and Rehabilitation, during 1993-97, and has received numerous coaching/fitness certificates and memberships.

According to Adam Bronikowski of the AZS AWF Warszawa fencing club, Stepien’s attaining his masters in physical education meant that he had “graduated with a degree higher than any other fencing master has achieved in Poland.”

An avid athlete in numerous sports, Stepien ran in the 2003 and 2004 London Marathons, in addition to twice competing in fencing marathons (1999 and 2002) to help support The Royal Marsden Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospice. He also competed in the 1998 British Heart Foundation London to Brighton Bike Ride.

Stepien – who was born in Krasnik, Poland – grew up in Warsaw and began fencing at the age of 10, under the watchful eye of coach Marek Maky. As a 18-year-old, Stepien began being coached by Bogdan Andrzejewski (the 1964 epee world champion) and he later was coached by Zbigniew Konczalski, in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. Throughout his first 15 years as a competitive fencer (ages 10-25), Marek was guided by Zbigniew Kuciewicz – who acted as a “second father” for the future national-team standout and Olympian.

The Notre Dame fencing program’s “Poland pipeline” during the current decade includes Bednarski, Stepien and Kostka (a Krakow native and two-time NCAA participant) – plus current senior foilist Jakub Jedrkowiak (a Leszno native and already a three-time All-American with the Irish), current freshman women’s epeeist Ewa Nelip (Katowice), and two elite four-time All-Americans: foilist Alicja Kryczalo (Gdansk) and epeeist Michal Sobieraj (Krakow). Kryczalo is one of the most accomplished fencers in NCAA history, reaching the NCAA title bout in each of her four seasons (2002-04 champion; ’05 runner-up) while leading the Irish to their team titles in 2003 and ’05. Her classmate Sobieraj was the men’s epee champion in 2005, after finishing as the 2003 runner-up and a third-place finisher in 2004.

Stepien will oversee an epee group that is led by three returning All-Americans – Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), local product Howard (Granger, Ind.) and Kostka – while also featuring several promising newcomers, most notably Nelip and Jacob Osborne (Colleyville, Texas).