Coaching Staff
We’re a talented group of coaches who are passionate about our sport, and seek to provide the tools and environment necessary for each fencer to achieve their potential. Our professional coaching team holds accreditations from USA Fencing, United States Fencing Coaches Association, and are all SafeSport certified.
Jennifer Oldham
Jennifer is an accredited 3-weapon Fencing Master by the United States Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie D’Armes Internationale and holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology. She began fencing for the varsity program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after taking fencing as a physical education requirement. Jennifer when on to competed internationally, earning a National Team Championship, several top 32 finishes and a bronze international team medal for Team USA.
Jen has been coaching athletes at all levels for over two decades. Her students have gone on to compete in the NCAA Championships and several international teams.
Jen is founder of Mid-South Fencers Club, WFencing, and Forge Teams.
Jeffrey Kallio
Jeff is an accredited Master d’ Sabre with the United States Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie d’Armes Internationale. Jeff began fencing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte fencing club. He coached locally in the Charlotte metro and then moved to Durham to be the first full-time paid coach at Mid-South Fencers’ Club.
Jeff’s students have competed in the NCAA Championships and have represented several international teams.
Jeff has business start-up and management experience in the sports industry as well as corporate management.
Jeff enjoys rebuilding antique cars in his spare time.
Vince Camillo
Vince is an accredited Foil Fencing Master with the United States Fencing Coaches Association. Vince started fencing in Chico, California at the age of 14, studying under the Italian Maestro Enrico Aiello. He began coaching in 2002 at Mission High School in San Francisco. After relocating to Portland, Oregon, he coached at Northwest Fencing Center for almost ten years, leading their youth beginner and youth intermediate programs before moving to Durham in 2022.
Vince holds a BA in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University. He worked in the Bay Area as a professional stage actor, fight choreographer, and stunt man.
Vince enjoys mountain biking in his spare time.
Cathleen Randall
Cathleen began fencing at Duke University with the varsity team. Cathleen holds USFA Coaches College certification in Level I Epee and Level II Foil, and as a referee in saber.
Cathleen coached high school teams in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Illinois, for two decades. Her fencers medalled individually and as teams in all three weapons.
Cathleen is a multi-time national medalist in Veteran Women’s saber, and is a founding member of WFencing.
Polo Mueller
Polo started fencing at age thirteen at The Hun School in New Jersey. She decided to pursue her love of epee full time at Penn State University. Polo was instrumental in the team’s three consecutive NCAA Championship titles (1995-1997) for which she earned First Team All-American recognition.
Today she and her husband, Donn, enjoy traveling and competing in regional and national Veterans events and fostering the love of the sport in their four children.
Stephen Pashby
Stephen began fencing at Seacoast Fencers Club in Manchester, NH. Then he fenced and coached at the North Carolina State Fencing Club and the former Raleigh Fencer’s Club. He is the fencing instructor at Meredith and Peace Colleges.
Stephen has a Level I Epée Certificate from the USFA Coaches College, is a nationally certified referee in all three weapons and instructs all three weapons.
Stephen still actively competes at the National level and is a multi-time medalist in Veteran’s Men’s Foil and Veteran’s Men’s Saber.
Tyler Offutt
Tyler began his fencing career at age ten at Mission Fencing Center in Long Island, NY. He trained with the Russian Junior National team in Latvia and in the U.S.
Tyler attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he played a critical leadership role on the fencing team and is now doing the same in North Carolina.
Caroline Dikibo
Caroline began fencing at Cypress Falls High School in Houston, TX and then fenced varsity epee at the University of Notre Dame. As a member of the Notre Dame team, she won the 2011 NCAA Championship and was named the NAACP’s Image Award Athlete of the Year.
Caroline was an assistant coach with Houston Sword Sports before bringing her tech and epee experience to Durham.
Donn Mueller
A North Carolina native, Donn started his fencing career with the NC State varsity team as a team captain and three-time NCAA championship qualifier in Men’s Foil. During grad school, he trained with the Penn State fencing team for 7 years and competed at the Div I North American Cup level.
Today, Donn competes in regional and national Veteran events and enjoys sharing his love of the sport with club members.
Mike Nicholson
Mike began fencing as a teen at the North Carolina Fencing Development Program and then fenced on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill varsity team. After graduation he was an assistant coach for UNC-CH four years.
Mike has coached locally at several clubs, including Forge’s predecessor Mid-South Fencers’ Club. He is a nationally certified referee in all three weapons.
Mike is a multi-time national medalist in Veteran’s Men’s Foil.