Head Coach

Tigran Shaginian

Tigran is a four-time Russian national champion. 
He has been fencing since the age of 7. Winner of the European Championship (1981) in the team competition and several other international tournaments, he earned a place on the Soviet Union's Goodwill Games Pentathlon Team in 1984, proving him to be a top athlete in fencing, shooting, horse riding, running and swimming.
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Tigran founded SWORDS in 1997. With over 40 years of competing and coaching experience, his students have competed on the USA Fencing Cadet, Junior and Veteran World Cup teams, taken Gold at the Junior Olympics, and earned many national titles.

​His students consistently rank in the top eight in the nation in Division 1, Junior, Cadet, and Y14. Tigran's students have gone on to fence at prestigious universities such as Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame, and the Air Force Academy.

Nana Demirchian

Nana Demirchian was raised in a fencing family and was coached by their legendary father Edouard Demirchian in Yeerevan, Armenia. Nana started her fencing career at the age of ten and became a fencing master at seventeen.

As a teenager, Nana placed first in the Armenian Junior National Foil Championship, and later she participated in USSR championships as an Armenian National Team member. In 1989, Nana moved to the United States with her family and started her successful coaching career.

​Her students have represented the US in World Championship and have won numerous US Championships including Junior Olympics. As a coach, she always says, “great results are excellent, but the best part of my job is working with children and loving each and every one of my students!”

Trevor Shepherd

A product of Swords Fencing, Coach Trevor brings a wealth of competitive experience. Trevor competed nationally and internationally for TEAM USA, highlighted by a national championship in Cadet 2011 Junior Olympics. Trevor went onto compete for St.John’s University, earning degrees in Psychology and Sociology.

​Using the different perspectives learned from his time in New York City, Trevor coached at Swords, leading travel camps, and teaching all levels of group classes. His expertise focuses on mental skills training, competitive mindset and setting goals and training plans. 

Misha Mazur

With a wealth of experience and a track record of success, Coach Mazur brings unparalleled expertise to the world of fencing from his 20 years of experience and family legacy of fencers (father Yuriy, sister Eva, brother Danil).

Having worked with renowned clubs such as NYFA (NY), Medeo (NJ), and the International Fencing Academy (Columbus, OH), and as an assistant coach for OSU which contributed to an NCAA Championship victory for OSU.

Additionally, Coach Mazur's athletic career is equally impressive, representing the national Ukrainian team since age 15 and achieving success at various international championships and World Cups. With accolades such as NCAA Championship titles, All-American honors, and years of coaching experience, Coach Mazur is a great addition to our fencers.