FIT Coaches

Coach Hoss grew up in Alexandria, Egypt.  He began fencing at the early age of 9.  Coach Hoss was on the Egyptian National epee team for several years.  Although he never fenced in the Olympics, he was selected to the team multiple years. He fenced in many championships throughout Europe, especially in Hungary, Italy and Germany.  Coach Hoss came to the US around 1995 and began working with his close friend at Lone Star Fencing Center where he produced many junior and cadet National epee medalists . When his friend left Lone Star to become head coach at the Air Force Academy, Coach Hoss started Fencing Institute of Texas with a Board of Directors where he has continued his success producing quality fencers. Coach Hoss has a BA in Accounting from the University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt. He is the Head Fencing Coach at St. Mark's School of Dallas.

Coach Volodymyr grew up in Lviv, Ukraine and attended the Fencing Youth Sports School of Troyanda. He received a Master of Sport of the Soviet Union with Fencing emphasis in 1987.  He worked for the Youth Sports School of Troyanda as a Youth Fencing Coach before coming to the US in 2000 to work at FIT.  His students have represented the United States at 14 World Championships in Cadet, Junior and Veteran.  Coach Volodymyr has produced two Olympians, Mona and Zain Shaito; Mona participated in two Olympics for Lebanon. Coach Volodymyr consistently has athletes fencing internationally on the US Junior and Cadet teams, and numerous medalists at National and Regional tournaments.

Coach Iryna Dolgikh has returned to FIT. Coach Iryna was the World Champion in women’s foil in 1976, a gold medalist in the World Cup in 1977 and a bronze medalist in the USSR Spartakiad in 1975. Dolgikh was a member of the Soviet Union’s Junior World Team in the mid-1970s. She is a 1982 graduate of the Kyiv Institute of Physical Culture. She understands very clearly what it takes to compete at the international level, and how to build a fencer to take on that challenge.

Coach Iryna is a brilliant coach. In her first two years at FIT, she built the foil and epee teams up from one fencer to strong, competitive teams. Two of her students were in the top 8 of Junior National Points (one in men’s foil and one in men’s epee), and the Cadet Men’s Epee Champion. Coach Iryna understands the three phases of coaching development: technical skills, tactics, and sports psychology. Maestro Simon Gershon, New York Fencers Club, and the USA Fencing National Foil Team Coach for many years praises Coach Iryna for being one of the smartest tactical and technical instructors in the country. In 2002 Coach Iryna was recruited by Penn State Head Coach Emmanuel Kaidanov before she accepted the Head Coach position at Cornell University. Coach Iryna worked with Penn State from 2002-2005 where she helped Penn State secure three NCAA Championships. In 2005, Iryna was hired as the Head Coach at Cornell University. In 2009, Coach Iryna was selected by USA Fencing to coach the US National Veteran’s Team at the World Championship in Moscow. 

Coach D'Asaro has fencing in his blood.  His father was USA Fencing Hall of Fame inductee, Maestro Michael D'Asaro; his mother was also a fencer. Coach D'Asaro lives and breathes sabre. Coach Mike was on the San Jose State University fencing team.  He was on the USA Pan American Team, and an alternate to the USA Olympic Team.
Coach D'Asaro has produced many National Champions and medalists in various age groups and is considered one of the premier sabre coaches in the US today.  He met his wife, Sandra, when she was fencing in the Duel in the Dessert and he was refereeing. We expect his children to be fencers when they get old enough.

Coach Carr teaches our Adult Fitness Fencing class and our Victorian Fencing. He has a degree in Library Science and also works at the Dallas Library. 

The Victorian fencers perform demonstrations throughout Texas of various rapier, dagger, and short sword techniques. The group meets Wednesdays from 8-9 PM and once a month on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Jeff taught all three weapons at his own club for over 25 years. His paralympian fencer won numerous National medals in foil, epee and sabre, and competed in International competitions. Jeff himself recently became an amputee.  You do not have to be wheelchair bound to compete as a parafencer. All parafencers must compete in at least two weapons.