En-Garde, Pret, Allez! Ready, Set, Go To Branford's New Fencing Club

BRANFORD, CT — The grand opening of Shoreline Fencers Club, a new, elite fencing club in Branford, is set for Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The club is owned and operated by Marat Israelian, Yale University head fencing coach and two-time NCAA champion.

The club is already drawing global talent to the region. Charlene Kai Liu, a Princeton graduate who is currently ranked 7th in the United States and 77th globally for Women's Epee, has relocated to Branford to train for the Olympics with coach Israelian.

The Shoreline boasts the highest concentration of high school-aged fencers in the state, according to its website. Shoreline Fencers Club brings "high-ranking and accomplished fencing coaches to both a fun and accessible youth fencing program while providing a much-needed elite competitive program for the top fencers in the Greater New Haven area."

Other coaches at Shoreline Fencers Club include:

Khaled Soliman, a Yale coach and former Olympian, was a member of the Egyptian National Team for 17 years between 1973 and 1989, during which he earned numerous accolades. He represented his country in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, competing in both the Foil and Épée events. Khaled had students compete in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, making him the only coach in Connecticut to have coached Olympians. Khaled is a fencing MASTER in Foil and Épée. Khaled is also a retired pediatrician who has now dedicated his time to coaching. Coach Khaled is our head coach and with both his competitive and coaching background brings tremendous experience to the Shoreline family.Khaled is licensed by the United States Fencing Coaches Association.

Sean Vilar, Coach at The Hopkins School

Jeremy Goun, Coach at Guilford High School

Jim Barnett, Coach at Clinton High School

Emilie Harris, Coach at The Hopkins School

The grand opening will feature opportunities to meet a fencing Olympian, see demonstrations by NCAA fencing athletes and play fencing games.

The Shoreline Fencer's Club is located at 221 West Main St., in Branford. For more information, visit its website.