USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Six-time Paralympic coach Leslaw J. Stawicki, renowned as the “Father of Parafencing” in the United States, has announced his retirement, marking the end of an illustrious career in the fencing world.

A native of Lvov, Poland, Stawicki has been a towering figure in the sport. As the former coach of the Polish and Ukrainian National Teams, Stawicki later moved to the United States, where he founded the Louisville Fencing Center in 1992. He then developed the first national wheelchair fencing program in the U.S. and in 1995 became head coach of what was then known as the U.S. Wheelchair Fencing Team.

Stawicki was there when Team USA made its Paralympic debut in wheelchair fencing at the Atlanta 1996 Games. He went on to coach the Paralympic teams at the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games.

In recognition of these remarkable efforts, Stawicki was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2016 — an accolade emblematic of his success in developing and growing the parafencing program here. Some of his notable fencers include Susan Benson PLY, Terri Cecil-Ramsey PLY, Sean Shumate PLY, Cat Bouwkamp PLY, Lauryn DeLuca PLY and many others.

USA Fencing has further honored Stawicki through our Leszek “Maestro” Stawicki Parafencing Athlete Development Award, an annual recognition for a club that helps expand parafencing in local communities and fosters athletes who compete for the USA Parafencing National Team.

Stawicki’s legacy will live on at the local level, too, where the Louisville Fencing Center looks as strong as ever.

“We all know that change is hard,” says Dawn Wilson, head coach at LFC. “But he has left behind an excellent blueprint for us to follow. He will be sorely missed not only for his leadership but for his candor and his jokes. He still will be a part of LFC as he will perform in an advisory/mentor status to the new team that is stepping into his shoes.”

Shortly after learning he had been elected to the Hall of Fame, Stawicki shared a bit of his coaching insight with a local newspaper reporter. His theory: Fencing is among the few sports where only former competitors can be coaches.

"We have a couple of sports that you cannot teach," Stawicki told the Louisville Courier Journal. "You cannot teach boxing if you are not a boxer. You will not feel it. You cannot teach wrestling if you were never a wrestler. You cannot teach fencing if you never fenced. I call this the 'fighting sports.'"

Reflecting on his career, Stawicki deflects any praise toward his students — athletes like Olympic gold medalist Victor Sidiak, 1970 world champion Serge Prichodko, and silver medalists Ludomir Chronowski and Janusz Olech. He even counts among his students Maestro Ed Korfanty, coach of two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis OLY.

"I'm very lucky," Stawicki told the Journal. "I have results every time I'm doing something fencing."

Stawicki’s departure from coaching is a momentous occasion in the fencing community. With a life's work dedicated to building champions and developing the sport, his influence will continue to resonate in the world of fencing for generations to come.