Our Coaches
All of the coaches at Iconic Fencing Club are official USA Fencing Coaches and are all SafeSport Certified
Cooper Johnson
Owner/Head Coach
Cooper is the Owner and Head Coach of Iconic Fencing Club.
Cooper has been involved in the sport of fencing for over 17 years, beginning his journey at Bacon Academy where he was ECC Champion and First Team All-State in his high school career. He then attended Sacred Heart University, where the team went on to achieve NFC Championships all four years of his collegiate career. Cooper continued training after graduation, fencing in multiple National events with an emphasis on continued dedication to the sport and level of competition.
Cooper also continued with coaching after graduation, returning to his alma mater Bacon Academy to coach multiple state and ECC medalists and finalists, all while simultaneously coaching at Iconn Fencing Club and Silver City Fencing Club until taking over the club in 2023.
Cooper also holds a degree in Exercise Science from SHU, which provides a unique insight into the physical movement aspect of the sport. With years of experience in Exercise Physiology and Physical Therapy environments, Cooper believes in a science-based approach to training for fencing, and has the tools for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Khristopher White
Head Epee Coach
Khris has been involved in fencing since 2006 beginning at the Peter Westbrook Foundation Saturday program after his mother saw him on the Oprah Winfrey Show. It was at the PWF that Khris was mentored by Olympians, World Champions, and National Team members which was an experience that helped shape his work ethic. Through the PWF’s legacy, he learned that successful fencers are made through hard work, not talent alone. This philosophy, combined with his high school’s motto, “Whatever helps my brother helps me; whatever hurts my brother hurts me,” molded his coaching approach: one grounded in learning from mistakes—both our own and others’—and in openly sharing experiences to grow together as a community.
As an athlete, Khris started as a member of St. Benedict’s fencing team from 2008-2011. Khris helped lead the team to its State Championships win in 2011 and moved on to attend Sacred Heart University to fence Division 1 from 2011-2015. During his time at SHU, Khris was a significant contributor to the team that earned four Northeast Fencing Conference Championships, three New England Intercollegiate Championships, SHU’s first gold in NCAA Collegiate Squad Championships all while maintaining their top 10 national ranking. He also earned two All-Conference accolades and qualified for NCAA Championships in 2015. Nationally, Khris has earned medals in team events with his club, PWF.
Khris began coaching before graduating college by giving back and being a volunteer coach at the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Shortly after earning his degree, he began coaching at Grace Church High School in Manhattan. From 2015-2023 he transformed it from an after school activity to a varsity team earning multiple wins against long time and established teams. Shortly after the Rio Olympics in 2016, Khris was awarded the honor of being the appointed Performance Manager and Program Coordinator of the Peter Westbrook Foundation, working directly with Peter himself to oversee 40+ elite athletes from youth fencers to olympians, and coordinated the Saturday program with 100+ participants. In January 2023, Khris returned to SHU as Head Coach of the program and in his first year had brought the program from finishing last in the conference to third earning multiple athletes all-conference honors and qualifying SHU’s first fencer to NCAAs since 2018.
Khris is also a rated referee and has refereed events at Regionals, Ivy League Championships and the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, being trusted enough to referee the Men’s Epee finals.
Stuart Holmes
Elite Foil Coach
Stuart has been involved in the sport of fencing for over 17 years. Stuart has a unique coaching philosophy and feels that each student should receive a personalized approach. While developing the strength, skills, and techniques needed to succeed at the highest levels of fencing, he also believes that each fencer should develop a strong understanding of the sport and the intricacies of different strategies.
Stuart started fencing at Centereach High School on Long Island where he was county champion in 2009. He then began to train under Jennie Salmon at Mission Fencing Center. Stuart went on to compete on the Division 1 fencing team at Sacred Heart University, capturing four consecutive conference titles. He captained the team for his last two years, helping the team break into the top ten at #9 in 2011. During his college years, Stuart was a 4-time All-Conference Selection (3 First Team and 1 Second Team), NFC Fencer of the year in 2013, and a 2-time NCAA Championship qualifier. Since college, he has won numerous national medals at Division 1 North American Cups (NAC’s) and Summer National Fencing Championships, including gold at the Division 1A National Championship in 2014. He has also anchored for multiple team events at NAC’s and Summer Nationals, earning multiple medals. Stuart has also competed internationally, after being selected to represent Team USA in multiple international events.
Stuart began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Sacred Heart University in 2013. During his time there, he helped coach the men’s team to two additional conference championships while also coaching three men’s foil NCAA championship qualifiers and one men’s foil All-American. After leaving Sacred Heart University, Stuart coached at Silver City Fencing Club (SCFC) from 2016 - 2023. While at SCFC and Iconic Fencing Club, many of his students have medaled in the CT High School Fencing Championships, including one state champion. His students have consistently been recruited to fence at prestigious collegiate programs including Brandeis, Drew, Penn State, Sacred Heart, Steven’s Tech, Wagner, and Yale.
Along with coaching at Iconic Fencing Club, Stuart also is the assistant coach at North Haven High School. At NHHS, he’s had numerous students achieve all-conference and all-state honors.
In addition to being a competitor and a coach, Stuart is also a nationally rated referee. Stuart earned his MBA from Sacred Heart University in 2015. He is currently the Executive Director of Student Financial Assistance at Sacred Heart University.
Jacob Bartel
Foil Coach
Jacob Bartel is a foil coach at Iconic Fencing Club, and has been fencing foil for over 12 years, starting his career in San Diego, CA. He fenced Division I for Sacred Heart University, and was a part of the starting roster all four years. He competes regularly at both the regional and national level, and enjoys fencing alongside his students as an approach to coaching.
Jacob started fencing at Lionheart Fencing Academy and Elite International Fencing Club in San Diego at the age of 11. He continued through college, where he earned NFC All-Conference 2nd team honors his senior year placing 6th in the conference, as well as an NEIFC Championship with the foil squad. He has competed in NCAA Regionals four times as well, giving him insight on how to fence at the highest collegiate level. Jacob started coaching at Iconic in 2024, after regularly training there with the SHU team during his undergraduate years. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree at UMass Amherst.