Leslaw Stawicki
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
Lesław "Les" J. Stawicki (born February 24, 1936) is a Polish-American fencing master. He served as head coach of the United States Paralympic Fencing Team across six Paralympic Games cycles from 1996 to 2016 and was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2016.[1][2][3]
European career
Stawicki was born in Lwów, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine), and graduated from the Lviv State Institute of Physical Culture, earning the title Zasłużony Trener (Eminent Coach).[3][4] He served as head coach of the Ukrainian SSR national saber team (1968–1972) and the Polish national saber team (1973–1990).[3] In Kraków, Stawicki converted former foil competitor Ludomir Chronowski OLY to épée; Chronowski subsequently won a team épée silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.[5][3] Under Stawicki's direction, the Polish national saber team earned bronze medals at the 1979 and 1986 World Fencing Championships.[3]
Career in the United States and parafencing
Following the 1989 World Fencing Championships, Stawicki was recruited by the U.S. Fencing Association to assist in developing national coaching education programs.[3] Emigrating to the U.S. in 1991, he founded the Louisville Fencing Center in 1992, establishing an integrated training model for wheelchair and able-bodied fencers."Louisville Fencing Center produces world-class athletes". WDRB News. October 24, 2017. Retrieved 2026-09-13.</ref>
Appointed head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Fencing Team in 1995, Stawicki led the squad through six Paralympic Games: Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio (2016).[1][3][6] His Paralympic students included 2004 Athens bronze medalist Scott Rodgers PLY, four-time Paralympian Gary Van der Wege PLY, and 2012 Paralympian Ryan Estep PLY.[3][7][8] He was awarded the Ray Miller Award by USA Fencing in 2011.[9] In 2022, USA Fencing established the annual national Leszek "Maestro" Stawicki Parafencing Athlete Development Award in his honor.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wendell, Bryan (August 17, 2023). "Maestro Leslaw J. Stawicki, Team USA Paralympic Coach Known as the 'Father of Parafencing,' Announces Retirement". USA Fencing. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "USA Fencing Hall of Fame Roster". USA Fencing. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Łuczak, Maciej; Skirecki, Tomasz (2011). "Polish Fencing Coaches in the United States and Their Contribution to the Development of American Fencing After 1989". Polish-AngloSaxon Studies. Adam Mickiewicz University Repository. 14: 171–189. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ Nynka, Andrew (May 11, 2003). "Sportsline: Fencing" (PDF). The Ukrainian Weekly. Vol. LXXI, no. 19. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "Ludomir Krzysztof Chronowski – Polski Komitet Olimpijski" (in polski). Polski Komitet Olimpijski. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "US announces six coaches to lead national fencing teams to Rio 2016". Inside the Games. January 15, 2014. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ Londono, Aleyda (March 26, 2012). "Kyle church hosts benefit for Paralympian". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "Team USA Leaves for Paralympics". Fencing.net. August 23, 2012. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "USA Fencing Service Awards". USA Fencing. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
- ↑ "Leszek "Maestro" Stawicki Parafencing Athlete Development Award". USA Fencing. Retrieved 2026-09-13.
External links
This article "Leslaw Stawicki" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.