CBA Competitive Epee
Center for Blade Arts
Our Coaches
Our epee Prévot’s Anna Schliep
Her knowledge of all sport is deep
She can coach any sport
On field or on court
She can teach us to fence in her sleep.
Our intake coach is Tyler Clayton
He helps all our new ones make hayton.
He’s a certified nutritionist
And an S&C musicianist
He makes learning fencing pure playton!
Paul Soter’s our Master of Arms
He’s known for his skills, not his charms
But he has a plan,
And he thinks we can
Reach past the Midwest to the stars.
Assistant Coaches
Assistant/Junior coaches are competitive athletes beginning their coaching journey. All assistant and junior coaches have fencing experience and train regularly.
Gwen Nelson - Assistant Coach
Gwen has fenced with CBA since high school competing in the MN HS League, regionally and nationally. She fenced in college at Cleveland State and then in grad school at Durham in the UK.
We are glad to have her back!
Katia Solodin - Junior Coach
Katia is an E-rated epee fencer who has competed at all levels. She has also attended two international fencing camps in Germany, including this year's camp in Bocholt!
Katia has her E rating and helps with the youngest athletes.
Maya Radtke - Junior Coach
Maya Radtke has a strong athletic background in rugby, equestrian, and other sports.
She heads our outreach programs.
Penny Peterson - Junior Coach
Penny is an E-rated epee fencer who has competed locally, regionally, and nationally, she focuses on the youngest new fencers.
Ryan Willer - Junior Coach
One of our high school fencers. Ryan has fenced since he was in youth class, and was also a counselor for Adventures in Cardboard. Ryan has competed in high school, Minnesota, and Regional Events.
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Outside of fencing Coach Anna has two Masters degrees, in Physics and Engineering, and has previously taught high school physics, physical science, and mathematics in New York and Minnesota. In her day job she works for the Minnesota Department of Health to prevent lead exposure and keep drinking water safe.
Anna has coached and participated in many different sports from dance/cheer to powerlifting. She holds Level 1 Coaching Certifications from Girls Gone Strong and
USA Weightlifting.
Prévot Anna Jeanne Schliep
Outside of fencing Coach Anna has two Masters degrees, in Physics and Engineering, and has previously taught high school physics, physical science, and mathematics in New York and Minnesota. In her day job she works for the Minnesota Department of Health to prevent lead exposure and keep drinking water safe.
Anna has coached and participated in many different sports from dance/cheer to powerlifting. She holds Level 1 Coaching Certifications from Girls Gone Strong and
USA Weightlifting.
Coach Anna has a Prevot certification for Epee and Moniteur certification for saber from the US Fencing Coaches Association. She is also on the Blake HS fencing coaching staff.
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She has served the local fencing scene as a referee, tournament organizer, coach, Division Chair of the Minnesota Division of USA Fencing, and on various USA Fencing workgroups. In 2023 she was in the first USA Fencing Youth Coach Fellow program, and in 2023-2024 was on the last Youth Development Resource group which worked on the Y8 Tournament format rules.
Tyler Clayton
Tyler has spent his entire coaching career at CBA. He began fencing at CBA as a teenager, and competed at the local and regional level in foil and saber. He earned his referee’s rating in 2012 and has since refereed at local regional, national tournaments.
Tyler earned a certification as a personal trainer 2010 and has helped work with fencers to develop individual strength and conditioning programs. He is now our primary strength and conditioning coach.
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Tyler earned a certification as a nutritionist in 2011 and uses his knowledge to help fencers eat to win.
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Tyler works with competitive-level fencers, but he is particularly interested in teaching beginners the fundamentals of fencing.
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Tyler’s work in this area is the basis for CBA’s Competitive Epee Program, and for this reason he handles all of our intake lessons.
Maître Paul Soter
Coach Paul has a Fencing Master’s certification in epee, foil and saber from the US Fencing Coaches Association. He has served as U.S. National Coach for both Women’s Epee and Men’s Epee and U.S. Olympic Team coach; been a faculty member of the US Fencing Coaches College, and coached U.S. teams and Canadian fencers at the World Championships, Pan American Games, Western Hemisphere Olympic Zonal qualifiers.
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His personal fencers have represented the US and Canada at all of those events, and won national championships in both countries.
He has coached fencers from over 50 countries.
As a fencer, Paul was US national champion in both individual and team men’s epee events, was a member of the US National Team, and on teams that won the Pacific Coast Championships (US) and the Bavarian Championships (Germany).
Paul has been at CBA since 2023. Prior to that, he coached at the Twin Cities Fencing Club in St. Paul; Golden Gate Fencing Center and Halberstadt Fencers Club in San Francisco, and at St. Paul Academy in St. Paul and George Washington High School in San Francisco. He also coaches at international summer camps in Switzerland and Germany each year.
Paul has served as Vice President and as Secretary of USA Fencing; member of the US Fencing Board of Directors; Chair of the Pacific Coast Section of US Fencing; and as a national and international referee in epee and foil.