Peter Burchard, Maestro and Founder

Maestro Peter Burchard has been involved in the sport of fencing since 1970. He is a Fencing Master of the United States Fencing Coaches Association, the Academie Internationale d'Armes and is a Military Master at Arms. He has coached at the Halberstadt Fencers' Club, Santa Rosa Junior College, The Fencing Center of San Jose, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, University High School of San Francisco and for various other institutions.

As an athlete he was ranked in the top 24 in foil for 14 straight years. He was twice National Champion in Team Foil (1978 and 1984) and won the National Sports Festival in 1979. Maestro Burchard was twice member of Team USA at  the World Championships (1978 and 1983).

As a coach Maestro Burchard has had over 30 athletes on Team USA to the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, World Championships, World University Games and Maccabiah Games.  Currently Maestro Burchard is the 2014 President of US Fencing Coaches' Association and served as the 2014 US coach at the Pan American Festival in Mexico City.  Previously he served as National Coach to the World Championships in 1989 and was Captain of Team USA to the World University Games in the same year. He was coach to the National Championship Men's Epee Team in 1989 and to the National Championship Women's Epee Team in 1988. He also produced two NCAA All Americans at UC Santa Cruz. Maestro Burchard is one of a very limited number of licensed international fencing referees and represents the USA at competitions all over the world. He has been a member of the USFA Fencing Officials Commission since 1989 and is a licensed referee instructor and examiner.