NCF Boulder Youth & Adult Epee Fencing Programs
Northern Colorado Fencers - NCF Boulder, 1949 33rd St, Boulder, CO 80301
About
NCF Boulder Youth & Adult Epee Fencing Programs focus on epee fencing through first fencing lessons, the Six-Week Fencing Challenge, summer camps, private lessons, group lessons, open fencing, and competitive training. The program offers a complimentary first fencing lesson, and no experience is necessary for that first lesson. All equipment is provided for the first lesson, the Six-Week Challenge, and the Foundation membership tier.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Schedule: The first fencing lesson is about one hour, and the Six-Week Fencing Challenge runs 12 sessions over 6 weeks.
• Price: The Six-Week Fencing Challenge is 12 sessions over 6 weeks for $368 (just over $30 per session).
NCF Boulder was founded in 1979 by Gary Copeland with a mission to build a program that develops competitive fencers through structured, purposeful training, and the club has 47 years of producing champions from Boulder, Colorado. NCF Boulder runs one weapon, epee, and specializes in it as an epee specialist fencing program in Boulder since 1979, serving both youth and adult tier ladders with dedicated adult sessions. The program uses a Stage-Not-Age progression where skill determines advancement and includes a mental performance curriculum with elements called The Reset, The Strategist, and The Anchor, along with college pathway support for 29 NCAA Division I programs.
All equipment is provided for the first lesson, and no equipment is needed for that first visit because the club supplies a full loaner kit including mask, jacket, glove, weapon, and body cord. The same full loaner kit is provided for the Six-Week Challenge and the Foundation membership tier, and personal equipment is recommended once a fencer reaches the Development tier. For the first lesson, participants wear athletic clothing and sneakers and are fitted on-site with a mask, jacket, glove, and weapon. The program is described as ADHD-friendly, is a non-contact sport with a youth injury rate of approximately 2.5% and a concussion rate near zero, and is run as a boutique academy where coaches know every athlete.
The leadership team includes Founder and Head Coach Gary Copeland, along with coaches Andrea Lagan, Scott Permer, and Devin Tafoya. Gary Copeland was named the US Olympic Committee Fencing Coach of the Year, was elected to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2027, has coached for 47 years, still teaches every practice at the club’s studio, has produced 46 individual national champions and 64 Junior and Cadet World Championship and Pan American team selections, and has served as a US National Team coach more than 20 times. Andrea Lagan is a former New Zealand national epee champion who competed internationally, runs private and group lessons across the youth and adult tier ladder, has 34 years of coaching at NCF since 1992, and is a US Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year. Scott Permer holds a USFCA Prevot Certification, has collegiate coaching experience, and more than 20 years in competitive fencing and coaching. Devin Tafoya is a USA Fencing A-Rated epeeist, an NCAA Championship qualifier, a North American Cup medalist with a bronze in Division I men’s epee at the December 2022 NAC, an NCAA Division I fencer with a five-season epee career at Penn State University, and a registered USA Fencing referee.
NCF Boulder is a proud member of USA Fencing and has produced 46 individual national champions, over 800 national finalists, and 64 Junior and Cadet World Championship and Pan American team selections. The program serves families from Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Superior, and the Denver metro. One parent from Louisville described a daughter who is gifted and has ADHD and said, “Fencing was different from day one. The focus she's developed on the strip shows up in her schoolwork.” An NCF alumni NCAA athlete said that Coach Gary’s attention led to recruitment to an Ivy League program, and a Boulder parent shared that NCF Boulder was the first activity where their son looked forward to practice and that the mental resilience he developed supported him through AP exams as much as Nationals.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Schedule: The first fencing lesson is about one hour, and the Six-Week Fencing Challenge runs 12 sessions over 6 weeks.
• Price: The Six-Week Fencing Challenge is 12 sessions over 6 weeks for $368 (just over $30 per session).
NCF Boulder was founded in 1979 by Gary Copeland with a mission to build a program that develops competitive fencers through structured, purposeful training, and the club has 47 years of producing champions from Boulder, Colorado. NCF Boulder runs one weapon, epee, and specializes in it as an epee specialist fencing program in Boulder since 1979, serving both youth and adult tier ladders with dedicated adult sessions. The program uses a Stage-Not-Age progression where skill determines advancement and includes a mental performance curriculum with elements called The Reset, The Strategist, and The Anchor, along with college pathway support for 29 NCAA Division I programs.
All equipment is provided for the first lesson, and no equipment is needed for that first visit because the club supplies a full loaner kit including mask, jacket, glove, weapon, and body cord. The same full loaner kit is provided for the Six-Week Challenge and the Foundation membership tier, and personal equipment is recommended once a fencer reaches the Development tier. For the first lesson, participants wear athletic clothing and sneakers and are fitted on-site with a mask, jacket, glove, and weapon. The program is described as ADHD-friendly, is a non-contact sport with a youth injury rate of approximately 2.5% and a concussion rate near zero, and is run as a boutique academy where coaches know every athlete.
The leadership team includes Founder and Head Coach Gary Copeland, along with coaches Andrea Lagan, Scott Permer, and Devin Tafoya. Gary Copeland was named the US Olympic Committee Fencing Coach of the Year, was elected to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2027, has coached for 47 years, still teaches every practice at the club’s studio, has produced 46 individual national champions and 64 Junior and Cadet World Championship and Pan American team selections, and has served as a US National Team coach more than 20 times. Andrea Lagan is a former New Zealand national epee champion who competed internationally, runs private and group lessons across the youth and adult tier ladder, has 34 years of coaching at NCF since 1992, and is a US Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year. Scott Permer holds a USFCA Prevot Certification, has collegiate coaching experience, and more than 20 years in competitive fencing and coaching. Devin Tafoya is a USA Fencing A-Rated epeeist, an NCAA Championship qualifier, a North American Cup medalist with a bronze in Division I men’s epee at the December 2022 NAC, an NCAA Division I fencer with a five-season epee career at Penn State University, and a registered USA Fencing referee.
NCF Boulder is a proud member of USA Fencing and has produced 46 individual national champions, over 800 national finalists, and 64 Junior and Cadet World Championship and Pan American team selections. The program serves families from Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Superior, and the Denver metro. One parent from Louisville described a daughter who is gifted and has ADHD and said, “Fencing was different from day one. The focus she's developed on the strip shows up in her schoolwork.” An NCF alumni NCAA athlete said that Coach Gary’s attention led to recruitment to an Ivy League program, and a Boulder parent shared that NCF Boulder was the first activity where their son looked forward to practice and that the mental resilience he developed supported him through AP exams as much as Nationals.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
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