Many businesses stand out in Spring Branch, but there’s none quite like Alliance Fencing Academy, the practice facility Olympic competitors and coaches call home. In a series of photos, we explore the fencing school facility and the owner-coach that brought Olympians to Spring Branch.
Alliance Fencing Academy. 1212A Cedar Post Lane. 713-410-6655. alliance-fencing-academy.com
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When owner Andrey Geva purchased the building that would eventually serve as the home of world-class fencing students, it was just a metal shell. Lots of upgrades and planning turned it into a state-of-the-art practice facility, complete with showers and a lobby.
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Andre Geva, the owner and head coach at Alliance Fencing Academy, first came to Houston to run summer programs and a fencing club. He started his own business in 2004, when he opened Alliance Fencing. He’s now the Olympic Women’s team coach, specializing in the épée weapon.
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Alliance specializes in the épée weapon, the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in sport fencing. As a thrusting weapon, the épée has a stiff blade, triangular in cross-section with a V-shaped groove and a large bell guard. In épée fencing, the entire body is a valid target area.
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Many of Alliance’s fencing students receive college scholarships to compete and study at the country’s best universities. This wall of pennants illustrates the many successful alumnae of Alliance Fencing Academy.