Coaches

Daniel started fencing at the age of ten and during his teenage years he met famous Romanian coach Ladislau Rohonyi, who helped him become a national champion and member of the Romanian National Saber Team. Daniel Costin earned his coaching degree at the National Institute of Physical Education and Sports in Bucharest, Romania. After retiring from competitive fencing Daniel became the head coach of the Romanian Olympic Center for Juniors. Between 1989 and 1992 Daniel coached the Romanian Saber Olympic Team. Some of his notable Romanian students at the time are Vilmos Szabo, Dan Gaureanu and Daniel Grigore (members of Romanian Olympic team in Barcelona, 1992 and Atlanta, 1996). Many of his Romanian students continued their careers in fencing becoming coaches themselves. They are teaching in several European countries, Australia and North America.

In the United States Daniel continued developing his coaching skills and in 2001 he became a coach on the US Junior Saber Team, gold medalist winners of the World Championships in Gdansk, Poland. His most remarkable US students are Olympic silver medalist Jason Rogers, Beijing 2008, and national champions Teddy Levitt, Harry Mahaffey, Eric Arzoian and Alex Rey Palabrica. Daniel also coached the men’s saber team who won the 2006 US National Junior Championships and the 2007 US National Senior Championships. For about 8 years Daniel helped the US Men’s Saber Team in the Olympic qualifying process by traveling with the team to many competitions around the world. Daniel has dedicated more than 30 years to his career so far.

Olympian Daniel Grigore is a former student of coach Costin. Their athletic relationship started since Daniel’s childhood and expands over the time he was a member of both the junior and senior Romanian national teams. Daniel Grigore was a member of the Romanian National Saber Team for over 12 years. During this time he was a two time Olympian (Barcelona, 1992 & Atlanta, 1996), a finalist in the 1993 World Championship in Essen, Germany, earned many times top 16 in Fencing World Cups, ranked third for the individual event at several World Cups (Sofia 1993 , Athens 1994, Padova 1996), and won third place with the Romanian team at a World Championship in Athens, Greece 1994. Daniel has also earned the Romanian National Championship title 12 times for both individual as well as team events.

After retiring from his athletic career, Daniel Grigore became a fencing coach in his hometown, Brasov, where before the Sydney Olympic Games he had the privilege to help coach 2000 Olympic Gold Medallist in Saber, Mihai Covaliu. Daniel is a highly experienced professional with great aptitudes for teaching fencing. Following his coach’s advice, Daniel came to California where in a very short time after his arrival he started showing results of his coaching skills. Daniel helped coach several fencers who placed in the top US saber ranking: Harry Mahaffey, Eric Arzoian, Caroline Merz, John Siegel, Spencer Koo, Rex, Nick and Lou Bartuzik, Cameron Lindsay and Sarah Gruman. Daniel enjoys teaching both competitive as well as recreational fencing.