Meet Our Canada Games Coaches

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Theo Norvell has been fencing for most of the past 50 years in Halifax, Toronto, and St. John’s. He was captain of the U of T Foil team for  five years, winning five team and four individual OUAA medals.  He has been teaching fencing since 1984 and obtained an NCCP level 2 coaching certification in foil. He is currently working on obtaining the Competitive Development level in foil.  In 2002, he co-founded the Memorial University Fencing Club, where he continues to coach. He is also head fencing coach for the NL Canada Games team for 2027.  He retired from Memorial University after a 29-year academic carrier, currently lives in St. John’s with his beloved partner Cheryl, and is the proud father of their daughter Saskia.  In his spare time he sails, plays guitar badly, and helps students design satellites. 

Paul Gillard has been fencing and coaching for more than 20 years as a member of the MUN fencing club. In addition, he has constructed and maintains most of the club's scoring equipment. He is also a squash coach, and has completed several coaching courses, including level 1 theory, and squash level 1 and 2 technical. He is happy to be teaching our young candidates Epee.

Kirsti Mikoda has been fencing since her teens. She began her journey at the La Salle fencing club in Vancouver, training with notable fencing coaches Alexey Kuznetsov and Dan Kamin. Over the years, she has fenced at various clubs in Victoria, Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax. Currently, she is a coach for the MUN fencing club and actively contributes to the Newfoundland and Labrador Fencing Association. She is excited to be coaching our 2027Canada Games hopefuls.

Mike started fencing at the Fencing Academy of Michigan under maestro Yuri Rabinovich at age 8.  During his youth, he was consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for his age group, medaling in numerous national events in the United States including a gold medal at the Junior Olympics.  He was a member of the Brandeis University fencing team where he was an NCAA championship qualifier in each year he competed.  After taking a nearly 25 year break from the sport, he started coaching and fencing competitively again in 2025.  Mike is a member of the Canadian veterans national team and will compete at the veteran world championships this October in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

After relocating to Newfoundland in 2018, Phil revitalized local historical fencing communities and founded the Terra Nova School of Swords. From longsword to rapier, sabre to épée, Phil is truly a student of all swords. His studies span historical and modern fencing traditions from the 15th century to the present day, giving him a unique perspective on the evolution of the art.

Today, Phil continues his journey into competitive sport fencing, with a particular focus on modern épée. His goal is to combine the lessons of historical fencing with contemporary competition while inspiring the next generation of fencers in Newfoundland and beyond.

Visit https://www.terranovaswords.com

Neville’s fascination with fencing was sparked during his childhood days in England. In the 1970’s he competed throughout BC, winning numerous medals in foil and sabre. In 1975, Neville competed with the BC Fencing Team at the Canada Winter Games in Lethbridge, Alberta. Upon his retirement from the Coast Guard, Neville resumed fencing in 2015 when he joined the Comox Recreation Centre fencing program. He has been dividing his time between Vancouver Island and Newfoundland, and was happy to meet Phil Swift in 2020. He has enjoyed assisting him with instruction at the Terra Nova School of Swords, where it has been very rewarding to help others learn and experience the joy of fencing