About NCF Boulder

Northern Colorado Fencers was founded in 1979 by Gary Copeland with a clear mission: build a program that develops competitive fencers through structured, purposeful training. Forty-seven years later, that mission hasn't changed, and neither has the founder. Gary still coaches every practice.

What has changed is the scale of what NCF has produced. Forty-six individual national champions. Over 800 national finalists. Sixty-four Junior and Cadet World Championship and Pan American team selections. A Harvard All-American. And in 2025, a Pan American silver medalist in Maddie Burks.

NCF is an epee-focused club. We don't try to be everything to everyone. We specialize in one weapon, train it with precision and depth, and produce fencers who compete at the highest levels of the sport. The training environment emphasizes structure, accountability, and individual ownership, reflecting the values that make fencing unique among youth sports.

We are the only fencing club in Boulder. For 47 years, we've quietly built one of the most successful fencing programs in the country, right here at 1949 33rd Street.