Meet our Coaches
Daria Jorquera Palmer
Head Coach
Daria was on the Canadian national team for 12 years, 2011 Pan Am games sliver medalist. Daria is a long-standing member of the Lightning Fencing Club and has been working as a club coach for 17 years. She was a coach for the 2013 Canada Summer Games where she represented Manitoba and coached the athletes at the week long event in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Since 2013 she has been assisting Provincial Coach, Ayach Bounacha with the Provincial Squad program, and travelling across Canada and to the US when necessary.
Anthony Densmore
Foil Adult Class Coach
Anthony started fencing at Lightning Fencing Club in 1999, and has been coaching since 2013. He fences foil and epee. As a coach, Anthony focuses on building plasticity. He breaks the actions down into a few basic movements, and teaches those movements independently of each other. Once mastered, he teaches the fencers to combine those movements in different combinations to create a large variety of actions. When he’s not fencing, Anthony spends his time with his wife and two children, training for triathlons (he completed an Ironman in 2018), and working as a professional engineer.
Lucas Hamlin
Sabre Senior Coach
Lucas started his fencing journey at Lightning Fencing Club when he was 13, and is still loving the sport. Lucas holds his NCCP Level 1 coaching certification in sabre and is trained in CPR and First Aid. Lucas competed on the provincial fencing team for a few years. While competing he was doing so alongside some of the other great coaches at LFC. Lucas is an insurance broker and tries to spend as much time as he can outside when not working. Lucas believes that Lightning takes pride in trying to provide a fun but constructive environment for our athletes to thrive and believes everyone should give fencing a try!
Noah Merz Lakser
Foil Senior Coach
Noah has been coaching at Lightning for over 5 years and as an assistant provincial coach of Team Manitoba for the past couple years. Noah holds his NCCP Level 1 coaching certification in foil and is trained in CPR and First Aid. He also has also competed on the provincial team for over 10 years and has travelled to multiple national and international tournaments. In addition, he is a Nationally-certified referee and serves as the Vice President – Technical for the Manitoba Fencing Association, where he is responsible for overseeing provincial competitions in Manitoba. He holds an Instructor-Beginner certification with the Canadian Fencing Federation. When not fencing, he is studying at the University of Winnipeg, where he is pursuing an honours degree in psychology.
Liam Prokopowich
Foil Senior Coach
Liam Prokopowich has been involved in fencing for over 15 years, beginning his journey as a recreational athlete at Lightning Fencing Club before competing nationally and internationally with the Manitoba provincial team. For the past seven years, Liam has shared his passion for the sport as a dedicated coach, leading both beginner and advanced athletes in the club’s foil program. He also plays a key role in the broader fencing community as the Directoire Technique (DT) for provincial tournaments with the Manitoba Fencing Association. Liam holds his NCCP Level 1 coaching certification in foil and is trained in CPR and First Aid. Currently pursuing a degree in Environmental Sciences, Liam is an avid outdoor enthusiast and is proud to contribute to the growth and spirit of the Lightning Fencing Club.
Maia Bacchus
Epee Substitute Coach
Maia currently coaches at Lightning Fencing Club and has coached various community projects and camps for kids, teens and adults. She is a former international competitor within the sport of fencing and has competed and placed in various events across Canada and the U.S. When she isn’t attending university, you can usually find her in the gym coaching!
Lightning Fencing Club 