Coach Joshua L. Mertz
Experience: 13 Yrs
Coaching 5 Yrs
Weapons: Foil > Epee > Sabre
Referee: Foil:7, Epee: 7, Sabre:8 (2011)
Coach: David Littell, 1988 US Olympic Team, Foil
Collegiate Fencing: Haverford College ('02-'06)
Biography
Coach Joshua comes to Smoky Mountain Fencing with 13 years of experience in the sport of fencing. While searching for colleges, he met David Littell (1988 U.S. Olympic Foil Team) of Haverford College and began understanding the sport in a whole new way. Joshua trained with Coach Littell learning foil, epee, and a little bit of sabre. During the summers, Joshua worked with Coach Littell in improving his skills and began coaching foil and sabre at Julian Krinsky Summer Camps and Programs.Joshua was a member of Haverford's 2004 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association Championship team, team armorer (2002-2006), and co-captain (2006). In late 2007, Joshua began fencing with Northwestern University's Men's Fencing Club Team. During the summers, Joshua helped coach at Northwestern's Competitive Camp alongside Ed Kaihatsu (Associate Head Coach, Northwestern), Laurie Schiller (Head Coach, Northwestern), Jim Carpenter (1998 U.S. Olympic Epee Team), Gia Kvaratskhelia (Associate Coach Notre Dame), and Yyves Auriol (1988 Coach U.S. Olympic Fencing Team).
While attending Northwestern, Joshua began refereeing at local tournaments. He currently holds a USFA Referee rating of 7 in foil and epee and an 8 in sabre.
Joshua holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Haverford College ('06) and a Ph.D. in Inorganic (Solid State) Chemistry from Northwestern University. He currently works at a nuclear waste remediation start-up company in Oak Ridge, TN.