Salem Classical Fencing is a non-profit corporation run by a combination of volunteers and paid staff. Our instructors receive a modest hourly wage, but they also volunteer many, many hours. Aside from the fencers themselves, our instructional staff make SCF a great place to fence and to learn. (As of August 1, 2006, all of our staff has agreed to go back to volunteering their time until we are on a better financial footing. We hope to be able to restore their wages this fall.)

Mr. Michael C. Heggen
(pronounced "Hehg'-enn") 
Head Instructor and President
Mr. Heggen began fencing in 1987. He studied fencing under Maestro James Ciaramitaro, with additional instruction from Maestri Charles Selberg, John McDougall, and Ed Korfanty. In 1999, Mr. Heggen began teaching at the Salem Family YMCA, where he remained until May 2004, when he founded Salem Classical Fencing. He is certified as a moniteur (instructor) in foil, epee, and sabre by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie d'Armes Internationale.

Mr. Rafael S. Villarreal III
(pronounced "Vee'-ya-rree'-al")
Assistant Instructor at Foil
Mr. Villarreal began fencing in 1995. He studied under Mr. Heggen and Maestro Ciaramitaro. He began teaching under Mr. Heggen's supervision in the fall of 2003. Mr. Villarreal receives additional instruction from Maestro Charles Selberg.

Mr. Lael S.E. Grant
(first name rhymes with "rail")
Instructor at Foil
Assistant Instructor at Sabre
Mr. Grant began fencing in 2000. He studied under Mr. Heggen in one of his earliest fencing classes. He began teaching in the summer of 2005. Mr. Grant receives additional instruction from Maestri Charles Selberg and John McDougall. He is certified as a moniteur (instructor) in foil by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association and the Academie d'Armes Internationale.

Mrs. Jocelyn Neidig
(pronounced "Nye'-dig")
Assistant Instructor at Foil
Jocelyn has been fencing since 2003. She studied under both Mr. Heggen and Mr. Villarreal.She began teaching under Mr. Heggen's supervision in the fall of 2005. She works for a local real estate title company.

Mrs. Nanci C. Keatley
Instructional Assistant at Foil
Mrs. Keatley began fencing in 2005 after seeing how much her son enjoyed the sport. She quickly became a regular fixture at the salle. She uses her gift for working with younger children as an assistant to Mr. Villarreal in our Musketeers program.

Maestro James V. Ciaramitaro, M.Ed.
(pronounced "Shar'-uh-mih-tar'-o") 
Honorary Staff
Maestro Ciaramitaro has been fencing since he was in high school in the 1960s. He has been teaching fencing at Willamette University since 1987, when he founded Willamette's fencing program. Fortunately for us, Maestro frequently leaves campus to drop into our studio to fence, visit, and offer pointers to students. He works as a trainer for the State of Oregon.

Maestro studied under the late Maestro Istvan Danosi, among others in Michigan. He is certified as a master of foil by the Selberg Fencing Academy in Ashland, Oregon, where he studied under Maestro Charles Selberg.

In addition to their training as fencing instructors, all of the above staff members are certified in the following American Red Cross Health and Safety training programs:

• Sport Safety Training
• Adult CPR/AED
• Child CPR (under age 8 -- all staff not yet trained)

We also utilize a number of teaching assistants (distinguished by their black socks) in our classes. These TAs are some of our more experienced fencers who assist the staff during classes. Many of our teaching assistants are trained in Adult CPR/AED.