Our Story

The M Team was founded in 1998 by Maestro Greg Massialas as an afternoon program at the San Francisco Chinese American and French American International schools. Now located in the Outer Sunset district of San Francisco, the Massialas Foundation has cemented itself as the best foil program in the nation and one of the best in the world. No other foil program in the nation has had the same level of success at the Olympic, World Championship, and NCAA levels since the inception of the M Team.

Amid the competition of elite sport, the M Team has always billed itself as a collaborative environment where fencers can learn from each other and create lifelong friendships. All our coaches work with each other so that each student can get the same learning experience. Beyond training fencers, Maestro Massialas’ goal has always been to bring out the champion within each student; to use fencing as a vehicle to push each individual to be the best that they can be.

Our Coaches

  • Founder of the M Team, Greg Massialas fenced for San Jose State University. He was a three-time Olympian, making the 1980 team in addition to his two participations at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Massialas also competed at the 1979, 1983, and 1987 Pan American Games, winning four medals, two silvers and two bronzes in foil fencing.

    Massialas later became a fencing coach and referee. He was one of the few USA International “A” foil referees and officiated at the World Championships and Olympic Games. He served as a member of the USA Fencing Officials Commission.

  • Cole Harkness started working with the M Team in 2007. He originally started fencing in high school and fenced through college and in NACs. He was an A rated foilist for almost ten years. As a coach, he earned his Fencing Master diploma from United States Fencing Coaches Association, Maitre d’Armes d’Escrime from the International Academy of Arms, and successfully completed the A-trainer coaching program at the Olympic Training Center in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany.

  • Originally from London, James joined the M Team after competing in the 2012 Olympics. Already an accomplished athlete, being ranked number 23 in the world, James came to the M Team to further his fencing career under Maestro Massialas. James experienced some of his best fencing of his career after the move, winning the European Championships and climbing to 6th in the World Rankings in the 2012-2013 season as well as finishing 6th in the world after the 2016 Olympics for Team GBR. Ever since his arrival in San Francisco, James has brought a wealth of experience and passion to the coaching staff.

  • Allison was one of Maestro Massialas’ very first students, signing up for the first after-school class at French American International School. Allison would go on to continue fencing throughout her childhood, becoming M Team’s first ever National Champion and winning the M Team’s first ever medal on the Cadet International Circuit. Allison went on to be a replacement athlete for the Cadet World Championship Team and recruited athlete at The Ohio State University, where she helped Ohio State win the 2012 NCAA Championships. As someone who has been through Maestro Massialas’ system from beginning to end, Allison is able to use her history in the program, as well as her own fencing accomplishments, to uniquely connect with the students.