A Little About Us

Coach Mike Morgan first picked up an epee as part of a college physical education course in 1974 at Brevard Community College (now Eastern Florida State College). As his life filled and his career progressed, fencing, unfortunately, fell off. One day while waiting for his daughters to complete their swim team practice at the University of Tennessee, Coach Mike rediscovered his passion for the sport of fencing as he noticed the university club members practicing on the balcony overlooking the pool. As a means to reengage with the sport, Coach Mike offered his services as a volunteer coach so that he would be permitted to practice with the UT Fencing Club.

As his experience as an educator grew, Coach Mike decided that it was important to expand the reach of this sport beyond students and faculty associated with the University. In order to accomplish this, in 2008, Coach Mike cofounded Smokey Mountain Fencing (SMF) with Derek Baron in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Over the next 15 or so years, SMF occupied several different locations. However, the population continued to steadily grow. Most importantly, the focus always remained upon having fun and educating anyone (young and old) on proper fencing techniques.

In 2025, Coach Mike, wishing to take a slight step back in order to enjoy some of his hard earned retirement, began the process of passing the torch of operating Smokey Mountain Fencing to Coach John Tomasi. Coach John has decades of experience teaching both various marital arts, including fencing. In September of 2025, Coach John moved SMF into its own dedicated 3,650 square foot facility.

Regardless of location, management, or coach, the primary mission of SMF remains the same: to spread fencing to Eastern Tennessee. As SMF continues to grow and become more competitive on larger stages, our coaches continue to provide excellent foil, saber, and epee instruction with a focus upon having fun while teaching good sportsmanship, hard work, perseverance, and dedication.