The Fencers Club in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, is the oldest fencing club in the Western Hemisphere.[1] It is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the U.S. Fencing Association. Established in 1883, it has evolved into a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit fencing organization dedicated to fencing and community service. It has produced a number of national champions and Olympians.
| Formation | 1883 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) not-for-profit fencing organization |
| Location |
|
| Website | fencersclub |
The Fencers Club includes 22 full-length metal grounded training strips with electronic scoring equipment, as well as an in-house pro shop and armory.
History
editThe Fencers Club was founded in 1883 by Charles de Kay and other New Yorkers.[2][3][4] One had to be in the Social Register to be a member.[5] Its first fencing master was Captain Hippolyte Nicolas, a French officer who had fought in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, who was partial to the Italian school of fencing.[6][3]
In 1892 it had about 200 members.[7] In 1902 annual dues at the club were $30 ($1,060 in current dollar terms).[8] In 1914, one third of its members were women.[4] Rene Pinchart, a Belgian sergeant major in World War I, was fencing master at the club from 1927 to 1955.[9] French-American Michel Alaux was fencing master of the club from 1956 until 1974.[10]
It is the birthplace, in 1991, and home of the Peter Westbrook Foundation.[11] In 2012, the Fencers Club became only the ninth organization to be recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as a Community Olympic Development Program (CODP), for its innovative and world-class programs that embody the Olympic ideals.[12]
In 2020, the Fencers Club fired a fencing coach after he made racist remarks.[13][14]
Notable members
edit
- Albert Axelrod (1921–2004), 5x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist[15]
- Norman C. Armitage (1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn–1972), 6x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist[16]
- Robert Blum (1928–2022), 2x Olympian[17]
- Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), 4x Olympian[18]
- Miles Chamley-Watson (born 1989), 2x Olympian, bronze medalist[19]
- Abe Cohen (1924–2016), Olympian[20]
- Herb Cohen (born 1940), 2x Olympian[21]
- Emily Cross (born 1986), Olympian, silver medalist[22]
- Eugene Glazer (born 1939), Olympian[23]
- Joel Glucksman (born 1949), Olympian[24]
- Harold Goldsmith (1930–2004), 3x Olympian[25]
- Emily Jacobson (born 1985), Olympian[26]
- Dan Kellner (born 1976), Olympian[27]
- Byron Krieger (1920–2015), 2x Olympian[28]
- Ivan Lee (born 1981), Olympian
- Nate Lubell (1916–2006), 3x Olympian[29]
- James Carroll Beckwith, president of the Fencers Club[30]
- James Margolis (born 1936), Olympian[31]
- James Melcher (1939–2023), Olympian[32]
- Tim Morehouse (born 1978), 3x Olympian, silver medalist[33]
- Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 1892–1965), Hungarian-born 2x Olympian[34]
- Nzingha Prescod (born 1992), 2x Olympian[35]
- Nicole Ross (born 1989), 2x Olympian[36]
- Keeth Smart (born 1978), 3x Olympian, Olympic silver medalist[15]
- James Strauch (1921–1998), Olympian[37]
- Albert Strauss (1876-1963), Olympian[15]
- Jonathan Tiomkin (born 1979), Olympian[38]
- Maia Weintraub (born 2002), Olympian, Olympic gold medalist[39]
- Peter Westbrook (1952–2024), 5x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist[40]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Herbst, Diane (May 23, 2016). "The unexpected way vets are rediscovering their competitive edge".
- ^ Kroessler, Jeffrey A. (2002). New York, Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis. NYU Press. p. 153. ISBN 9780814738382.
- ^ a b Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction. W. B. Holland. 1913. p. 334. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ a b General Federation of Women's Clubs (1914). Club Women of New York. Mail and Express Company. p. 137. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Bill Duryea (January 11, 1998). "En garde' AGAINST THE GHETTO". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ The Illustrated American. 1890. p. 276. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Livingstone, C.H. (1892). The Sun's Guide to New York: Replies to Questions Asked Every Day by the Guests and Citizens of the American Metropolis. Jersey City printing Company. p. 90. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Club Men of New York: Their Clubs, College Alumni Associations, Occupations, and Business and Home Addresses, with Historical Sketches of Many Prominent New York Organizations. Republic Press. 1902. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Rene Pinchart, 28 Years at Fencers Club, Is Dead". The New York Times. November 4, 1970.
- ^ "MICHEL ALAUX: Fencing Master: Maitre D'Armes: Biography". www.alaux-fencingmaster.com.
- ^ Kirby, Jen (August 10, 2016). "New York's Olympic Sport Is Fencing". New York Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ U.S. Olympic Committee names Fencers Club as CODP, archived from the original on June 15, 2012, retrieved 2012-08-24
- ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 13, 2020). "A St. John's Fencing Coach Is Fired After Making Racist Remarks". The New York Times.
- ^ http://fencersclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Boris-Termination.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b c "Fencers Club: Past, Present and Future booklet by Elizabeth Cross - Issuu". issuu.com. 14 May 2016.
- ^ "Norman Cohn-Armitage Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
- ^ "Blum, Robert – Museum Of American Fencing". museumofamericanfencing.com.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (July 31, 2008). "Dr. Daniel Bukantz, 90, a Champion Fencer, Dies". The New York Times.
- ^ Smallwood, John (July 13, 2012). "Philadelphian sets sights on gold medal in fencing". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "COHEN,11 OTHERS REACH EPEE FINAL; Defender Posts 3-1 Record in Semi-Final Round-Robin of U.S. Championship". The New York Times. June 12, 1956.
- ^ "Axelrod, Cohen Among 5 Picked For U.S. Olympic Foils Team". The New York Times. July 15, 1964.
- ^ "Olympic Medalist Emily Cross Back in Training". USA Fencing. October 17, 2010.
- ^ Litsky, F.; Tyno, S.; New York Times Company (1965). The New York Times Sports Almanac. American sports library. Franklin Watts, Incorporated. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Lekach Wins Saber Final In National Fencing". The New York Times. July 1, 1978.
- ^ "FOR THE RECORD". Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com.
- ^ "Olympic fencer inspires Elis". Yale Daily News. 4 April 2012.
- ^ "Seven Ivy League fencers going to Athens". ESPN.com. April 25, 2004.
- ^ "Byron Krieger Photo Gallery". www.byronkrieger.org.
- ^ "Copy of American Fencing" (PDF). www.fencingarchive.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Yale genealogy and history of Wales. The British kings and princes. Life of Owen Glyndwr. Biographies of Governor Elihu Yale". Archive.org. Milburn and Scott company. 1908. pp. 532–533.
- ^ "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 29, 1962 · Page 36". Newspapers.com. 29 June 1962.
- ^ Willoughby, Jack (August 30, 2004). "En Garde!". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Spotlight: Olympic Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse Hopes to Create a Fencing Hub on the UWS". 6sqft.
- ^ Grimberg, Salomon; Muray, Nickolas (October 26, 2006). I Will Never Forget You: Frida Kahlo and Nickolas Muray. Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811856928 – via Google Books.
- ^ Okeowo, Alexis. "Nzingha Prescod, Olympic Fencer". The New Yorker.
- ^ "Nicole Ross". Team USA. 2019-12-09. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Listing" (PDF). museumofamericanfencing.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Jon Tiomkin Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
- ^ "Weintraub Wins Olympic Women's Foil Gold, Fang Makes Games Debut", goprincetontigers, August 1, 2024.
- ^ Black, David (January 19, 1984). "The Black Musketeer". Rolling Stone.