Fencers Club

Fencers Club

Formation	1883;142 years ago (1883)
Legal status	501(c)(3) not-for-profit fencing organization
Location	20 West 33rd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Website	fencersclub.org

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.

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

The 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 ($1,090 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

Miles Chamley-Watson

Tim Morehouse

Nicole Ross

Maia Weintraub

• 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; banned for life by SafeSport ^[29]
• Nate Lubell (1916–2006), 3x Olympian ^[30]
• James Carroll Beckwith, president of the Fencers Club ^[31]
• James Margolis (born 1936), Olympian ^[32]
• James Melcher (1939–2023), Olympian ^[33]
• Tim Morehouse (born 1978), 3x Olympian, silver medalist ^[34]
• Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 1892–1965), Hungarian-born 2x Olympian ^[35]
• Nzingha Prescod (born 1992), 2x Olympian ^[36]
• Nicole Ross (born 1989), 2x Olympian ^[37]
• Keeth Smart (born 1978), 3x Olympian, Olympic silver medalist ^[15]
• James Strauch (1921–1998), Olympian ^[38]
• Albert Strauss (1876-1963), Olympian ^[15]
• Jonathan Tiomkin (born 1979), Olympian ^[39]
• Maia Weintraub (born 2002), Olympian, Olympic gold medalist ^[40]
• Peter Westbrook (1952–2024), 5x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist ^[41]

See also

• United States Fencing Association

References

1. Herbst, Diane (May 23, 2016). "The unexpected way vets are rediscovering their competitive edge".
2. Kroessler, Jeffrey A. (2002). New York, Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis. NYU Press. p. 153. ISBN   9780814738382.
3. Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction. W. B. Holland. 1913. p. 334. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
4. General Federation of Women's Clubs (1914). Club Women of New York. Mail and Express Company. p. 137. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
5. Bill Duryea (January 11, 1998). "En garde' AGAINST THE GHETTO". Tampa Bay Times.
6. The Illustrated American. 1890. p. 276. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. "Rene Pinchart, 28 Years at Fencers Club, Is Dead". The New York Times. November 4, 1970.
10. "MICHEL ALAUX: Fencing Master: Maitre D'Armes: Biography". www.alaux-fencingmaster.com.
11. Kirby, Jen (August 10, 2016). "New York's Olympic Sport Is Fencing". New York Magazine . Retrieved June 18, 2020.
12. U.S. Olympic Committee names Fencers Club as CODP, archived from the original on June 15, 2012, retrieved 2012-08-24
13. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 13, 2020). "A St. John's Fencing Coach Is Fired After Making Racist Remarks". The New York Times.
14. http://fencersclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Boris-Termination.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
15. "Fencers Club: Past, Present and Future booklet by Elizabeth Cross - Issuu". issuu.com. 14 May 2016.
16. "Norman Cohn-Armitage Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
17. "Blum, Robert – Museum Of American Fencing". museumofamericanfencing.com.
18. Goldstein, Richard (July 31, 2008). "Dr. Daniel Bukantz, 90, a Champion Fencer, Dies". The New York Times.
19. Smallwood, John (July 13, 2012). "Philadelphian sets sights on gold medal in fencing". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved June 18, 2020.
20. "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.
21. "Axelrod, Cohen Among 5 Picked For U.S. Olympic Foils Team". The New York Times. July 15, 1964.
22. "Olympic Medalist Emily Cross Back in Training". USA Fencing. October 17, 2010.
23. 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.
24. "Lekach Wins Saber Final In National Fencing". The New York Times. July 1, 1978.
25. "FOR THE RECORD". Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com.
26. "Olympic fencer inspires Elis". Yale Daily News. 4 April 2012.
27. "Seven Ivy League fencers going to Athens". ESPN.com. April 25, 2004.
28. "Byron Krieger Photo Gallery". www.byronkrieger.org.
29. "Ivan Lee", SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database.
30. "Copy of American Fencing" (PDF). www.fencingarchive.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
31. "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.
32. "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 29, 1962 · Page 36". Newspapers.com. 29 June 1962.
33. Willoughby, Jack (August 30, 2004). "En Garde!". The Wall Street Journal.
34. "Spotlight: Olympic Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse Hopes to Create a Fencing Hub on the UWS". 6sqft.
35. Grimberg, Salomon; Muray, Nickolas (October 26, 2006). I Will Never Forget You: Frida Kahlo and Nickolas Muray. Chronicle Books. ISBN   9780811856928 – via Google Books.
36. Okeowo, Alexis. "Nzingha Prescod, Olympic Fencer". The New Yorker.
37. "Nicole Ross". Team USA. 2019-12-09. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
38. "Listing" (PDF). museumofamericanfencing.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
39. "Jon Tiomkin Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
40. "Weintraub Wins Olympic Women's Foil Gold, Fang Makes Games Debut", goprincetontigers, August 1, 2024.
41. Black, David (January 19, 1984). "The Black Musketeer". Rolling Stone.

External links

• Official website