Fencers Club
The Fencers Club in Chelsea, 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 Manhattan in 1883, it has evolved into a 501(c)3 not-for-profit fencing organization dedicated to fencing and community service. It has produced numerous National Champions and Olympians.
Formation | 1883 |
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Legal status | 501(c)3 not-for-profit fencing organization |
Location |
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Website | fencersclub |
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 ($890 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]
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.[11]
The Fencers Club is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The facility includes 19 full-length metal grounded training strips with electronic scoring equipment, as well as an in-house pro shop and armory.
The Fencers Club is the birthplace and home of the Peter Westbrook Foundation.[12]
Notable members
- Norman C. Armitage (1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn–1972), 6x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist[13]
- Robert Blum (born 1928), 2x Olympian[14]
- Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), 4x Olympian[15]
- Miles Chamley-Watson (born 1989), 2x Olympian, bronze medalist[16]
- Abe Cohen (1924–2016), Olympian[17]
- Herb Cohen (born 1940), 2x Olympian[18]
- Emily Cross (born 1986), Olympian[19]
- Eugene Glazer (born 1939), Olympian[20]
- Joel Glucksman (born 1949), Olympian[21]
- Harold Goldsmith (1930–2004), 3x Olympian[22]
- Emily Jacobson (born 1985), Olympian[23]
- Dan Kellner (born 1976), Olympian[24]
- Byron Krieger (1920–2015), 2x Olympian[25]
- Nate Lubell (1916–2006), 3x Olympian[26]
- James Margolis (born 1936), Olympian[27]
- James Melcher (born 1939), Olympian[28]
- Tim Morehouse (born 1978), 3x Olympian[29]
- Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 1892-1965), Hungarian-born 2x Olympian[30]
- Nzingha Prescod (born 1992), Olympian[31]
- Nicole Ross (born 1989), Olympian[32]
- James Strauch (1921–1998), Olympian[33]
- Peter Westbrook (born 1952), 4x Olympian, bronze medalist[34]
References
- 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.
- Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction. W. B. Holland. 1913. p. 334. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- General Federation of Women's Clubs (1914). Club Women of New York. Mail and Express Company. p. 137. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- "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". November 4, 1970 – via NYTimes.com.
- "MICHEL ALAUX :: Fencing Master :: Maitre D'Armes :: Biography". www.alaux-fencingmaster.com.
- U.S. Olympic Committee names Fencers Club as CODP, retrieved 2012-08-24
- Kirby, Jen (August 10, 2016). "New York's Olympic Sport Is Fencing". New York Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- "Norman Cohn-Armitage Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". web.archive.org. April 17, 2020.
- "Blum, Robert – Museum Of American Fencing". museumofamericanfencing.com.
- Goldstein, Richard (July 31, 2008). "Dr. Daniel Bukantz, 90, a Champion Fencer, Dies" – via NYTimes.com.
- 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". June 12, 1956 – via NYTimes.com.
- "Axelrod, Cohen Among 5 Picked For U.S. Olympic Foils Team". July 15, 1964 – via NYTimes.com.
- Author, No (October 17, 2010). "Olympic Medalist Emily Cross Back in Training". USA Fencing.
- 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". July 1, 1978 – via NYTimes.com.
- Staff, S. I. "FOR THE RECORD". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com.
- "Olympic fencer inspires Elis". yaledailynews.com.
- "Seven Ivy League fencers going to Athens". ESPN.com. April 25, 2004.
- "Byron Krieger Photo Gallery". www.byronkrieger.org.
- "Copy pf American Fencing" (PDF). www.fencingarchive.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 29, 1962 · Page 36". Newspapers.com.
- Willoughby, Jack (August 30, 2004). "En Garde!" – via www.wsj.com.
- "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 – via Google Books.
- Okeowo, Alexis. "Nzingha Prescod, Olympic Fencer". The New Yorker.
- "Nicole Ross". Team USA. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- "Listing" (PDF). museumofamericanfencing.com. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- Black, David (January 19, 1984). "The Black Musketeer".