Fencers Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
- 20 West 33rd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
| 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
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 ($1,120 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
- 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]