| Gimnasia y Esgrima (Rosario) | |
| Location: | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Leader Title: | Chairman |
| Leader Name: | Raúl Kaufman[1] |
| Affiliations: | URR (Rugby) |
| Colours: | (Dark blue, Yellow) |
| Website: | clubger.com.ar |
Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario (familiarly known for its acronym GER) is an Argentine multi-sports club from Rosario, Santa Fe. Water polo is the section that has won the most titles for the institution,[2] with 21 championships as of 2012.[3]
The rugby union squad has also won several titles for the club, including two Torneo del Litoral and three Rosario RU championships.
Other sports that can be practised at Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario are aikido, artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball, basque pelota, billiards, fencing, field hockey, football, artistic gymnastics, judo, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.
In 1902, a club from Rosario, "Estudiantes Football Club", was interested in acquiring its own land for the practise of sports. Members of the club put their eyes on a field located in the public park Parque de la Independencia, but there was another club of the city (the "Club Atlético Argentino") also interested in acquiring the land.
The then Governor of Rosario interceded in the dispute, giving the land to both clubs, under the condition that they had to merge into one. Therefore, on 10 September 1904 a new club was established, although keeping the "Club Atlético Argentino"'s name.
Football was the first sport practised at the club, with Atlético Argentino being invited to join a new league established in 1905, that would be the first organised football body of Rosario. At the request of president of Newell's Old Boys, Víctor Heitz, other prominent teams of the city were invited to create a local league to organise its own competitions. Therefore "Liga Rosarina de Football" was established with Atlético Argentino as founding member along with Newell's, Rosario Central and Rosario A.C. The body organised a second division tournament that became the first competition in Santa Fe Province.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The trophy awarded to winner team was donated by mayor of Rosario, Santiago Pinasco, and named after him.[10]
The first tennis court was built in 1906. That same year the Lawn Tennis Club was established at GER. By 1918, the institution had eight courts, two of them with artificial lighting. Athletics consolidated as the second sport in importance of the club. One of the most predominant sportsmen of that era was Camilo Zanni, who represented Argentina in several international competitions. The race track was later named in his honour. The club hosted the first athletic championship of Rosario, currently "Torneo del Centenario".[11]
On 9 August 1910 an assembly was held, changing the name to "Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario". The name "Gimnasia" ("Gymnastics" in Spanish) was due to athletics was not considered a sports by its own, including it as part of the gymnastics activities. Emilio Dotto was the general manager by then.
In 1920 the club affiliated to Federación Atlética Argentina (Argentine Athletics Federation) while the club built a new racetrack in the Parque Independencia. The track is opened in 1921 and organized a championship as part of the celebration.
Rugby union began in GER in 1927, with the first friendly matches played against porteño clubs Central Argentino, Gimnasia y Esgrima and Universitario. One year later, GER became founder member of Rosario Rugby Union. The first great achievement in rugby came in 1939 when the GER won its first championship.
Field hockey was introduced to GER in 1944, when a group of women and men that joined to play informal games at the club. The football section was organised in the mid 1980s.
Gimnasia y Esgrima hosts a wide range of sports in its three facilities, which are:
Gimnasia y Esgrima has several competitive teams that play in regional leagues of Rosario. Some of the most important are:
The first important achievement was in 1936, when the club won the Campeonato Rosarino de Cadetes (the intermediate division). In 1955 Gimnasia won the Provincial title. In 1967 Professor Pedro Giordano arrived to the club, incorporating new tactics that were considered revolutionary for water polo in Argentina. Some of the most notable players by then were Ricardo Morello, Carlos Vozzi, Enrique Piedfort and Héctor Aimetta. The club won several championships in senior, intermediate and junior divisions.
The water polo of Gimnasia y Esgrima has been widely praised by the media, with some players taking part of Argentina national team, such as Fernando Losada and Aimetta who played in the 1971 Pan American Games held in Cali. In successive years, Enrique Piedfort, Helio Orta, Héctor Barrios, were also notable players for the club.
From 1974 to 1974 Gimnasia achieved titles in all divisions. In 1976 the young team won the Argentine championship, with Marcelo Perazzo, Oscar Möller, Daniel Tapiz, Daniel Sevlever, Marcelo Mosquera, Horacio Toranzo, Eugenio Quattrocchio, Gustavo Grgicevic, Fabián Martín, Esteban Hernandez and Andrés Goldín as part of the team. Many of them were called for the national team that played the South American tournament in the Uruguayan city Punta del Este.
The first division team won another title, the Argentine championship of 1978. Despite all the titles won, in 1979 the club suppressed the practise of water polo, re-establishing it in 1982. In 1984 Fabián Martín y Marcelo Nicolich were called for Argentina to play the championship in Brazil.