Fencers Club Explained

Fencers Club
Vat Id:	(for European organizations) -->
Status:	501(c)(3) not-for-profit fencing organization
Location:	20 West 33rd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City

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 $30 ($ 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.

In 2020, the Fencers Club fired a fencing coach after he made racist remarks.^{[12] [13]}

Notable members

• Albert Axelrod (1921-2004), 5x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist^[14]
• Norman C. Armitage (1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn–1972), 6x Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist^[15]
• Robert Blum (born 1928), 2x Olympian^[16]
• Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), 4x Olympian^[17]
• Miles Chamley-Watson (born 1989), 2x Olympian, bronze medalist^[18]
• Abe Cohen (1924–2016), Olympian^[19]
• Herb Cohen (born 1940), 2x Olympian^[20]
• Emily Cross (born 1986), Olympian, silver medalist^[21]
• Eugene Glazer (born 1939), Olympian^[22]
• Joel Glucksman (born 1949), Olympian^[23]
• Harold Goldsmith (1930–2004), 3x Olympian^[24]
• Emily Jacobson (born 1985), Olympian^[25]
• Dan Kellner (born 1976), Olympian^[26]
• Byron Krieger (1920–2015), 2x Olympian^[27]
• Ivan Lee (born 1981), Olympian
• Nate Lubell (1916–2006), 3x Olympian^[28]
• James Carroll Beckwith, president of the Fencers Club^[29]
• James Margolis (born 1936), Olympian^[30]
• James Melcher (born 1939), Olympian^[31]
• Tim Morehouse (born 1978), 3x Olympian, silver medalist^[32]
• Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 1892-1965), Hungarian-born 2x Olympian^[33]
• Nzingha Prescod (born 1992), 2x Olympian^[34]
• Nicole Ross (born 1989), 2x Olympian^[35]
• Keeth Smart (born 1978), Olympian, Olympic silver medalist^[14]
• James Strauch (1921–1998), Olympian^[36]
• Albert Strauss (1876-1963), Olympian^[14]
• Jonathan Tiomkin (born 1979), Olympian^[37]
• Maia Weintraub (born 2002), Olympian
• Peter Westbrook (born 1952), 4x Olympian, bronze medalist^[38]

See also

• United States Fencing Association

Notes and References

1. Web site: The unexpected way vets are rediscovering their competitive edge. Diane. Herbst. May 23, 2016.
2. Book: Kroessler, Jeffrey A. . New York, Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis . 153 . NYU Press. 2002. 9780814738382.
3. Book: Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction . W. B. Holland . v. 61 . 1913 . 2020-06-18 . 334.
4. Book: General Federation of Women's Clubs . Club Women of New York . Mail and Express Company . 1914 . 2020-06-18 . 137.
5. Web site: En garde' AGAINST THE GHETTO. January 11, 1998. Bill Duryea. Tampa Bay Times.
6. Book: The Illustrated American . v. 1 . 1890 . 2020-06-18 . 276.
7. Book: Livingstone, C.H. . 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 . 1892 . 2020-06-18 . 90.
8. Book: 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 . 2020-06-18 . 18.
9. Web site: Rene Pinchart, 28 Years at Fencers Club, Is Dead. November 4, 1970. The New York Times.
10. Web site: MICHEL ALAUX: Fencing Master: Maitre D'Armes: Biography. www.alaux-fencingmaster.com.
11. News: New York's Olympic Sport Is Fencing . August 10, 2016 . Jen . Kirby . June 18, 2020 . New York Magazine.
12. Web site: A St. John’s Fencing Coach Is Fired After Making Racist Remarks. Derrick Bryson. Taylor. June 13, 2020. The New York Times.
13. http://fencersclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Boris-Termination.pdf
14. Web site: Fencers Club: Past, Present and Future booklet by Elizabeth Cross - Issuu. issuu.com.
15. Web site: Norman Cohn-Armitage Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417161629/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/norman-cohn-armitage-1.html. dead. 2020-04-17. April 17, 2020.
16. Web site: Blum, Robert – Museum Of American Fencing. museumofamericanfencing.com.
17. Web site: Dr. Daniel Bukantz, 90, a Champion Fencer, Dies. Richard. Goldstein. July 31, 2008. The New York Times.
18. News: Philadelphian sets sights on gold medal in fencing. John . Smallwood. July 13, 2012 . June 18, 2020 . The Philadelphia Inquirer.
19. Web site: COHEN,11 OTHERS REACH EPEE FINAL; Defender Posts 3-1 Record in Semi-Final Round-Robin of U.S. Championship. June 12, 1956. The New York Times.
20. Web site: Axelrod, Cohen Among 5 Picked For U.S. Olympic Foils Team. July 15, 1964. The New York Times.
21. Web site: Olympic Medalist Emily Cross Back in Training. October 17, 2010. USA Fencing.
22. Book: Litsky . F. . Tyno . S. . New York Times Company . The New York Times Sports Almanac . Franklin Watts, Incorporated . American sports library . 1965 . 2020-06-18 .
23. Web site: Lekach Wins Saber Final In National Fencing. July 1, 1978. The New York Times.
24. Web site: FOR THE RECORD. Sports Illustrated Vault .
25. Web site: Olympic fencer inspires Elis. Yale Daily News.
26. Web site: Seven Ivy League fencers going to Athens. April 25, 2004. ESPN.com.
27. Web site: Byron Krieger Photo Gallery. www.byronkrieger.org.
28. Web site: Copy of American Fencing . www.fencingarchive.com . 2020-06-18.
29. Web site: Yale genealogy and history of Wales. The British kings and princes. Life of Owen Glyndwr. Biographies of Governor Elihu Yale. 1908. Milburn and Scott company. Archive.org. 532–533. en.
30. Web site: Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 29, 1962 · Page 36. Newspapers.com.
31. Web site: En Garde!. Jack. Willoughby. August 30, 2004. The Wall Street Journal.
32. Web site: Spotlight: Olympic Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse Hopes to Create a Fencing Hub on the UWS. 6sqft.
33. Book: I Will Never Forget You: Frida Kahlo and Nickolas Muray. Salomon. Grimberg. Nickolas. Muray. October 26, 2006. Chronicle Books. 9780811856928. Google Books.
34. Nzingha Prescod, Olympic Fencer. Alexis. Okeowo. The New Yorker.
35. Web site: Nicole Ross . Team USA . 2019-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923011339/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-fencing/athletes/Nicole-Ross . dead . September 23, 2015 . 2020-06-18.
36. Web site: Listing . museumofamericanfencing.com. 2020-06-18.
37. Web site: Jon Tiomkin Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. April 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418110609/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ti/jon-tiomkin-1.html. 2020-04-18.
38. The Black Musketeer. Rolling Stone. David. Black. January 19, 1984.