Fencers Club

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Fencers Club is the oldest continuously existing organization in the Western Hemisphere dedicated exclusively to teaching and promoting the sport of fencing.[citation needed] It is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the U.S. Fencing Association Established in Manhattan in 1883, the club has evolved into a broadly diverse 501(c)3 not-for-profit fencing organization dedicated to fencing, learning, character and community service. It has produced numerous National Champions and olympians.[1]

In the spring of 2012, Fencers Club became only the ninth organization to be recognized by the USOC as a Community Olympic Development Program (CODP) for its innovative and world-class programs that embody the Olympic ideals.[2]

Activities and facilities

The Fencers Club provides the following programs:[1]

  • Fencers Club Schools Partnership, which promotes physical fitness, academic success and emotional well being in elementary through high school students through fencing and mentoring, at more than 30 partner schools and community centers in the New York City area.
  • Local, regional, national and international competitions
  • Fencers Club Summer Academy Day Camp, a five-week program which combines mornings of educational activities with afternoons engaged in fencing.
  • Berkshires Summer Training Camp, a 10-day training camp program for advanced fencers held in the Berkshire Hills of Sheffield, Massachusetts.
  • Symposium on College Fencing, which brings together head coaches from several top universities each September to discuss fencing at the college level.
  • Individual lessons and group classes for recreational fencers and serious competitors of all ages with a goal towards training Olympic caliber competitors.

Fencers Club is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The facility includes 19 full-length metal grounded training strips with electronic scoring equipment, as well as an in-house pro shop and armory.

Member notability

Members of the Fencers Club have been recognized internationally as Fencing Masters by the United States Nation Team Coaches,[3] the head coaches of New York University[4] and the head coaches of St. John's University[5] in the areas of Men's Foil, Women's Foil, and Men's Sabre.

The Fencers Club claims to have trained or included more National Champions and Olympic Medalists than any other club in the United States, including Olympic Silver Medalists George Calnan and Joseph Levis, foilist Albert Axelrod and sabreur Peter Westbrook - Bronze Medalists in 1960 and 1984 respectively - as well as the coaches Michel Alaux and Chaba Elthes.[1] 2008 Olympic medalists include Silver Medalists Emily Cross (women's team foil), Erinn Smart (women's team foil), Keeth Smart (men's team sabre). In 2012, Fencers Club sent three foil fencers, Nzingha Prescod, Miles Chamley-Watson and Nicole Ross, to the Olympic Games in London.

The Fencers Club is the birthplace and home of the Peter Westbrook Foundation.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Club History, retrieved 2012-02-06 
  2. ↑ U.S. Olympic Committee names Fencers Club as CODP, retrieved 2012-08-24 
  3. ↑ Simon Gershon, retrieved 2012-02-06 
  4. ↑ Eduard Elterman, retrieved 2012-02-06 
  5. ↑ Irene Gershon, retrieved 2012-02-06 
  6. ↑ Contact Us, retrieved 2012-12-31 

External links

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