Men’s Foil

William Scott O’Connor, Charles Tatham, C. C. Nadal, and Albertson Van Zo Post

1906 Manrique Cup

Illinois Athletic Club stars Alfred Ernest Sauer, Arthur G. Fox, James W. Knox in 1909

l to r Chicago Stars – Alfred Ernest Sauer, Arthur G. Fox, James W. Knox (Illinois Athletic Club)

Raw, unedited silent newsreel footage of the Thompson Trophy competition between US and UK fencers in 1926. Lt. Harold Van Buskirk fencing Maj. G. V. Dyer of British team. Closeup of Van Buskirk demonstrating sabre guards. Dyer congratulates Americans. Close up of Henry Breckinridge in a suit congratulating the British captain with the 4 US competitors standing in rear: Harold Van Buskirk, George Calnan, Leo Nunes and Arthur St. Clair Lyon.

Great foil fencers from the Amsterdam Games of 1928
Every, Peroy, Breckinridge, Calnan, Levis, Rayner

1930. Silent. French. Lucien Gaudin & Mlle. Gaudin give a brief exhibition before a group of children. This was part of the 2nd annual Youth Gala held at the Cirque d’Hiver, sponored by the newspaper, “Benjamin.” Other “performers” incluced masters of elocution, song, and various physical skills (like fencing).

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1934 Gaudin’s Funeral (Bout with Aldo Nadi) (Video)

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Hugh Alessandroni  (inducted into the US Fencing Hall of Fame 2010)  against Joe Levis  (also in the Hall of Fame)  This photo was a gift from Robert Levis, son of Joe Levis.

1939 AFLA fencing video (narrated in Italian)

Italian footage of AFLA in San Francisco, July 1939. The first director shown (in suit) is Harold Van Buskirk. Competitors seen include Norman Lewis and Helene Mayer.

US Pan Am Games foil team champs in 1959.
l to r – Joseph Paletta, Albert  Axelrod, Gene Glazer, Harold Goldsmith, Ed Richards, Roland Wommack, Ralph Goldstein

Carl Borack, Dave Micahnik, Albert Axelrod
1969 Maccabiah Games

1988 Men’s Olympic Foil Team

l to r  John Moreau, Jon Normile, Carl Borack

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’96 Olympians, photo taken in the holding area prior to Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta
Photo By Carl Borack

1996 Olympic Team at the White House

SUMMER OLYMPICS: Foiled once, Bravin focuses on team

Advertisement at the 2004 Athens’ Games, featuring Al Carter and Gago Demirchian. Photo by John Heil

2-time Olympian, 2-time US foil champion, 7 team national championships

Albert Axelrod won 4 US foil titles, was 5th at the 1958 World Championships, and took the Olympic bronze medal at the Rome Olympics

Ed Ballinger, foil

VIDEO: Ed Ballinger interviewed by Andy Shaw

4-time US foil champion, Olympian, World Championships Bronze medalist

2-time Pan AM Gold Medalist, National foil champion 1969, Olympian, Olympic Team Captain

Charles Bothner won thirteen US championships – 11 individual and two team. In 1897, he was champion in Foil, Sabre, and Epee – a record that is unlikely ever to be approached again. He represented the Pastime Athletic Club and the NYAC.

2-time Olympian, 4-time national champion, 3-time NCAA national champion

Danny Bukantz, a Hall of Famer, was a 4-time National foil champion and a 4-time US Olympian.

6 times US Foil Champion
1 time US Epee Champion
1 time US Outdoor Epee Champion
1928 Olympic Bronze medal in Epee
1932 Olympic Bronze medal in Men’s Foil Team
1932 Olympic Bronze medal in Men’s Epee Team
Killed at the age of 33 in crash of dirigible “Akron”

(1906-1994) – AFLA national foil champion (1938, ’40, ’45). Member, U.S. Olympic team (1928, ’32, ’40, ’48). He won the Olympic bronze medal in Men’s foil team in 1932. Secretary of the AFLA (1941-45 and 1948-52); president of the AFLA (1945-48). Editor, “The Riposte” (newsletter) (1941-45). IFA foil champion for Yale (1927, 1928).

Silvio Giolito took the US Foil nationals in 1950 and again in 1951 both times undefeated.

(1913-1997) – AFLA national foil medalist; national epee finalist. Member, U.S. Olympic team (1948, ’56); captain (1960). Editor, “American Fencing” magazine (1969-76).

Heik Hambarzumian Interviewed by Andy Shaw for the Museum of American Fencing
July, 2012 at the Summer National Championships in Anaheim, California

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(1926-2000) – AFLA national foil champion (1971). Member, U.S. Olympic team (1968). Operated a salle in New Haven, CT. First black fencer to attain the U.S. Olympic team.

Dan Kellner

2-time US National Foil champion
2004 Olympian

He received the Detroit Sports Guild Outstanding Athlete Award in 1951 and was elected to the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. Wayne State University Hall of Fame 1976, Michigan Jewish Hall of Fame 1986

1975 Pan American Foil Champion

8 National foil titles, Olympic silver medalist and team bronze 1932. National three-weapon champion 1929, Vice President of the USFA.

Click to see Andy Shaw’s speech about Joe Levis!

Hall of Famer, US Saber National champion and US Team captain Jack Keane advising US foil Olympian Peter Lewison at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. (Photo by Robert Millard)

Junior Olympic Champion, US Olympic team member.

Olympian, US Foil Champion, 3-time World Championship team member

Sean McClain (center) pictured with the 1995 Pan Am men’s foil team.  Sean was 2-time U.S. champion (foil & epee), 4-time Jr. Olympic champion (foil & epee), and Empire United fencing coach in New York City

Ranked first in the nation in five age groups, Ranked second in the world U20, Youngest men’s foil national champion in US history.

Olympic Men’s Individual Foil

1904 Albertson Van Zo Post, Silver
1904 Charles Tatham, Bronze
1932 Joseph Levis, Silver
1960 Albert Axelrod, Bronze

Olympic Men’s Team Foil

1904 Albertson Van Zo Post, Gold w/ Cuban Team
1904 Charles Tatham, Silver
1904 Fitzhugh Townsend, Silver
1904 Arthur Fox, Silver

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Men’s Foil World Champions

Brendan Meyers, Dwight Smith, Emily Cross; Fencers Club, New York.

“Fencing has been my life,” Nonomura said. He started fencing when he was 5 years old from a fencing family. He competed internationally for eight years and was part of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Men’s Foil Team in Seoul, S. Korea.

Video: George Nonomura interviewed by Andy Shaw

Austin “Gus” Prokop became a member of the 1948 US Olympic fencing team for the London Games

A celebration of the life of Ed Richards
Part1, Part 2, and Part 2
Including two video interviews with Ed Richards and Andy Shaw July 2010

Otto Schoenfeld was the first American known to have fenced in the Olympics* at the Paris games in 1900.  He competed in the Master’s Sabre Event.

Tyrone Simmons, 1972 Foil Champion NCAA

US National Men’s Foil Champions