COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fencers Club, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting the sport of fencing and the oldest continually operating fencing club in the United States, has been selected by the United States Olympic Committee as a Community Olympic Development Program.
Fencers Club becomes one of nine organizations nationwide to be recognized by the USOC for its ability to combine the training of elite athletes with a broad-based effort to encourage and support participation in an Olympic sport by athletes of all ages, ability levels and backgrounds.
“The USOC is extremely appreciative of Fencers Club’s success, not only its ability to produce Olympic athletes on a consistent basis, but also for its already well-established Schools Partnership Program that combines high-level coaching with a thoughtfully conceived and executed youth-development curriculum,” said Alicia McConnell, USOC director of athlete services and programs. “Those efforts are terrific examples of the athlete-development and youth-outreach goals that the Community Olympic Development Program is designed to promote and we look forward to working with Fencers Club as it expands its programs in the years to come.”
As a CODP designee, Fencers Club will continue to build its presence throughout the New York area through the scholar-athlete programs already in place as part of its Foundations for Excellence programs, including the FC Schools Partnership Fencing and Mentoring Program, an outreach effort that has grown to include nearly 700 students in the metro area, approximately 70% of whom are members of underserved youth populations, and the Competitive Athlete Development and FC Scholars Programs, which provide financial and other support to promising athletes.
“Fencers Club is delighted to receive the CODP designation, which recognizes not only our excellence in developing high-caliber athletes, but our ongoing efforts to bring the benefits that fencing bestows – including the development of resiliency, discipline and problem-solving skills that are applicable in so many areas of life – to youth throughout our community,” said Elizabeth Cross, executive director of the Fencers Club. “We are justly proud of our history and the generations of highly accomplished FC scholar-athletes who collectively have not only been responsible for countless fencing accolades including NCAA, national and world championships, as well as numerous Olympic medals, but who have also been recognized as leaders in academics, business, public service and the arts. We are even more gratified, however, by the inclusive, diverse and caring community of people that comprises Fencers Club, which we hope to expand even further with the support of the USOC.”
