The New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is one of the very exclusive, distinguished athletic clubs that were established in the United States in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Founded in 1868, the club's founding premise was to bring structure to a sporting environment that was lacking in organization and uniformity of measurement. The NYAC organized the first US championships in boxing, wrestling, and outdoor track and field, and brought the sport of fencing to the US. Today, the New York City clubhouse, located on Central Park South and Seventh Avenue, is New York's premier athletic organization that offers its 7,000-plus members extensive athletic resources, as well as dining, recreation, and lodging facilities. Application for membership in the NYAC is by invitation only.
Notable Members
NYAC members have won 123 Olympic gold medals, 40 silver medals, and 52 bronze medals, more than all but four nations. This includes contributions from the 39 NYAC Olympians who took home five gold medals, one silver medal, and five bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Over the years, the NYAC has been an innovative force in the world of athletic competition as well.
- Wellington Mara - NY Giants owner
- Mark Simone - TV/Radio personality
- Peter Jennings - Late ABC News anchorman
- Marisol Deluna - Fashion designer
- George Steinbrenner - NY Yankee owner
- Rocky Aoki † - Founder of Benihana Restaurant
- John F. Kennedy Jr - Late publisher of George Magazine
- A.P. Giannini - Founder of Bank of America
- Gavin McLeod - TV actor most noted for The Love Boat
- Charles Osgood - CBS News and radio show host
- William Fugazy - Limousine company mogul
Over the years, many NYAC members have been successful in a multitude of athletic competitions in their specialized fields other than the Olympic games. Their successes and accomplishments are chronicled in an impressive "Hall of Fame" display located on the second floor of the City House.
In 1921, a group of members of the New York Athletic Club spearheaded the founding of Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY. Winged Foot's name and logo were inspired by the NYAC's winged foot logo. The two clubs have never been formally affiliated.
The club operates two facilities, one in New York City and the other in Pelham Manor, New York - The City House, located at 180 Central Park South, occupies one of the finest locations in the city. A large, cavernous building built in the early twentieth century, it offers panoramic views of Central Park and is the athletic as well as the social hub of the Club. The 24-floor facility includes two restaurants, a cocktail lounge, library, ballroom, billiard room, meeting rooms, and eight floors of guest rooms for members and club guests. The athletic training floors include an Olympic pool, basketball courts, boxing rings, fencing and wrestling rooms, a judo floor, and squash courts.
Named for Wall Street businessman William R. Travers who arranged for its purchase in 1886, Travers Island, the NYAC's summer home on Long Island Sound consists of the Main House and other buildings and facilities that sit on 30 acres of handsomely landscaped grounds. Centered around the Main House, the Olympic-sized saltwater pool, and accompanying cabanas, Travers Island extends the range of NYAC sports to include tennis, rowing, yachting, outdoor swimming and diving, a children's Day Camp, rugby, soccer, croquet, and lacrosse. The Club offers many sports including but not limited to; rowing, wrestling, boxing, fencing, basketball, rugby, soccer, tennis, handball, squash, and at least a dozen others not listed here.
Notable Events
The Mercury Cup is one of the premier regional fencing events in the United States. A series of six épée tournaments at which competitors earn points based on final placement, the champion is the highest-ranking fencer at the conclusion of the season. The Mercury Cup has been successful due to the high quality of athletes attracted by the prestigious club, resulting in an extraordinarily high level of competition.
In November 2003, the club was the site of a four-game chess match between Garry Kasparov and the computer program X3D Fritz. In November 2005, the Saturday morning program, the children's program run by the club gathered nearly $17,000 dollars for the Ronald McDonald House run, an event in which the program has participated for several years.
See also
External links
See also
- Gentlemen's club
- List of American gentlemen's clubs
- List of Australian gentlemen's clubs
- List of London's gentlemen's clubs
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