Draft:Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club
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- Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Dkellner76 (talk) 17:26, 18 September 2026 (UTC)
| Abbreviation | BBFC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2010 |
| Founder | Dan Kellner |
| Type | Fencing club |
| Headquarters | 295 Front Street |
| Website | www |
Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club (BBFC) is a fencing club in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2010 by American Olympic foil fencer, coach, and USA Fencing Hall of Famer Dan Kellner, the club provides recreational and competitive fencing instruction and has trained fencers who have competed at the Olympic Games, World Fencing Championships and NCAA championships.[1][2]
The club operated for more than fifteen years at 68 Jay Street in DUMBO before relocating in 2026 to an approximately 8,000-square-foot facility at 295 Front Street containing 20 full-length fencing strips.[3][4]
History
[edit]Kellner founded Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club in 2010 after retiring from international competition and moving into coaching.[1] Kellner represented the United States in men's foil at the 2004 Summer Olympics and later worked as an Olympic coach. USA Fencing identifies him as a USA Fencing Hall of Fame Member and the owner of Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club and states that he received the United States Olympic Committee's Order of Ikkos for his contribution as a coach to the United States men's foil team's bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2]
The club was operating at 68 Jay Street in DUMBO by 2010. Time Out New York described it as a children's fencing club located in a former tea warehouse and reported that beginner through advanced classes were taught by Kellner.[5]
In March 2026, News 12 Brooklyn profiled the club's youth program and Kellner's work as its head coach and owner. The report described instruction in footwork, lunging and bladework and noted that the club accepted students beginning at approximately five years old.[6]
NY1 subsequently profiled the club at its new facility in April 2026, describing Kellner as a former United States Olympian and Olympic team coach for both the United States and Great Britain.[1]
Relocation to Front Street
[edit]In February 2026, Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club signed a ten-year lease for approximately 8,000 square feet on the sixth floor of 295 Front Street, several blocks from its previous location at 68 Jay Street.[3] Commercial Observer reported that the club had been operating from approximately 6,000 square feet and that its new facility would contain 20 full-length fencing strips.[3]
The New York Business Journal independently reported the ten-year lease, approximately 8,000-square-foot size and 20-strip configuration.[4] The Brooklyn Eagle also covered the move, describing BBFC as a long-established Brooklyn fencing club expanding after more than 15 years in operation.[7]
The Front Street facility opened in March 2026. NY1 reported the following month that the club was operating 20 fencing strips with electronic scoring equipment at the new location.[1]
Coaching and programs
[edit]BBFC offers instruction in foil and sabre, including youth introductory programs and competitive training. Time Out New York reported in 2012 that the club offered beginner through advanced instruction for children aged five and older.[5] By 2026, News 12 and NY1 reported that the club was teaching younger children as well as teenage competitive fencers.[6][1]
Kellner has also coached senior international fencers. USA Fencing credits him with contributing to the United States men's foil team's Olympic bronze medal in 2016,[2] while British Fencing has identified him as the personal coach of British Olympian Marcus Mepstead.[8]
Competitive athletes
[edit]Race Imboden
[edit]Three-time Olympian Race Imboden worked with Kellner during part of his senior international career. A 2018 Los Angeles Times profile reported that after previously training under Olympian Jed Dupree, Imboden selected Kellner as his coach. During the early portion of their coaching relationship, Imboden became the first American man to win the overall FIE World Cup title in 2015.[9]
Imboden later won team bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics and was a member of the United States team that won the men's foil team title at the 2019 World Championships.[10]
Marcus Mepstead
[edit]British foil fencer Marcus Mepstead moved to New York to train with Kellner. At the 2019 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Mepstead entered the men's foil competition ranked 51st in the world and defeated defending world champion and world No. 1 Alessio Foconi before winning the individual silver medal.[11]
After the competition, Mepstead told BBC Sport that his preparation and self-confidence had improved after moving to Kellner.[11] British Fencing also identified Kellner as Mepstead's coach in its report on the World Championship medal.[12]
British Fencing named Mepstead its 2019–20 Performance Athlete of the Year and Kellner its Performance Coach of the Year.[13] British Fencing continued to list Kellner as Mepstead's personal coach during qualification for the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games.[8]
Sam Moelis
[edit]American foil fencer Sam Moelis trained at Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club under Kellner. USA Fencing's athlete biography lists his club as Brooklyn Bridge Fencing and Kellner as his coach.[14]
Moelis won the individual men's foil title at the 2015 Cadet World Championships and was a member of the United States team that won the junior world team title in 2017.[14] He later fenced for Columbia University, where he became a four-time All-American and finished second in men's foil at the 2018 NCAA Championships.[15]
Collegiate fencers
[edit]A number of BBFC-trained fencers have subsequently competed in NCAA fencing programs.
Eoin Gronningsater
[edit]Eoin Gronningsater trained at Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club under Kellner before attending Duke University. Duke's athletics department identifies him as a BBFC member coached by Kellner and reported that Gronningsater credited Kellner and the club with the beginning of his fencing career.[16]
At Duke, Gronningsater became a three-time All-American, the 2018 ACC Men's Foil Fencer of the Year and the 2020 ACC Fencing Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He finished his Duke career with a 182–38 collegiate record.[17] The NCAA later selected him as one of its 2021 Today's Top 10 Award recipients.[18]
Joseph Marino
[edit]Joseph "Joey" Marino trained at Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before competing for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's athlete biography identifies him as a BBFC member and records his bronze medal in Division I men's foil at the 2017 USA Fencing National Championships.[19]
At Notre Dame, Marino earned a bronze medal in men's foil at the 2020 ACC Championships and helped Notre Dame win the ACC men's team title.[20]
Morgan Lee
[edit]Morgan Lee competed in women's foil for Princeton University. USA Fencing competition records list Lee as representing Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before and during her collegiate career.[21]
At Princeton, Lee earned second-team All-America and first-team All-Mid-Atlantic/South Region honors in 2020 and qualified for the NCAA Championships before the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]
Zohaib Mannan
[edit]Foil fencer Zohaib Mannan represented Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club and later New York University. USA Fencing competition records list Mannan as affiliated with both Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club and NYU.[23]
Mannan earned All-America honors after placing 10th at the 2018 NCAA Championships. He was again recognized by the United States Fencing Coaches Association as an honorable-mention All-American in 2020.[24][25]
Cameron and Jasper Levy
[edit]Brothers Cameron and Jasper Levy both trained with Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before competing for Princeton.
Cameron Levy's Princeton biography states that he competed with BBFC before college and won bronze in cadet men's foil at the 2016 Junior Olympics. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2019.[26]
Jasper Levy's Princeton biography likewise identifies Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club as his pre-collegiate club. At Princeton, he qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships, earned first-team All-Ivy honors in 2022 and later received All-Ivy and all-region honors in subsequent seasons.[27]
Kate Northrop
[edit]Kate Northrop trained with Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before attending Princeton. Princeton's athlete biography explicitly identifies BBFC as her pre-collegiate club and states that she represented the United States in international cadet competition before college.[28]
At Princeton, Northrop competed in women's foil and finished sixth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional in 2017.[28]
Zoe Superville
[edit]Zoe Superville trained at Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club under Kellner before joining Duke. Duke's athlete biography identifies her as a BBFC member coached by Kellner.[29]
Superville qualified for the NCAA Championships as a freshman and later received All-America honors. Duke also named her ACC Fencer of the Year in 2021.[29]
Willie Upbin
[edit]William "Willie" Upbin trained at Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before competing for the Penn Quakers. USA Fencing's 2016 National Championships records list Upbin as representing Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club.[30]
At Penn, Upbin qualified for the NCAA Championships and earned second-team All-America and first-team All-Ivy honors after placing sixth in men's foil at the 2018 NCAA Championships.[31]
Nick Baumstein
[edit]Nick Baumstein trained and competed for Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club before joining the North Carolina Tar Heels. USA Fencing results list Baumstein as representing BBFC during his youth career.[32]
The University of North Carolina identifies Baumstein as the 2019 Y14 men's foil national champion and a multiple-time cadet North American Cup medalist. He later competed for UNC at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and received All-ACC Academic recognition.[33]
Dominic Joseph
[edit]Dominic Joseph competed for Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club as a youth fencer. USA Fencing tournament records list Joseph as representing BBFC in national junior and senior-level competitions.[34]
Joseph later joined Notre Dame, where he won the individual men's foil title at the 2024 ACC Championships as a freshman and earned All-ACC honors.[35] He won silver in individual foil at the 2025 ACC Championships.[35]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Clark, Roger (April 6, 2026). "Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club trains the champions of tomorrow". NY1. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Coach Profile: Dan Kellner". USA Fencing. April 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hallum, Mark (February 11, 2026). "Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club Going 'En Garde' at 295 Front Street". Commercial Observer. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 Miller, Ben (February 11, 2026). "Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club moving to 8,000-square-foot Dumbo space". New York Business Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club". Time Out New York. July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 Fowlkes, Aurora (March 17, 2026). "Vinegar Hill's Olympic touch: Fencing club builds skill and confidence". News 12 Brooklyn. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club to relocate to 295 Front St". Brooklyn Eagle. February 12, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Update on selection for FIE final direct Tokyo qualification events". British Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ Wharton, David (June 23, 2018). "Meet the top-ranked American fencer who's also a male model". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Race Imboden". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Fencing World Championships: Marcus Mepstead wins silver". BBC Sport. July 20, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Mepstead wins silver at 2019 World Championships". British Fencing. July 20, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "BF Community Awards 2019-2020". British Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Sam Moelis". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Sam Moelis". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Gronningsater Opens Freshman Career Internationally". Duke University Athletics. September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Eoin Gronningsater". Duke University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "2021 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award honorees named". NCAA. January 6, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Joseph Marino". University of Notre Dame Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Irish Sweep Individual Titles On First Day Of ACC Championships". University of Notre Dame Athletics. February 22, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "January NAC – Junior Women's Foil Round Results". AskFRED. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Morgan Lee". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "December North American Cup – Division I Men's Foil". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Zohaib Mannan". New York University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "NYU Fencers Named All-Americans". New York University Athletics. April 29, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Cameron Levy". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Jasper Levy". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Kate Northrop". Princeton University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Zoe Superville". Duke University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "2016 Championships & July Challenge – Junior Men's Foil". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Willie Upbin". University of Pennsylvania Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "2016 National Championships – Youth 12 Men's Foil". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Nick Baumstein". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Baltimore SJCC – Junior Men's Foil". USA Fencing. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dominic Joseph". University of Notre Dame Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:Sports clubs and teams established in 2010 Category:2010 establishments in New York City Category:Dumbo, Brooklyn
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