HARTFORD FENCERS CLUB: 150 YEARS OF PRECISION
Hartford’s fencing legacy, revitalized. We are building a one of a kind fencing facility in Hartford, CT. We are building on 150 years of fencing legacy. Read our trailblazing history, donate to expand access and bring this vital resource back to Hartford.
150 YEARS OF HARTFORD PRIDE
COMMUNITY TRIUMPHS
Patch designed by Carmen Vigezzi circa 1970s. Proudly shared with Salute in downtown Hartford. A favorite post-fencing spot for HFC
URIAH JONES & HARTFORD'S BLACK FENCERS
150 YEAR LEGACY
A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE BELONGS
“I need to fight for everything I get, and a lot has to do with the way I look.”
Turned away from a club twice because of his skin color, Uriah Jones went on to become the first Black American to represent the United States at the Pan American Games. He helped open doors for Black fencers in Hartford, building a stronger, more inclusive fencing community. His legacy reminds us that skill, belonging, and opportunity should be within reach for every athlete. Read on to discover the legacy he built and the doors he helped open for generations of fencers.
Hartford’s fencing story reaches back to 1871. In 1932, Hartford Fencers Club (HFC) gave that tradition a lasting home—one where trailblazing Black and female fencers helped expand who could belong, compete, and lead. Across the decades, HFC became a respected proving ground: Olympians and World Champions trained here, and Ivy League teams came to Hartford for preseason competition. Today, we are rebuilding that legacy for a new generation. Explore the people, victories, and bold firsts that made HFC a Hartford original.
Hartford has always been a place for fencing trailblazers. Now, we are rebuilding HFC as a premier facility that belongs to the whole community—making Hartford a fencing destination again, with programs designed for every body and every background. As our programming grows, we will offer adaptive and parafencing classes, including blind fencing. The Hartford Blade Scholarship will help Hartford kids ages 10+ try fencing through an eight-week introductory class: $200 sponsors one student, or $2,000 sponsors a class of 10. Help us turn a proud legacy into an accessible future.
WOMEN OF HARTFORD FENCERS CLUB
Pioneering Spirit
Leadership & Legacy
Future Foundations
From the first women permitted to compete in the 1930s to today's champions, the women of HFC have consistently broken records and barriers. Their courage helped establish a lasting tradition of excellence, leadership, and opportunity for every fencer who followed.
Irina Roudakoff Belotelkin was one of Hartford Fencers Club's standout women fencers. Competing as Irene Roudakoff, she helped HFC defeat NYU's women's team 10–6 in 1934, winning three bouts. In 1937, she won first prize in foil at the New England Women's Championship—an achievement that remains part of HFC's women's fencing legacy.
Long before women's epee and sabre fencing reached the Olympic stage, trailblazing female athletes were stepping onto the strip and proving they belonged there. At a time when the epee was only beginning to gain international acceptance for women—and was not yet an Olympic event—they trained with confident coaches who encouraged them, challenged convention, and helped open the sport to future generations.
We are committed to making fencing accessible to every woman and girl in Hartford. Through encouragement, mentorship, and a welcoming club community, we help athletes build confidence, discipline, strength, and precision—both on the strip and beyond it. Every beginner deserves the chance to learn, every competitor deserves the chance to grow, and every fencer deserves to feel that she belongs.
Be part of Hartford Fencers Club’s next chapter. Join a community where women and girls build confidence, compete with purpose, and help shape the future of fencing in Hartford.
HARTFORD PRIDE • 150 YEARS • COMMUNITY FIRST •