NYAC Welcomes Its First Winter Sport Athlete in Bobsledder Lauren Brzozowski

The New York Athletic Club, a historic institution in American sports with 321 Olympic medals to its name since 1896, has taken a significant step by signing its first winter sport athlete, Lauren Brzozowski, a bobsledder from northern New Jersey. This marks a pivotal moment for the 158-year-old club, which has traditionally focused solely on summer sports.

The recruitment of Brzozowski comes during a period of substantial growth for NYAC, driven by a post-pandemic surge in membership and renewed excitement for Olympic sports, as the U.S. prepares to host the Summer Games in 2028 and the Winter Games in 2034.

According to Jim Herschlein, the NYAC captain overseeing sports, the decision to welcome Brzozowski was influenced by the club's strong financial position, which has been bolstered by increased membership revenues. This newfound financial capacity enables the club to diversify its sports offerings without compromising support for established programs like swimming and track and field.

Brzozowski's journey to joining NYAC appears serendipitous. Initially seeking a training facility, she reached out to the club for access earlier this spring, coinciding with internal discussions about launching a winter sports budget. “We’re in a good position. We've got a strong membership base,” Herschlein told Sportico. “We can advance sports—all sports, as the NYAC purpose says, and we're in a position to do so now.”

At just 29 years old, Brzozowski expresses her enthusiasm for becoming the club's inaugural winter athlete: “It’s something I probably think about like 10 times a day, and it makes me super emotional,” she shared. A former college track sprinter, she transitioned to bobsledding during the pandemic and narrowly missed qualifying for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. With aspirations to compete in the 2030 Games in France and the 2034 Games in Utah, she recognized that financial backing from the NYAC would play a vital role in her future endeavors, particularly given the estimated $100,000 she needs to cover this season’s expenses, including equipment fees, transport, and accommodation for competitions.

Brzozowski's connections to NYAC are personal; growing up in northern New Jersey, she had friends who were club members and approached them about utilizing training facilities when not at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Lake Placid. During a pivotal Zoom meeting with Herschlein and other club executives, she was caught off guard when presented with the offer to join as the first winter athlete. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I was in shock,” she recounted.

Founded in Manhattan in 1868, the NYAC has played a key role in the amateur athletic movement that underpins the Olympics, consistently producing medal-winning athletes across summer events. However, the club has faced scrutiny over its membership policies, particularly regarding gender inclusion; it wasn't until 1989 that women were admitted after public discrimination charges. Despite its exclusive nature, with roughly 10,500 members, 4,000 of whom joined in the last five years, NYAC is currently experiencing a wait list for new members, a first in four decades.

Financially, the NYAC has shown strong performance, generating $83.7 million in revenue against $73.6 million in expenses for the fiscal year 2025, with membership dues alone accounting for $28.4 million. While Herschlein did not disclose the specific budget for winter sports, he highlighted plans to expand the roster of winter athletes to between six and ten in the coming year, focusing initially on bobsled, skeleton, and luge, given most athletes train in Lake Placid, which, while outside Manhattan, remains within New York state.

The inclusion of Brzozowski in the NYAC fold speaks not only to the club’s evolving mission but also to the emergence of winter sports in mainstream American athletics, signaling an exciting new chapter for both the athlete and the distinguished organization.