Forge Fencing has grown from the revisioning of Mid-South Fencers’ Club and the creation of the Forge Foundation.
Mid-South Fencers’ Club offered the exciting, dynamic Olympic, historical and Paralympic sport of fencing for people ages 7 and up in the heart of North Carolina since 2007. Mid-South quickly earned a reputation of being one of the best places to fence and train in the United States, and has been highly ranked among USA Fencing member clubs since 2014.
Shortly after forming, we found ourselves nationally known as that club from North Carolina. How we interact in the fencing world, being athlete- and family-centered, stands out. We seek innovative programming to meet family needs and in 2020 found ourselves quickly adapting to a global pandemic, ultimately forcing us to adapt our training outside at the Durham Bulls Athletic Stadium and then indoors to our current location at The Pavilion of the International Montessori School of Durham.
Forge Fencing Academy and Club is the next evolution. We are currently in the process of building out our next training facility in downtown Durham and plan to open in February, 2022.
The club leadership has taken the time to revision itself. We like being nationally and internationally competitive, but how can we better support all of Durham in having access to these benefits of sport fencing participation? What about the rest of North Carolina and the nation? How can we build a better culture within Olympic fencing? The Forge Foundation (Forge Teams, Inc.) was founded to answer these questions and in this fire Forge Fencing was cast.