Fencing.Net is the leading online guide, community and news source to the world of fencing.
Mission:
We exist to help people discover, enjoy, and progress in the sport of fencing.
By partnering with other great fencing enthusiasts and fostering an online community of active and enthusiastic fencers, it’s our mission to not only spread the word about our sport, but to provide people all across the world with resources and tips to help them discover success and additional enjoyment of our sport.
Fencing.Net’s History: Hobby to a Full Time Enterprise
History: This site began when Craig Harkins started working at a local Internet Service Provider called MindSpring in 1995. Part of every MindSpring employee’s training at that time was to learn about the Internet and create a web page. Since fencing was (and is) Craig’s passion, a site about fencing was born.
Fencing.Net started as a regular posting of old training journals, notes from various tournaments and summer camps, and as much updated world fencing news as could be found. Fairly soon, Craig met up with Serge Timacheff who began providing photographs for use in Fencing.Net’s stories.
Over time an online community of fencers grew and took off, with active members of Fencing.Net’s forums discussing news of the day and giving advice to new fencers and parents.
In 2005, Craig left his job at MindSpring/Earthlink to pursue the business of Fencing.Net full time. The company went through an ecommerce iteration, providing quality fencing equipment while continuing with the mission of reporting on the latest fencing news and results.
In 2016, Craig stepped aside on day-to-day operations on Fencing.net, passing the reins to Mitchell Lane, a contributing editor for the site and 15+ year fencer and coach.