Club Incubator Program Celebrates Successful Launch of Wisconsin’s Badger Fencing Club

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When Brian Duckwitz saw an unmet need for a full-time fencing club in Madison, Wis., he knew he had to act. With the support of USA Fencing’s new Club Incubator Program and in partnership with Jacob Wischnia of Fencing Ventures, Duckwitz has turned his vision into reality.

Badger Fencing Club, the first to launch under the innovative incubator program, is now up and running, bringing the sport of fencing to an eager community in Madison. The Club Incubator Program, which offers financial and strategic support to aspiring club owners, is off to a successful start — just three months after launch.

For Duckwitz, launching the Badger Fencing Club was a chance to take his passion for teaching fencing to the next level.

"I love teaching fencing and wanted it to become a bigger part of my life. I felt like there is a real opportunity to grow fencing in Wisconsin, particularly here in the Madison area," Duckwitz says. "We have a couple of excellent part-time clubs here that provide wonderful experiences, but I want to grow a club that operates full-time and has a dedicated facility."

Duckwitz also hopes his club will become a central part of the local sports community, providing a space for both children and adults to learn the art of fencing and challenge themselves in an individual sport.

"I grew up in a small town not far from Madison, and fencing was only something I heard about very briefly every four years during each summer Olympics," he says. "I'd have leaped at the chance to fence, but there was simply nothing available. I want everyone, from kids to adults, to get a chance to try out this fantastic sport."

Duckwitz credits the Club Incubator Program with helping him get the club up and running so quickly. The program, which launched in June, provides a $10,000 investment to help prospective club owners meet the initial financial demands of starting a fencing club, along with ongoing business support from Fencing Ventures.

"If you are serious about starting a fencing club, you should absolutely apply to the Incubator Program!" Duckwitz says. "I would never have been able to get the club off the ground so quickly and effectively without it. The team at Fencing Ventures has been wonderful to work with. Not only do they understand advertising, marketing, billing and customer service, but they're fencers too!"

With Badger Fencing Club as the first success story, USA Fencing and Fencing Ventures have already begun working to further expand the program. Fencing Ventures currently has two immediate opportunities for prospective club owners in South Jersey and Wilmington, Del. If you are interested in expanding the sport’s footprint in new regions, please apply!

The goal of the program is to support fencing’s growth in communities across the United States that don’t yet have a strong fencing presence.

"The success of this first club in Madison shows that this program has the potential to grow fencing in areas where the sport has been underrepresented," says Brad Suchorski, USA Fencing’s Director of Membership, Service and Growth. "We’re excited to help more passionate individuals take the leap into owning and running their own fencing clubs."

The Club Incubator Program offers four cohorts per year to help aspiring club owners launch their own fencing clubs. Participants in the program receive not only financial support but also expert guidance on everything from branding and facility setup to marketing and customer service. The next cohort begins in September 2024.

Learn more and apply.