The sound of clinking swords filled Beyer Hall as the ISU fencing club hosted a unique sporting event this past weekend.

Other universities such as Iowa and Kansas, as well as Des Moines clubs, showed up Feb. 9 and 10 in Ames for the Frosty Fencing Event — the second home event for the ISU fencing club this year.

“When I was a kid, I picked up a stick and tried to hit stuff,” said Mitchel Grundmeier, senior in chemical engineering. “It’s a lot of fun and a lot less dangerous than everyone thinks.”

Fencing is a sport of precision and aggression consisting of three events called foil, sabre and epee. The difference in each is the Teflon-like vest the fencers wear to protect themselves from injury. Each vest is a different target where hits are to be allowed.

Foil covers the vital areas.

“This is kind of a ‘dual to the death’-type event,” said Heather Deaton, a 2012 ISU alumna.

Sabre allows hits from the waist up as well as sleeves. In epee, any hit is allowed.

Points are given for successful touches to the target on the opposing fencer. There are different rules for each event.

The fencing club is one that is on the rise. This past event had a total of 90 competitors including seven ISU club members coached by Eric Windsor, a 2011 alumnus.

“This is a big event for us,” said Ann Goodyear, the ISU Fencing Club armorer.

The tournament format started out with preliminary seedings in the opening round. As the fencers battled within their pool, they strived to obtain the highest seed in the following single-elimination round.

One by one, fencers were ousted and champions emerged. To win these matches, one must score the most points in a certain time limit.

First-place awards included a medal and a $5 gift card to Wendy’s. The road to the top was full of animated grunts that showed a level of confidence for many players as they fought through the elimination bracket.

However, respect always followed every match with a bow and a flick of the sword as to say “good game.”

Deaton said the matches move quick and it’s easy to get caught up in the bladdery. However, Deaton said she likes to just go out there and get the job done.

“We had shirts that said, ‘Don’t think — fence!’ and I try to play that way,” Deaton said.

For anyone who has a knack for swinging a sword around at someone in competitive fashion, then they are encouraged to join the fencing club at Iowa State.

“There hasn’t been a serious injury I can think of in years,” Grundmeier said. “There’s no reason not to try.”