With 53 competitors in two divisions, why doesn’t the Iowa Games fencing competition use age brackets?

“Age doesn’t matter,” said Steve Behrends of Des Moines, the president of the Des Moines Fencing Club.

“Size doesn’t matter. Gender doesn’t matter … It all comes down to skill.”

Indeed, a variety of shapes and sizes was evident at the competition in Beyer Hall Saturday. The foil division saw numerous upsets, Behrends said.

R.J. Lesch of Des Moines said the main fencing organizations in Iowa are in Des Moines, Sioux City, Ames and Iowa City. The latter two organizations are affiliated with Iowa State and the University of Iowa, respectively.

A new club in Washington brought seven fencers to the event, helping the fencers to nearly double their previous Iowa Games participation record — from 27 in 2002 to 53 this summer.

Behrends said competitors find fencing a consuming sport.

“It’s mentally challenging; it’s physically challenging,” he said. “You’re either trying to deceive the other person, or trying to avoid being deceived by the other person.”

Lesch said the key to making a successful scoring strike is avoiding tension.

“[It’s about] having the speed, but being able to attack from a relaxed position,” he said. “At this level, you see some people who can do that. It’s fun to watch.”

Fencers competed in two divisions, foil and epee. In both styles, scoring is done electronically by a vest that determines when the tip of a foil successfully strikes it.

The primary difference between the two is foil’s “right-of-way” rule — the fencer who begins an attack is the only one who can register a point on that attack.

In epee, fencers can score while deflecting an attack, and in fact both can score on the same play.

Constantine Krotcov, a member of the ISU Fencing Club, won the foil division in a back-and-forth finals match against Doug Jauer of Hinton.

Krotcov, senior in computer engineering, jumped out to a 10—3 advantage before Jauer rallied to take a 12—11 lead. Krotcov recovered to win the gold medal 15—13.

He said momentum swings happen because of fencing’s mental aspect.

“A lot of it’s in your head,” he said. “[You need to] figure out your opponent.”