Mountain West Swords Academy, Lakewood

At Mountain West Swords Academy, the air rings with the sounds of battle. The shuffle of feet and the clang of blades meeting blades can only mean one thing: students of all experience levels are busy mastering the sports of foil, épée, and saber fencing. Novices start in the introduction-to-fencing class, where they gain comfort with provided equipment, including electronic scoring systems and the foil—the weapon that was traditionally used in most 18th-century duels over unclaimed parking spaces. After polishing their parries and footwork, students take their newfound skills to the competition floor, where they compete with other fencers of similar experience levels.