Scout Grant, 10, (left) takes a stab at Jade Hawk, 14, during the fencing competition at Warren Road Community Center on Sunday. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

The 60-year-old Shapiro lost the men's open foil finals to 18-year-old Anthony Mattera in the fencing competition of the Georgia Games Championships at Warren Road Community Center. Losing, though, doesn't bother Shapiro.

"The thing about fencing is that you have to build up a certain amount of humility," he said. "There's only going to be one winner. So you have to learn how to win and learn how to lose."

Sixty-eight fencers competed in the two-day competition, which began Saturday. On Sunday, fencers mainly competed in foil.

A foil is a light, flexible sword that is 35 inches long. A fencer scores points in a foil bout when he touches the other fencer in the torso area, front and back. Points are not awarded if a fencer touches his opponent in the arms, neck, head or legs.

In foil, the fencer with the right-of-way - successfully on the attack - will score the point should both opponents take hits. The first contestant to 15 points wins.

Shapiro defeated Don Lim, 15-12, in a semifinal match of the men's open foil, and Mattera defeated Wayne Han, 15-4. Mattera, who fences in the same club with Shapiro in Atlanta, won the finals, 15-9.

"He's a lefty," Mattera said. "So I would go for his shoulder. I've fenced him before so I knew what to do with him."

Mattera moved to Atlanta from Long Island, N.Y., in May. He's been fencing for four years.

"He's quick, very quick," Shapiro said.

Shapiro recently placed sixth in the veterans foil competition of the national championships and earned a spot on the U.S. national team for the world championships in Tampa, Fla., in September.

Although there was no veterans foil competition in the Georgia Games, Shapiro was able to get in a tuneup in the open event. He said he was pleased with his silver medal.

"That means I beat some very qualified fencers," Shapiro said. "There are definitely some strong fencers here."

Event director Rudy Volkmann said he's watching his Augusta Fencers Club begin to churn out some strong fencers. The club has been open on a professional level for more than a year.

"We're rapidly becoming a power," he said. "We're having finalists in pretty much all of the events."

Reach Chris Gay at 868-1222, ext. 114