This is The Way

Just back from San Jose, and very happy to have found my way there at all, given that a few weeks previously I came back from practice with this:

Thank heavens for clever and helpful club mates. RFA's Coach John Tomasi 3-D printed a finger guard to protect the barely healed wound.

Adding yet more tape to the impressive collection that holds my hand together. 

Not that this distinguishes me from all the other ladies holding themselves together with adhesive. 

And yet, despite all our braces and wraps, dents and dings, we all look splendid, IMHO, both in the big picture:

Harriet Eckstein, Vet60WF

And drilling down to details:

Before AND after fencing:

Sharone Huey, Vet 60 WF

While I had limited time for fashion snapping, I did capture a few highlights, including dapper referees:

And snazzy spectators. 

(Points for comprehensive color
coordination including shoes, iPhone case,
headscarf, nails, and hair.)

Spotted on the strip, a smattering of competitors with red lettering on their lames. Many of us (including me) thought the letters had to be blue, but it turns out that, as of 2020, the FIE specifies that "A World Champion has the right to have his/her name and the abbreviation of his/her national federation printed in red. An Olympic Champion has the right to have his/her name and the abbreviation of his/her national federation printed in gold." (m.25.3 h) 

Here's Joe Deucher flaunting the flames he earned by taking gold in Veteran Team Men's Epee alongside teammates Walt Dragonetti, Fred Frank, James Newsome, Jon Normile, and Charlie Schneider.

 

Now Joe's lame lettering matches
his pants :P 

On of the bestest things about vet competitions is the chance to out with friends.

(Note that the AI in the venue correctly
identified Georgie Love, Badger, and
Allison Treloar as "women" 🤣)

Hanging with my Rockville Fencing Academy
ladies. From left: Lynnette Whitt, Badger,
Gemin Channing, Esperanza Alzona.)

That's my report from the January NAC, my friends. Until next time, leaving you with this thought from fellow fashionista Allison Thurman: fence with joy...

Hot Stuff

It maxed out at 115 degrees in Phoenix last week, as over 5000 fencers descended on the city for Summer Nationals. Believe it or not, we were lucky, as the forecast for the coming week peaks at 120.

While the venue was blessedly chill, the fashion and the fencing were blazing hot. As you cool down from the efforts of the 2022-2023 season, here are some highlights from the competition.

Best Team Fashion 

I love the team events because so many folks use it as an occasion for costuming. This years the fashion award for team is a tie between...pirate crews?

The Mid-Atlantic Marauders, a veteran women's epee team, were on-brand with plumed tricorn hats . 

Left to right, head coach Jeff Safko of Modern Duelists Fencing Academy, Charlotta (Lotte) Bowie, Marie Lawson,  Klaudia Shick and Nicole Polanichka.

They received bonus points for wearing one wood-grained sock each (see what they did there?) and for bringing a Jolly Roger flag to the strip:

In foil, the pirate theme was picked up by "Three Elle's and An ARGHH!

Left to right: Monisha Tasker, Margaret Fagan, Monica Morrison and Bonnie Hennig-Trestman. 

Their red sashes and eye patches enabled them to maintain their tie with the Marauders.

Fashion Head to Toe

Rachel El-Salah demonstrated that you don't need to be a pirate to rock a stylish hat. 

In retrospect, I have to ask, Rachel, what's with the heavy (non-sports-specific) gloves. It was ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN DEGREES OUT!

Much as I love hats, I concede that sometimes hair does even better uncovered, as demonstrated by Laura Mahelani Maychrowitz from the East Bay Fencers Gym. 

T-shirts are a great way to make a statement. See, for example, Harriet Eckstein 

and Melissa Woundy 

My club mate Esperanza Alzona modeled July Fourth fashion

Fellow fashionista Allison Thurman spotted the best shoes--on a referee, of course--totally classy wing-tips (extra credit for wearing sans socks):

Space Savers

Fashion aside, we spotted a couple of practical adaptations to the challenge of keeping gear organized and out from under foot. This tripod could easily be replicated with three lengths of PVC pipe and a collar cut from a larger diameter pipe. 

I'm intrigued by the rolling closet that is Leon Paul's Apex Bag. I'd like to hear from a user how well the velcro-attached "shelves"stay secured. (The dividers in my horizontal LP "Classic Team" bag are forever coming loose, and they are not holding any weight.)

Fencing Keeps Us Young

People sometimes assume I fence in a younger vet decade (I'm vet 60). When that happens, I tell them I inherited my fencing DNA from my college coach,  Henry Harutunian. Henry is 90 years old and doesn't look a day over 70. Coach was in Phoenix mentoring Bill English, another vet Yalie, and I was thrilled to hear him yelling at me during pools.

He also helped me thread a replacement body cord up my uniform during my bout with Georgie Love. Here's Coach doing the same for a Yale teammate in 1979.

Yup, that was a time warp

Until We Meet Again

Thank you, ladies, for all the hugs and smiles and warm regards. Until next time, whenever that may be, may I leave you with the thought expressed by this Phoenix mural:

Salute

Badger

Vet Armor Part 2: Taking it to the Max

In part two of this series, Allison and I share detailed instructions from a former clubmate (who prefers to remain anonymous). It is actually her "extreme armoring" that sent us down this rabbit hole. Below are detailed instructions, and photographs, of anon's modding technique.

"As a female fencer who's chronically vitamin D and K deficient with leaky vessels and trouble clotting, I've had to improve upon the gear. I'd get a synthetic FIE jacket that has a bit of room in it but is a good fit because as long as it stretches, it'll be fine for a sewing project. 

• The easiest jackets to sew onto are the lightest of LP and Allstarr Startex. The harder, thicker ones are Negrini and PBT to get the needle through. I use quilting needles. 
• I make an accurate pattern using the jacket onto sewing pattern paper, cut out neoprene of the desired thickness using the pattern, wrap white athletic mesh around the neoprene, sew the mesh onto the neoprene and sew the mesh onto the jacket. Don't use anything other than athletic mesh because they will break or absorb sweat to increase weight. Cotton or silk do not work well. Get a yard or two of the white mesh online or at a local sewing store. 
• The best way to get neoprene is to buy waist protectors/ lifting belts and sweat belts at sports stores or Amazon. They differ by thickness and McDavid works for me. Look for the ones that don't have material or hardware on them. Cut off the piece that has the rough velcro. 
• I've tried other materials than neoprene, including the expensive shin protector materials that LP sells but nothing is better than neoprene. 
• Of course, you could use a sewing machine for the chest/ shoulder, but the arms require hand stitching. I know because I took it to a fencing mom who's a professional seamstress once and it cost over $375 for all the hand sewing so I sew it myself now and it looks almost professional. 
• A well sewn neoprene piece will last as long as the jacket and I've had mine for 10+ years. You'll just need to reinforce where the mesh attaches to the jacket but nothing has ever ripped before. 
• I'd recommend putting the work into a new quality jacket because it takes me 30+ hours to sew on all the pieces but if you're aiming to sew on just one or two where the guys are battering you, it'll be an afternoon project. 
• For the collarbone and chest above the plastic protector and right bicep where we get hit often, I'd recommend 2 layers of neoprene wrapped into the mesh. For other places I'd recommend only 1 layer to not inhibit your flexibility, especially during infighting. 
• I have pieces around the chest/ collarbone, right bicep, inner left bicep, left hand watch/ wrist/ right shoulder for flicks, right thigh and hip bone. 
• For my knees and shine, I wear very loose compression braces made of neoprene. A 25 year old guy did a horizontal coupe missing my lame entirely, landing on my shin and breaking it two years ago. My coach got hit so hard on the hip bone every night at practice when he was on the national team his bone died and is permanently numb so definitely worth it to protect whatever parts you wanna keep. 
• When you sew, stitch close to the stitch line to minimize thread appearance. Take larger 0.5-1cm stitches on the inside and take tiny, barely visible stitches on the outside. Use safety pins to secure the piece before sewing. After you've sewed a piece onto the jacket or pants where it holds up, try it on in the on guard stance, move a little to make sure the piece covers exactly how much of your body you want to protect. 
• Use a synthetic thread, if you have a synthetic jacket. Do not use cotton thread, even if it's very thick because they don't last. I use Coats & Clark eloflex double threaded. 
• Last month a blade bounced off my chest protector and broke a bone in my left hand so now I wrap it. 
• The guys have given me bone bruises around the ankle that have shown up on x-rays so I put either a piece of neoprene or cut out of a foam shoe insert underneath my socks around the front ankle for their 7 and 8 parries/ searches."

 

We find this project inspiring, if a bit intimidating, and are working on various ways to simplify the approach. That might be the subject of a future post, after some experimentation. Meanwhile, please do weigh in with your own pictures and descriptions of vet armoring!

Vet Armor Part 1

 The other Sunday, at RFA's Vet ladies' practice, we were trading notes on minor injuries. Emergent themes: how to assure the doctor/nurse they don't need to call protective services; how to tell a skin bruise from a bone bruise (ick); and (as a logical segue) various ways to reinforce or supplement one's gear to avoid the prior issues.

Face it, fencing uniforms are designed to avoid grievous bodily harm (Punctures. Death.) They do a pretty shoddy job of protecting skin and bones, particularly older skin and bones, from significant, even debilitating, trauma.

Hence this post, the first in a series exploring various ways Vets are modding their uniforms to preserve their own functionality as long as possible. Part 1 will share a round-up of ideas currently in use by Allison, me or our club mates, as well as some examples I've collected at NACs over the years. Part 2 will be a deep dive into the "extreme armor" created by a former RFA fencer. With your assistance, Part 3 will consist of your examples, contributed via comments on these posts, or on the Vet Women's Fbook group. Please share!

Let's start with gloves: actual fencing gear with extra features or deployed in non-standard ways.

Here's an example of the first: two fencing gloves that offer extra protection on the knuckles. 

These are both by Linea: the Nitro (red) and Octane (green) are available from the Fencing Post. 

While these glove provide some added protection, they are not fool-proof. I was hit between the fingers when wearing an Octane, and the impact split open the skin (requiring 5 stitches.)

Then there is the question of protecting the back hand, particularly if one has a tendency to, shall we say, put it at risk. Here's a picture I took many years back at Baltimore Fencing Club (now defunct). This fencer is "covering her bases" (as it were) by wearing a glove on her back hand, as well as keeping said hand firmly shoved into her breech's pocket. 

On to legs. Before I met Joe Deucher, I did not realize that fencing knickers came in a full-length option. (Not to mention cool colors.) 

Joe's knickers (rated 350N) were manufactured by Triplette. I can see where a layer of competition-grade padding over the sock would help at least a bit.

Next up, my own go-to extra armor: soccer shin guards, which can be inserted into the sleeve jacket to protect against hard hits to the upper arm (*ahem* epeeists fencing foil, you know who you are), or into the sock of the lead leg to protect against low-line parries that turn into shin swipes. They are cheap ($10-$25 range), effective, easy to take in and out, as needed, without completely disrobing. Some models have perforations that provide a bit of ventilation. 

I briefly experimented with a roller-blading knee-guard ton my lead leg. Too bulky to fit under my knickers but certainly valid for practice. It might be competition-legal if you covered it with a sleeve (for example a sock or stocking with the foot cut off). 

What about the torso? Here vet epeeist Lori Radich models an Easton "TorsoTection" boy's baseball chest protector, which features polyester padding sewn into a spandex, pull-on shirt.

Turns out there are a lot of potentially useful padded undergirding manufactured for other sports. See, for example "Nike Contact Support Forearm Shivers"

And, from the realm of motorsports, the "Alpinestars Nucleon Flex Pro Shoulder Protectors" 

After getting popped right on the head of the shoulder joint recently, with two weeks of resulting soreness, this might the extra piece of armor I try next.

Alpinestars also makes hip protectors--I am wondering if I could position one over the front of the hip bone--another massively painful place to get hit--perhaps nested in a pocket sewn into my knickers, or into the compression shorts I wear under my uniform.

That's what we have so far, in the club and in our notes. Stand by for the second installment of this series (a.k.a "how to channel your inner Michelin Man") and please do send us pictures and descriptions of your own additional armor. You can leave comments on this blog, or on the corresponding post on the USFA Women's Veterans Fencing group in Facebook. 

Be well, and stay unbroken.

Badger

Looking Back to Look Forward

Hello Ladies

It was so great to see some of you in San Jose last week. Your smizing eyes, your laughter, and your camaraderie was a balm to my pandemic-weary heart.

Marie Lawson at the July 2021 NAC/National Challenge

Between the masking, distancing, and the fact that many folks spent as little time as possible in the venue, I did not get any new pics for Fashionista. So today's posts is a nostalgic look at some of my most-beloved images from the past.

One of my all-time favorite outfits is Pam Guntrum rocking color-matched boa and head scarf at the 2018 Portland NAC, patriotically complemented with a red water bottle and foil tape. 

Pamela Guntrum, 2018 Portland NAC

Looking back over my files, I realize I have far more photos of vet women heading into or out of the venue, since I'm usually preoccupied with, you know, ACTUALLY FENCING on the days of my events. Fortunately, you are genius at accessorizing.

                        

Waiting in the armory line, or gearing up, is a good time to document how fashionably bad-ass you are.

                   

I occasionally am able to capture you flaunting your style between bouts.

LOOK AT THOSE SMILES. I miss them so much.

On the rare formal post-competition gathering, you clean up good. (Below, Val Asher, right, with Brazil's Claudia da Costa, at 2019 Vet Worlds.)

I particularly treasure the time we spend socializing and touristing before and after the events.

With my teammate Gemin Channing at the Utah Museum of Fine Art,
Salt Lake City NAC, December 2019

And remember, you don't have to wait for a national event to hang out with a badger! If you are in the vicinity of DC/Southern Maryland, drop by Rockville Fencing Academy for some bouting and we can head out for drinks and dinner afterwards.

With Pam Dressel, center, and Anne-Marie Walters at Al Carbon in Rockville, MD

If you have a plushie mascot, bring him/her/it along, and we can take selfies.

With RFA coaches Katherine Guernsey (Tabby)

and Liz Searles, née Blankenship (aka The Dormouse)

Looking forward to seeing you in Richmond in a couple of months. Stay safe and be well.

Salute, and hugs

Badger