Nightmare on the Strip

It's that time of year again, when many kids (and adults) arm themselves with swords (usually plastic) to extort candy from their peaceful neighbors.

Fencers clearly have a costuming advantage. All we have to do is pillage our equipment bags to embellish our outfits.

I remember one year I scared the bejeezus out of the kids coming to our house by opening the door clad in a dark robe, complete with hood thrown over a black fencing mask. Apparently that, by itself, was enough to induce terror, but there is so much more that can be done with our stuff!

Women's Vet 50 foilist (and World Team member) George Love concocted this gem for her club's Halloween fesitivities:

Personally, I think epee fencers are scary to begin with, but if you need to gild the lily:

Source here

There are many variations on the classic skull. Here's another, from Mary Hart on Pinterest, channelling the Nightmare Before Christmas: 

And from Alex Fiacchone, also on Pinterest, the Punisher:

But there is so much more to fright than skulls. Perhaps you've heard of the Scary Clown sightings around the world? Fencing clubs are not immune.

I love this one, though I don't know whether it is original, or homage to a classic with which I am unfamiliar. 

Courtesy HEMAAlliance.com on Pinterest

Allison loves this one, because she's a Star Wars geek:

In the interest of being thorough, I did a Google Image search on ="fencing mask" and "Hillary Clinton" or "Donald Trump." I was very relieved nothing turned up. 

So how about it? Add links to your own fencing-related costumes in the comment section below, or post pictures on the USFA Women's Veteran Fencing page on Facebook. Let's see what you've got!