Salute, Masks, En Garde

It was wonderful to see so many of you again in Philadelphia! 

Even though, most of the time, I could only see half-faces

Quite an ingenious and fashionable selection of (COVID) masks there were. Above right, my teammate Gemin Channing sports an "Air Queen."

Very light, good breathability, and holds fairly flat to the face (minimal obstruction to a fencer's field of view.)

Here's an ingenious solution to the problem of glasses fogging, courtesy of Marie Lawson, of DCFC:

   

She uses #M Micropore tape to seal off the top of the mask. (Sticks to the mask, painless removal from the skin. Yay.)

Many people went for style points:

 

Pinstripes are always classy

At the other end of the spectrum, RHINESTONES

This "Airgami" mask promises "Won't fog your glasses. Won't fall off your nose. Won't collapse onto your mouth. Won't muffle your voice." (Extra points for the pun.)

Bats, because...oh heck, why not?

A little political messaging was, shall we say, on point.

Some masks were even fencing-specific.

Notice all the "smizing!" (Eye smiles.) 

I think we were all a little nervous about the first national vet tournament since December 2019. Nothing to boost confidence like channeling your inner super hero.

After ~17 months of socially distanced, home-bound training, I know many of us struggled to convince our muscles to return to the strip. My teammate Pam Dressel introduced me to a miracle device to help with that challenge:

This, my friends, is a Sonic Handheld Percussion Massage Gun. Highly recommend. (Listing for $119.99 over at LifePro.) 

Speaking of socially distanced home training, I bet these "fencing arms" were a 2020 best seller for Blade Fencing:

(Maybe they sold out--I couldn't find these arms on their website)

Here was my own (involuntary) style statement for the event: 

Mismatched shoes, one my normal size 7 1/2, the other a 9 to accommodate a broken big toe and attendance padding. The emergency shoe is a Kempa "Attack," with a nice wide toe box. Have to say, it is quite comfy. They may be my next pair of "normal" competition shoes. In a smaller size. (If you are in the market for a very slightly used pair of size 9s, let me know.)

See you in Atlanta?

Heads Up

Just got back from the Richmond NAC. Since it was so near home, I drove down and back again Saturday, leaving no time for fashion prowling. Today, though, while Allison tackled vet 40 WF, I made a few laps of the venue.

It quickly became clear the theme for this post would be head coverings. The examples on display encompassed fashionable bandeau to keep hair out of the eyes

Skull caps

Baseball caps (or are they de facto fencing caps?)

 

And, between bouts at least, cowboy hats

 Even spectators and referees got into the act

(Also, April NAC award for best
dressed ref!)

Do competitors, spectators and officials at other kinds of sporting events look so cheerful, or are we fencers simply a naturally happy lot? We hug a lot, too. I like that.

I didn't have much time for shopping, but a new bag from Radical Fencing caught my eye for a couple of reasons:

1) I am so blessed tired of losing little pieces of black equipment against the black interior of bottomless bags. With a chartreuse lining, problem solved.

b) It has studs. #BadAss

And if that weren't enough, check out the built in (ok, sewn in) packing checklist.

(Missing from this list: "Ibuprofen," "heat pack" and "arm brace" but maybe it wasn't designed with Vet fencers in mind.)

Also, some random sightings that made me smile:

 More awesome club patches for my growing collection.

Temporary tattoos! I'm surprised I haven't seen more of these. One person was cleverly using a temp tatt to cover up a nasty bruise.

Well, fellow fencing fashion fans, until next time, which would be...Nationals! Dallas! Wear your best bling, strut your stuff, and look forward to seeing you there.

Salute,

Badger

[Not only the flag, complete with fringe, but the whole 'freakin stand. Good job, tournament official.]