Patches

[CalFencer]

What are the rules governing patches or other designs on the uniform? My club is looking into getting patches for our uniforms, and just wanted to know if there are any rules I should be aware of. Thanks...

[ndfencer]

don't get patches, they look amateur. The results should speak for the club and coach. But if you insist, they have to be on the off arm/leg.

[DHCJr]

The publicity rules state no greater than 50 cm2 and no more than 4. At USFA you shouldn't have to worry.

Also it is a no-no for Sabre.

[fencergal33]

Why is it a no-no for saber? I have patches on my jacket (and by the way, they do NOT look amateur, but you're entitled to your opinion), and all I fence is saber. My lame goes over them, so who cares?

[noodle]

<a href="http://www.usfencing.org/documents/rules/new2002.asp" target="_blank">read number 11</a>

[Peach]

My club has patches and most of us wear them on the back shoulder. Since we'll have somewhere around 40 fencers at Summer Nationals, it helps us pick our teammates out on strip when they're fencing. Like fencergal33's, mine wouldn't show because of a sabre lame.

[dunastor]

That's why I have my club patch on my breeches.

[jetzm]

Our team wears a sock in our color on our off leg in order to pick each other out. It's a nice big easily spotted thing to look for.

[Rolls]

I have to agree with fencergal33. While patches don't make a fencer look professional, it makes the club that fencer fences at look professional (and it certainly doesn't make a fencer look amatuerish). Plus, like others said you can find your team mates from further away. Also, patches are more discrete and unique than changing the sock color.

My club doesn't have a patch yet. But we had a design drawn up for the patch and warm-up suits. All we need now is to order them. That will probably have to wait until after summer nationals.

On a final note, I noticed Golubitsky now wears a patch for his club. Actually, I don't think it's even a patch. I think he had his club logo screen printed directly onto the jacket (I could be wrong). Has anyone compared the price of screenprinting a "patch" design onto the jacket vs. having embroidered patches made?

Rolls.

[noodle]

i think it all really comes down to the basics on the issue of patches/fencer and professionalism which are all really similar to the basics of advertising and marketing. unfortunate but true, its all about appearance.

- fencer performs poorly and wears a club patch, i wouldn't necessarily initiatlly associate poor fencing with the club on the patch, but i would if it was a consistant thing. if club X consistantly performed poorly in multiple tournaments, i could look at a person with said patch in my pools and think "easy win". i have before. and was correct in this assumption.
- fencer performs well and wears a club patch, i would be more likely to associate the club with quality.
- fencer, regardless of skill, wears a well-known and respected patch, automatically gets increase in skill level ("others from club X are very good, so this one must be as well").
- patch looks unprofessional/messy/stupid/offensive/etc, i'm more likely to associate club with my bad thoughts on their patch. unless that was their intention, of course.
- patch looks like every other patch in the world, i'm more likely to ignore it and think the same about the fencer, just an average guy.

[Purple Fencer]

Patches amateruish? I think not...



Not sure who this is (I want to say Bau, but the fencer wasn't ID'ed in the source photo)...but I see a number of patches on her arm....

[Katman]

When the university team I'm on goes to tournaments we all try to wear the school's colors on our socks. Jetzm's right about being able to spot team mates. We have patches too, but the socks are more immediatly noticable.

I have a smiley face patch on my off arm, and a foilist I know has a small, cute horse *cough cough cowpaste*. I put patches on my uniform because I like to have a small bit of unique flair. I don't really care how 'amaturish' people might think it will make me look.

[Peach]

Interesting idea to judge fencers by their patches, but it seems to me that would not work as well as judging them by their classifications. Clubs send members of different experience and ability to tournaments.

It might work if a club is notoriously incompetent.

[cowpaste]

There will be no more tournaments that the University team goes to. SWIFA is dead. The patch on my arm is also dead. It was sewn on by my ex-girlfriend, and therefore the patch needed to die.

[oiuyt]

Collegiate Club Nationals is scheduled to come to Austin in April 2006.

Even if SWIFA has fallen apart that doesn't mean that you can't still schedule meets between schools. You already know which local clubs have, historically, been able to field teams. Set up meets anyway, having a conference isn't required.

-B :)

[Katman]

Originally Posted by cowpaste

There will be no more tournaments that the University team goes to. SWIFA is dead. The patch on my arm is also dead. It was sewn on by my ex-girlfriend, and therefore the patch needed to die.

It appears I've been asleep at the wheel. Bummer about the ex girlfriend, but SWIFA is not dead. I'll continue this conversation with you elsewhere so we don't derail the thread too badly.

Originally Posted by oiuyt

Collegiate Club Nationals is scheduled to come to Austin in April 2006.

Really? Interesting.

[fencergal33]

Originally Posted by Peach

Interesting idea to judge fencers by their patches, but it seems to me that would not work as well as judging them by their classifications. Clubs send members of different experience and ability to tournaments.

It might work if a club is notoriously incompetent.

I agree.....Because of the fact that my coach encourages us to compete pretty early, we may have people with a patch on their arm who have only been fencing a couple weeks or months. We also have the people who always do very well at local tournaments, as well as everyone in between. We came up with the distinction of having 2 different club patches. If you only fence on the local level, you get one color, but after you have completed your first National level tourney, you get the other color. It doesn't matter if you won the tourney or came in dead last, it's sort of a badge of honor and courage. Most of the newbies wait at least a year before competing on the national level, so I guess it has something to do with skill level too.

-K

[DHCJr]

Originally Posted by fencergal33

Why is it a no-no for saber? I have patches on my jacket (and by the way, they do NOT look amateur, but you're entitled to your opinion), and all I fence is saber. My lame goes over them, so who cares?

It is a no-no for Sabre because the patches would not conduct. The patches on your Jacket is not a problem because it is not SEEN. If you want to have advertising on your underwear, you can. And you don't have to worry about the size.

The rule on Sabre, deals with the Lamé jacket.

[Inquartata]

Come now, ndfencer is entitled to an opinion. No, I don't agree with it, myself, but de gustibus non disputandam est...in the same way that I think colored lames ( and socks, and knickers, and painted masks, etc ) look silly and screaming is infantile. It doesn't make it Truth. Just personal preference...

[hpfencing]

Some patches look silly but most do not and they add to the sport. I look at patches when I'm fnecing and coaching and it tells me a lot about the fencer just to know where they train and with whom they train.

Fencers without patches on there arms (and are new to fencing in our area) maybe a wildcard.

I personally love the patch concept and love promoting our team. Patches are the easiest way to promoto a club on the strip.

We also promote our club with wind-suits, socks, shirts, hats, and now even fencing bags (new personal club design.)

Pathces are cool. I have attached my teams patch here just to help those designing one. I'm also starting a thread on patch design for those working on a patch. Maybe a lot of people will post there patches on that thread.