Knickers question!

Hi! Ok, when I went to American Fencers Supply Co. I was trying on knickers, but none fit!! It was so weird! Even when they fit in the waist they were so long! They went down to my ankles! So I didn't get a pair! (Tho I got all my other gear and am veeeery excited!) So here's my question, can you fence at say the Nationals with wearing baseball paints instead of knickers? I heard from someone at my club that if knickers didn't fit right just pick yourself up a pair of baseball paints/knickers. Thanks!

[attila]

Hi

Baseball knickers would be okay for practice at the club or local events. To compete at nationals you reall need the real thing plus your name stenciled on the rear leg.I practice with baseball pants but i have knickers for the big games.

[Foil Girl]

AFS has an actual store?? Where? Is it located in California? I've also heard you can use baseball pants... I just ordered the cheapest knickers I can find from blue gauntlet, but I'm not sure my leg's will be long enough. I'm 5'2, so most pant legs are too long for me. I guess we'll see!

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-Foil Girl
"If you don't have fun, you've already lost"

Thanks guys.. yeah AFS has a store! I got to try on all my gear so it was really nice! It located in San Fransisco. I'm 5'2 also Foil Girl! Same thing happened w/ me.. they were all to long! >P Thanks for the information guys!

[Shadow Fencer]

You'll need knickers for Nationals.

I believe the reason is that the point could get hung up in the material of the base ball pants. How are your sewing skills? Cut the knickers and attach wide elastic to cover below your kneecap when you're in the ungarde position.

I'm 5'5" and had the opposite thing happen with a pair of knickers I ordered from Blade. The right side was an inch too short and when I was in the en garde position, my kneecap was exposed. I tried on these knickers, but I didn't notice anything unusual at the time.

I sewed 3" wide elastic onto the existing elastic band to extend the length of the kickers to cover my knees.

Good luck!!



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I live to fence and fence to live!!

if you have the extra dough to spend consider contacting santelli... they will custom make jackets and knickers for you... you just have to give them your measurements... they make an awesome product and you won't be dissapointed...

[neevel]

AFS knickers do tend to be rather long in the leg, and a bit baggy too. At one point I used size 'Medium' nylon knickers from them and they came down to just above mid-calf (I'm 5'9"). You may want to go with another make which offers more size gradations than the S-M-L-XL that American uses. Another option, if nobody offers a size which really works for you, would be to have one of the vendors that makes their own uniforms do a custom pair for you-- both Santelli and Triplette are able to do custom uniforms and lames.

-Dave Neevel

[Purple Fencer]

My first knickers were converted from marching band pants. They were designed for use with short length tunics ('cause when you raise your arms to playing position for a brass instrument, the tunic rides up, and no one wants to see the top of the pants and the suspenders. it also made the upper body shape a power triangle, which looks really impressive if done right). From the cuff to the shoulders, it was one piece, which made passing the 10 cm test a breeze.

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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[saberkid]

ok ok im 5'5 and im in sacramento, sac fencing club we have a full store that you can come and try on your gear, and im sure we can fit you we carry b/g blade and some FIE as well. if i remember right you live in davis, well we are closer to you than frisco
heres our site http://www.sacfencing.org
theres a map on the site, and it will give you a phone # and you can call, just ask for Chris and i'll help you, NP


------------
Chris
Fence with the best die like the rest!

[Lumberg]

I got a pair of Uhlmann Olympia knickers. I had to get a waist size that fit so the pants were tight around my legs (not to toot my own horn but my legs are large from weight lifting). I'm only 5'6". There's about 8 inches of extra inseam so they wrap around the middle of my calves. I can push them up so they gather around below the knees without sagging since my calves are large (not to toot my own horn but they are).
If I were you, get whatever knickers fit well, then bring them to a tailor/seamstress to get the extra length cut off.

------------------
Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[Zelda]

I took my old Soudet whites and unstiched the seam and resewed it as my leg girth had changed since I started fencing.. Trust me, rather too long then too short.

[Mergs]

Two comments.

First, with regard to the baseball pants, I have recommended them in the past, but be careful on the overlap (10cm min) issue if you are going to use them in competitions (not so much from the directors, but from unsavory fencers that have memorized every nuance of the rule book!)

Secondly, I too am of the vertically challanged category of fencer, 5'4", and have had to modify the straps of my AFS knickers. They are still a bit long in the leg, but everything else fits well (thigh, girth, butt, etc.).

My 2 cents worth.

[Arturo]

One of my team members fits your description. She wears Santelli knickers and they fit her very well. try them out
www.santelli.com

[Arturo]

That sounds a bit strange,even perverted, let me re-phrase...

i haven't heard her complain about the way the knickers fit, i have even heard her comment on how they are wider at the hips and fit her well.

Does anyone know of an actual store in the Milwaukee to Chicago area that you can try on knickers, and masks, etc. Before you buy.
I'm getting real tired of wrong size, wrong item mail order. Thanks

[neevel]

Ron-

Mike Czarnik is a vendor for AFS and Santelli at tournaments in the upper midwest. He's in Chicago and will usually be at larger Illinois and SE Wis. tournaments. I'll send you a message with his phone and e-mail (don't have it handy) so you can check what tournament he'll be at next.

-Dave

Thanks Dave,
I hope to make a guest appearance at Caliburn
sometime mid-March. Otherwise maybe I'll see
you at the NCAA finals, UW Parkside at the end of March. Ought to be some vendor or other at that event, hopefully.
Ron.

[CHEEKY FOIL GUY]

THEY ARE NOT CALLED KNICKERS YOU IDIOTS THEY ARE BREECHES!!!!!!!!!!!

[Moniteur]

Actually, my dear inflammatory Brit, I should have thought that in light of the fact that you are so adamantly against calling an item by other than it's name in French, you would insist that they are called pantalon, rather than breeches. If you're going to play that game, at least be consistent.
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time.

[CHEEKY FOIL GUY]

WELL U SEE I NEVER SAID THAT I WANT EVERYTHING IN FRENCH. THE BREECHES OR PANTALON AS U SAID ARE ACCEPTABLE, THE LAST CATALOGUE THAT I RECIEVED REFERRED THEM AS BREECHES, AND THAT WAS BY A GERMAN MANUFACTUER. BY THE WAY WHAT WEAPON DO U DO?
ALSO WHERE DO U FENCE?