FIE Statement on chest protectors

[Namir]

I just recievied word from my division of a new rule adopted by the FIE involving chest protectors the Email I got is as I quote...

The FIE has issued a statement that clearly states the terms and conditions for the use of rigid chest protectors in foil.

The use of breast protectors/chest protection at Foil is authorized for Men and Women providing that they are worn directly on the skin for Men and over the T-shirt for Women. Urgent decision. Immediate application.

Referees have to ascertain that fencers are complying to this ruling. That means that each male fencer must open his jacket completely, and be able to show that the rigid protector is directly in contact with his skin. Women will no longer be able to put their breast protectors in the pockets in their jackets. Women will be allowed to wear their breast protectors under their T-shirt, if they choose.

I thought this was particularily intresting, most so, the part about how "Women will no longer be able to put their breast protectors in the pockets in their jackets."

---Namir

[darius]

I asked an authority on that. She said that the few female fencers who use the armored-jew-style breast protectors wear them inside their sports bras, not inside the pockets.

darius

[oiuyt]

Just to repeat it in this thread (at least the third on the topic in the short time since the FIE letter came out...), the USFA has not yet adopted this rule. The rule in the US is that no fencer may wear anything rigid outside of the jacket or knickers. Note that the FIE rule is specifically for foil and the USFA rule is technically in effect for the other weapons as well. The USFA rule is as of the Jan 12th EC meeting and was approved at the BoD meeting yesterday. Until things stablize at the FIE level the USFA will not attempt to continually modify the protector rules with each FIE gyration. The FIE rules are in effect for World Cups, of course.

-B :)

[Boo Boo]

Originally Posted by Namir

I thought this was particularily intresting, most so, the part about how "Women will no longer be able to put their breast protectors in the pockets in their jackets."

I don't know m/any "competitive" female fencers who wear the "cereal bowls" anyway (they all wear the all in one pieces that have straps or slip into a special vest).

Boo

[Boo Boo]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

The rule in the US is that no fencer may wear anything rigid outside of the jacket or knickers.

No chest protectors or cups? God help the USFA if anyone does suffer any damage that may have been prevented by wearing one...

Pressumably this ruling is not applicable to women's chest protectors?

Boo

[rory]

Boo,
I think you may have missed the point here: if I'm correct, then

The rule in the US is that no fencer may wear anything rigid outside of the jacket or knickers.

means literally that: you may not wear any rigid thing *outside* your jacket - but you can wear it inside!

[Boo Boo]

Originally Posted by rory

Boo,
I think you may have missed the point here: if I'm correct, then

means literally that: you may not wear any rigid thing *outside* your jacket - but you can wear it inside!

Doh!

Not "missing the point", just not being able to read....

Boo
(off to get an eye test...)

[veeco]

Unless the director is particularly picky and asks every male fencer to raise their t-shirt and then show underneath the chest protector, I guess one could use 2 t-shirts to make it more comfortable:

skin - tshirt - chest protector - tshirt.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by veeco

Unless the director is particularly picky and asks every male fencer to raise their t-shirt and then show underneath the chest protector, I guess one could use 2 t-shirts to make it more comfortable:

skin - tshirt - chest protector - tshirt.

hope it is not on a hot day ...

There is a better solution : forget the broken test timings.

[Namir]

Originally Posted by veeco

Unless the director is particularly picky and asks every male fencer to raise their t-shirt and then show underneath the chest protector, I guess one could use 2 t-shirts to make it more comfortable:

skin - tshirt - chest protector - tshirt.

I suppose you could, becouse you are only required to Unzip your jacket.

I think the rule is simply to put as much soft padding between the chest protector and the point, so that it is less likely to deflect.

---Namir

[Mr Epee]

Originally Posted by darius

I asked an authority on that. She said that the few female fencers who use the armored-jew-style breast protectors wear them inside their sports bras, not inside the pockets.

darius

The original "West Bank Yarmulke" ...

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Namir

I suppose you could, becouse you are only required to Unzip your jacket.

I think the rule is simply to put as much soft padding between the chest protector and the point, so that it is less likely to deflect.

---Namir

http://www.telesouvenirs.com/personn...Perso=Bibendum

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

The rule in the US is that no fencer may wear anything rigid outside of the jacket or knickers.

Is that the actual wording---"anything rigid"? Because portions of the body cord are pretty rigid, and they emerge from under the jacket...

( Just being a picky old bastard. Again. )

[fencerX]

Originally Posted by Namir

I just recievied word from my division of a new rule adopted by the FIE involving chest protectors the Email I got is as I quote...

The FIE has issued a statement that clearly states the terms and conditions for the use of rigid chest protectors in foil.

Unless you are fencing 1) foil AND 2) in a competition operating under FIE rules instead of the USFA rules, then you can and should ignore the FIE's directive.

As oiuyt has said, the USFA has NOT adopted this rule.

So if you are fencing foil at your USFA division level, the FIE ruling is not in effect. If your division leadership thinks otherwise, they're wrong.

And if you are fencing foil at a NAC, this particular FIE ruling should not apply. Though it might be interesting to hear if any male foil fencers at the JOs this weekend 1) wore chest protectors or 2) got hassled about it or not.

The current USFA rule pertaining to chest protectors (for all weapons), is that nothing that is rigid may be worn outside of the jacket or knickers. Therefore since a chest protector is something rigid, it can't be worn outside the jacket. That means if you want to wear one, it must be worn inside the jacket. E.g. the protectors can be worn over your T-shirt and over your underarm protector if you so wish, just so long as the protector is inside your jacket.

[Namir]

Originally Posted by fencerX

Unless you are fencing 1) foil AND 2) in a competition operating under FIE rules instead of the USFA rules, then you can and should ignore the FIE's directive.

As oiuyt has said, the USFA has NOT adopted this rule.

So if you are fencing foil at your USFA division level, the FIE ruling is not in effect. If your division leadership thinks otherwise, they're wrong.

And if you are fencing foil at a NAC, this particular FIE ruling should not apply. Though it might be interesting to hear if any male foil fencers at the JOs this weekend 1) wore chest protectors or 2) got hassled about it or not.

The current USFA rule pertaining to chest protectors (for all weapons), is that nothing that is rigid may be worn outside of the jacket or knickers. Therefore since a chest protector is something rigid, it can't be worn outside the jacket. That means if you want to wear one, it must be worn inside the jacket. E.g. the protectors can be worn over your T-shirt and over your underarm protector if you so wish, just so long as the protector is inside your jacket.

I don't disagree

[VorpalCat]

Originally Posted by darius

I asked an authority on that. She said that the few female fencers who use the armored-jew-style breast protectors wear them inside their sports bras, not inside the pockets.

I've been considering picking up epee more seriously and hitting local tourneys just for fun. But if the USFA ever adopts the FIE's ruling on female breast protection, that's it for that idea. I use 'battle yarmulkes' and I don't wear a bra when I fence. The personal discomfort of either FIE-acceptable option far outweighs the idle interest in returning to competition. I know, I'm far from being a representative of the 'average' female competitor in many ways. But that there's my $.02 anyway.

[Victor]

Call me thick-headed (actually, don't), but what's so important about a rigid chest protector that its use must be required?

[DHCJr]

It is not required and it appears the FIE is in fact discourging it for men. It is not required even for the ladies. They can just use the metal cups, but they are required to have something.

It is my opinion and only an opinion, that the FIE is Very Old World. How else do you account that the women are required to have some protection and men are not required to wear cups and the rules are quite different about the wearing of chest protectors between men and women.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by fencerX

Though it might be interesting to hear if any male foil fencers at the JOs this weekend 1) wore chest protectors or 2) got hassled about it or not.

I was reffing at JO's (mostly sabre with a bit of foil and epee on the mornings when sabre started late). A number of the foil fencers I reffed were wearing protectors. None of them got hassled by me (in all cases they were inside the jacket, I don't know if there were any wearing them against the skin, there were at least several who were wearing them above t-shirts).

I also explained the rules to a group of 3ish cadet-looking MF fencers who were having an argument in the hallway about what the rules currently were.

-B :)

[peet]

[Edited]

Nevermind, I've deleted my comments because i saw more info in another thread.

sorry.....



-p