Funny or interesting fencing stories

[Goldgar]

Originally Posted by BC Fencer

Anyway, right at that moment, our referee who was from Temple or something, mutters under his breath " derobement on the strip" with a sly smile. Not everyone heard it, but I couldn't help but crack up laughing. Cliche? yes, but classic nonetheless.

Golly, I hope it was "disrobing", not "derobement", that he was muttering about.

Refereeing, I've seen a fencer retreat right out of his shoes. That was amusing.

[sleepyweasle]

My daughter & her friends take different trains into NYC to go to their fencing club and my daughter's train gets in first. So she often has to wait around Penn Station for a while before her friend can meet up with her.

Important safety tip: When a big burly NYC policeman comes up to you in Penn station and asks you what you have in the large canvas bag on your shoulders - DO NOT say the first thing that pops into your head - 'My WEAPONS"!!! Unless you wish, as my daughter apparently did, to be personally escorted by the NYC police to a back room of Penn Station and given a private demonstration of the latest security procedures.

[Poulet]

Originally Posted by sleepyweasle

DO NOT say the first thing that pops into your head - 'My WEAPONS"

I wonder if "My FENCING GEAR" would work any better.

[jeff]

I think the response would still be "Huh?" Write on the bag: "My sporting equipment but not golf clubs"

I've recently started using a golf bag to carry my stuff when I travel. For the first time in my life I have an experience of being in a mass-culture sport: people come up to me on the shuttle to the car rental and say "where do you golf, huh?" (until I show them a fencing logo) It's like I accidentally joined a club without even knowing it

[BC Fencer]

Originally Posted by Goldgar

Golly, I hope it was "disrobing", not "derobement", that he was muttering about.

Refereeing, I've seen a fencer retreat right out of his shoes. That was amusing.

Haha, it was the disrobing pun : ) But a fencer right out of his shoes? good floor traction I guess, it's like something out of a cartoon.

[sleepyweasle]

Originally Posted by Poulet

I wonder if "My FENCING GEAR" would work any better.

I don't know but I do know when she has taken the train with her sabre in her hand (not in a fencing bag) no one has bothered her.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by jeff

I think the response would still be "Huh?" Write on the bag: "My sporting equipment but not golf clubs"

I've recently started using a golf bag to carry my stuff when I travel. For the first time in my life I have an experience of being in a mass-culture sport: people come up to me on the shuttle to the car rental and say "where do you golf, huh?" (until I show them a fencing logo) It's like I accidentally joined a club without even knowing it

Yes. I get this all the time as well. At Reno a gentleman jokingly suggested that I was being "optimistic". Took me a minute to tumble to the fact that he thought I was towing a bag of golf clubs and it was snowing at the time.

I have also been asked to fill out a special form at the airport baggage-check counter, until I told them it wasn't golf clubs. Then it was "Oh, never mind, then".

[restlesscheese]

Originally Posted by sleepyweasle

I don't know but I do know when she has taken the train with her sabre in her hand (not in a fencing bag) no one has bothered her.

If I were a poor ignorant soul who had never encountered fencing before, I wouldn't want to bother a strange person carrying a sword either!

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by BC Fencer

Anyway, right at that moment, our referee who was from Temple or something, mutters under his breath " derobement on the strip" with a sly smile.

I would be surprised if anyone from Temple other than myself has fenced or refereed at a FEX event recently. While I attended an event last season (March 2005) that comes close to the description given (open foil followed by open dry foil), I don't recall making this comment.

Nor do I recall refereeing during the dry event. I wouldn't be surprised if I had helped with the refereeing of the electric event, but I'd be surprised if I reffed with a jury and didn't recall it. That said, snide comments/jokes from me are not unheard of. Especially in fencing contexts.

There was a similar tournament date last May. Neither I nor anyone else from Temple was in attendence.

-B

[Fechter1]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

That said, snide comments/jokes from me are not unheard of.

Naaaaaah, really?

[seak]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

That said, snide comments/jokes from me are not unheard of. Especially in fencing contexts.
-B

Especially in fencing contexts? that would imply you did it less at other times

[QueenofSwords89]

At a recent out of state tourney a friend of mine's father had been fencing and his event had gone really late, so he didn't arrive at the airport to go home with the rest of my friend's family on time. When he finally arrived about a half hour before the plane left, he was still wearing his foil fencing gear, lame included. At the security checkpoint, he was so rushed that he forgot to take the lame off and naturally when he went through the checkpoint the lame went off and he had to be checked by some of the guards. He realizes that the problem is the lame, and as he is taking it off one of the guards says, "Why are you wearing all that stuff?" So my friend's dad explains that he is a fencer. Says the guard: "Why do you wear all that to put up fences?"

[fencingfrog]

this is sort of fencing ish but it was funny.

my friends and i were at a tourny at our club, and there was this kid who would bow to his opponent every single time they scored. polite, i know, but it was a little weird.
so at open fence yesterday, we would bow to each other whenever anyone scored. and one thing led to another, and 4 of us decided today at school we would bow to everyone we were friends with/knew. it was really fun, and got some good reactions (i.e.: wtf, am i missing something, people bowing back, laughing in your face, and saying 'why r u bowing not curtsying?') if you need a laugh, bow to random people. they usually bow back if you explain to them.

[Frank Pratt]

Several years ago, I was watching a sabre bout. Fencer A established a line, Fencer B did a beat-attack and lunged, his head just missing A's tip. A desperately tried whip his blade around to take B's blade. In the process, he catches B's head cord. The cord flies 20-30 feet into the air, catches on one of the beams in the gym's ceiling, and wraps itself around the beam 3-4 times. After they both stop laughing, Fencer A accepts responsibility for the head cord's fate and gives Fencer a replacement head cord. "B" tells "A" that he can have his old head cord. All he has to do is climb up there and get it.

The cord is still in the ceiling today, AFAIK.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by seak

Especially in fencing contexts? that would imply you did it less at other times

Even more amazing. That would imply that he is sometimes in a non-fencing context.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Yes. I get this all the time as well. At Reno a gentleman jokingly suggested that I was being "optimistic". Took me a minute to tumble to the fact that he thought I was towing a bag of golf clubs and it was snowing at the time.

I have also been asked to fill out a special form at the airport baggage-check counter, until I told them it wasn't golf clubs. Then it was "Oh, never mind, then".

I've had the opposite problem. My wife was flying with me to a fencing tournament. We're riding the airport shuttle in our home town nowhere near the event. She sees someone put a hard shell roller bag on the shuttle luggage rack and asks me, "Oooh. Do you think she's going to Nationals, too?" Me...puzzled...thinks of every fencer in the region. This person doesn't look familiar. Oh....I get it....she must be one of those "golfers" that I've heard about. Weird, but I guess it makes sense for them to keep their weapons in a hard shell roller bag when they travel, too.

Even sillier since I actually bought my travel bag at a golf store in town.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by QueenofSwords89

Says the guard: "Why do you wear all that to put up fences?"

That reminds me of my best fencing story.

My club is hosting a fencing tournament. I arrive and bring all of my fencing gear into the gym. Some fencers from another club are standing around in the parking lot. I go back to my car to return a tool that I had borrowed from my club. As I'm walking back inside, one of the fencers from another club says to me, "Oh! I get it! It's a fencing tournament. Right?" I give him a blank stare while he gives me a conspiratorial look. He asks something like "Do you plan to use that in the foil event?" with a tone like he's making a bad pun.

I wonder whether he's mentally stable and give a weak laugh. I adjust the tool in my hands so that I can open the door. It suddenly occurs to me that the tool I'm returning is a post hole digger. My coach happened to have one, and I had borrowed it to add a gate to the fence in my yard the previous weekend.

So...it was the one time all of the stupid jokes about fencers and fences was actually appropriate. I actually set up the joke, and I didn't even get it.

[BC Fencer]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

Nor do I recall refereeing during the dry event. I wouldn't be surprised if I had helped with the refereeing of the electric event, but I'd be surprised if I reffed with a jury and didn't recall it. That said, snide comments/jokes from me are not unheard of. Especially in fencing contexts.

There was a similar tournament date last May. Neither I nor anyone else from Temple was in attendence.

-B

I think the tournament was actually during the summer, or earlier, I also could have gotten the ref's location wrong as well. I thought it was temple. . . I didn't know him, I'm amazed anyone else even knew about FEX on here, awesome! I guess scranton has made it on the map : ) But the comment was excellent regardless of who made it.

[Durando]

Originally Posted by tbryan

Even sillier since I actually bought my travel bag at a golf store in town.

Brilliant. Only downside to owning a hardcase is being taken for one of the fairway zombies. (My apologies to the lawn sports adherents; I'm so sorry for you.)

Last time I came through Paris had me waiting on the train platform at Roissy. I'm tired and irritated. Fortunately I can prop my failing body up on my hardcase, which was covered over with stickers from DHS explaining why my bag had been opened and searched. Some twit or other: "Hey, so you golf. Are you going to [some famous golf place in France]." I woke up and looked my companion over. Pudgy. Little blue blazer. Little hands. Tassle loafers. A nonfencing civilian. Imagine a louche Tim Conway. Could have probably crammed his little body into the hardcase. Instead I clacked my ring against old ironsides. LOCKS BROKEN BY DEPARMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. American eagles and whatnot. "Nah. This here [clack] is chock [clack] full [clack] of weaponry."

What is it about me and train platforms?

[Goldgar]

Originally Posted by BC Fencer

I'm amazed anyone else even knew about FEX on here, awesome! I guess scranton has made it on the map

Hey, I've been to several competitions at FEX! Give my regards to John and Valerie.