You Know You're a Fencer-Part 2

[Shadow Fencer]

Yes, you know you're a fencer when you just can't get enough of this silly thread!

Continue on my fellow fencers!

[Zelda]

When your parents are Fed-Exing your gear to the Uk, and everytime you see a Fed Ex truck you think...."Does it have my gear in it?"

[Sildar]

When you actually find the piercing electronic whine of buzzers and scoring boxes kind of comforting.
(true story, at Sacramento nationals a friend of mine brought a non-fencer to the event one day, and afterwards when we went out to eat she started complaining about how annoying the scoring box sounds were. I just sat there thinking "Yeah, I suppose that sound might bother some people..."
Pavlov's dogs haven't got anything on fencers)
When, after doing two or more days of events in a row, you find yourself thinking that standing and walking like normal humans is slow, unstable, and unnatural.
When you pay $160 or more for a single piece of basic equipment (weapon, jacket, shoes etc) and find yourself delighted that it actually lasted almost an entire year.
When you realize that you've been wearing your fencing uniform five or six days a week, and you schedule your washing days around times when the salle is closed for a couple days because you still don't want to miss a practice. Also, when at that point you think it's logical to buy a wardrobe of fencing uniforms rather than just two or three, since you wear the fencing stuff as much as you wear "real" clothes.
When, upon driving home late at night after a weekend of training/competition, and you haven't had enough sleep, you start hallucinating that you're still fencing (the car in front in the distance is the point of your weapon, the lines at the side of the road are actually the sides of the strip, etc--personal experience, sadly) and you have to remind yourself that you're actually in a car.
When you start looking at inanimate objects, like trees or support beams, and thinking about which one has a better offensive/defensive position (if the tree on the right disengaged the left tree's branch, he'd have a great opening!)
When you gain the superhuman ability to home in on any fencing conversation instantly in large crowded rooms full of laughing and yelling people, all but two of whom aren't fencers.
I'd better stop now.

[Zelda]

When, on finding your fencing gear is impounded in customs until STUPID Fed ex finds the commercial customs clearence your dad filled out in australia, proceed to ear bash the fed ex girl with WHY you need your fencing gear and get MORTALLY offended when the silly woman tells you its a dangerous weapon which shouldnt have been imported in the first place.

[damianip]

Originally posted by Zelda:
<STRONG>When, on finding your fencing gear is impounded in customs until STUPID Fed ex finds the commercial customs clearence your dad filled out in australia, proceed to ear bash the fed ex girl with WHY you need your fencing gear and get MORTALLY offended when the silly woman tells you its a dangerous weapon which shouldnt have been imported in the first place.</STRONG>

Zelda,

Holy S***!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was told or read (can't remember where or when) that when dealing with officials of any kind regarding your fencing gear to ALWAYS refer to it as "sporting goods" and NEVER as your "weapons"...

"Uh, sir, what's in that large bag in your back seat?"

"Oh, nothing, officer: just my weapons"

"Sir, please get out of the car right now, SLOWLY!!!!!!!!"

See what I mean.

Gear in the UK is expensive. Run over to Germany to buy replacements if you must.

Paolo

[DJ Apostrophe]

When you gain the superhuman ability to home in on any fencing conversation instantly in large crowded rooms full of laughing and yelling people, all but two of whom aren't fencers

I was actually sitting in Friendly's about a month and a half ago after leaving the club with another fencer... we were sitting there eating ice cream... and on the mention of the term 'pistol grip' from the two martial arts type kids sitting behind us I immediately became aware of their conversation.
BTW: the quote was ".... pistol grip. He was a world class fencer and he was kicking everyone's a$$ in gym class with a pistol grip." (said in a shocking term, implying that world class fencers wouldn't use pistol grips... i didnt get that, they obviously didn't know too much)

epeemike81 can verify this story... he was with me

[Zelda]

Damianip, Dad declared it as sporting goods but they asked him what sort. FINALLY got my gear yesterday. So me is a happy camper today.

[Catlady]

"This is the thread that doesn't end, it just goes on and on my friend. . ."(apologies to Shari Lewis and Lambchop)

Anyway, i had a few more ideas what with the equipment and repair streak I've been on recently.

You know you're a fencer when. . .

your fencing shopping list is longer than the regular one (I've got diet cola, ice cream and peanut butter, what else do I need right?)

you're only moderately embarassed to walk into the craft store at 8:30 pm, after you're finished at class (college, not fencing though I've done that too), to purchase a single tube of glue to rewire your foils.

(considering how late it was and how wiped out I'm sure I look, they probably thought I was some kind of glue sniffing freak, but I don't think I care)

[Zelda]

When you suddenly realise all fencers stand en-guarde when talking, even ex fencers and by looking at peoples feet you can TELL if they are a fencer or not. (I did this at a cocktail party yesterday).
When your claim to fame @ college is "She is going to start the fencing club!"

[DJ Apostrophe]

YKYAFW: You KNOW the opposite of 'dry' is electric.

[Boo Boo Too]

You know you are a fencer when...

... you automatically go to shake hands in a business situation with your non-dominant hand.

... you have a back foot and a front foot.

[escrime chick]

....when you spend more time fencing than at work or in class...when your parents ask you what you want for Christmas you say "fencing equipment, they say "and...?" but you can't think of anything else...when you wake up in the middle of the night and say "oh, that's how I could've beaten her!"... when you're leaving for a tournament at the same time everyone around you is going to bed (say, 5 am!)...when you can remember the scores from your last 50 bouts or so but not your best friend's phone number...when you automatically say 'fence' after saying 'ready'...when all your socks come up to your knees and you wonder why people look at you funny...<oh, I could keep this up all night> When you sit online for hours talking about fencing, after practice, rather than take a shower or do your homework!!

[Scaramouche]

You spend more time in class sketching fencing gear than actually taking notes for the class!

[Konstantinos]

...When you spend more time working on your fencing then on your Senior Thesis and the degree youve been working towards for more years than you care to mention

[Scaramouche]

When someone talks about aluminum foil you get the urge to come en garde (this is especially funny if you do it in the kitchen whilst baking!)

[Scaramouche]

Last night as I was about to fall asleep the sound of the scoring boxes starting ringing in my head and, annoying as it is, I actually fell asleep to it! Does this make me a fencer or a looneytic?

[Shadow Fencer]

It definitely makes you a fencer!!!!!!

[Scaramouche]

Shadow, thanks for clearing that one up!

[MHS Fencer]

When you feel more comfortable sleeping on a copper strip than on your own bed.

[LeftyMutantChild]

(For Lefties) When you feel better getting a red light at an intersection because it has been grilled into your brain that red lights are good and green lights are bad.