Undressing on the Strip

[randomsabreur]

Originally Posted by downunder

2. why would you need to remove your jacket to change a body wire?

That would be because you've got fat and your jacket is a bit snug?

Or because you hate the feeling of pulling the wire through your jacket.

Generally mine don't break at competitions mid fight (well not at A-Grades anyway). I check them properly and my clip is correctly positioned sword arm side at the back so it shouldn't be at risk.

I've only broken body wires by sitting on the plug, generally while in a grump about losing - so no relevance of need to change bodywires on the piste!

[fencerbill]

Originally Posted by downunder

1. on the piste.
2. why would you need to remove your jacket to change a body wire?
3. no.

You shouldn't need to remove your jacket to change a body wire if you pull another through. But suppose someone doesn't succeed in pulling the new one through, what do you do then?

By what you said, should the person just step off the strip if they need to remove the jacket?

There is a justifiable argument that the fencer should choose to remove the jacket to change a body wire.

The spare body wire may be hanging by one strand of wire. If the fencer removes the jacket to pull the new body wire through, there is no strain and the new one is less likely to fail. Pulling the wire through the sleeve may be just enough to cause the failure. If the new body wire tests good but then fails, no card. But if it fails after being pulled through, there would be a card.

If the score was 14-14 for the Olympic Gold and the fencer already had a card, they would be well advised to remove the jacket to change the body wire, just in case.

Of course at the Olympics the spare body wires and weapons would be tested and passed by an armorer under the supervision of the referee in the ready area before the fencers were announced on the strip. So at the Olympics, if you pulled the body wire through and it then failed, there should be no card. As I expect was done for the finals at the recent Veterans World Championships.

But how about at a USFA NAC where there is no equipment control before the bout?

[Taomagicdragon]

I would hope an olympic fencer would keep their gear in better order than haning on by one wire...

If you must remove the jacket, most directors would be fine if they asked permission then stepped off the strip (behind it most likely) to change body cords.