Hole in Shoe

[jspierre]

Are there any specific rules that would disallow wearing fencing shoes on the strip that have a hole on the side? How about more general rules about equipment/clothes being in good condition, etc.

After months training on metal-mesh strips at the club, my back left shoe has a dime-sized hole that's growing on the side, around the base of my big toe. In fact, other people in my club have the same issue, and a lot of them simply use athletic tape to tape the hole up.

My concern is, I step on the strip at Nationals and the ref gives me a yellow card or worse.

Any guidance out there?

[npkeith]

I don't know about the rules, but I've patched other shoes (athletic and hiking boots) with Shoe Goo II (that what its called - look at a decent sporting goods store) and a piece of leather. In some cases the patch has outlasted the rest of the shoe. If you can find a piece of material or leather that looks like the area to be patched, they might not even notice....

[DJ Apostrophe]

My Adidas asymetrics did the same thing (hole near base of toe), i took it to the local shoe repair joint, and they put a patch of leather over it for me... looks a little odd, but it cost me a lot less than new asymetrics.
-w

[Inquartata]

Though it pains me to admit it, I have stepped onto a strip at Nationals wearing my warm-ups over my knickers...and fenced the whole bout without it being mentioned. The refs are looking for inspection marks, underarm protectors and functional weapons, and seldom anything more. But if it is really a concern, patch the hole as noted. Even duct tape works.

[WoodsideDr]

...or you could buy a new pair of shoes. Just a thought.

[Marcos]

hole in the shoe would be an issue in epee, but otherwise shouldn;t be a problem