"Dropping, Throwing, Bowling wth a Mask

[Sabresque]

On the subject of mask throws, I heard at nationals a top cadet fencer threw her mask into a crowd of people, almost clobbering someone. Is that true? Didn't she get carded? Maybe I'm wrong, I heard it through the fencing grapevine.

Yes, I have now also learned from a first hand experience to hold in my temper. Once you do something really stupid, and afterwards (at least I) feel extremely stupid and embaressed, you kind of learn to try and hold it back. Mine wasn't a mask throw, I just screamed, stomped, and punched a wall when I found out I was the first person cut to go to the DE round in a Div. I tourny. I still feel awful, since I did it in front of friends and family. You just look like a really poor loser and whiner throwing a hissy fit (hmm, maybe I WAS a poor loser and whiner throwing a hissy fit!). There aren't any excuses...

[rvergara]

Acording to my coach, we should always ask the director before taking the mask off, and if we dont we get a card and do pushups after the bout.

[pkt]

Originally posted by rvergara
Acording to my coach, we should always ask the director before taking the mask off, and if we dont we get a card and do pushups after the bout.

The rules allow you to remove your mask after 'Halt'. Not before. You need no permission.

PK

[oiuyt]

There used to be such a rule and it's amazing the number of people that still are taught that permission is required.

-B :)

[pkt]

oiuyt,

I guess itonly illustrates the lackadaisical attitude of most coaches towards teaching their students the rules.

PK

[rukovsoft]

i think i answered in a previous post...
you don't need permission from the referee but:

if you take your mask off after the halt but before the referee makes his decision there are 2 cases;

-if you dontt look at him, clean the sweat on your face...that s fine

- if you look at him with a weird look, smiling, or nodding or trying to wait a certain call fromn the referee, then he can consider the fencer is trying to influence him---->yellow card.(art t114 116 120)

concerning taking the mask before the halt...that s completely forbidden !!!!---->card (don t know if it s yellow or red though)

after the referee made his decision, you may ask the referee to take your mask off. it has something to do with being polite...not with a rule like ouiyt mentioned. you may ask the referee so that he doesn t say "fence" while your mask is in your hand...

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

Snip below by me.

Originally posted by Sabresque
Yes, I have now also learned from a first hand experience to hold in my temper. Once you do something really stupid, and afterwards (at least I) feel extremely stupid and embaressed, you kind of learn to try and hold it back. Mine wasn't a mask throw, I just screamed, stomped, and punched a wall when I found out I was the first person cut to go to the DE round in a Div. I tourny. I still feel awful, since I did it in front of friends and family. You just look like a really poor loser and whiner throwing a hissy fit (hmm, maybe I WAS a poor loser and whiner throwing a hissy fit!). There aren't any excuses...

No need for excuses. Considering your weapon, we who have learned from the master of all weapons that patience is a virtue, take that stuff more or less for granted from the slasher gang!

Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[Peach]

Originally posted by Sabresque
Mine wasn't a mask throw, I just screamed, stomped, and punched a wall when I found out I was the first person cut to go to the DE round in a Div. I tourny.

The only time I screamed, stomped, and came close to punching anything was when I found out I had made the cut--but had undressed, relaxed, and cooled down so completely that I felt like a block of wood, because I only had two victories and didn't think I had made it up, and had relaxed and watched a barrage between the three fencers with identical indicators who were fighting to make it up. To add insult to injury, my coach laughed at me. I had to dress again in all my soggy stuff. And because I was so stiff, I fell down once and got knocked down once in the ensuing pool.

Now, even if I've lost almost all my bouts, I never undress or cool down until I see it in writing.

[MikeHarm]

I think the worst I heard about was when someone did a mask-toss and nailed a director who was directing someone else's bout with the toss. Got black carded of course.

I haven't had anyone do the toss when I was fencing them at a tourney, but I have had it happen in practice once when I was bouting someone at a club.

I caught their attack with a nice smooth parry, riposted landing on target, the guy remised so hard it broke his sword into like 3 pieces. He tossed his mask, and all the pieces of his sword one at a time across the gym shouting the F word loudly on each toss. The mask got a nice dent, and the parts/mask bounced off a wall next to a woman who was watching her son fence freaking her out. The guy said he was mostly upset because it was his last working weapon and apologized after.

[Mo]

Originally posted by MikeHarm
I think the worst I heard about was when someone did a mask-toss and nailed a director who was directing someone else's bout with the toss. Got black carded of course.

I haven't had anyone do the toss when I was fencing them at a tourney, but I have had it happen in practice once when I was bouting someone at a club.

I caught their attack with a nice smooth parry, riposted landing on target, the guy remised so hard it broke his sword into like 3 pieces. He tossed his mask, and all the pieces of his sword one at a time across the gym shouting the F word loudly on each toss. The mask got a nice dent, and the parts/mask bounced off a wall next to a woman who was watching her son fence freaking her out. The guy said he was mostly upset because it was his last working weapon and apologized after.

I know I should be appalled but that story is kind of funny!! Well it is really funny. I love the part about the mother freaking out too. She should have smacked him!

[Katman]

I've seen a few college athletes chunk thier masks down the strip after a rather irritating loss. It is sort of like watching someone bowl while they're pissed off and it's always a nice treat to watch the opposing team, earlier in such a good humor, go from zero to sullen in the course of one encounter. The college I fence with has a reputation of being the underdogs, so losing at any point to anyone of us really takes the sunshine out of thier day and it's masks away! Sometimes they let the reel cord snap back into reel for good measure.

Edit: I've never been able to rip my mask off and chunk it, unless I wanted to send my glasses with it. ;p

[pkt]

All,

Other than being black carded at a tourney for tossing a mask, one could conceivably receive a sanction from your association/federation after the fact. That would hurt more than being blackcarded out of a tourney one've lost already.

I guess we can blame the malaise on the 'Win at all cost' mentality.

PK

[fence1848]

I remember seeing 2 seperate incidents of note:

1. I was facing a very good saber fencer (much better than me)and I ended up winning it 15-14. He was frustrated at his performance and threw his mask to the ground. The referee didn't look like she was in the mood to give him a black card since we were teammates, but then he kicked it across the room - across 3 other strips. It finally stopped rolling on the strip of a referee who just looked at our ref with the expression, "if you don't give him a black card, I will". My oponent ended up getting a black card, which he expected.

2. My ex-girlfriend often had a temper, but always caught herself before she did anything costly. One time after a bout, she ripped her mask off and lifted it up as if to slam it into the ground. As she began to swing her arm down, she swung it under her arm and reached out her hand to shake hands with her oponent.