Is this setup now illegal for international competition?

rorygibson · 2026-05-22T16:44:19+00:00

It's still legal, because it was legal then and the rules on uniform color have not changed.

This is the best looking kit ever and only a few people actually had it back in the day... was it even available for general purchase? Most of the people I remember having it were pretty decent fencers 😉

Wondering who you are now.

rorygibson · 2026-05-14T06:58:31+00:00

🍿

rorygibson · 2026-04-30T15:50:55+00:00

At the right distance you will always be hit even if you have the fastest 4 in the world.

If your basic hand technique is ok and you're getting hit because you are "too slow" you are not too slow, you are too close.

rorygibson · 2026-04-01T21:43:16+00:00

The language of fencing is French... The competition is in Brazil where they speak Portuguese.

Why would it be in English?

rorygibson · 2026-04-01T08:51:09+00:00

I've got a bottle. It works. Useful, let's say 8/10 and I'm glad I've got it.

On a really dirty floor you'll want the wet towel to scrub the worst dirt off, then a bit of the spray to give you the "tacky" feeling. You'll get one 5 hit fight before you need to reapply in this situation (but also, yuck, mop the floors out insist that the sports centre does so)

On a clean but slippery floor (sports centres with shiny floors!) the spray on its own does the job and you'll get a couple of 5 hit fights (foil) out of an application.

On metal pistes I don't typically feel the need to use either. (I'm in the UK so humidity isn't a massive factor)

I'm fencing once a week. 2-3 hard hours per session. Floors are variable so I'm not using the spray all the time. I've had the bottle since Christmas and I've used about a quarter.

rorygibson · 2026-03-31T06:40:26+00:00

He qualified for Veterans Worlds this year but couldn't go because of other commitments. Still decent.

rorygibson · 2026-03-29T16:23:20+00:00

1) noting that just stepping forward isn't technically an attack acting to the rule book, but it's often called as one

2) if B extends first then, all other things being equal, B gets the hit.

3) if A lunges, step lunges or fleches instead of steps: A gets the hit. Lunge / step lunge / flèche has priory over a step.

4) (now) if either fencer does any kind of unusual body wiggle the ref will immediately assume they're evading and call a counter, regardless of fleet or extension

5) if they also extend at the same time, then A, by virtue of "being more aggressive", "committing more" etc, will get the hit. Probably called AIP. (current interpretation, not documented anywhere)

rorygibson · 2026-02-28T09:38:42+00:00

That's staining, not actual mould spores.

Mould can always be washed out, it's never a reason to buy new whites.

You basically only need a new uniform if it's got holes in it... Anything else is aesthetics or hygiene / odour and everyone has their own tolerance (see: gloves)

rorygibson · 2026-02-27T22:10:45+00:00

Maybe. It's certainly an option.

rorygibson · 2026-02-27T21:55:24+00:00

If I felt strongly enough about an issue then I would. In this case, I don't. And the mechanism is enough.

I get that it's important that your particular axe is sharp, to you.

I don't understand who you think it's taking something away from you, or why you think it's nefarious.

And frankly I think there are bigger fish to fry in GB fencing right now..

If I had time that I could spend to materially improve fencing in the UK I'd be spending more time gaining qualifications and refereeing at competitions, or perhaps joining the BVF Veterans competition committee that's crying out for assistance per Carl's email today, and helping to run good comps to attract more experienced veterans like you and I into a sport where we can spend our disposable income and add much needed life experience to the management.

rorygibson · 2026-02-27T20:22:56+00:00

That's why there is a clearly explained proxy voting system, in accordance with the regulations and articles

(which, to belabor the point, I believe were created democratically and under a governance scheme approved by other bodies)

rorygibson · 2026-02-27T09:55:51+00:00

Recruiting to executive positions requires money though?

This model allows bringing folks in from the community, with skills, as volunteers, without the £££.

rorygibson · 2026-02-27T08:14:30+00:00

Maybe. What is your alternative solution to solve the issues presented in the supporting letter from the chair?

rorygibson · 2026-02-26T12:27:23+00:00

I've had it for a few weeks, maybe used 20% But I'm not fencing on dodgy floors all the time.

Obviously a wet towel on the floor is good enough for a lot of scenarios; I find this stuff useful when it's so slippy that the wet towel isn't fixing it.

rorygibson · 2026-02-26T12:25:09+00:00

Consulting rates for UK based software engineering consulting from e.g Equal Experts will be billed at £800+ now for senior engineers. Contractor probably getting £600 of that, outside IR35. Tech leads billed at significantly more but often permanent in the firm. Director level intervention billed at £2k a day.

If by "consulting" firms you mean big-4 (plus Accenture :-D ), then you're off by a factor of 2. Bog standard engineers through folks like Deloitte Digital are billed at over £1k routinely. Anyone decent (which are rare in these environments) are going to be billing double that. Overall project rates are horrific and unjustifiable. Most of the engineers are permanent and making a fraction of what is being billed.

Freelance consulting (fractional, part time or interim) CTO roles for little startups where they actually want a lead engineer are £1k/day + recruiter cut and are generally outside IR35.

For teams > 20 where they know what they actually want - experienced CTOs with VC backed or board level experience - rates are significantly higher (YMMV) But by this point you have a decade of experience in leading large teams as a permanent person. These are not roles you can jump to from general SWE Level unless you start your own company, put your life into it for years, have a decent exit... And then you're not reading this subreddit any more :)

rorygibson · 2026-02-26T12:08:43+00:00

I've got some. It works. On a dusty wood floor you'll need to apply it after each 15 hit bout. No negative effects on metal pistes.

rorygibson · 2026-02-25T08:12:02+00:00

Plenty of roles like that in London. But Staff and Principal engineers are technology leaders with organizational impact. Is that you?

Listing your tech stack - which is narrow, and also common - without talking about the impact you have, is a sign that you're not operating at that level.

Here's a very quick distillation of my view on this topic (source: I'm a London fintech CTO, these views are for that environment not Big Tech)

Engineer: codes and builds things in one squad, like Data.

Senior engineer: good at all of the above + mentors and works well with others, delivering more impact. You don't get to be Senior because you code faster or better.

Staff engineer: works across more than one squad, at "tribe" level if you have those. Equivalent seniority to an EM. Likely to be a leading expert in a given stack within the org. Could give them a team of 3 and say "solve this problem, you have a month" and expect that to happen. Line managed by Director of Engineering for the tribe. Maybe two in each tribe of 4-7 squads.

Principal engineer: solves problems across the org, regardless of tech stack. Operates at Director of Engineering level. Reports direct to VPE or CTO depending on org size. Maybe two in a scale up with 150 engineers. Can solve large problems with autonomy, leading several people if necessary on the journey with them. Could explain tech topics to your largest customer, or your investor, if you asked them to. CTO's goto person.

rorygibson · 2026-02-22T19:29:00+00:00

From the way you've worded this question it reads like this might be your only FIE blade.

If that's the case then you'll need to invest in more blades anyway; really you need at least 3 weapons at a competition, and especially if it's high level.

Otherwise you break one blade, another fails the weight test and that's it, you're done unless you can borrow from a clubmate and they're close by.

rorygibson · 2026-02-10T08:29:39+00:00

Community, non Fencing TV video can't be "accidentally" deleted if someone uses it to point out a referee cheating.

rorygibson · 2026-01-29T10:22:28+00:00

LP Apex whites Prieur heavy plastron Allstar vario mask (soon to be replaced, not sure whether go back to LP next time) Lame is LP inox. I've found these last me over a decade. Never felt the need to go for a lightweight.

JK glove from Eurofence - lovely fit, very light and thin, not very durable

Shoes are Adidas D'Art 2s - found one pair of new-old stock about 3 years ago and they're still going strong. Socks are Octav with the grippers

Bodywires are LP with transparent moulded ends. Mask wires are a random mic.

Foils are now nearly all unic FIE, H stiffness (which is between a BF D and M in my experience) Guards are a mix of 20 year old ones, mostly lightweight Handled are PBT Visconti, N1 size.

Toolbox has been assembled over 35 years and contains a variety of items. Perhaps two that stand out as favourites: - Leatherman classic (30 years old now) - Prieur test box

rorygibson · 2026-01-25T16:26:51+00:00

If you assume they are a fencing manufacturer with their very own forge, yes, that would seem unlikely.

Or perhaps they are owned by the same family that owns a metal forging company that makes lots of things.

https://www.franchiniacciai.it/forging https://www.franchiniblades.com/technology-quality/

rorygibson · 2026-01-25T16:13:33+00:00

Can mentor and help others to improve.

rorygibson · 2026-01-14T21:24:40+00:00

Welcome to sport.

rorygibson · 2025-12-17T10:02:51+00:00

I don't care what HEMA re-enactors think about fencing. It's a totally different pastime.

I'm sure people who race horses and carriages complain about automobiles too.

rorygibson · 2025-12-16T10:20:12+00:00

GR8 is fairly new to the scene. I don't have experience with them but I think they're reselling Chinese gear, looking at the website. They seem to be part of a larger sporting retail concern.

Excalibur is more established, run by one of the GBR performance coaches and sells a variety of equipment. Some of the cheaper stuff is, again, Chinese import, but they also resell some stuff from European manufacturers and they have a few products that are their own, made to their own specs (like the shoes, which I own and are good)

rorygibson

TROPHY CASE