Fencing 101: putting on whites with Rowan Moore

Lani Ngonethong, RubicOnline

November 19, 2024

EN-GARDE. Junior Rowan Moore competes in fencing match and strikes their opponent.

COOL DOWN. At the SPA Fencing Invitational Tournament, Moore competes in saber. Between bouts, they strategize with their coach Will Moran. (Lani Ngonethong)

Junior Rowan Moore started fencing in ninth grade

“I started fencing with absolutely zero prior experience, kind of on a whim…You can be on a team without being on a team. You fence individually, but you have a team for support, to learn from and to back you up,” Moore said.

A quality fencing kit costs around $1500, a price that scares many away from the sport. However, Moore, also wary of the cost at first, encourages students to join fencing without fear of the costs because the school lends out equipment for free. Here’s how to put it on.

Fencing 101: putting on “whites” with Rowan Moore

(Lani Ngonethong)

Knickers/Breeches

“These have an unfortunate name,” Moore said. They laugh a little just saying the name. While also named breeches, Moore has heard and calls it knickers. It looks like overalls, with flexible straps wrapping around the shoulders and connected to the pants. It wears like an exercise-proof capri, falling just below the knee.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Chest protector

Chest protectors securely wrap around the waist and over the shoulders. It is worn to protect the athlete from hits in the chest, ribs, and sternum.

Moore’s is made of thick layers of fabric. Some are made of solid plastic. Chest protectors are more commonly worn by female fencers and some are formed to fit the bosom. For male fencers, chest protectors are optional.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Plastron

On top of the chest protector is the plastron. The best way to describe it is a “half t-shirt.” The plastron has a normal sleeve and is worn normally on one side. The other side is kept together with adjustable straps.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Jacket

Plain white, high collared and secured with an off-centered zipper, the jacket covers up two layers of equipment. The classic image of a fencing uniform starts to come together once the jacket is added.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Lame (pronounced “la-may”) -

The lame is the outermost layer. It is a jacket made of metal. The metal (including the lame and mask) indicates where fencers can score on their opponent. The lame and hitting areas vary between fencing events (saber, epee and foil). Moore competes in saber, so they and their opponent can hit anywhere from the head to the wrists and score.

“My favorite part is the Lame, because a lot of times when you see fencing in the media, it's just the plain white [epee uniforms],” Moore said.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Mask

The most iconic and recognizable part of the entire uniform is the mask. A solid metal mesh covers the face and metallic fabric covers the neck. While it is worn for protection, it is also a target area for fencers (discussed above).

With most of the outfit on, Moore feels a bit worn out: “I have about four layers on, plus the mask. It gets really hot and really uncomfortable.”

Glove

There is only one glove and it is worn on the hand the fencer holds their weapon in for protection.

If you look close enough you’ll see more pops of color on the sides of the mask and on the gloves, colorful stamps are a mark of safety. “At every tournament we…have to get our helmet and gloves checked to make sure there's not any damage to them and that they're safe to use,” Moore said. If the equipment is safe to use, it is stamped good-to-go.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Knee high socks and court shoes

“It's a pretty bland outfit in terms of colors,” Moore said about the all white uniform. “The shoes and the socks are really the only thing you can use to customize it.”

“There's a fencer at the Twin Cities Fencing Club who has a lame with chameleons on it or people will get their names on the backs if they own their own equipment. So, you can get stuff custom made,” Moore said. But socks and shoes are the most affordable and popular way to add some color to the all-white uniform.

(Lani Ngonethong)

Weapon (Saber)

Like lames, the weapons vary with events from the grip to the blade shape. The fastest way to recognize which weapon belongs to which event is by the shape of the handguard. Moore competes in saber, so the weapon has a french grip (slightly curved) and a hand guard that connects from the beginning of the blade to the end of the grip.

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