After you've been fencing awhile, and you know you're going to stick with it, you'll probably want to start getting your own gear. Like any other sport, the price ranges are pretty wide. Most of us get most of our gear from three places: Absolute, Blue Gauntlet and Fencing.net. They all do web sales and they're pretty reliable. Their addresses are: http://www.fencing.net/ , http://www.blue-gauntlet.com/ , and http://www.absolutefencinggear.com/shopping/. All of these vendors provide safe equipment so the biggest issue is getting the right fit.

Being a good being fencer doesn't require being a certain "type." The goal is to play to your own strengths, and minimize the effects of things you aren't so good at. One way to improve is to watch other fencers. There are great videos on Youtube posted by Cyrus of Chaos. He goes all over the world and records top-level tournaments. He also covers the NCAA college fencing. You should watch the videos to see what other fencers are doing, and maybe pick up some moves you can use. The videos can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/CyrusofChaos.