Since I last updated this blog I have completed a training week in Madrid, had two weeks at home preparing for the Warsaw Grand Prix, competed at the Warsaw Grand Prix and subsequently the Hertfordshire Open. Time is flying by. The last four weeks have been an absolute blur and my daily routine has been a little like this: wake up, eat, train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, eat, train, eat, and sleep. Or at least it was last week when a member of the French team came to train with us at our club to give us the intense and high level standard of training we need in order to succeed in these qualifying events. I have a feeling the next 408 days until the Olympic fencing commences at the Excel Centre are going to follow a similar pattern.
Varsovie GP
So, the Warsaw Grand Prix; yet another mixed bag for me. I actually fenced very well when I chose to fence. Unfortunately, during the first three fights of my poule I tried to fight in the middle of the piste, not using the full 14 metres available to me, and thus played a game of chance rather than grabbing hold of the match and taking control. Another early exit to the competition, eliminated after the poule stages with only one victory to my name, albeit with a much improved performance in the latter three fights, including a 5-4 defeat. However, it is a tale similar to one I have told in this blog a number of times now and I can't have it any more. Thus I will head to New York in a week determined to write a new story in my next blog.
Hertfordshire Open
In my calendar as a training competition, an opportunity to spar with a number of different people, try some things out and hopefully at the same time do well and amass some UK ranking points. Looking back on the competition I do not actually believe I fenced all that well, however, one important positive to take out of the event was the number of fights I was able to win and grind out the required results, some more convincingly than others. That said, I only really underperformed in one fight; the final. Having got to the final, fencing through a field that included 6 of the UK top 12 or half our world cup team, I fenced a club mate and went 8-0 down at half time. This has never happened to me before and was a bit of a shock as my mind had gone completely blank. I managed to fight back strongly in a determined and spirited second half but the damage was already done and in retrospect too much to overcome. Thus I left the competition in a mixed mood, extremely disappointed and angry with myself over my performance in the final, but satisfied with the day's work, outcome and having enjoyed the competition (credit here should go to the organisers who did a great job). And furthermore, fortified with some extra competition experience, and knowledge of what I need to work on between now and New York.
This season I have only two more events currently in my calendar. The Newcastle European Satellite Event this weekend and the New York World Cup the following weekend. Next time I will be writing a New Story.
