Fence Like A Train

Aside: How to Live Life Part I

2012-02-09T16:42:00.003-05:00

In business school you get a chance to see how the men are separated from the mice. How smart people react to bad grades depends on: a)if they had ever gotten bad grades before, b) if they have ever had anything bad happen to them worse than bad grades. I am a pretty smart guy and a and b have both happened to me. So I have a lot more perspective than some of my peers, and I am gonna share that here.

1. Commitments matter

In school, fencing, life - commitments are like currency. You use them as you see fit, and if those commitments are broken you feel like you were robbed. You should never make commitments in haste and without deliberation, and if you do make a commitment you consider it like you would a contract. If you make commitments and don't keep them, you are like the guy who tries to buy a subway sandwich with monopoly money.

2. Solve someone else's problem once in a while

Here at DU you are asked to do community service as part of class. You are meant to use your business skills to help the organization be better - which is a nice way of saying solve someone else's problem. I apply the same principles to helping a sexy bartender figure out how to use her bachelor's degree. I am not wedded to the outcome, but I put all my mental faculties to the solution just the same.

Fencing Foil at South Denver

2012-02-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

I am not a foil fencer. I don't look like one.

I don't act like one. But if I can't beat my high school aged foil students in a tournament, I am gonna be in trouble. I ended up in 6th place (out of 17) in an in house tournament. Mostly because I like to attack, am annoyed when I am parried, and my response is to drive forward rather than recover-retreat-counterparry-counterriposte.

Hangover Open in Denver

2012-01-16T20:50:00.002-05:00

First off, I had a decent New Year's Eve/New Year's with my roommates and their awesome friends. I have kinda lost interest in the idea of NYE as a drunkfest hookup time, especially since it is so hard to get home on New Years whether you drive, look fruitlessly for a cab, or take the train. Halloween is much better suited as the pickup holiday.

Even so, my roommates and their friends loved shots of cognac, so I was pretty sauced the next afternoon when I fenced epee with the few enterprising adults and many in shape and well behaved high schoolers of the DFC Hangover Open epee event. I didn't fence badly, but I didn't fence crisply or precisely. Again, it looks like I know what I am doing, but for the last six months or so I have felt off my game.

It's weird, I spend most of my evenings in the fencing club, but only a tiny percentage of that time is devoted to my own training. I give private lessons, teach classes, work in the armory, referee tournaments, but not much actual practice for myself. I like to think of myself as a competitive fencer, but it seems I am doing less and less to justify that title.

No Joy in Kansas City

2011-12-16T13:59:00.002-05:00

This was a tough one. I was slated to compete in Div I and Div II Men's Epee, with a new coach and new larger lungs fresh from Colorado. The only difference between this event and the last NAC is that I knew exactly what happened this time.

On Saturday, I got to the venue early - stretched, warmed up, and wasn't hitting anything in practice bouts. My first bout in the event I won 5-4 with some slippery dodges paired with counterattacks. Apparently in the other bouts I lost touches because I would retreat with the parry, and retreat again with the riposte. Apparently I lost my bulldog freight train edge.

On Monday, I got to the venue early - stretched, warmed up, and was hitting a lot more, but was having trouble avoiding being hit. In the event my bouts were mostly even - 5-4, 5-3, 5-3, 4-5, 4-5 - and I lost in DEs to some kid who was fast but not interesting. My first thought after the embarrassment subsided was "I used to be good at this."

Unfortunately, even though I work part-time in a fencing club, I have not trained as much as I have in the past. I also work as an accounting TA and am a fulltime MBA student. While dropping an average of 2lbs a week is extremely good for my current and future help, it might be affecting my fencing as well. The point being - I really don't have time to fully prep for success at an NAC with all this going on, so I am going to walk away from them for a while. Next season (2011-2012) I will be traveling for school and interviewing for full time jobs, as well as trying to graduate - the incentive to spend $500+ for another NAC without some probability of success is insane.

I will still fence locals, and I may travel to tournaments like the Remenyk Open in Chicago or even Georgia Games in Atlanta, but I am done with huge fees for a while.

First Colorado Cup... Wow

2011-11-27T16:27:00.003-05:00

Blaming the slippery floors would be acceptable. I was the only person new to the division that day, and some of the more experienced folks were skating their way to touches. I know how to attack in prime, I teach fencers how to do it and refs how to card for turning the back when it is done incorrectly. Still, every time I tried I did an involuntary pirouette (I think?) and turned my back and slid into my opponent. It sucked.

I don't like losing. I hate losing to people I can and have beat. I loath losing to people I can beat in front of people I know. In order to keep my composure and sanity, I just started cracking jokes and not caring - hoping I could bring it back in the DEs. Facing one of my new students put the end to that plan.

Nothing is appreciably different between this year and last - similar financial pressures are present, my diet is about the same, and I am fencing the same number of tournaments (3) in the fall portion of the local season. The only thing is that there is no familiarity between opponents and I am not practicing five nights a week minimum like I did in the past. The coach at SDFA says I look like I know what I am doing, I just come off as REALLY rusty.

The crappy thing is that there are no local tournaments between now and the North American Cup in Kansas City. I have two events there, Division I and Division II. My stretch goals are top 32 in Div I, and a medal in Div II. The first one is looking pretty far out of reach, and the second is possible but difficult. The only thing I can do is practice my butt off between now and then.

Umm, That Sucked.

2011-10-30T18:30:00.002-04:00

There are no excuses. I could breathe, the level of difficulty wasn't too high, and I wasn't exhausted at the end. I just couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with two years fair warning and a sawed off shotgun.

Maybe I need to actually practice more - but my point control was anything but controlled. I could hit on the flèche, but nothing else. No parry riposte, no direct attacks in time, no counter time, no just f'ing hit the guy he's just standing there touches. The worst is that the NAC in Kansas City is coming up fast and I didn't spend $200 to get my ass kicked in my home state.

Between now and then I will work on point control with the wall and anyone who is wearing a maks. Good thing it is Halloween. ;-)

Falcon Open this Weekend

2011-10-26T14:31:00.001-04:00

Saturday I return to Colorado Springs and glory. I can breathe, I am faster, I am ready.

Flying High and I Can't Breathe!!!

2011-09-19T22:17:00.001-04:00

The first time I visited the United States Air Force Academy I was about 13 years old. I remember the beauty of the landscape, and the fact that the only interesting building to my young eyes was the famous chapel. My father was a radar operator in the Air Force on the DEW line - and once upon a time I entertained notions of trying to get an appointment as a cadet there.

Even so, I never dreamed I would fence there.

My second full week in Colorado I was convinced to compete in the 2011 Nick Toth Open. Never mind I still haven't gotten used to the altitude here. Even after work on the treadmill, weights, fencing practice, and pretty much walking everywhere - my lungs and my blood supply were still struggling to deal with the thin air and lack of oxygen. However, I never back down from a challenge - especially if someone calls me chicken.

The first bout was difficult - not because my opponent was so skilled, but I had trouble reacting significantly to two tempo actions. A well timed counter-attack got me the victory with a 5-4 score. In another bout, I was up 4-1, but I completely ran out of gas. My opponent went on a run, and only a well timed stop hit gave me a 5-4 win. My final pool record was 4-2, with three victories won with a 5-4 score. I didn't care at that point, I thought I was gonna get my butt handed to me.

I started caring a lot more when I saw the seeding after pools. There were 49 fencers seeded into a table of 64 - and there were fencers with better indicators but a 4-2 record with Byes into the round of 32. I won my first DE without too much trouble, but I faced the USAFA coach's son in the 32. I did ok, but I never had the lead.

Even though I had reason to be apprehensive - I remember the old saying: the danger is not setting your goals high and falling short, but setting your goals low and achieving them.

Ouch!

2011-08-09T02:08:00.001-04:00

The new fencing season has officially begun, and the Georgia Division has started posting tournaments, starting at Atlanta FC. You will probably see more postings from me soon.

However, I do feel compelled to write about a recent problem of mine.

Really.

My future family has only been in danger about three times in the last six years, and even then it was nothing too serious. This year, I am getting nailed every other week. This last time I have resolved to wear a cup.

The trend started in TN a few months back, when a kid who seemed really upset I was going to beat him 5-0 decided to get a little revenge hit after my beautiful parry-riposte. The director was a beginner, and didn't think to card him - and I was in too much pain to demand it. My poor boy (Señor Izquierda) was in pain for two weeks. Funny, the kids coach actually said to me BEFORE the bout that he thought it was insane that men refused to wear cups for fencing. I happened to mention I rarely got hit there.

A few weeks later, I fenced a kid (one of my students) in class, he attacks and hits the floor with his feint. I stop for the light, and he stabs Don Derecha. I go down like a ton of bricks, and lay there for five minutes waiting for the pain to subside and everything to reinflate. I finished the bout (I won), and called it a night.

Tonight, I am fencing another kid, and I attack, he does a parry-riposte but doesn't close the line. I finish with a remise, and he manages to hit the Señor and the Don. After sitting on my honches, I started fencing from a low tierce on guard with the bell guard protecting my guys, and beat him and everyone else that way.

I know it is ultimately my fault, but I can't understand the increasing frequency. I will just have to deal with the extra equipment from now on.

Summer Nationals Report

2011-07-12T04:30:00.001-04:00

I hate Reno. Ever since I fenced there for an NAC back in 2005 (ish), I didn't like the place. Gambling without excitement, resort hotels without glitz, and food without taste. Reno is Vegas if Vegas was awful. But with some persuasion I fenced team for my home club. While there I noticed some things.

1.) The kiddie fencers (ages 8-13) are really good. Years ago, even at Nationals it was basically whack-a-mole in all three weapons. No more. Some of those kids might embarrass some adults in the Georgia Division.

2.) Mental toughness, not technical strength, seems to rule the day. I still haven't seen anyone beat with superior blade work - just a willingness to risk it all.

3.) Holding off an opposing fencer in team is a lot harder than it looks. It is not often I get smoked like a cigar, but yeah that happened. Worst bout ever. Next time as captain I won't be so swift to sub myself into the match.

4.) The old school guys and gals still make a big deal about who they acknowledge and who they don't. Doesn't matter if you've had a conversation, shared a drink, or the guy sat on your certification board - if you haven't been around for 20 years you get no head nod, much less a handshake.

5.) Fencing still captures the imagination. Whether you've fenced for years, or only seen it in car commercials - it gets your attention. Random folks watched me give a lesson in the hallway, fencers got stopped in elevators by older gamblers - it excites and still has potential to grow.

6.) Pork Stew at the Grand Sierra Resort Buffet. It is good. I turned down chili for this stuff, and I love chili. Best thing I ate the entire trip. Meaty, hearty, with large crisp vegetables and chunks of pork loin. Get it, and get some more.

7.) One more note on food. If you won't eat it after it sat in a room temperature kitchen overnight, you shouldn't eat it before you fence. A lot of my club mates went down with stomach problems after sampling the seafood. Not worth it.

Coletrain, What Do All These Letters F'ing Mean?

2011-07-08T03:05:00.001-04:00

Some of my friends who enjoy my writing, but are not fencing aficionados asked for a primer on how ratings and classifications work. Rather than show a event classification chart and have my friends learn not to ask questions and bore the folks who know - I am going to explain in my own superior way how this actually works.

Ratings or classifications officially are used to help seed fencers into pool a in tournaments around the United States. You earn a rating by ended up in a certain place at a tournament with a given strength (measured by the number and variety of fencers with these given ratings). Since fencing is most often done in a tournament format with one winner - many fencers consider renewing or earning ratings as an acceptable consolation for a medal.

Earning a rating in fencing therefore depends on three factors: 2)how well you did, 3) how good is everyone else, 4) how well THEY did. For example, if you are in small event and you kicked ass, great! If the three best guys you didn't fence in direct elimination had an awful day - you might not get a rating. And you will be very angry. If you ever see a picture from a local tournament with an angry teenager with a gold medal around his neck - well, you know why.

In fact, more than any other sport - fencing rewards the people who on paper are supposed to win. Top seeds get the easiest pools, bottom seeds are fed to the lions. Therefore the top seed theoretically should be the top seed at the start of the direct elimination round AND have the easiest path to the final. If you are the top seed and you lose to the young upstart in the round of 16, you could bring down the whole tournament rating - and everyone will hate you. Seriously. Bad things will be said about you. You might get a reputation as the "pretty" one instead of the "good" one.

So, let's say you come into some money and you decide to outfit yourself and your five best college buddies in fencing kit and want to have a tournament. If the local USA Fencing Division board allows it, you can have an event! If you win, CONGRATS you are a brand new E rated fencer! So an E is a guy who can beat a roomful of rank beginners. Don't laugh, that is a tougher accomplishment than you might think. Even so, I wouldn't brag about earning it if you have been in the sport for more than six years.

Every E wants to be a D. Desperately. if you are a D, you theoretically become the top rated fencer in every National Division III (aka D and Under) tournament you enter. There are two common ways to earn a D: win a D rated event, or place highly in a much stronger A or B rated event.

The first option means beating everyone who is around your ability level in your DE path and getting the gold. And if these events didn't last all day, it might be the easier option. Plus, when new ratings are on the line, fencers tend to do a LOT better.

The second option basically means you beat most of the people in your pool, but got knocked out of DEs early. Now this is supposed to be the harder option; if your opponents got a good night's rest, didn't go out drinking, aren't sick, etc. If you are patient and focused, you might pick up touches at 9am that you'd never get at noon.

D, as you might have guessed, is for Desperate. Every D is dying to be a C. A C rated fencer is (or supposed to be) the top seeded fencer in National Division II (C and Under) competition. Cs, for now anyway, are also eligible for National Division I (C and above) competition. Div I is where the big boys play - current and former Olympians and National Champions, folks who take the sport extremely seriously. The C rating is the sweet spot. You can still beat up on Unrated fencers, and you can play with the big boys. Plus it is a rating where many fencers begin to acknowledge you as "good." You earn a C by entering a C rated competition and winning, or by losing in the quarterfinals of a large A rated tournament.

All Cs want to be As. Those who try and fail become Bs. The B is the middle child of fencing ratings. You aren't considered as good as an A, but you are barred from Div II competition. Many fencers that I have known dropped the sport after earning a B. In Georgia foil competition, many folks win a B rated tournament to become a B fencer. In Epee, one earns a B by losing either in the semifinal or final round of a large A rated event.

Everyone wants an A. On their term paper in college, on their performance evaluation (Acceptable) at work, and on the window of the restaurant they are dining. Fencing is no different. If you are an A fencer than you have won a large competition filled with strong fencers who also fenced well, or you did really well at a gigantic competition filled with badasses. In the Southeast, A fencers often get to fence for free in local tournaments, and are often courted into competing. Again, they get the easiest pools and the best path to allow them to renew their A rating. Plus they can brag to friends about being an A fencer - and those friends have a vague clue what that means.

Now these ratings only last four years or so. I for example am a B2007, so unless I find and win a tournament before July 31,2011 - I will become a C2011. Which isn't too bad, since in large tournaments the seeding is about the same. When I get my A this year, I will be an A2011 which would put mr at the top seed of local competition.

A Brief Aside

2011-07-05T03:38:00.001-04:00

Since I was a small boy, it has always been my dream to fence. The idea of using swords in conventional sport fascinated me in a way basketball, baseball, or soccer never could. Fencing actually became my bridge from being primarily an intellectual to an average sports fan - and I am the better for it.

Both in Minnesota and in Georgia, fencing allowed me to be a part of a community outside of work and the bar scene. I gained friends as a beginner, and I gained respect as my fencing improved and I learned to referee and coach. My social network grew, and people became attached to me as I became attached to them.

Being disconnected, especially when things go wrong is a sorrowful thing. When I took a spill after a night out, I was admonished by no less than 15 people - most of them from the fencing community. When one of my neighbors, who decided to drink himself into oblivion after a night out, died outside his home - only myself and another man were there to watch over him as emergency services arrived. I only met him for the first time the evening before.

Futilely trying to save a man's life tugs at one's heart. Being the only one who cares digs into one's soul. While only he and God know what demons led him to his fate, what I do know is that he had few connections to this life. Even in my darkest hours, there was always someone God had sent to pull me back into the light. A family member, a friend, a frater, a fencer, a pretty girl who thought I was handsome too; there was always someone to pull me from the brink - and chastise me for getting too close.

If you find yourself reading this - click on some ads and then call or meet someone you are close to in your life. If you don't have someone, meet someone. We all have to die, but we shouldn't have to die alone.

Georgia Games - Ugh

2011-06-26T16:54:00.001-04:00

Dying at the base camp is pathetic, but it happens. Dying in sight of the summit is tragic.

Oversleeping, running late, and fencing without warming up I still managed a 5-1 pool record. I was 6th of 24 coming out of the pools, and my first opponent after the bye was one of my students. I knew how and when he would attack. I didn't count on missing and being fatigued.

After getting an 10-8 lead, I figured I could make a run, but I just wasn't getting the touch in time. Weapon malfunction could have been a culprit, but not enough for me to think it worth it to change. Even so, I am retiring the body cord I used today.

The worst part about losing that bout is that everyone further up the tree was equally beatable. I was sure today was the day I would win gold and my A. All I can do now is continue to prepare for Senior Team Men's Epee at Nationals, and fence every tournament I can.

On a lighter note, two ad hoc fencing teams assembled to fence after the Open. My team earned second place (ugh, I know), but even so I received a silver Georgia Games medal. Personally, I have found GG medals to be the best basic medal (not including weird shaped medals or trophies of any kind) in fencing, so I am glad I finally got one.

World Cup Fencing in a Hijab

2011-06-24T21:11:00.001-04:00

The Wall Street Journal has a great article today on an African-American Muslim saber fencer competing in this weekend's World Cup in New York City. WSJ focuses on how Ms. Muhammad endeavors to keep the tenets of her faith while fencing, especially the requirement that women remain covered.

Fencing certainly allows women to remain modest - it is very difficult to look provocative in a fencing outfit. The few who can have a very particular body type.

One fun note from the article, Ms. Muhammad's current status as top rated female sabeur is a result of her humble beginnings as a high school epeeist.

What Have I Been Up To for Four Years?

2011-06-19T19:05:00.001-04:00

After perusing the latest USA Fencing Athlete's Handbook, I've learned that if I don't renew or earn a new rating before August 1, 2011 - I will drop down to a C11.

Personally, I thought I had lived up to my B rating, until I took a hard look at my results on AskFred.net over the last four years. It seemed once I earned my B in 2007, my results took a dive and stayed there. There are a couple reasons for that.

First, before having a B I typically completed in two events a day - the Open and the C/D/E and Under, giving me more tournament experience. Work and travel also became a factor. Then there was some laurel resting that excused me from competing in as many events as possible. Add it all up and in those years between 2007 and this season trips to the 8 were rare and only two medal round appearances in that period. Wow. But I did pick up Hilton Diamond Status and Delta Silver medallion three years running!

However, this season I made nine trips to the round of eight or higher out of 18 individual events I competed in this season. Or to be more generous, I had 14 top ten finishes in those 18 events. I only posted three top ten finishes the whole 2007-2008 season after I earned my B. Clearly I am becoming a much better and more consistent fencer, regardless of my initial seeding.

I have a couple more chances to renew or get my A before August. If I don't achieve that goal, I am going to abuse some people in Div II AND Div I competition.

Like Kissing Your Stepsister

2011-06-19T00:02:00.001-04:00

It counts, I guess. But if that's all you have going for you - well you are in trouble.

Doubles in Epee are a part of the game. But if you are losing, they are frustrating as all hell. When coaching I get annoyed whenever my fencer has a significant deficit and celebrates a double touch. Sure, it put points on the board - but now your opponent is one point closer to victory, and you must fence the remainder of the bout even more perfectly.

In the round of 8 I was up against a respected veteran fencer, and I was on a high after beating an alumni of Master Zasilmov's program at Ohio State. It seemed he had a general plan to beat me - and for six touches it worked.

He wanted to flèche to my inside, but not so far in that he would draw my parry four. I tried catching him, failed. I tried counterattacking, failed. I tried running, failed harder. Finally I tried attacking into what little preparation he did, and I started getting single lights - until I didn't. I was aiming for just at the crook of the elbow, but he was advancing so fast and subtly - I ended up just doubling on his chest. Eventually I figured it out at 14-13, but not in time to do a perfect attack to tie.

It was a disappointing day. I got sick earlier in the week and was hacking my lungs out all day, and this was the last event where I could earn a rating that would be reflected at Nationals. Plus I had a small pool of five, and managed to come out of the pools 2-2, my worst pool record in months. All that and today's 9th place finish is my best placing at a Dunwoody FC tournament in over a year. So much for home field/club advantage.

The good news is the next tournament is Georgia Games in Marietta, GA. Not at my club, but close enough that I can sleep in.

It's Happening Again!

2011-06-11T18:52:00.001-04:00

5-1 vs a current year A fencer is always a good start. It went down hill from there.

I fenced at the Georgia Division Championship in East Point, and managed to get my clock cleaned again in the DEs. My pool record was 4-2, dropping a loss to a fencer I have beaten four times previous, and one of the lower seeds in my pool.

This record set me up against a wily mid-40s fencer who has had my number for a while. I can usually keep a lead or things under control for a while, but the second I lose track of the distance he is eating my hand alive.

I guess I shouldn't lose track of the distance.

Awesome Car Ad Featuring Epee Fencing

2011-06-10T23:11:00.001-04:00

Sure, the video is a complete ripoff of Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" ad, including the background music, but it features Epee and therefore I love it.

How Good Is Your Worst?

2011-05-22T20:04:00.001-04:00

I am not a country music fan, but I think Toby Keith and I could be friends. The best part of frequent work trips to Oklahoma City was visiting the famous Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. But of his many chart toppers, my favorite has a line that I really love...

I ain't as good as I once was
But I'm as good once, as I ever was

When thinking about fencing, especially since I have nine whole years before I age into Veterans competition, the question for me is "How good am I at my worst?"

Over time I've learned headaches don't bother me, shocks and shots to the groin hurt but don't stop me, and I can fight through fatigue. My stomach however is my Achilles' heel. In 2008 at the Dunwoody Southern Star, I managed to shake off the flu long enough to beat a Mexican girl who offered platonic friendship if I took a dive, only to lose in the round of 32 to a patriarch of Div I fencers from Florida.

Thanks to Jersey Mike's subs, I had a wicked stomachache yesterday morning at Dunwoody FC's May Melee VIII and was struggling in pools. When I fenced a Veteran from an area club and I couldn't land a remise, I knew I was in trouble. I won 5-4, but pools didn't go much better from there. A 3-2 pool record matched me with one of my private students in the 32, and it got ugly very quickly. I took some Alka-Seltzer and laid down much of the afternoon, so my student and I could have a better showing in the team event.

So, my personal best thus far is top 4 in an A2, and second place in a B1. When I am fencing my worst, I end up somewhere in the 32 at locals. If I am to reach my goals, my current best needs to be my future worst.

No Promotion Like Self Promotion #2

2011-05-18T02:10:00.001-04:00

I started fencing in Minnesota back in 2003. I did beginning foil classes, lost some weight and started gaining some muscle mass. Once I started competing and losing to 12 year old girls I lost a lot of pride too. After a year or so I picked up Epee and fenced both in practice and competition.

After moving to Atlanta, I stuck with one weapon because that was the advice of my coach at the first three weapon club I joined. After a brief break, I joined Decatur Blades fencing, and soon after I earned my first rating and won my first medal - which was stamped with a picture of the tournament organizer's son. Eventually, I joined Dunwoody FC, an Epee only club and I began to win more often.

Above is a picture of all the medals I have won since joining Dunwoody, including...

- An Epee won in a 50 person One Touch tournament
- My USFCA certification as Prevot D'Epee
- The Alpharetta HS team I coached this year
- A card written by a seven year old neighbor I introduced to fencing
- A medallion from the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, a gift for refereeing
- An Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe pin depicting two fencers dueling with guitars
- All the ducks I have earned from national tournaments, my one World Cup appearance, becoming a coach, and becoming the Georgia Division chairman

Fencing 'Round the World

2011-05-18T01:53:00.001-04:00

Those of you who have browsed my Twitter feed at the left know I am no saint, but none the less I have been immortalized like the saints in stained glass.

This wonderful work of art (I am on the right) was a gift to the Esgrima Para Todos fencing club in Panama City, Panama. It was presented after a tournament (results posted here) that featured fine competition amongst the local Panamanian clubs and my clubmates from Dunwoody FC.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the trip to Panama because of another engagement, literally. While I missed out on all the fun, my friend had a beautiful and entertaining wedding weekend.

Teaching Directors, Educating Fencers

2011-05-16T00:56:00.001-04:00

Today I fenced at Middle Tennessee State U as part of a fencing clinic. The Epee tournament was an A1, and there were many of us who were itching to get a shiny new A rating.

Pools went much better today, but the event was much less top heavy than AFC. I won all my bouts save one; the single win I had at AFC yesterday beat me 0-5 and kept me very humble. It was probably a gift - Salle Bosco fielded a beginning fencer who was fast enough to beat everyone in my pool, save me. It doesn't matter how fast you are - if I know when and where you are going to go, I'll get there first.

DEs went well until the round of 4. Everyone seemed to plant their feet, which opened up a lot of toe touches and counterattacks. In the round of four I faced a club mate. For those of you following along, you know that has been an issue. Today's issue is that I could solidly parry his flèche, but today (and today only), I couldn't seem to get the riposte. My point was on, and there was probably some "Corps á Corps to avoid the touch" business, but no director was going to see that today. Missing those ripostes equalled 6 or so touches left on the table - and I didn't have enough gas to give back 15 solid fléches of my own.

May Melee in Dunwoody next Friday, time to start running with the kids.

Rough Day at AFC

2011-05-16T00:44:00.001-04:00

Whether I have a good showing in the DEs or not, I always seem to struggle in Open Epee pools at Atlanta Fencers Club. It is not terribly far from my place, and I usually grab breakfast on the way - but no dice on Saturday.

After two weekends of climbing out of pools undefeated, I serve up a record of 1-3. One of those losses to a fencer who falls forward and remises at the same time. Ugh.

My first DE was difficult, I couldn't control the distance and reliably land touches when timing and the attack were on my side.

My thought is that my legs were more fatigued than I could feel, which caused me to move slower. I might take a page from John Normile and keep a chair near the strip for resting during the breaks. He seems to have good results.

Fencing at Firkin

2011-05-16T00:38:00.001-04:00

One pint of Sweetwater 420 makes a serviceable thirst quencher at a DE bout break. More than two, and you are going to get drunk very quickly.

My home club hosted a 21 and over fencing tournament (top 4 fenced) at Firkin and Gryphon in Dunwoody on Friday. We were out on the patio in the moonlight fighting away. While it was all in fun, everyone took the event deadly serious. We fenced off for third for the crowd, having me come in fourth - but after pint #3 and a shot of goldschlager with a fencer who just turned 21, I really didn't care. I actually fenced well, surprisingly.

We also entertained the patrons, especially the families with young children. Everyone seemed to enjoy us and have a good time!

Southeast Section Championships

2011-05-09T00:25:00.001-04:00

"Well damn."

That was my first thought as I accepted the fact that I lost my first DE in the round of 16 to a good man and fencer from an area club. I needed to only defeat him to make the round of 8 and qualify for Summer Nationals in Reno.

My second thought was, "At least I don't have to drop hundreds of dollars to go to Reno. Reno sucks." Reno does suck, but I thought I had that bout well in hand.

The day started off well enough. In pools I first faced a new but skilled club mate and beat him 5-0. Thanks to a last minute ejection, I was once again in a pool of 5 - but I found a way to win against all my other opponents. A record of 4-0 put me 4th in the seedings and my own tree to the round of 4 (and renewing my B).

For those of you following along at home, this is the second event (and weekend) in a row I have gone undefeated in pools in an A2 event. The last time I was able to string together such success was when I was battling in local D and Under Epee (D2/C2) events.

However, this is not a local A2 with a few tough guys and a ton of Unrated fencers. The Section Championship is notoriously top heavy with the best fencers from around the Southeast United States, which meant that strong A fencers managed to lose one in the pools; after pool seeding is not a guarantor of success.

So after all this effort, I still have not managed to renew my B, and I will not be fencing in D1A competition in Reno.

After publicly pledging my allegiance to the inside of a bottle, one of my coaches took me aside for a chat. He pointed out that while I fell short of my high, but achievable, goals - in the process I became a much better fencer. While that is not its own reward, it is something to be recognized. Also, though I didn't qualify, 10th place is the best result I have posted at Sectionals ever.

Losing sucks, but the season rolls on. There are some fun locals coming up, including a fencing event at Firkin and Gryphon this week. I will have many chances to renew my B, or even get my A before the calendar year comes to a close.

My new goal is to get my A in epee before December 31, 2011. Wish me luck and come aboard!

Lots of Fencing in Charleston

2011-05-02T13:22:00.001-04:00

First off, Apple's iPad rocks. I keep a current copy of the USA Fencing rulebook in iBooks for review, but when arguing a call the PDF search function earns its keep.

Second, I decided to go to this event because the chances of getting my B or A were extremely good. It was a large field in the open th mostly unrated fencers, and the rated fencers were known quantities. Also the one touch and team events would make the whole day fun.

It was not to be. While fencing a nearly perfect pool - I was touched only four times in five bouts - I was still not able to control the bout with a C11 in the round of 16. I should have punished him for taking three touches to understand me by making him chase me, but I didn't count on missing. Worse, the next opponent waiting in the round of 8 I have defeated before; beating him again would renew my B. So I now proceed into Sectionals with an old rating, but it is a top heavy event anyway.

The one touch event turned out better. There was no DE tree, just random pairings and an ALIVE or DEAD pile for your name after the bout was over. My first bout was between the pools and DEs of the open, with the same guy I would have had to beat in the 8. With swift determination, I won that bout. The next bout was after losing in the 16, and the poor kid I faced was lucky I didn't kill him for real. After that, I fenced a woman in a pirate wench wig, and she was not happy about losing. I replied, "Lady, this event is all I got." The semi final was against the top epee fencer in my club (and likely the Southeast). I think his loss was assuaged with the top prize in the open.

In the final, I faced the man who denied me my renewed B. The organizer proclaimed that a brand new Epee would go to the winner. In the case of a double touch, we would have to settle for pirate bandanas. In the bout, I danced with him, then I decided to pull him in and attack with a lunge. I put enough on it so a parry-riposte was all but impossible, so a counterattack would be the most effective answer for him. Too bad his counterattack as late.

Team, as usual was a lot of fun. The organizer put a handicap on teams who stacked the deck with rated fencers. Trading our A with his unrated sister seemed to be the happy solution, and gave us the top spot.

Even though I didn't get my A or B, it was a fun tournament. It's also nice when my club takes first prize in each event.

No Promotion Like Self Promotion

2011-04-24T09:37:00.001-04:00

The Alpharetta and Roswell Revue and News did a story this week on Alpharetta High School's surprisingly successful fencing season. I of course give all credit to the hard work of the kids. :-)

At Least 8th is Better Than 12th

2011-04-24T09:30:00.001-04:00

Ouch. So, I committed to only dropping one pool bout at AFC Easter Bash, but my opponents refused to cooperate. My first loss came against a kid who refused to let me hit his hand. I should have just taken his blade and fed mine to him - but I didn't. The second lost came against a man who could fight harder than anyone in my pool, and I just couldn't keep my point on.

So with a 3-2 record, I faced the other guy with a 3-2 record. It was close, and we traded the lead a lot, but I couldn't get more than one point up on him. At 14-13, I tried to set up a flèche, but he picked off my hand twice in a row.

It is not a happy result, but I have one more local tournament in South Carolina before Sectionals. I am hoping to have happy news there.

Getting out of the 8s

2011-04-20T12:47:00.001-04:00

In fencing, 8 is not enough. In 4 of my last five events, I landed in 8th place. In one of them, I needed only to advance to the round of 4 to improve my rating. In the rest, I needed to make or win the final.

Also true of the last five events is my pool record has suffered. Early mornings, early afternoons - no matter the start I have been dropping two bouts instead of the one bout I used to drop earlier in the season.

Most of the reason for the losses is that I am rushing actions. However after reviewing myself on video, I find that my footwork gets sluggish as my actions get larger when I rush. So I think I am going faster, but I am really slower.

On the flip side, 8th place is a lot better than my results from last season. Again, after reviewing the tape - my point control has increased tremendously. Any point on the hand is available target to me, even on a flèche. My flicks are much cleaner, and I have a great parry-riposte against the flèche. All I need is to clean up my pool bouts and start beating people from my own club and I will have my A very soon.

As an aside, few people - including myself truly look good in a fencing uniform. Here is me at my best in my FIE uniform.

Ugh, I still remember my pants nearly falling down. I got the touch though!

Why Beginning Lady Epeeists Should Fence Men

2011-04-04T16:50:00.001-04:00

After refereeing At the Georgia divisional qualifiers, I noticed that with few exceptions, the girls who fenced extremely well were the ones who fenced men or large boys on a regular basis. In the High School and at regional and National tournaments the fencing events are segregated by sex, but not so at the local events. There is often a call for more local female only events, but at least in the Southeast the major players never seem to come out.

My thought is that I'd rather train girls to beat or at least hold their own against the toughest boys, and in turn they will run roughshod over all but the best girls. The theory comes from an inspirational short story I heard years ago. A version of it is below.
---------------
There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared to him.

The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture - placing thoughts in the man's mind, such as ``Why kill yourself over this?, you're never going to move it!'' or ``Boy, you've been at it a long time and you haven't even scratched the surface!'' etc. giving the man the impression the task was impossible and the man was an unworthy servant because he wasn't moving the massive stone.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man and he started to ease up in his efforts. ``Why kill myself?'' he thought. ``I'll just put in my time putting forth just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough.'' And this he did or at least planned on doing until, one day, he decided to take his troubles to the Lord.

``Lord,'' he said, ``I have labored hard and long in Your service, putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked of me. Yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?''

To this the Lord responded compassionately, ``My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the rock with all your strength and that you have done. But never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. At least not by yourself. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed, ready to quit. But is this really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and brown. Your hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to have. Yet still, you haven't succeeded in moving the rock; and you come to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, my friend will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom, and this you have done.''

Less Foolish in Newberry

2011-04-03T21:23:00.001-04:00

First off, Homewood Suites rocks. A two bedroom king/queen has four beds (including fold out sofa) for just under $200. It's a great deal for 4 adults, and the room is gorgeous and comfortable to boot. Thanks Homewood Suites-Gainesville!

Fencing threatened to look the same today as yesterday. My left contact lens popped out before we reached the venue, and my left spectacle lens popped out in the middle of my third bout. I ended up 2-2 in yet another 5 person pool, the Bain of imperfect fencers.

DEs worked out a bit better. I faced the 21st seed out of 22, a small kid who didn't believe in remises. Knowing that I had much stiffer competition after him, I tried to fence him as strong and conservatively as possible. We ended up 14-2 after running out of time.

The next DE was against the 5th seed, and based on his attitude you would have thought he was an A. His fencing was a different matter. Attacking in distance and not landing is deadly in all three weapons, but he just wouldn't stop. Aside from a few attacks to keep him honest, most of my touches were easy counterattacks. I know I have a date with P90X and some situps, but do I really look that slow?

The following DE was against my club mate, the same one who beat me 15-9 in Statesboro, and won the event. Winning was the only option, but experience and history were trying to dissuade me. I got down 3 early in the bout, but I managed to bring it back to 11-11 by the second break. Sure, the event was an A1, so I wouldn't renew my B with a win, but I still wanted it. At 14-12, I figured hitting the hand would bring me to 15, and I saw his hand enough under his bell guard to get me to believe it. Unfortunately, I didn't count on not being able to fight for touches after the action got ugly, and I lost 14-15. A loss, but a significant improvement.

I am still annoyed that I lost, and that the event fell from an A2 to an A1, but my fencing (at least in DEs) is both consistent and showing slight improvement with every encounter. Plus, I am still continuing the tradition of getting knocked out of the direct elimination round by a current or past member of my club.

Foolish in Statesboro

2011-04-03T13:45:00.001-04:00

The best thing about Statesboro is the waitstaff. Not the service, the look of the staff. The fact that a waitress/kitchen can't tell the difference between ranch and blue cheese dipping sauce is a lot easier to swallow when the waitress looks both hot and attainable.

Fencing wasn't as pretty. Less is more in most avenues in life, and fencing is no exception. My parry 8 is strong like the Earth, but if someone simply jabs at me it is useless. Add that to yet ANOTHER 5 person pool, and I ended up 2-2 after pools. My first DE was against an older C who was both lefty and crafty. I was slow and doing too much, and only my strong 8 parry-riposte saved me from a 15-14 defeat.

My next DE was against my club mate/coach, who has a Junior World Cup medal and 20 years of fencing experience. And he's only 26. No one was more shocked than I when I jumped to a 4-2 lead, my best competition result of any kind against him. Since these things go to 15, there was still a ways to go. My actions got large and sloppy, when small was getting it done. I lost 15-9.

After beating me, my club mate asked how would I coach myself if I could see myself. It's a curious question, and it helped me really analyze what went wrong. The biggest thing was I needed to own my lead, and force my opponents to work to my strengths instead of the exact opposite. Hitting the hand, flèche, and parry riposte work well. I need to focus there.

From there we drove to Gainesville...

Still trying to Renew my B

2011-03-20T23:44:00.001-04:00

March is almost gone, next weekend I am ref'ing. I have 8 months to renew my B rating, or I drop to a C12 on Jan 1st, 2012. Of course, there is a tournament on that day and I could try to re-earn it then... But I would rather it not come to that.

Personally, having a C is better than having a B. You can still fence Div2 events and beat up on beginners, and at Div I events the ratings below A don't tell you much anyway. Even so, losing it would be embarrassing.

Last Saturday I was in Huntsville, AL for the Rocket City Open. The event was rated a B1, but I knew there were high level fencers in the area that still could come out and make it a A2 event at the last second. Ahh, no such luck. It was good to get out of Georgia and fence different styles, especially with Southeast Sectionals coming up.

My pool seemed to hum along until I lost to the other B in my pool. I rushed the bout, even thought it was to my disadvantage to do so. Then I lost to a girl who fences for her club at Indiana U. Badly. The score after 2:20 was 5-1, and my only touch was a double. Thank heavens no one told me she was a U - I would have done something stupid.

Worst of all, these losses made me forget all about my awesome beat-disarm attack with lunge earlier in the pool. It was pretty cool to see.

Thanks to a 3-2 record, I had to face my teenage girl student whose mother drove us to the event. Well, walking is good for the soul, right? I won 15-6, and kept my distance until the frustration wore off.

Next was the IU girl again. I watched her in her first DE. She never moved much, but she never stood still. And she took away the low line attacks by shifting her butt back and her shoulders forward. Did I mention she was tall? And the weirdest thing was that she was strong. Not really strong, but enough to remise or counterattack through anything I was trying. So I was down 5-3, and we doubled all the way to 13-11. She seemed content to just double out. I wasn't about to lose this early. Since I hit her hand early on, I kept beating and working to her hand. I figured I would either see it eventually, get her to counter and I would catch the top of her arm, or out of frustration or fatigue she would drop her hand. Eventually, she dropped her hand and I fléched for her shoulder. She didn't see it coming because I am just that damned good, and because I hadn't done it to her. It had to be fast because a beat attack would draw her counter, and since I was aiming for her shoulder there was nowhere to remise. Three in a row got me to 14-13. I figured she was all set to counterattack on a fourth flèche, so a nice deep medium speed lunge would be worth a double. 15-14 is good enough.

The next round I faced a guy who is fast enough for his new C11 rating, but still has an en garde of his old E rating. Once I established a lead with touches to the hand, I knew I wouldn't lose it.

The final for my B was against another club mate and child of my ride. Only he was talking smack and not interested in losing. While I executed nice hand touches, most of my points came by punishing his mistakes, not actually making things happen. When in distance I got gun shy instead of mowing him down. When he earned the 13th touch, I fought back hard to make a game of it, but by then I was fencing for pride and not for the gold.

Next time.

10 Worst Misses in Epee

2011-03-13T20:04:00.001-04:00

I am training for Sectionals/Nationals right now, and I am trying to correct some of the crazy stuff going on in my game. I don't think I am alone. In no particular order, here are what I see to be the worst almost touches in Epee. Feel free to disagree in the comments.

1. You reach and give your all, but your all is half an inch short. This one sucks. Most likely because the back shoulder is too far forward.

2. You reach and give your all, and your all equals 749 gram-force. Maybe you are looking back at the light, maybe you missed your opponents half-step back, maybe your barrel needs cleaning, maybe you are a pathetic weakling.

3. You go straight for the arm, he dips his hand and extends. Both points land over/under, but only his light is on. It's a gamble, and you lost.

4. He's an ass anyway, flèche to the face! Only fencing masks are molded with a vertical edge with sloping sides - and your point rides one of the sides without catching. Too bad your butt doesn't have sloping sides for his risposte behind his back. The oohs, ahhs, and golf claps don't help either.

5. He attacks just inside distance. You parry in four in opposition, finishing to the neck. But wait, your barrel gets caught in a channel created by his bending bib not allowing a touch. It's unclear whether the curse word you dropped was for the "no touch" or his remise to the nuts.

6. You see it, it's not going anywhere, so you lunge for the foot. Only you should have aimed for the toe and you glance along the shockingly smooth side of that nice unscratched shoe. It's amazing what clarity your eyes can perceive as you are about to be hit in the face.

7. What a fast hand he has. But some of his glove is always open. You go for it with a lunge, and as you land you can feel him smile when you point lands harmlessly on the edge of the bell guard. You've been discovered, and the man is coming...

8. You see his footwork pattern, and you are timing a lunge just below the shoulder just as he steps forward in the middle of a double advance. Your only worry is making sure he doesn't break your blade. You shoot, you miss, you hit solid in the chest. Who knew he would raise his arm?

9. He's short, and/or he ducks. You don't like it. Fie on him. You step forward, he drops, and you extend and advance with a thrust to the face. Only you land on the top of his mask. A little more pressure and you could catch the back rubber edge of the mask. A little less and you could turn it into a sure flick. But here you are in the muddy middle, your point uselessly on his head, and his point in your neck. Fie on you.

10. And he messed up. He got a hair too close and you have a hair trigger. You fire with a straight lunge to the chest. You feel the tip touch him and begin to retreat into the barrel when... No f'ing way. He takes your blade near the barrel in a high parry, off his chest, and ripostes back to yours. His single light, his touch. You check you weapon in disbelief, it works just fine.

Bonus for foilists. You are rated high in Epee, but learned to fence in foil. You're up against a pure foilist who has no intention of losing in front of his girlifriend. It's 14-14, and you've kept it close by being careful and simple. And then he steps in, chest exposed, as naked as Chrissy Teigen is in your dreams. The fact that his weapon arm is creeping forward at half a snails pace is immaterial, he will never get there in time. Let's end this. Two colored lights fire on the scoreboard. Your planned attack in preparation turned out to be a counterattack. You lose.

Good Coaching Week

2011-03-13T19:23:00.001-04:00

If you are a good club mate, a social fencer after you win or lose in a tournament, or you enjoy schadenfreude - chances are you've coached before.

Two weeks ago I certified as a Prevot d'Epee through the US Fencing Coaches Association. Last week one of my students, who didn't fence in a private club at the time, won the ladies High School State Championship. This weekend four of my ladies fencers earned third place in the ladies High School Team State Championship.

Two things were evident from these occurrences. Clearly, I know what I am talking about, because many of my fencers have minimal outside training. And also, I really really hate losing.

Watching one of my fencers win easily feels like watching a flower grow and blossom. Watching one lose badly is like standing on the deck of a sinking battleship while saluting the flag. That last bit feels horrible. Seriously, I haven't had a long island ice tea in about two years, but I needed two last night.

The worst is when the match was winnable, but carelessness made the difference. Ugh, oh well.

Cool Link and U! S! A!

2011-02-09T23:40:00.001-05:00

Just found this not too long ago. It's a link to an article on the Italian Fencing Federation website. It celebrates one of their fencers competing in the Men's Epee World Cup held as part of the 2009 Arnold Classic Sports Festival.

Yea, I beat him.

Struggling in Practice

2011-01-31T02:51:00.003-05:00

Right now I am in training for no tournament in particular, but Sectionals will be in Georgia extremely soon, and the Queen City ROC in Charlotte comes up in March.

At practice, when I am not coaching, giving lessons, etc. I end up fencing someone in a bout that if it were all on the line, I would beat 10/10 - but lately that ain't happening. I'm not getting blown out, but I am not absolutely dominating the person. Sure, my bodycord maybe having issues, as are my weapons, and last Saturday was my first day back after a high fever, but still. Epee fencing is the wrong sport for someone with a lot of pride, but I would almost rather take a touch in practice then needlessly put 100% into an attack and still fail. Then again, do I have enough gas in the tank to put 100% into every single attack against every opponent at the club 4-5 times a week? My ego is much happier finding a weak spot with a given fencer, exploiting it 5-15 times, and being done with it.

It's one thing if everyone is simply getting better, but I am not sure that's the case. Unless I take care of myself and push myself, I am bound to get slower - that's just life. Maybe I should go ahead and finish P90X before I let my pride get involved.

100 Tournaments Later...

2011-01-17T04:11:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday was a heartbreaker: the Atlanta Falcons were knocked out of the playoffs and I was only a few touches shy of renewing my B or even getting my A.

Even though I actually got a good nights sleep, it was a chancy morning. I lost my first pool bout to an unrated fencer who kept swiping at my legs out of range of my counterattack. I didn't know his rating at the time, but he looked like easy pickings so I didn't proceed as carefully as I should have. This development killed me because I still had an A to face in the pool, and I knew he would want to avenge his loss to me from two months ago. While it was a close bout, I couldn't control the distance and got doubles when only singles would do. Thanks to the tiny pool, I only had a 2-2 record. For those following at home, this result breaks my streak of only losing one bout in the pools the last few events.

DEs were better, but disappointing. I faced a new fellow Dunwoody FC fencer in the first round (had I won the U bout I would have had a bye), and while he tried his best, it was over pretty quickly. When the ref starts calling epee bouts like foil with all the phrase d'armes terms to keep busy, you know it's gotten ugly. The next round was against the 6th seed, who at first fenced my seeding, not me. Once I got untangled from his multiple circle parries, it was just a matter of controlling the distance and keeping the score gap uncomfortably large. The next round didn't go so well. I got down by 4 touches right away, which forced me to attack to make a game of it. I caught up, but I never controlled the distance, so any miscues and miscalculations were costly.

I am upset, but I am anxious to get out there and try again. Even though my pool record suffered (so drinking... helps?), I still made another trip to the round of eight, which is happening with more regularity. The key is focusing on the pools, and mastering the distance at all costs.

As I was researching my bouts on AskFred.net, I noticed a cool thing - I have reached 100 events in the database. Of course, AskFred doesn't record NAC or National Championship results, and I have at least 10 or so competitions that are pre-Fred acceptance - so I hit the magic number sometime in 2010. Still, I am hit by the significance.

The records start in May 2005, soon after I moved to Atlanta. Right away I went from an unrated fencer to an E in epee. I also largely gave up my interest in being a three weapon fencer, especially since the major three weapon clubs in town discouraged the practice. The trend from that point was strong results in D and under events, and respectable but not good results in the Open events.

Unfortunately, after I got my B, my Open results didn't improve all that much. In fact, in the first 10 events rated A2 or better after I got my B, I only broke into the top 10 once. And that event was on New Years Day and I was completely hungover. The scary thing is that I could guess if less or more drinking would have improved that particular result. The worst bit is that of the three or four folks in GA who have improved their rating to a B or better in the last six months, most have renewed in just a few tries.

In the last couple years I was more committed to work, and seeing friends, and fencing mostly in the Div I NACs - but my results there are in need of examination as well. Right now I have more flexibility to train, coach, and compete - which is showing up in my Open results. It just sucks that it's taken almost six years for me to get to a consistently good level.

My fencing goals now are to be a constant fixture in the top 4 in Open A2 events, and in the top 32 at Div I NACs. Right now, looking at my last five results I am averaging in the bottom half of the 8 - which means I need to win one more DE per event. Given I haven't been blown out yet, it is a reachable goal. My NAC results have not been so kind.

To reach both goals I need to focus and fight for every touch in the pool like it is the Olympic final, and to jealously guard the distance like a drunken princess.

Shoutouts and Postings

2011-01-11T03:10:00.001-05:00

There's no promotion without self-promotion, so check me out on the new services website Betterfly. My posting on the Atlanta Sports page is here.

Also, check out RaiderFencing.com, the online home of the Alpharetta (GA) High School fencing team. These are the guys the snow demons have rescued from my training today. Seriously, three inches of ice and snow in Atlanta have shut down this city like the Death Star.

Eight Long Months...

2011-01-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

High school kids in Georgia have it easy. My only exposure to fencing in rural Missouri was through the local public library and luxury car commercials. For a high school freshman interested in competitive fencing and the potential to be good, there are these options.

1. Georgia HS League Monthly tournaments
2. Under 14 Events
3. Under 16 Events
4. Under 20 Events
5. Local Open tournaments

And these are just the Open competitions. From there...
5. Div III D and Under
6. Div II C and Under

And if the kid gets good (after all that tournament exposure)...
7. Div I C and above events
8. World Cups (if invited)

That is a ton of fencing,which is why you see so many fencers go from U to A in epee in only a few short years. It look me much longer to get my B.

In any case, after a long eight month drought, I finally returned to the medal round and left with a bronze in Augusta. I fenced well, but ran into some minor stamina issues. Not that I was too tired to fence, I just was losing the ability to think critically while fencing. And that ability is my singular unique strength.

Getting Good Again

2011-01-03T03:13:00.001-05:00

Years ago, I was a fan of a certain action. It's called ducking.

I used to be really good at it too. Unfortunately so many of the fencers above 6' tall (and therefore taller than me) in Georgia tend to fence everyone like they are children. They come on guard normally, then drop their arms half way to the ground. Every now and again I can take my opponents blade up and work my weapon into parry prime, but rarely do I see an opportunity to duck like above in a tournament. Given that the last two guys to beat me in DEs were over six feet tall, I need to find a way to bring this action back.

When a 5-1 Result Sucks

2011-01-02T02:55:00.004-05:00

In a High School tournament, I once lectured a student after she won a bout 5-0. Even though she won handily, she made mistakes that other better fencers could capitalize on later in the day (and did). To her credit, she took my stern lecture with grace and maturity before celebrating her dominating win with her proud mother and friends.

Yesterday, at the Dunwoody New Year's Day tournament, one of my clubmates was none too impressed with my 5-1 pool record. He wanted me to win them all (helping his place in the seeding), and he said my indicator was way too high, with my wins peppered with too many 5-3 results. I countered I had to spot my opponents 3 touches because I was completely nauseous and hungover from New Year's Eve. He wasn't convinced, nor should he have been.

Personally, I fully expected to get slaughtered by every fencer great and small, but having such a high seed after pools (6th of 27) and losing my first DE after the bye was horrible. I didn't expect to win the tournament or even renew my rating yesterday, but the landing hurts more from the higher you fall. I don't regret meeting the cute redhead from Columbia,SC just before midnight, but I wish I was more discriminating about what I drank.

The good news is that this is the third local tournament in a row where I have turned in a one loss record, and each DE loss has been to a Dunwoody fencer. Good pool results are essential at National tournaments and qualifiers, so this is very good. At some point I need to renew my rating this year, else I would drop to a C12 next year. At a local, this means I need to start winning DEs. So, either I start creaming my own on a regular basis, or hit the road and earn my rating out of the area.

Cody Mattern is Cool - 2010 Atlanta NAC

2011-01-02T02:41:00.002-05:00

Finally, another NAC on home turf, less than 20min from my house. Plus I know where the good parking is, and I have brand new weapons. Unfortunately, even with plenty of sleep I still turned in the same result as the Cincinnati NAC, a 1-5 result but with a better indicator.

Again, I didn't feel outclassed, but at least this time my coach hit upon the main issue. As my footwork gets faster, I am tending to miss. Not by much, but I am missing enough to turn possible singles to doubles or worse. Back to the target speed I go!

However, I did get a chance to meet Cody Mattern, one of the top fencers in the US, and pretty cool too. He is fun to watch because he doesn't have many actions that a good epee coach anywhere can't teach you. He just happens to do them very very well.

Oh, and I did find one picture of me fencing. Too bad you only see my arm and epee, but I got the touch!

One Hiccup

2010-11-28T19:03:00.002-05:00

There is nothing like disappointment. Failure happens to everyone. Few ever go undefeated. But to climb so high and trip on a stone at the summit hurts worse than anything.

Yesterday I fenced at the Crown Fencing November Tournament, and it was wild. I was in the large pool, and managed to come out 5-1, losing only to the C10 from my club and was #2 in the pool. After pools I was #4 of 25 in the tournament, and had a relatively easy path to the round of 4 and renewing my B. I also had a not so difficult path from there to the final. Given this, I was asked to help ref the other bouts, coach some of the kids in youth events, and when it came time to fence my first 15 touch bout, I lost. It wasn't a shellacking, it was a brawl. Eight double touches and four points traded off in the first 2:30 - this is not a bout I am controlling. I couldn't get command of the tempo, and I didn't have the presence of mind to just flèche at him over and over again.

The good news is that I have strung together two strong pool results in A2 level tournaments, and each DE loss so far has been against a clubmate. Losing sucks, a lot, but it is happening a lot less often, and it's against folks with insider knowledge.

So far, so good

2010-11-21T22:19:00.002-05:00

Today I competed at the North Georgia Fencing Club November tournament. Last night, I was watching UFC 123 @ Hudson Grile with my closest friends that I just met. I wasn't sure how well I was going to do, but I resolved to be aggressive. My first bout didn't end up that way, until I woke up, but I ended the pool 3-1. When I saw how low I was vs. the other one loss fencers (4-1), it makes me wish I asked for a reseeding when I had the pretext.

In any case the aggressive fencing worked great against folks not from my club. Unfortunately I had to go through two strong club mates to make the round of 4 and renew my rating. I only won one of those bouts.

Cincinnati NAC - Increasing aggressiveness

2010-10-24T15:51:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here before or not, but it is worth repeating - fencing Div I is like learning to fence all over again. What works at locals and regional tournaments just doesn't get it done at the higher levels. After watching fencers simply run away from a riposte, no matter how strong my parry, it seemed clear that attacks and counterattacks are the way to victory for me. Which means attacking 10 times more often than I do now. It also means I need to build up the endurance to sustain attacks for a long time. Which means I need to practice attacking over and over and over again.

First Tournament of New Season... Eh..

2010-09-19T22:09:00.004-04:00

I almost didn't make it to this one - even though it was in town and my club was the host. The night before I lost my keys and faced the prospect of having my car towed and rekeyed right before the event. Instead of hoping for the best and going to sleep, I had a few and passed out around 11pm. Turns out that I locked my car keys in the dash, and made it to the tournament in time for check in - but not in time to warm up.

My pool should have been easy - there were only 2As in a 40 person event, which means I should only have one tough bout to worry about. I ended up 2-3, and dropped two losses on a slow kid from Wintrop and another kid who earned his C that afternoon. I didn't even feel like myself until the final bout - which I lost 4-5 (including a touch where the guy managed to try three times to touch me after I left the strip AND fell over in the process when the ref was staring at the scoring box). It was embarrassing, but my DE tree wasn't daunting. Unfortunately, I lost my first DE (second round) to the same guy as in my final pool bout, even though at one point I had a 14-12 lead with 1:00 left in the 2nd period.

Lack of competing and practice probably contributed to my decision to force a swift conclusion to the bout, instead of resting on the 14-12 lead, and sticking to my strong defense. Fencing can be like riding a bike, you don't really forget, but the gamesmanship is what helps you win when faced with even or ususual odds.

Expect to See a Lot of Me in 2010-2011

2010-07-15T00:30:00.002-04:00

Ugh, what an awful year. I didn't qualify for anything except Senior Team Men's Epee for Nationals - not even Div III Foil. Although I felt I was improving towards the end of the season - most of it was just mediocre with flashes of horrendousness.

After spending some quality time with my previous years records at AskFred.net, I realized that I only did well when I competed all the damn time. I mean at least two competitions a month, sometimes two seperate competitions a weekend. At that point my results were consistent (top 4 in local Div II/III, top 8/16 in Local Opens), and getting better. I really want my A this season, more than I want to spend Friday nights looking at bar girls who couldn't compete with the women who shop my neighborhood Publix.

When asked by a prominent coach what my long term goal was for fencing, I said I wanted to be a fixture in the top 32 of Div I Men's Epee. Winning a few NACs would be fantastic, but I at least want my name to be mentioned (in a good way). His response was that I should practice more, and maybe quit my job. While it's true I don't practice or compete as much as I did when I had an easier strict 8-5p job; the ability to travel to any club or tournament I please using either cash or points or miles is a great consolation. He compromised on that suggestion if I made the effort to compete more, and travel to see other clubs when I was away with work. That made me feel better.

It's gonna be a long road - but it will be fun, after all fencing is my favorite thing to do. (Seriously, bar none.) I will post more too. ;)

Walking the Dog and Tunnel Vision

2010-04-13T11:15:00.002-04:00

One of the interesting things about fencing is that not only does it combine fine and gross motor skills like many sports, but each is also asked to draw on a huge library of skills in the middle of the bout. To mitigate this, coaches will teach the fencers to focus on 2-3 key actions, actions with over 80% accuracy that will ensure victory... but what if they don't work? If they don't work, the fencer must go back to that library, which is only possible if he has the presence of mind to analyze the situation on the fly, and either replicate a solution from previous experience - or create one.

The problem with this is that there is a person on the other end of the strip with a metal weapon in his hand, and he's coming for you. Only the quarterback in tackle football, and maybe the defensive secondary unit faces a similar dilemma - how to match solutions from a wide body of knowledge to a specific high pressure situation instantaeously. Most folks in such a situation freeze up because they can only see what is directly in front of them - hence "tunnel vision."

Tunnel vision is a phenomenon of the mind and body working in concert against an athlete's, or anyone's welfare. It's overfocusing on the most immediate issue, instead of taking in as much information as possible and making an informed decision. If you are running for your life in an open field - tunnel vision is ok. If you are running for your life in a jungle, the jaguar on the tree above you can get you just as good as the one on your tail. But if your field of vision is clear, and your mind is open - you can avoid them both.

When coaching from the sidelines, especially in fencing, sometimes it's not as important to convince a competent fencer to try a certain action as to get him to see the whole picture. If a 4-8 parry riposte will be more effective than a simple 4 parry-riposte - telling him might help, if he can see when to set it up. But if he has tunnel vision, that may not be possible.

Some of my coaching, like "Walk the dog" is less a suggestion on what to do, but a way of mentally pulling the fencer out of the chase. His body is still on guard with weapon at the ready, his drilling and training have made immediate parries automatic - but instead of being consumed by the madness of the moment, his conscious mind has now regained control and his eyes are able to see the entire field instead of the fencer that has confounded him. Much like the Pro Bowl level quarterbacks able to pick the perfect spot and receiver to pass the ball to as men the size and speed of rocketpowered refridgerators try to smash him - so can a fencer with a completely clear mind execute common and uncommon actions with ease. After all if the fencer has done his job in practice, somewhere in his mind he has the solution to victory - a coach need only help him clear his mind so he can find it on his own.

Georgia Southern - Fencing Fools Tournament

2010-04-02T15:42:00.002-04:00

Again, I lament the day that 4-4 out of the pools was not a good record. Based on the field, I really should have been 7-1, maybe 6-2 if I was still tired from the road trip. I got beat by a D who fenced like he was gonna rob me, and another guy (who eventually won) who I beat in a gold medal the last time I fenced him. The good news is that I didn't cough up any ratings, and I got a chance to fence some different styles than the ones I encounter all the time in Metro ATL.

I ended up in third place - and the trophy was a frameable picture of your best touch in the semi-final with my name on it. My touch was a quick hand touch in the middle of my opponents ill advised flick preparation. I won't post it here, because my opponent's "trophy" is a picture of him stabbing me in the throat and I am just taking it like a rank beginner. You can find my "trophy" on Twitter if you know how to find me.

Either way, April is gonna be busy:
- Georgia Divisonal Qualifiers - Div III Men's Foil
- Div I NAC in VA Beach - Men's Epee
- Southeast Sectional Qualifiers and Championship - Men's Epee

Wish me luck!!

Never Give Up - In Fencing or In Life

2010-03-22T16:33:00.002-04:00

I have been busy with work and life - both fencing and blogging have fallen off a bit. But, I will be back soon. Until then, here is a classic from 'Tales from the Dark Side" I hope you will enjoy.
---------------------------------------------------
This past weekend I helped referree a tournament for the Georgia High School Fencing League. Mostly this involved wearing a jacket and tie in a hot and humid gym, and looking mean and cross as I directed bouts. That was pretty easy because I was wearing a jacket and tie in a hot and humid gym. During the DEs one thing I noticed that pained me was how a lot of the kids seemed to give up in the third period when they were only down a few touches. It's one thing to get murdered, or to try something and fail. It is quite another to give up hope. I firmly believe if you give up hope in sports, you will give up hope in real life. Even if you know you can't win, you play for pride - just so your psyche remembers to hold on when it really counts.

It reminds me of my first official date in Indianapolis, back in 2001. She was a pretty petite blonde, who was introduced to me by her identical twin sister. I was excited about our date, but I also didn't want to screw up the golden opportunity to tell the story of the genesis of our relationship six years later. The plan was for her to meet me at my place, and I would drive us downtown to Palamino's in the Indy Circle Center.

Things got hairy when I was looking for street parking for about five minutes, and Ginger got tired of waiting. Just at that moment, I saw a space right across the street from the restaurant. I eased in front of the space, and as I prepared to back up to execute the perfect parallel park - Jerry Seinfeld started directing. Yes, a late model yellow Corvette pulls halfway into the space, just stopping where I am halfway in. Sonofabitch.

I make motions telling him to move on, and he flips me off. Personally, I was ready to just give in - I was hungry too - but then I heard Ginger speak. "You aren't seriously gonna let this guy have this space, ARE YOU?" You see, this is why women are responsible for all the violence in the world. If one of my guy friends said that, I might brush him off. But on a first date with a hot girl who wants a manly man, there is no way I am giving in to some douchebag in a penis car. So I start honking, a lot. Then I flip him the bird - with both hands. And for good measure, I back into the space at speed, at the same time. He is driving a brand new sports car, I am driving a company car that I was gonna wreck sometime anyway. Guess who got the space?She smiled lovingly and tossled her hair when I executed the best parallel parking job of my life.

Honestly, the rest of the date was wrought with bullshit (racist waitress who kept giving her wine in a soiled glass, neighbors who ambushed Ginger when she got back to my place - eliminating any chance of a "nightcap") - but I doubt I would have dated her for a year if I gave into that yellow Corvette.

Sometimes you gotta know when to fold them; but if it is time to hold 'em, you fight to the very end.

Balance

2009-12-20T16:31:00.002-05:00

This is a stressful time of year for me. My completely paranoid psyche has forever associated Christmastime with grades - and it doesn't help that mid-year reviews at work fall on the exact same time of year. Add that to the natural cold weather and I am sluggish, depressed, and I sleep a lot.

Sometimes I wonder if this has a huge impact on my fencing...

Two years ago, when I earned my B in epee - I was working a 9-5 at a small software company. Late nights and overnights were rare, and once I left the office thoughts of work were locked inside the building. Of course, no stress also meant I wasn't making a whole lot of money either. (The recruiter said, "you won't get rich, but it's a good gig." Thanks.)

Now, I am struggling, but I can use airline miles from work travel to pay for tickets to NACs around the country. I can also pile my equipment in my company car, and take road trips whenever necessary for cheap. The question is can my increased resources help me improve even though I actually have less time to devote to getting better at fencing? In times like this it's no wonder that there are few young adults in Georgia who are devoted to competitive fencing.

Pittsburgh NAC - Well, the Bars Were Cool

2009-12-06T22:23:00.003-05:00

Umm, here is a good fencer...

This is Cody Mattern abusing his last opponent in his morning pool bouts 5-0.

In contrast, my best bout was 4-5, when my last opponent tried to run at me and got hit instead.

Getting my ass kicked sucks, but hey, it happens - the fencing level is very high. Losing because actions I normally make aren't landing or because I didn't remise after the counterparry-counterriposte sucks HARD. Even when fencing someone like Ben Bratton, I had the timing and the distance and the blade, but couldn't stick the riposte. I am so used to getting it, I don't fight it out.

Next are a few locals in Georgia, but the big events are the Arnold Classic (if it is an FIE World Cup again) and the NAC F in Virginia Beach. Between now and then, I need to somehow replicate the level of intensity needed to compete nationally at my own club.

Dishonorable Fencing vs. Playing the Game

2009-11-30T02:39:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite rap lines goes like this:

"Now who ain't goin home? Looks like you
You hear strike one, talkin ****, strike two
Won't be a strike three, cause I don't play fair
I'ma look you in your eye while he hit you from the rear"
(DMX - No Sunshine)

To me, the line is staying that the rules don't always apply when the game is on the line. In a life or death situation - there is no such thing as cheating, you do what you must to survive.

In sports, it's another matter. For example, in football it is the job of the officials and opposing coaches to recognize rule infractions and mistakes to keep the game fair. If a tailback's foot goes out of bounds, if a quarterback fumbles a football forward three yards within the last 2 minutes of the game and recovers - the referrees must make the right call. If they don't, the offending team ain't gonna just own up to it until after the game is over. On the other hand in golf - there is an official who knows the rules, but you are expected to enforce the penalties on yourself, a true game of honor.

Fencing is somewhere in between. It is considered a game of gentlemen, but it's origins are from the life or death situation mentioned above. There is a referee who must know the rules and dole out penalties, but the fencers are expected by custom to acknowledge touches received both in practice and even in competition. If you refuse to acknowledge an obvious touch, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of all who witnesses such dishonesty. However, if you land a touch during a less obvious corps-a-corps, then arguing the touch was before the contact is simply part of the game.

When I fence, I can be physical, and I have a strong knowledge of the rules. Plus, I observe the behavior of the referree. If I feel the ref can be influenced, then at the right moment, I will do my best to take advantage. I don't feel that is cheating - it's just part of the game. However, if a wild remise grazes my ankle on a wood piste - I am going to acknowledge and accept the touch, anything less would be dishonorable.

A couple years ago I fenced a very tough local tournament at Vanderbilt. We were in DEs, and I was fencing an older teenager on the gym floor. He was tough, but I landed a foot touch and he refused to acknowledge it. The crowd laughed when I let go my epee, and it stood up inside the kid's sock. Not only did I get the touch, but the kid rightly felt like a fool, and he lost any credibilty with the referee. In fencing, especially in foil and saber, crediblity is everything. In epee fencing on a non-grounded piste, credibility counts for a LOT - especially if the referee is inexperienced.

I am no Dudley Do-Right, so my gauge is this... If the touch plainly landed on me, so that I could see and or feel it - I acknowledge without hesitation. Often I acknowledge wrongly because I was able to lock out the computer with my own touch a few milliseconds before. If the referee disagrees, I will plead my perspective once, and then let it go. Of course, if it is a touch in my favor I would plead my side as much and as loudly as I can get away with, without hurting my chances. If there is an honest question on the touch being scored against me, I will remain silent and let the referee sort it out. And if I know I was not touched or the touch was not valid, I will protest vehemently.

The worst is someone who refuses to acknowledge a valid touch - the only solution then is to request floor judges, or just hit harder.

FIE Card

2009-09-28T00:55:00.001-04:00

If fencing ever developed a baseball type card - here's what mine would look like on the back.

http://www.fie.ch/Competitions/FencerDetail.aspx?param=8961EBEEA2732CDE097C93B47FD32436

More of the Same

2009-09-20T16:52:00.003-04:00

One troubling point is that I am a much better fencer now than I was when I was 50lbs lighter. That is just scary. I just got home from a 60min run/jog/powerwalk just to put more pressure on my body to get leaner.

Dunwoody FC hosted the Bruce Fulsner Open yesterday, and I again came in 13th. Admittedly, it was a tougher tournament than the last one, so it could be seen as an improvement, but I would like to make the round of 8 or 4 more than once a year. I think I am on the right track, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable in my current gameplan. More practice should help - only I am traveling this week and next. Ugh.

Best fencing quote of the tournament:

(Coach to fencer referring to me) "Look at that guy! You can't hit THAT big a target?" I was too amused to be insulted, plus I had no intention of losing.

Say Hello To Atlanta's Newest Fencing Coach

2009-07-27T00:36:00.002-04:00

After seven or so years, some bruises, many victories, piles of defeats, great memories, and lots and lots of money, my coach and the United States Fencing Coaches Association saw fit to award me the title of Assistant Moniteur - making me an official certified fencing coach.

This is something I have always wanted, even before I realized there is no money in it. The fact I make way more money drawing graphs and diagrams in Powerpoint than doing anything really cool is a crying shame.

One thing that will help in this new endeavor is actually finishing Dr. Kogler's book, "One Touch At A Time." After a disappointing 3-2 pool record paired with a 12th finish last Saturday (nevermind I missed practice for a week), I read a few pages of his book on the plane today. Every mental battle I had that day had an answer in that book. Dr. Kogler specifically argues that fencing is one of those sports one does not get fired up for. Any sport that requires fine motor skills and precise decision making requires cold blood, not hot excitement. In other words, watching Varsity Blues, Braveheart, and channeling Joey Porter is only gonna lead to disaster. FIX YO PREP!!!

Still training for the Div I NAC and Regional Open Circuit events this season. Since damn near half of the active members in the club are now Cs and up, going to practice will be very productive.

Matching Expectations With Reality

2009-06-29T02:02:00.002-04:00

One of the hardest things to do is fence someone you know as they improve. Their mistakes are obvious, but their adjustments and improvements aren't - especially in the middle of a bout. Which is how a 9-2 lead turns into a 13-15 loss with 0:01 left in the match. That loss was in the round of 16 at the latest Dunwoody tournament, and I was so exhausted after that bout there wouldn't have been much hope of winning the next bout in the round of 8. Part of the problem was my 2-2 pool record, mostly due to weapons problems - although I had a close call in my first bout. Coming back 5 unanswered to win 5-3 is impressive, but it's also symptomatic of the fact that I didn't warm up.

And even though I was angry enough to murder for the 30 mins after the loss (unless you are a close friend, clubmate, coach, or relative - do NOT approach someone right after they are knocked out of an event if you want to keep your teeth or your composure), I made the 16 which is an accomplishment - as meager as that seems. Since I earned my B in late 2007, I've competed in 18 local tournaments (22 total) in foil and epee - and in only five of them (A2 level) have I made the round of 8 or better. Two of the 18 were foil (Div 3 events) events and I made the 8 in both of them. If my interest is stacking up medals, it seems foil would be the way to go until I place out of Division 3 in that weapon too. Unfortunately, my interest is improving in epee - which means that my expectations should better match reality.

So while winning is the overall goal everyday, and touching without being touched is the immediate goal - the realistic stretch goal at this point is to at least make the round of 4/8 and to win enough pool bouts in every event to make the top 75%. It will be tough, but the good news is that I am have lately been hitting these targets.

On To Nationals

2009-06-15T13:40:00.004-04:00

The GA Division Championships were last weekend, and well - yeah. I decided to not compete in any individual events this time around. The nice reason is that I haven't been to practice because of work, and wasn't sure I'd do well. The not nice and other reason was that I had friends in town all week and I knew I would be hungover if not passed out by close of check-in at 8:30am. These two reasons are also why I haven't competed as much inside Georgia as in the past. National and out of region events get on my calendar well in advance of any planned shenanigans.

And I sucked royally in the team events. I gained some weight because I haven't been to the gym in two months, and work stress has made it worse. Plus I haven't been to two practices in a row in the same period - so my distance perception was in the trash. I have less than three weeks to turn both those problems around.

The first step will be eliminating the shenanigans until after Nationals. That won't be easy. The good news is after I return from Austin, you will be able to find me at Mr C's. It's convenient to many of the fencing clubs in ATL - see you there.

Back To The Drawing Board

2009-05-27T00:54:00.002-04:00

Lately I feel very emo updating this thing. There is a history of emo kids being in my club. Maybe it is spreading, like swine flu. I think I caught that too a couple weeks ago.

Southeast Sectionals was awful. I can blame the strips that felt like less stable boogie boards all I want; everyone else was in the same predicament. I don't think I fenced badly, and I certainly didn't let wins in the pools walk away (a la up 4-3, losing 5-4). But there were wins I left on the table because I didn't chase them down like the lion after a healthy wildebeest, and one of those wins was in the first round of the DEs. The guy, a B2008, was good, but not that good. I tell myself it wasn't the booze I had during the day, but I realized I brought a whole box of Emergen-C to the event for a reason. Only I left it in the car during the event.

The good news is that SE Sectionals was the first Div I/IA event where I managed to do well enough to get promoted from pools to DEs, ever. The bad news is that this is the first DivI/IA event where I managed to do well enough to get promoted from pools to DEs, ever. Certainly solid fencers didn't even make it to the DEs in that event (and the others), but it's times like these where I realize I am not as good as I think I am. I don't think I suck in general, but I have not been bringing all the practice, drills, and lessons together into the pools in these events. And if you screw the pooch in pools at a Div I/IA event, you basically have a very expensive fencing vacation instead of a competition to enjoy.

I finally got Aladar Kogler's book, One Touch At A Time. Apparently it will teach me how to think positively - sorta like Oddball in Kelly's Heroes. I need to do something, all this travel is getting expensive and I would like something to show for it besides a nice bar bill.

Write the Score, that He May Not Embarrass Himself

2009-05-13T16:59:00.002-04:00

One of the most disappointing times in a new fencer's career is when he faces an experienced teammate for the first time in competition. Perhaps the new fencer waited before competing, and does extremely well in practice. Chances are, that new fencer is gonna get stomped, and hard.

What a lot of newer folks fail to realize is that while you are meant to practice hard at the club, the mentality and incentives for success (and disincentives for failure) are a lot different when the score is being written and published. I might give up on a 15 or even a 5 touch bout on a Friday night after a long week and all I really want to do is get drunk with my friends. On a Saturday afternoon when my coaches are watching and you are facing me in the first round of DEs - you're toast. It's not that I don't take you seriously in practice, it just doesn't matter as much if I don't. Some fencers, and athletes in general, cannot mentally make the seperation between competition speed and practice speed - others can.

One thing that does help is treating the practice bouts like a competition, or really just writing down the score. Not "keep score," but physically making a pool scoresheet and dutifully filling it in. Suddenly letting the newbie get three free touches isn't such a good idea any more. Even an adult like me who understands the psychology gets caught up in the faux competition. And even if no one cares a week after its over, winning that pool suddenly matters for that night, and now every touch matters.

God told Habbakuk to "Write the vision, make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." The idea was that if you write something plainly and clearly, the message will shine through to the reader and inspire him to act. If a new fencer needs a highly competitive fencer to give 100%, just ask that someone writes and posts the score - that will get his undivided attention.

Battling Back To Southeast Sectionals

2009-04-08T22:25:00.002-04:00

In tough economic times two things happen to workers on every level of an organization: they either lose their job, or their job becomes ten times more demanding. Thankfully (I think), my situation is the latter. I can't make it to the Portland NAC, so no opportunity to get Senior National points this season. I placed 8th in the last A2 level tournament in GA - which, while a strong finish, doesn't improve my rating. Worse, there is no potential A2 (or even B2) event before Southeast Sectionals in Lakeland, FL. Not that it matters - most folks who are preregistered are As and Bs anyway - seeding into the pools is a moot point.

My biggest issue is the internal mental battle between waiting to see opportunities to score on the strip, and creating opportunities to score on the strip. I am adept at the former, not so much at the later. Unfortunately, the better the fencer, the fewer unforced errors there will be to exploit for a touch. These days I try to create an opportunity, and if I don't screw it up and get it, I only score on the remise, or after some weird in-fighting where I can drop my hand and hit in a low six - which looks almost like a shank move.

Obviously practice helps, but it is difficult to recreate that tournament atmosphere on a weekday night when I am tired and frustrated from work and all I want to do is hit something really hard.

Learning to Fence All Over Again

2009-03-10T11:46:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I competed at the Arnold Fencing Classic, part of the Arnold (Terminator) Sports Festival. The event was also a FIE Satellite World Cup, which meant if I didn't get my ass handed to me I would end up with International points.

However, I did get my ass handed to me, so all I got was a t-shirt with my name on it (in a legible font size at least) and nifty lapel pins.

The worst was that even though everyone there was better than me, I didn't feel as outclassed as I thought I would. I beat the guy mentioned in this website, but no one else. I think 60% of my defeats were psychological - part of me felt like I wasn't ready for that level. I was making good decisions, but I wasn't confident in making the touch. And of course 40% was that my body was just not where it need to be. I hadn't trained as much as I would have liked, thanks to work, and I was a couple hairs too slow.

The difference is that I was used to being in a pool of seven where 2 bouts were gonna be tough, and a good day vs. a bad one would be having a 6-0 record vs. a 4-2 record. At the World Cups and Div I NACs, I've never gotten a lucky draw so every touch is precious, much less every win. It almost feels like I am starting over, like I am learning how to fence all over again.

Next up is a local tournament where I can earn my A, and then on to Portland for the NAC. If I can get my act together at these two events - I may even enter the World Cup in San Juan... and that could be a lot of fun!

Year in Review - Hush the Noise

2008-12-29T14:44:00.002-05:00

Driving home to Atlanta from Missouri was tough. It was the day after Christmas, I was tired, and the road was uneventful. After I got into Kentucky (I-57 to I 24 East), I put on Lil Jon's "Crunkjuice," figuring that getting crunk would at least keep me awake.

One of the tracks has a repeated line (I know, which ones aren't) that disses people who talk about folks behind their back. That immediately brought my mind to the last tournament of 2008 - the Dunwoody Southern Star. I came off a disappointing showing in Colorado Springs at the NAC C, and wanted some personal redemption at this local event. Due to waking up early to referee the E and Under event before, or the alcohol I had the night before, or the stress from traveling from ATL to DEN to COS back to ATL and then on to ORD and then a delayed red eye flight back to ATL, I crapped the bed in the pools. Worse, the score in the round of 64 DE was too close for comfort. Even with a four touch lead, I felt like the new kid in school wearing khakis trying to hold in a bout of mudbutt. Then I lost in the round of 32 to the #1 seed.

Losing was bad, feeling like a hack was annoying, but what pissed me off was hearing people talk about me when they saw the standings after pools. I am sure it has happened before - my 2008 fencing career was a dogpile compared to 2007 - but it has never been a relevant issue in the past.

When I was a U, not placing at the bottom was a victory. Plus I had to win my pool in an open to secure a high enough seeding just to get an E. Now, here I am as a B struggling to pull .500 out of pools. I was in better shape last year, but I also had a less stressful job (and admittedly, less money). It seems like my fencing is always at the mercy of the time vs. money resource battle.

In 2009, I don't want to spend weeks on end fasting and abstaining from fun just to place at locals, but I am going to work harder to stay in shape, and keep a positive attitude. My success is going to be doing the right little things all year, rather than cramming them in the week before an event.

And to the haters out there... to paraphrase Lil Jon, I'm in fencing to have fun and win - you're in this to hate and lose.

GA Division/State Championships This Weekend...

2008-06-20T14:16:00.002-04:00

...And I was drunk last night. Those of you who actually read this thing know I typically avoid red meat and booze a full week before I have a competition. The SE Sectional Championship blew that regime to hell.

At that tournament, I got my ass absolutely handed to me on a silver charger, with a bit of humiliation for garnish. Losing 0-5 to one of the best fencers in the Southeast is one thing; losing to a guy I have fenced four times in competition only to fall after a lead is another; losing to some random jackass hurt a lot. After an all too gentle scolding from my coach I pulled it together in the DE only to lose to her son in the second round. It was just as well, he lost in the round following and he was just barely seeded high enough to qualify for Nationals in San Jose. I would have had to battle the best to at least the round of 8.

After that tournament, I kinda lost it a bit. Spirits broken and all that. Fencing wasn't just not fun, it wasn't gratifying. Giving up fun nights (and mornings) with friends to travel and compete just didn't sound like a good idea any more. So, no more crazy training regimes. No neglecting my social life so I can perfect the high septime flick to the back. I am going to stop thinking like Tiger Woods, and start thinking like Rocco Mediate. Sure, Woods beat Mediate with a cracked shin and a torn ACL; and Woods has a hot Swedish model for a wife and millions and millions of dollars. But Mediate finished a strong second, and will get a bunch of money for his trouble. And the second Swedish models become interested in American epee (or foil) fencing, the second I will be training hard every morning and night for competitions.

Until that second passes, I am just going to have fun on and off the piste.

Not to say the competition has nothing to fear from me and my team in Rome this weekend. I will just be a lot happier, win or lose. And I might be at Happy Hour tonight.

Time To Run The Table

2008-04-30T00:56:00.003-04:00

The Southeast Section Championships are upon us. I talked a big game in January, now its time for that game to bear fruit. Things are a little worrisome right now. Since then I picked up a new job. I enjoy it, but there is a lot of travel, and I am not able to bust out the door at 4:59pm and make it to every practice early. Nor can I practice till 10pm with confidence that I can roll into work at 8:59:55am either. And out of the three tournaments I fenced in the last three months - my highest placement was top 16. That's not good.

The key of course is that I need to run my pools consistently. Even with a B, I need all the help I can get in the DEs; and I am not doing myself any favors by losing touches to weak fencers, and not killing the better ones.

If one subscribes to serendipity and invisible hands in the pot we call life - Iron Man comes out this weekend too. Looks like I may have good news come Sunday night.

Greater Composure

2008-01-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

In The Art of the Foil, Luigi Barbasetti discusses a variety of techniques and tactics to use in a fencing bout. In the midst of these descriptions, he talks about the essence of championship fencing.

Here we reach the true "Art of Fencing," in which correct calculation and judgement, and greater composure, precision, rapidity and endurance - general superiority in swordsmanship - will and must turn the scale. (italics mine)

Greater composure was something that I lacked last night in practice. Frustrations over leaving my old job and starting a new one, finances, social life, and a host of other issues damaged my train of thought. I executed lunges and fleches on to someones point; habits and mistakes I thought I buried long ago crawled back to the surface.

It's for this reason I avoid inviting my friends to watch me fence. Not because having them there would be distracting - it's because if they are late or don't show up, it effects my concentration. The day I won my first individual gold medal, I had a rough going in the pools because I was expecting a "friend" to arrive any minute. Between pools and DEs I simply just accepted she wasn't coming, wrote her off in my mind, and then went on to win the whole damn thing. I never understood how much composure meant until that day.

Too often I let my mind and heart focus on things and issues that in the end do not matter. Keeping my thoughts clear and single-minded is the key to winning on and off the piste.

Low Expectations and Happiness Through Ignorance

2008-01-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

The days when I could get raped 0-5 and 0-15 and smile sure were nice. My equipment was brand new, and I was in a really cool sport that I could brag about to my friends. Guys with letters after their name were scary, and getting any touches on them was a victory.

Now comes the days of bitter disappointment and discontent.

Today I fenced my first Division I event here in Atlanta in Men's Epee. I was expecting to get blown out, never mind that I am a B07. As it turns out, I am never as bad or slow as I think I am. Only one fencer in my pool lit me up with his speed, but that was my first bout - and I typically always lose my first bout at a national event. Every other pool bout I lost in a very competitive way. (5-4, 5-3, 5-3, 5-4*) If I lost all my bouts (I won one), or got destroyed in most of them, I would be happy. I would know that I still need to work to play at that level, and I would cheerfully train to do so. Instead, with the knowledge that I was two less cockups away from being 3-3 and actually making it to the Direct Elimination I am pretty pissed.

So here I sit, brooding, drinking a Sam Adams Winter Lager, with Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" playing in my head, scheming of how I am going to run the table at Sectionals in May.

I am coming for you.

* F'ing body cord crapped out on me. Weapon tests fine, after-bout examination by the armourers condemned the body cord. Not again.

Coaching - A New Frontier

2008-01-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I directed epee for the GA Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers. It was an ok time, but very tiring. Floors designed for fencing shoes feel like hell when you are wearing boots. The benefit was that I got to hang out with my clubmates and friends, and see some very good fencing.

At the same time, I ended up coaching some of my female clubmates while our coach was with the men in DEs. The women's events were small enough to guarantee there would be no ethics issues with me coaching and directing. We have some quality up and coming fencers - but it seems that there is a fundamental difference in how young men and women mature in this sport. With the boys, they get the fire to win before they have the skill to make it happen. With the girls, they don't start developing confidence and fire until winning is almost unavoidable.

That little difference makes women so frustrating to coach. I am used to giving guys advice on how to beat unfamiliar opponents, "feint-disengage; draw the attack, then parry-sixte-riposte," etc. With the girls, it's stuff like, "eye of the tiger; don't be nice; win inside before you can win outside!" There was one phrase in particular - my fencer was in thrust distance, and needed only extend her point another inch to make an easy touch; yet she kinda hung out there in distance and got hit with a beat attack! I asked her what happpened in my patented concerned-but-the-anger-boils voice, and she simply said she couldn't do it. She knew she was close enough, my fencer just assumed the girl was better than her and it didn't occur she might have the upper hand, albeit briefly.

I know kids are supposed to have fun - but the girls are happy when they win and sad when they lose, so they are invested. How do you turn that investment into a fiery passion to win? Honestly, for a couple of them - that passion is the last piece of the championship puzzle.

When is a 9th place finish "awful?"

2008-01-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

... When you are a B07 in an A2 tournament.

I got pretty wasted on New Year's Eve, but I seemed to be ok New Year's Day. Outside aggressive bowel movements in the morning, I thought the tournament in Marietta would work out pretty well.

The pool was exciting. I nearly beat the A in my pool, won a hard fought bout with the C, and cleaned up everyone else except for a brand new left handed fencer - who beat me 3-5. It was her second tournament, and everyone else in the pool smashed her. This didn't bode well.

With a 3-2 finish, I was seeded 9 of 27 before the DEs. I faced yet another, but more experienced, southpaw... but acceleration and fleches were enough to win the battle. The next bout was the 8th seed - a highly experienced, yet unrated, youth southpaw. Fencing under the pressure of a 3 touch deficit, odd calls, and my weapon unraveling in my hands finally took its toll on my booze soaked frame. Direct attacks weren't working, and fleche in prime worked enough to get me to keep trying this extremely difficult move over and over again. One parent said I even fenced too hard. At 12-15, I was upset, drenched, tired, and frustrated.

Back to the drawing board. And back to the no drink the week of a tournament rule.

No Shining At The Southern Star

2007-12-17T00:54:00.000-05:00

The best thing about a pool of 8 is that you have seven chances to pull out a winning record. Unfortunately, I needed all seven chances to hit 4-3. While my loss to the other B in the pool was understandable, I let a clubmate get in my head for a 2-5 loss, and a U from Emory had a good day, beating me 5-4 with a command of the lead the whole time.

D.Es weren't much better... the round of 64 was ok, but I lost miserably to another B 15-10. Somehow, I wasn't catching my opponent's adjustment after I won the lead. I would get a one or two touch lead with an arm touch or parry-riposte, only to give it up when I went on the offensive. I need to learn to sit on a lead.

I need to remember that I won my B by taking my time, not getting over excited, and fighting for each touch. My head was in the game, not thinking about finishing out the bout. I am at my best when I fence one touch at a time. I oughta hire someone to shout that to me.

Latest Fencing Results

2007-11-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

I crapped the bed at Vanderbilt, as usual. I never seem to do as well as I should there. Since it was my first as a B (epee), pools weren't tough - although a D came to play and beat me 5-3. Everyone else I handled pretty well.

My first DE was against a guy who looked like a pirate and refused to attack. My attack was awful that day (hangovers will do that) so I wasn't gonna spend all day chasing him down. I ended up winning 7-5. I lost the next round to an annoying little girl - and I really couldn't keep my head out of the beer I was hoping to drink long enough to beat her down.

It was just as well, I only had one clubmate still in, and we headed to an awesome microbrewery after he was done. Next time - I am bringing plenty of powerade and will go for blood.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I did a foil event in Suwanee. It was fun, after I got over the fact that neither my bodycords or any of my foils worked. I borrowed new foils and bodycords, and got reaquainted with a little thing called the off-target light. This light is what makes foil fencing like shot calling in pool (as opposed to "slop" pool and epee).

A big part of my epee game is hitting the edges and margins, "aim small, miss small." It involves landing on the hand, top or underside of the arm, the back, top edge of the shoulder, neck, and yes - sometimes the groin. I may not start an attack there, but I often end up there. In foil, I have a problem. Most of those areas can be protected by the tiniest shift of the body - and now I am not landing on the lame anymore. Most troublesome.

I also didn't use the coupe much at all, and it is a must have technique in foil - but can get you murdered in epee. I'll get 'em next time.

Pretty Girl Fencing for Mastercard

2007-10-31T00:43:00.000-04:00

I am still experiencing the afterglow from getting my B in epee last weekend. Nothing but fencing related issues have been on my mind - which works out because I am getting ready for the Vandy Cumberland Open this Saturday. And while I was flipping channels (waiting for Ron Paul on the Tonight Show) I came across this Mastercard commercial on cable. It it Penelope Fortier an enchantingly beautiful song called "Favorite Things." And of course, she weaves a touche being scored against her into the song. I actually shed a tear... someone may be cured of cancer.

If Penelope would sing "Favorite Things" at a NAC or at Nationals, I would straight up cry. She has that great a voice.

EDIT: I just checked out Penelope's MySpace Music profile. Let's just say that the music lessons must have came between the stuff on her page and "Favorite Things." I'm not saying she's bad - just that there is a scratchy off harmony thing from the music on her site. But, I am no music critic.

Tiger Open Epee Results

2007-10-29T13:45:00.000-04:00

Mixed Epee: 28 Competitors, a A2 Event
Place Fencer Club Rating* Rating Earned*
1 Lane, Mitchell CFC B2007 A2007
2 Benslimane, Wari GFA B2006 B2007
3 Shaffren, Craig NGFC C2007 B2007
3 Cole, Matthew DFC D2007 B2007
5 Miller, Stuart NGFC A2006
6 Vail, Bruce DFC A2007
7 Seaman, Scott FFA B2007
8 Thompson, Daniel CLEM B2007
9 Caldwell, Laney SB A2007
10 Sanders, Corey CLEM E2007 D2007
11 Kelly, Michael CFC B2007
12 Aldinger, Michael DSOC E2007
13 Newman, Taylor CLEM D2007
14 Bosco, Marianne SB B2007
15 Virkus, Zeb CFC U
16 Hueske, David DSOC C2005
17 Green, Michael CFC B2007
18 Bokhanevich, Dmitriy CLEM U
19 Randall, George CLEM E2006
20 Graves, Joshua UTK U
21 Rowland, William DSOC D2005
22 Floyd, Alaina CLEM U
23 Scott, Caleb CLEM U
24 Benward, Emma CLEM U
25 Patterson, Andy CLEM E2006
26 Dinkel, Scott CLEM U
27 Gutierrez, Pete CLEM U
28 Norris, Ayla CLEM U

The Southeast Doubleheader - And a New B07

2007-10-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a good weekend of fencing to make you forget the debauchery of Madison, WI that I have nearly outgrown.

First up was the tournament at Birmingham, AL. The Birmingham FC has a great facility with 12 strips, and the tournament was very well run. In the Open Epee event I swept my pool - which happened to be populated with an A07 and former Olympic Medalist (in foil, but it still counts). I ended up #5 out of the pools with a BYE, but got taken out by a fencer from Huntsville who made it to the four. Still, not a bad day.

Next was the Tiger Open in Clemson. I pretty much crapped the bed in the pools, leaving with only one victory and a horrible indicator. However I pulled it together and made it to the four - losing to the eventual winner 15-14. Since the event was an A2, I earned my B07 rating. This was shocking to me, because I signed up for every tournament in a 250 mile radius hoping to earn my C before registration for the Div I Atlanta NAC closed. I can't fence Div II events any more, but I finally broke into Div I and as I told my neighbor, "now I can play with the big boys..."

Beyond The Plateau

2007-10-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

Where it not for my clubmate's generous gift for my birthday, I may be hitting a plateau. I have been reading a book on Italian fencing with the spada, and it has made a positive difference so far. Beyond that, I have been carousing WAY too much - and the scale has condemned me. The near term goal is still to earn a C07 before December 4th so I can fence the Atlanta Div I NAC. My performance at the C2 turned D1 event a couple weeks back proved I can fence at a C-Level, I just need to prove it at another tournament. I just hope time doesn't run out.

A Story of Five Bouts

2007-10-01T13:09:00.000-04:00

Imagine with me, if you will, a hot gym filled with fencers, family, and friends. Three events are taking place - the Y10 and Y14 kids have started their pools, and the Div 3 event is in the round of 32 of direct elimination. Let's focus on Div3.

1. Round of 32. The boy I am fencing is about 6'1" and around 240lbs, but he doesn't wear it well. He doesn't move very quickly, or gracefully - so for better or worse he stands still. Nevertheless his reaction time is very fast, even if his reactions are not skillful. At 9-0, he loses confidence, and I become very interested in ending this bout as quicky as possible. Then I begin to attack without fully extending my arm - and a perfect bout is out of reach at 10-1. He manages to score a couple singles when my point glides around his belly instead of sticking it. During the first minute break I regain my composure, relax, and just take my time - anyone can beat me if I start rushing and not taking him seriously. Mind put to rest I end the bout 15-6.

2. Round of 16. The man I am facing is about 6'3 and around 220lbs or so. He has much more skill than the last opponent, but did not move much at all except to fleche or lunge. I have a lot of confidence in my fleche defense against right-handers (my defence against a lefty's fleche needs work), so the score ran in my favor easily.

3. Round of 8. Here I face the #1 seed after pools, standing at 5'9" and around 180lbs. He moves around a lot more than the others, and his fleche is more successful. I open up the distance to give my defense a chance to work - and try to force his fleche by driving him to his own endline. I threw in a few fleches of my own; just over half were successful. Of course, that's enough to win.

4. Round of 4. This girl, standing at a proud 5'10" and weighing around 130lbs, I have fenced twice previously - first at AFC in the final where she earned her D, the second in pools at Vandy where I evened the score. Back then I remembered that she was not confident in her attack, but her counterattack was deadly. I managed to stay ahead, although the close score through each period gave her confidence in her attack. At 14-14, I saw AFC flash before my eyes. We were fencing on a far strip next to a wall and a bleacher - and I didn't even hear the loud clang when my epee struck the bleacher in its wild path to this girl's midsection. I fought the call without success. Again, at 14-14 I knew that an attack was coming, and I couldn't afford to get countered on an advance-lunge. I extended my arm towards her sixte to pull a parry, beat the blade in counter sixte and launched myself at her. I don't know whether it was the initial hit to the upper chest or the safety touch to her flank that won the bout... all I know was this time the light came on with no question.

5. Round of 2, Final. This guy is strong... and unrated. He was the sleeper in this event. Standing at 5'11" and 160lbs, he was lean and mean. He scored first with a fleche. I scored back with a fleche. Then followed up with a fleche so slow, he couldn't believe I got enough pressure on my tip as he backpedaled to get the touche. Through out the bout I managed to stay at least two touches ahead, but every time I got an advance too close, he would fleche successfully or pick my hand. The best I could do was stay ahead in the score, let him chase me down the strip, and through him lunges out of distance to keep it interesting. When ever he backed up, he ate up clock. When he stood his ground, I hit him with a fleche. At 12-10 my arm was too tired to keep extended, and I only pushed him back to make him jump and keep the wide divide between us. Just as he was about to push me off the strip - the director called time. I won.

Oh No.... Sprinkle Some Fries On Those CUPCAKES!

2007-09-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

Well, thanks to lots of alcohol, and the explosion of booze, food, and sweets that was birthday weekend 2007 - I have missed a few practices and I gained a bit of weight. Make that 12 lbs. Plus, I hit the treadmill and the weight room HARD last Sunday, and now I am sore as hell today. All this, and my fencing has suffered dramatically and I have my first tournament of the season in three days.

This is SNAFU barrelling towards FUBAR.

I stopped drinking for the week after the Falcons game last Sunday, and redoubled my efforts in practice - but I am worried about my endurance and my extension. My brain is making the right decisions - but my hand position and execution is screwing up the timing. Worse, I have a lecture on Thursday at Emory, so no practice before my first event first thing Saturday morning.

You might wanna wear a mask...

Right now, the plan is to work out today and get to bed relatively early, eat light tomorrow and work out before the lecture, and stay in Friday at all costs - even if it means inviting any paramours to my place. That, plus extension exercises at home will hopefully reverse the losses I have put on myself over the last few weeks.

Good lord wish me luck!

And So It Begins - The New Fencing Season

2007-09-12T13:32:00.000-04:00

After a short break, the new fencing season has finally begun. Unfortunately, I have already missed two local tournaments because a) I was busy and b) I still need to buy new body cords (see Miami below). Worse, I even broke the last body cord I had that I was using for practice. And my favorite Uhlmann FIE blade finally bit the dust during practice. That is the last time I use an FIE weapon for practice. It feels so much better than all my other weapons, I just like fencing with it.

So after birthday week (this week) and my work with the GA High School Fencing League the weekend of Sept. 22 - my competition season officially starts with my club's first tournament on Sept. 29.

Here is the rest of my fall/winter schedule for 2007:

Oct 27-28 - Birmingham or Clemson, SC (depending on whether AL Division has their act together)
Nov. 3 - Vanderbilt
Nov. 17 - Rome, GA
Dec. 15 - Southern Star, Dunwoody, GA

The crappy part about this schedule is that I need to get a "C" rating by Dec.14 (Dec. 21 if I want to pay triple fees) to compete in the NAC that is coming to Atlanta (15 min from my house) in mid-January. It can be done, but it ain't gonna be easy.

Tom Brady - Retarded, Bad Fencer

2007-08-17T16:29:00.001-04:00

Discuss!

Have a great weekend!

I eBay, Therefore I Epee

2007-07-30T23:28:00.001-04:00

Most people choose a weapon to fence based on a coach's recommendation, or personal preference. Other fence whatever weapon is being taught in the area. I ended up fencing epee because of a deal on eBay.

I started fencing foil at Minnesota Sword Club about 4-5 years ago. I was ok, but I was progressing nicely. My coach suggested I look at epee, but I was gung ho on getting foil down first. One of the problems with foil, and fencing in general, is that the blades are very expensive and there is no absolute guarantee it will last more than a single tournament. Spending money on a cheap Blue Gauntlet electric foil taught me that hard lesson. I shelled out $100 for a Santelli foil which came highly recommended, but I really couldn't afford to make many more purchases like that without some guarantee the thing would last. After asking for advice, I figured I could find some decent stuff on eBay - thinking that it may not be the highest quality, but at least it would be a better deal.

That's when I came across a beautiful Uhlmann foil. It had a rainbow coloured FIE blade, red pistol grip, and Leon Paul bayonet socket. Bidding at $45, with few takers. As an experienced eBay-er, I knew that jumping on this deal would be suicide - it would be best to wait it out till the final minutes (or seconds) before bidding. Luckily, the auction would end on a Wednesday night, so I could just stay at work to watch it.

And then I saw it - another Uhlmann FIE weapon, top of the line. Only this weapon was an epee. The current bid was for $50, but this particular weapon retails at nearly $200 - and the seller claimed the weapon was brand new. What's the worst that could happen? If it was a fake, I would just report her to eBay. So I bid on that one too - and won them both. The next week I saw an STM FIE epee, and was able to bring it home for under $100. Did I mention all three weapons came with body cords?

So having originally gone in search of cheap foils - I ended up with a quality FIE foil, and two FIE epees w/body cords at an insane price. Now that I was completely outfitted for competing in epee - I figured I may as well give it a shot.

One last note - all three weapons still function, and are in working order. Best fencing purchase I ever made. Too bad there aren't more deals like this.

Summer Nationals Aftermath

2007-07-27T14:16:00.000-04:00

To get over the whole fiasco in Miami (see below) I went on a five day bender that ended in Northside Hospital. Nothing like spitting blood and having saliva run out of a hole in your face to sober you up. Concrete is hard.

The good news is that I am healing quickly, and I still feel myself progressing. This time last year I noticed a difficult plateau in my fencing prowess - no longer. I can hit toe touches at will. My fleches are a little slow, but I can time the remise with my opponent's parry during the fleche - which is awesome. Hand touches are a lot better as well. I also have a shiny not-so-new red Leon Paul rollbag (with steel support plate) which makes me feel awesome.

I can't wait for the new season!

EDIT: A cookie for whoever recognizes the quote in the title box above. (7/27/07)

Miami - Lots of Heat, Some Fencing

2007-07-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

Few things I enjoy more than watching fencing. Learning about opponents, commenting on good or bad technique, preparing myself mentally to fence myself are all benefits from hanging around the Summer Nationals venue for a week.

Unfortunately, such dilligence cannot fix a broken bodycord.

Watching my pool in Division II Men's Epee I wasn't too worried. My record was 0-1, but I lost by only one touch. Sure my weapon seemed to be acting funny, but I figured it was just nerves on my part. After another weapon failed shims, and then another failed weights, I started to get nervous.

Soon all my weapons were alternately failing and passing, as my record dipped to 1-3. Knowing I needed to absolutely win the next two bouts just to get past the 80% cut for the direct elimination round didn't help at all. Then came the moment of fear - in my fifth bout I was up 4-2, and was repeatedly stabbing my opponent. No light, no touch. No touch, no halt. With no halt, I had to keep hitting the guy just to keep time running out. My opponent, no fool, pressed his advantage, and won in priority.

By the last bout, record now 1-4, I realized it was a body cord problem, and I just couldn't get my head back into the game. I lost 5-4 on a bad fleche (double-touch), and with only one victory and a -7 indicator, I was four touches out of the DEs.

The worst is that only one kid legitimately beat me, the rest benefited from my non functioning equipment. Never mind I brought four epee weapons (Uhlmann FIE, STM FIE, brand new Leon Paul, brand new PBT), or that both my body cords were certified by the armourers. Getting railed at Nationals by your betters is one thing. Crapping out in the pools in an event you could have won is completely humiliating. The body cord more than anything else was at fault, and now I must remember to buy a brand new cord at every national competition I compete in. See below if you want the old one.

It's there somewhere.

Back to the drawing board.

I'm Going To Miami

2007-06-28T16:06:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's hard to believe I am leaving tomorrow. Friday afternoon I make the 10 hour drive to Miami. I should arrive early morning Saturday, unless I make a stop off in Lakeland to visit my friends at Hooters there. Then I will have two days to relax and adjust to the superheated air before fencing in Senior Team Epee on Monday. After that, I get to resist the urge to party like a rockstar before fencing in Div II Men's Epee the next Sunday. Then I drive home.

All indications are looking good. I am faster, I have more endurance, my actions are cleaner, and I am beating people I lost to before and am holding my own against folks used to murdering me. I expect good things.

Wish me luck!

GA Division Championship... Too Much Too Soon?

2007-06-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

I really wasn't planning to compete in fencing at all in June. Nationals wasn't cheap for me last year, and it was here in Atlanta - just down the road. Sure, I factored the $100 I spent on booze with my friends from out of town in that cost, but still. When rumblings of a new State Championship came up this May, I really was non-plussed. Saving up for what will be an expensive trip to Nationals in Miami meant that fees for another tournament, gas, and the possibility of something else breaking wasn't in the cards. I delayed buying warm ups until this month. Add to that coaching fees, pre-Nationals clinic fees, and entry fees and I have already committed $400 before leaving town. Transportation and lodging aside (I've managed to hold those costs low), I still need to feed myself for a week, buy epee blades and cords, and at least take in South Beach while I am there. Keeping this trip under a grand will be harder than winning gold in both my events.

So while most of my club is fencing in the Mixed (Mixed!) Open Epee State Championship, I will be getting some much needed rest. I will make it up for the team epee event - my team needs all the practice it can get.

Had I known about this event back in December, I probably would have competed. The Vandy tournament was a disaster... and outside lessons learned and the chance to hit on a cute redhead coed, it was a complete waste of time and money. Losing in the Table of 64, and having pre-paid an extra night at my hotel was the ultimate humiliation. Knowing what I know now, I would have easily forgone that to plan to fence in Rome. Scheduling is a bia, right?

I Suppose I Don't Suck

2007-06-07T10:32:00.001-04:00

These days I am starving myself. I've managed to drop 16lbs in the last month or so, and I am trying to improve both my quickness and my endurance. The endurance goals are being achieved slowly but surely, the quickness ones are much much harder to hit. Plus I have the great side effect of being near death at the end of every practice - and I'm almost impossible to move in the mornings. It's all worth it when I notice my knickers fit better and I am getting touches that were a lot tougher just two months ago.

That being said, the latest Georgia Peach Points came out last night, and I must say, I don't suck...

Not bad... I am also the highest placed D and Under on the points list in GA, sorta like being king of the appropriately-disparaging-nicknames. (I hate the scrubs term.)

If you click the picture, you will get the full list - which also shows my piss-poor performance in foil, and my non existant performance in sabre. I haven't competed in sabre in a year, it has been too long.

Melee Indeed....

2007-05-22T09:16:00.000-04:00

One of my clubmates and I were talking about superstitions before competition. Not washing clothes, not eating meat... that kind of thing. I revealed that my superstitious behavior involved no beef or beef like meats a full week before competition, and no alcohol for a week before an event. That superstition took root when after I realized I got my best results following those two rules, especially in Statesboro.

So why did I agree to have a drink with one of my neighbors the Wednesday before the May Melee IV at Dunwoody? Sure he was getting married that weekend and I was skipping out on his last Happy Hour and Steak night as a single man, but fencing is more important than friendship right? Right?

The one pitcher didn't do too much damage to me on Saturday in the Div3 event. I won all of my pools except one bout with a lefty. The problem was I didn't back off after getting a 3-1 lead. It seems that one I get three quick touches in a row, I feel I can get 5 quick touches in a row. Losing 3-5 was not only humbling, it set me up to meet the eventual winner of the tournament in the elite eight instead of the quarterfinals. Given I lost to him 14-15 on a lazy attack, had I achieved a perfect pool record, given a couple other things I could have been a C07 today.

After the Div3, I visited one of my friends at the Dunwoody Beer Festival, then went on to watch some stupid puppet show (billed as x-rated by the AJC) with some friends (read: two cute girls I know and a random dude). The whole thing was a complete waste of time and only served to keep me out too late before the Open.

In the Open I was pretty well hammered. I was slow, that was my only real technical mistake.

In the Team Event, Team Coletrain - consisting of three C07's and me, was put up against a team of all lefties from Atlanta Fencers Club. And they consisted of two As and a C07. I think we had an honest chance. Its just that while 3-5 is an ok pool score in an individual event, three guys losing 3-5 means the team score is now 9-15. And that is very much not ok. We were just inexperienced as a team. Not only that, I was put in the unenviable position of trying to regain 15 touches in the second to last bout. After I got the first 5 touches in about 20 seconds, I thought I could easily get the next eight. Unfortunately, my body just completely ran out of gas. Even one of the parents smiled as he saw me "huffing and puffing." I am a relatively decent fencer, but I am no Bruce Vail when it comes to digging a team out of a double digit hole. Give me another three years and I will get there. We ended up losing 29-45, meaning we didn't come close to closing the gap in the end. Horrible.

Speaking of inexperience and Vail, one of his team members was completely changed into his street clothes when Vail's team was up against Charlotte in the last bout. They were only down about 6 points or so, nowhere near the double digits we allowed. Vail pulled it out for the win in the last bout, and the team went on to win the event. It turns out Bruce never noticed his teammate get undressed into street clothes, and then get back into fencing gear once someone pointed out that his team was actually going to win. Bruce probably could have handled it, but I know few others that could. Horrible.

Southeast Sectionals - Murder Was The Case...

2007-05-10T16:36:00.000-04:00

Well, Senior Men's Epee is no joke. I ended up losing 5-4 in pools to the guy who pulled 2nd place, which made me feel ok. My other five bouts, including the one I won, were dreadful. It may have been the drinks the night before, or the hanging around with a friend of mine from 'Bama. Most likely I was just really rusty, and needed some more warm up time. Plus I wasn't breathing, or thinking in a competition mode. I didn't have much hope of winning, but placing in the top 3rd was not impossible. Let this be the last time I tank in an A4 event.

Oh, and the USFA hasn't received the GA Division results yet - so officially, I am still an E07. Great...

You Can Fence In Iraq, Country Still Sucks

2007-04-24T00:51:00.000-04:00

Out of nearly pure curiousity, I began researching fencing opportunities in the Middle East. While Dubai sports a strong fencing program, the Iraqi Fencing Federation was bleed dry by sanctions well before the US invasion in 2003. More recently, the president and secretary-general of the Iraqi Olympic Committee has been kidnapped.

However, supported by US vendors and generous folks at home, the US Army has fledging fencing programs at Camp Victory in Iraq and also Bagram, Afghanistan. The Camp Victory program seems to be mostly dry sabre, but I am sure epee will soon follow.

Fencing: Evolution of Strategy

2007-04-22T19:39:00.001-04:00

As I try to get better at this sport - I realized that there is an evolution in skill and thinking in fencing. I am sure this evolution is in all sports, but in fencing it seems to be much more apparent. Here are the levels.

Complete confusion. At this point, you really don't know what is going on. You try to apply lessons you just learned only minutes ago, and you fail miserably. In foil and saber, you are doomed to being murdered and embarassed by attacks and parry-ripostes that never seem to work. Worse, you will never have a call go your way. In epee, you are actually kinda dangerous. If a fencer doesn't perceive your lack of experience, he will offer cues you will miss - and he might actually open himself up to your wild flailing about and actually get hit.
Nervousness. Here the lessons are starting to take hold. Lots of defense, not much attack. Attacks will often fail, although sudden direct attacks might work. At this stage you may take the lead in a bout, and then lose suddenly because you are not experienced enough to notice adjustments in an opponents tactics.
Anticipation. After a lot of experience, and many lost bouts, you will start to notice patterns and trends. With fencers at or below a certain level, you can anticipate how they will attack, or how they will defend against your attack, and you can use that information against them. For example, if Fencer A consistently uses a parry four then riposte, you can feint to four, then attack in sixte, with a parry four after to make sure there is no double touch (esp. in epee).
Manipulation. After a ton of experience, and many lost and won bouts, you will start to notice a lot more patterns, trends, and styles. Once you recognize a fencer with a certain style, you can manipulate him into a set of patterns and tactics so that you aren't chasing him any more with your tip or edge - you need only direct him to where your tip or edge is going to be. For example, if you see a fencer who enjoys going for the toe, you can fence in a lowline guard for much of the bout. At the right time, raise your guard and step an extra half advance out of distance. This will direct your opponent to the opportunity he has been waiting for, and as he goes for your toe - you can nail him in the face.

I will let you know if I make it past #4.

It's About GD Time

2007-04-14T17:43:00.000-04:00

Right now I don't feel a sense of accomplishment. I only feel relief. For a week, no drinking, light meals, working out and fencing every night (even at home when class was unavailable), because God forbid I tell all the girls in Miami I am coming to visit this summer and I don't even qualify. Right now I am reminded of the words of Captain John Paul Jones.

When an Enemy think a design against them improbable they can always be Surprised and Attacked with Advantage. - it is true I must run great risque - but no Gallant action was ever performed without danger - therefore, tho' I cannot insure Success I will endeavour to deserve it. (italics mine)

Well, praise God I did deserve it today. Even though the GA Division 2 Men's Epee Qualifier event was stacked with C's - I managed to hold on and didn't lose a bout until I reached the final four. Which means I qualify to go to Summer Nationals. And I finally got my D07 classification. Also, my club team, Dunwoody FC (The Coletrain)*, won Men's Epee today and we also qualify. Man, I really do have a ball down here in Statesboro.

Tommorow is Division 3 Men's Epee. Next stop, C07.

*Seriously... That's the name of the team. Not even my idea. Not sure how many folks in the club even read the website!

Vanderbilt - Horrible

2007-04-09T14:11:00.000-04:00

This is me... Cue in Godfather theme.

Well, it could have gone worse, but I doubt it. Well, given that I tied for last place, it really couldn't have gone worse. It was the worst performance for me in two years.

I made it to the round of 8 in Div3 Mens epee at the Vandy tournament, lost in the round of 64(!!) in the Open. Not a single win in the open. It was just a crappy day all around. I was slow, and according to everyone who saw me, my arm was too low.

This event doesn't get a grumpy tag because I really got beat. I don't feel frustrated; I simply feel that I need to work harder on some things to improve. I need to focus more on mentally preparing to win - rather than enjoying Happy Hour (2 for 1s!) and trying to find my favorite Nashville bar.

I don't think I could have advanced beyond the 16 in the open, but if I did I would have gotten my D. I could have won the Div3, it would have been tough, but it was mine to lose. I am disappointed in myself, but then again - I need to sharpen my technique. I am getting a private lesson this evening that should help.

For Fun or Glory?

2007-04-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

After a murderous pool performance, I finally battled back to reach the round of eight at the Fencing Fools tournament in Warner Robbins, GA. My record was 1/4 and I didn't even want to think about my indicator - until I win my first DE against a C2007. Then I learn that four of the five people in my pool (including myself) made the round of eight. So there is no one who can say I didn't have the toughest pool in the room. Unfortunately, I got knocked out by the top seed, an A2007, so a C was out of reach. But because of my crappy pool record, a D was out of reach as well - going to a guy who had a much easier pool and the voice of a 4 year old girl.

I was upset for at least a few days - even flirting with hot blondes and drinking tequila after the event did little to calm me down. It makes me wonder - what am I doing all this for? I love to fence, but winning makes me feel good, and glory makes me feel better. I am the kind of guy who is more inspired by praise than cash. I'm a guy who finds it hard to leave the group to hit on the lonely hottie at the bar when the older horny blonde woman is massaging my bald head.

Somedays I do this for exercise, some days I do it for fun... but on competition days, I do this to win - and when I don't, I feel like crap. There has got to be a better way to deal with these emotions while my subconscious waits for my body to start winning all the time.

Right now I am focusing on Divisionals. I want to qualify for Div2 and Div3 - but Div2 could be interesting. Having a D will help my initial seeding, which is why I am fencing in Vandy on Saturday. Wish me luck!

I Think I'm Getting Better

2007-03-29T12:14:00.000-04:00

This is a vast improvement from my fencing just a year ago. From DFC's March Wind outdoor fencing event.

Kendo vs. Fencing

2007-03-27T16:41:00.000-04:00

Just for fun... Personally I think that an epee fencer is not going to be so ambitious if he was facing a sharp katana vs. a wooden shinai. Shinai's rarely hurt when they hit you - unless you make no attempt to parry and your drunken neighbor hits you in the back. Sorry D.

This next one is a fencing commercial that played during the NCAA March Madness tournament. The fencing was very nicely choreographed and shot.

Searching For the Perfect Epee

2007-03-27T09:57:00.000-04:00

I have never had great luck with weapons. Especially epees. When I started to pick up epee, I was mainly a foil competitor, but epee was a small deal for adults at Minnesota Sword. This meant that if I picked up epee, I was guaranteed virtually private lessons for free, since there were only two or three adults learning epee with me. The first weapons I bought for epee competition actually came from eBay - an Uhlmann FIE from some lady who bought the best of the line for class, then realized she hated the sport; and an STM FIE from some guy who just got tired of playing. I bought these weapons at a huge discount three years ago, and they are the only ones that are still in my gig bag.

As for the others...

Leon Paul epees are nice, but the tips always fail shims for the first tournament. I learned this after buying two and hearing from others. The gutter blades protect the wire, but they vibrate like a tuning fork, and I had one snap in my hands.
BF Blade snapped in my hands at Birmingham. Totally inflexible.
Non Leon Paul tips are worthless... the screws pop out all the time, and there is nothing that pisses me off more as a director than some guy who brings a weapon to the strip without screws in.

I would buy only Uhlmann FIEs, but a) they are expensive as hell and b) the wires at the tip tend to corrode, causing the weapon to pass tests but be completely worthless in the bout. I never will forget fencing a VERY good B rated fencer in a pool bout. I had a chance to at least lose respectably 4-5 - but my weapon refused to go off, even after nailing the guy square in the chest. It passed a test by the director, so I had to resign myself to run away as much as possible.

I realize that expecting a piece of steel and electronics to work consistently under obvious duress is a little nuts - but if Panasonic can make a Toughbook laptop, I want a durable epee too.

Meet Me At Zaban Park - We Cross Swords At Dawn

2007-03-26T17:10:00.000-04:00

Fencing outdoors in Georgia never really sounds like a good idea. There is the heat, the pollen, the bugs, the humidity - all this before you calculate the health of the equipment, logistics for keeping the fencers healthy, and trying to adjust to moving around outside - on a rubberized concrete basketball court no less.

But the DFC's March Wind competition went about as well as it could. And the cool March winds were actually quite welcome. The original venue dropped out at the last second, and my club had no choice but to fence outside or cancel. A lot of folks didn't show up at all - but thankfully the Open was still an A1 event with 15 no shows. The DivIII Epee event dropped to a D1, which took the wind out of everyone who was hoping to power to the four and at least be guaranteed a D in the promised C2. But as I have said before on this blog - local C2s are pipe dreams without a huge number of D fencers. If there aren't more than six D's in a C2 - expect no ratings changes to occur, or for less than 4 D's to advance to the round of 8. I suppose it's just as well - it's better to play to win it all than to play just to make it to the final four.

My performance in both events doesn't bare mentioning - not good, not bad, just adjust and move on. The one bonus was that I had a chance to test out my new Triplette weapon and my rewired Uhlmann FIE epee - both received at the Georgia High School Fencing League championships. Directing from 9am to 7pm was worth it to get my Uhlmann fixed for free.

Next up, fencing at Vanderbilt Easter Weekend.

15-14 In the Final - So Close, Yet So Far

2007-03-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

"Sometimes nothing you do makes any difference"

Holy crap. Not again. After I got railed in the AFC Peach State Open in Open Epee, I figured I had a shot at my D in the E and Under. Of course, it was a D1 - which meant I had to win. And I got close, too close. I handly won my pool, in fact there was only one match I didn't dominate - the final. At 14-13 in my favor, I went for one final fleche to end it all, and came up short. At 14-14, I tried to set up an opening for a wrist flick/touch that never came.

The sense of failure was overwhelming. I was so upset, I drove home in a huff and nearly put my fist through my car window. Thank God I bought a boxing dummy... I put on Limp Biskit's "Break Stuff" (only one of three LB songs worth listening to) and screamed and roared and beat on the thing until I was too tired to be angry.

The worst was that no one seemed to think I fenced poorly, it simply just wasn't my day. I made some mistakes - like trying to run up the score when I was already two touches ahead, or not playing to my strengths and just beating her around - but nothing incredibly fatal.

I am sure I will be fine in time for the Dundwoody FC March Wind - but the sense of frustration and need for self-destruction is hard to contain. I'd get drunk, but I have work tomorrow.

The Road To Miami Goes Through Statesboro

2007-03-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

It looks like Georgia Southern University in Statesboro is hosting the GA Divisional Qualifiers, again. GSU has a great facility, I know some good people there - but man, the drive down there S-U-X sucks. Plus, since I will be going for Div II, Div III, and hopefully Senior Team - I will need to stay two nights there. More money, more problems.

As I've mentioned before, I usually do really well in Statesboro. And there is no reason that won't be true this time. I am twice the fencer I was a year ago - faster, stronger, smarter, and most importantly... lighter. The problem is that a) I have friends in Miami, so I am more invested in trying to qualify so I can visit them, and b) not being able to crawl out of bed with a hangover and drive 20 minutes to the venue makes the whole thing seem a bit more serious. The last 3rd place medal I picked up started with a hangover and me getting railed by a guy I fence all the time in my first bout of the day. That kind of obnoxiousness can't happen in Statesboro.

"I Don't Care About You... I Care About Fencing"

2007-02-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

Fencing is my favorite pastime. More than football, more than girls, more than just about anything.

The last person I had to explain this to was an 8 year old who wanted to take my club's beginner's class. Unfortunately for him, there was an Regional Youth Circuit (RYC) tournament going on... so he was the only one in the class. The kid never fenced before, and learned the joys of teaching your body to hold an en garde position. Anyone who has ever fenced before remembers that the first time hurts... a lot.

Of course, this kid didn't suck it up like most future successful fencers do, he decided to moan and cry. And he even got upset that his pain didn't bother me. Or that I freely admitted that I really could care less. Which was true... if he wanted to make an effort, I was more than willing to help him along. But I don't baby anyone, not even the little ones in my family. It's just not dignified.

On a similar note, I had a conversation with a cute girl from Houston the night before Men's Division III Epee qualifiers. She wanted me to assemble a crew and come and hang out with her and her friends. I demurred, because I had to be on the road to Statesboro in less than five hours. Then she said I could come alone, and I knew what that meant. And I still said no. That was the day fencing officially became my favorite thing to do.