There Will Be Blood... Oh Dear

I've just come back from watching "There Will Be Blood" in the UGC in Les Halles. It's a truly bizarre movie in a lot of respects but thoroughly, well if not enjoyable, then definitely worth the price of admission. It's quite a long movie and follows one man over the course of his life - that's Daniel Day Lewis' character Daniel Plainview.

Like I said though thoroughly enjoyable and I thought it was a great movie but what is left me slightly worried is how much at one time to another I identified with the character Plainview. Anyway, go see it and then you'll probably think twice about talking to me again.

Post Christmas Blues

I don't think I've been as sad to leave Ireland in a good while.

I'm determined to make this year a good one, in my fencing, person life and profession but I feel like I'm starting from square one again leaving the majority of my friends here. This feeling is not unfamiliar to me. Normally when I go back to Paris after a few days in Ireland it takes a few days to readjust.

Everything is up in the air all over again. Will I be able to find a marketing job? How will my season progress? How long will I stay in France? Do I want to stay in France?

I was told that there's an ancient Chinese curse - "May you live in interesting times". What I did to be so cursed I'm not certain but I'm determined to enjoy the results as much as I can anyway.

Hungary Epilogue: Hungary for Success Or A Sucker for Punishment?

The next morning I made my way down to breakfast. I said goodbye to the Americans who were leaving straight after breakfast and made my way back to my room to pack.

A minibus was arranged to pick me up from the hotel. To my surprise the British team, Neil and Julian at least were still alive and we laughed about the previous night's antics as we made our way to the airport. This was followed by some more hanging-around before check-in and yet more afterwards before it was time for my uneventful flight back to Paris.

I had €20 and no more, after cancelling all my cards, as I arrive in the RER station in Charles De Gaulle but eventually made it back to my apartment safe and sound.

...

So, what have I learnt? Now a week or so later I've taken an awful lot from my experience in Budapest. I've made extensive notes about my experience, my fencing and the fencing of others.

Was Hungary a set back? How I would like to frame it more positively, is as a wake-up call that I'm still definitely not there yet and it has made me more fully aware of the level of effort I have to put in if I want to get there. The absolute non-relenting self-sacrificing training of the Chinese has shown one extreme but I've also learned a lot from discussion with the US team who are acutely aware of the mental side of the game. I've began to look at my fencing and my mental state while fencing at a deeper level and I'm now sure that along with hard-work, that being aware and controlling my mental state is a key to achieving the best from myself.

The week afterall was invaluable to me and in that sense it has spurred me on in my pursuit of being as good as I can be.

Knack-Pain in Strasbourg

I thought I best bring you up to date with my competitions before I start writing about my week in Budapest, so I'll fill you in quickly on my trip to Strasbourg.

The trip to Strasbourg called for another long minibus journey and another long lesson in how to play another French card game - this one even more upsurd then the last. Basically, the aim of the game was to get rid of your cards but losing the game meant you were given a penalty for the next round. If you came last you would have to give your two best cards to the person who came first. This lead to several hours of losing hands until I eventually scraped my way out of last place, by which time everyone had had enough and we gave up.

After a nice meal in the picturesque Strasbourg town centre, I had a good night's sleep blessed with the rarity of a room on my own.

As for the competition, I was once again disappointed with my performance in the poules. I managed to get through one round of DE, however, at the expense of one of my team-mates who I beat in the 128. My low-seeding however guaranteed me a tough next round and I drew Julien Pillet - the toughest possible. Despite some initial optimism and a couple of decent counter-attacks, he pretty much picked me apart and the match ended 15-5. It was a good experience and I really am in no position at the minute to challenge this multiple olympian and best french sabreur of recent times at the moment.

Again, I spent the rest of the competition as the club photographer... someday I may be a real fencer.

Circuit National Strasbourg 28.1.07

The competition ended at 6ish and we arrived home finally after yet another exhausting minibus journey around midnight. So after all that the highlight of the weekend for me whould have to be the discovery of Knack-Pain, a strasbourgeois delicacy. Pronounced it was basically two hot-dogs in a proper baguette. From this you should be able to judge how the weekend was for me.

I find my form still fluctuating as much as my confidence in my ability to fence and perhaps that is telling. After every time I get knocked down it's up to me to build myself back up again.

Turkish Delight: Part 5 - The Rotten Turkish Kebab at the End of the Rainbow.

I had half hoped that my performance in the poules, I was seeded 29th, would have got me staight through to the 32 but I had to fence a match against a young Bulgarian Ivanov first.

The match was around 12 noon. I was feeling boyant after the day before and tried to keep thoughts of what was at stake out of my mind before the match. I went into it, and I'm proud of that, very calm and focused settling into the rythmn of the day before well.

The Turkish referee was making some odd calls but I had a decent lead at the half time with score at 8 - 4. The ref wasn't splitting anything in the middle and I was becoming somewhat aggitated. I took things out of the middle and moved him up and down the piste but rushed final attack and a sloppy guard meant he got me on counter attacks several times. I was becoming more and more aggitated with the refs bad decisions and as I did I wanted the match to be over, I just wanted to be done with it and began to rush things. When I reached 14 I just wanted it over... my mind was in competley the wrong place. I was thinking about the next round about getting it over rather than using my head to think how I would finish it.

I attacked at 14-11 into my opponents preparation and didn't get the point. Infuriated I rushed things and lost a point. At 14-12 I once again got the winning point - again I was robbed by the refs decision. Not thinking straight at all and feeling absolutely constricted with fury at the ref and at myself for not finishing this the score came to 14-14. Playing the percentage game I went for a tempo attack in the centre knowing he was slower than me and I could get him on timing. Not Given! And again, the same thing, this time my opponent actually stepping backwards in a counter attack as I attacked - not given. Seeing only read I attacked a final time, a sloppy half parry and one light to the Bulgarian.

I have never been so screwed over by a referee in all my life. It was all I could do to manage a half salute to him - I wanted to kill him. He had robbed me - this bastard. I told him politely and without swearing that I didn't agree with some of his decisions and walked off. Fighting the urge to kick anything in my way, fighting the urge to launch my sabre at him and then pummel him to death with my mask.

Ours was the last match of the round to finish and some of the German team had been watching. Limbach world no.3 was laughing in bemusement and shaking his head at the referees decision. The other German team members agreed that I had been robbed. The US team had been watching - robbed. The other officials and referee had seen it -robbed. Even as a write this my hair stands on end as I think about that the only one who didn't see it was that referee who robbed me of potentially my best result in fencing thus far.

But anyway I'm calm now and it's good to vent that... I needed a drink.

Turkish Delight: Part 4 - The Poule

In my poule of six I had drawn, Stehr (GER), Krul (USA), Two Georgians and Two Turks.

In my first match I faced the younger of the two Turks. After a disasterous first match from which I hadn't recovered the weekend before I really wanted to start strong. This unfortunately translated itself into me rushing my attacks against this slightly awkard but nothing special left-hander. I became more agitated as the match progressed and attacked to the line which was obviously his best parry consistantly. I lost the match 5 - 1 and knew I needed to get my head in check before the next match.

My next match was against Alex Krul a much better fencer all together. I checked my breathing before the match remembered the things I had been concentrating on during the week and suddenly everything clicked for me. My attacks were relaxed but fast when they needed to be and in defence I was seeing my opponents rythmn and not rushing into the counter-attack but picking my moment. I won the bout comfortably enough, 5 - 2 or 3, I think.

Pleased with myself I was determined to keep on a roll. I beat the younger Georgian well and had my two victories that would see me through to the next day. The older Georgian was still beatable but the score went to 4-all and he snook the last point.

Stehr was a former German team member and an excellent fencer. Going into the match I was very relaxed but excited and looking forward to fencing. Everything worked perfectly during the match. My attacks were some of the best I've ever made - really patient and relaxed and when I wanted to hit him, I decided when and did. The match finished 5-3 and I was absolutely delighted. Three wins under my belt guaranteed me a decent seeding.

My final match was against a cocky little Turk. His over dramatic appeals on every point and generally attitude on the piste got to me a bit and I got sucked into it - I really wanted to beat this little shit which was not the way to approach it at all. I became to conerned with the result. The score came to 4-4 and I rushed my final attack and he got me. I told him what I though of him as a tapped him on his back rather than shaking his hand - I really shouldn't have got involved in that level of rubbish.

Either which way, I was delighted with my performance in the poule. After last year when I barely snook through with one win in my poule. I was actually performing well at this level and comfortable on the piste.

Trev had come to watch the poule matches and we headed out afterwards for a bite to eat, some discussion of the state of the world and a drink after a long day (well me watching him drink as I was still in this competition). Through the glories of globalisation we went to Wagamama's (A japanes food chain startd in London) in a Western Supermall on the European side, followed by a quiet bar in Tacsim.

I headed back for a early night once again and an important match tomorrow.

Peaks and Troughs...

...On balance it's been a pretty good week.

I'm starting to feel a lot more at home in the club and getting to know people there a little better. Early in the week I got a lesson from Benoit and hopefully I'll be able to get one once a week at least. I think I've started to enter a bit of a transitionary stage in my fencing as I concentrate on adjusting some aspects to my game and tyring to get rid of lazy habits. I've had a slight dip in form against my team-mates as a result but I'm willing to work through that.

The most exciting news of the week though, is that I've finally secured an apartment. It's in the 11th arrondisement in between Bastille and Nation near Metro Charonne, just off ligne 1 (which will make sense to anyone who knows Paris). Bathroom, kitchen and decent living space for a reasonable price. I'm signing the rental agreement on Saturday evening. Maybe once the novelty of living alone wears off, I'll become ridiculously depressed but for the minute I'm very excited.

At the same time, things are going great in the Irish College and I'll be quite sad to leave, just as I'm getting to know everyone a bit better and really getting into the swing of things here. We went out last night to a local bar and spent the evening solving the worlds problems until the early hours of the morning. If only alcohol wasn't involved we could have written it down and presented it to the UN.

...

Mick O'Dea one of the artists in residence has asked whether he could paint my portrait in my fencing gear for his exhibition here in the Centre Culturel Irlandais and Kerry Hardie, the poet and author, is interested in learning more about fencing through me with the possible aim of using this information in a novel she intends to write. So even if I have abandoned my big fish in a small pond status, the Irish here in Paris still seem determined to my ego swollen. What could I say really? I couldn't be more flattered.

...

After a fairly intense first couple of weeks, i have a weekend off in Paris and intend to use it to the full. Saturday is going to be a day of sight-seeing aswell
as lease-signing and I've also picked up free tickets to an independent wine producers fair.

I'll let you know how it all pans out.

saianara

The Long Road To, And Back From, Damigny

This was my first taste of French competition, how would it compare to that which I have experienced before?

As I may have mentioned before all the club members at US metro have been very welcoming to me. I already feel like part of the team and although my French is at times abysmal, my ability to laugh, smile or nod when appropriate is becoming quite awesome.

Damigny is a small Normandie Village just outside the slightly larger town of Anecon. The Senior Sabre competition was to be held on Sunday and there was to be a Veteran competition in Foil and Sabre on the Saturday. As it happens, both mini-buses that were hired to take the team there on Saturday evening were full. Hence, I took a lift from Jean-Francois (Jef) on Saturday early Saturday morning since he was entering the veteran's competition.

It was a two and a half hour journey each way with four French people with me sitting in the middle of the back seat (I got stuck with the worst seat there and back). The absolute exhaustion I felt from trying to listen to what each of them was saying, cannot be adequately described. That is not to mention the fear I felt when it seemed likely that one of them was going to ask me a question. Eventually I fell asleep to avoid having to concentrate on the French.

I got to take in the full weekend of competition and see how they do things over here. Not surprisingly, they do things well. It was quite a packed hall with 16 pistes and a seperate finals piste and bleechers in a seperate hall. Everything ran on time, the refereeing was for the most-part excellent (no fencers refereeing at all), snack and dinning facilities were excellent. Everything you could want from a tournament.

The day of veteran's competition dragged on but ran smoothly enough. That evening we stayed in the local campanile and watched France against New Zealand. Jokes were exchanged before the match generally at the expense of Ireland and Irish rugby but these tapered off as France were annihilated by the All Blacks save for a single wobbly drop-goal. I kicked myself when I didn't learn about Ireland's fantastic victory against the Spring-bocks until after we had all left for our rooms - I could have really made friends then.

Sunday morning, there were 119 in Men's sabre including a few French internationals and one or two ex junior world champions, apparently. I was very nervous going into my first few poule matches. I really wanted to impress my new team mates. Added to this the ability of my opponents and I had an abysmal start to the tournament losing to my first two opponents. My first win on French soil came against a slightly awkward left-handed fencer who I dispatched quite easily. Glad to get this under my belt I started fencing slightly better but I could only manage one other victory. I knew that a measly two victories wasn't goig to get me an easy draw.

Realistically, I should have been looking for 3 wins from my poule out of a possible six and on a good day I feel I could have got 4, which could have seen me quite well placed. On the day though the novelty of this new environment and wanting to impress my teammates got the better of me. In the Last-128 I faced another left handed fencer who ranked 43rd after the poules. I started the match well and took an early lead, in fact I was leading going into the break 8-7.

During the break one of the coaches from metro advised me, in French. Most of the break was spent with me trying to figure out in my head what was said to me. The basic gist of it was hit him on the head, not the wrist but I couldn't be certain. Anyhow, I can't say that this momentary confusion played any part. After the break, I lost concentration somewhat, my opponent capitalised and ran out 15-11 victore. I was pretty gutted.

...

To give this some sort of context the British no. 1 Neil Hutchinson went out in the Last-64. Alexander Woog (my US Metro teammate) and no. 5 in France went out in the last-16. Evangelos Efstathiou a US fencer and in the top 100 in the world went out in the last-16 also. It was a high standard of competition.

...

My final rank of 85th was very disappointing, not least because a top 50% result would have got me some money at the end of the season, but in the overall scheme of things has only strengthened my resolve to work harder. After all I have only been here for a week and I didn't come here to show off how good I am to the French but to improve through fencing them. Week 1 over and I feel I've accomplished quite a lot.

I'll keep you posted...

Salut!