The "Fencer Diaries" 2007 - Jan to June

The Bill Hoskyns Open 2007.
23rd June.
Diary of an innocent competition fencer...
“To all my (less than) enthusiastic readers - I'm back. It feels like I've abandoned the diary and visitors alike. Was it really only last month I reported on the Isle of Wight?

The Bill Hoskyns... I must admit, it was great fun and very tiring. Probably the most gruelling competition I've been to.

Anyway, I admit to being a Bill Hoskyns innocent - even though I've been on the circuit for a couple of years now. But I really should know not to try and go up the M1 at 6pm on a Friday.
I think even my unborn children could have told me that one. Alas, for my sins I ended up navigating traffic for the best part of three hours. But once again, thanks to a brilliant club secretary, I was lodged in an excellent B&B that was willing to give me a Full English. Strangely, I refused.

The best feature of the venue - every piste was 'metallic'. No chance of having a dubious foot hit called against you. But what I didn't bank on was this alien method of fencing called the repechage. In it's simplest terms, it allows certain losers to get back into the fray of things.

In the first round of poules, my two main worries were a pesky leftie and a chap ranked at least 30 places above me. I also managed to lose a piece of my pistol grip in my first fight. The leftie got a little 'treatment' before being beaten 5-3 (speak to one of the BFC ladies about what's written on their t-shirts).
With a clean bill of health (six victories) in the first round, I went into the next poule round of five fights. Although losing one fight, I didn't feel too bad about winning the others. I did, however, have a little compassion for the 14-year old who I had in both poules. A bad guard position meant I hit him three times on the hand in the second round.

So, here's where the repechage kicks in. To get into the L64 I needed to ideally win my first DE and then beat the winner of the other DE on my piste. Well, the sins of the fleche caught up with me and I ended up losing 14-15. I then had to fight the other loser, winning 15-13.

Getting into the L32 meant I had to have another fight whilst those already through could kick back for a bit. The referee was the Welsh Wizard (for those who know), and my opponent was unfortunate to fence me in my very non-attacking mode. After a few double hits, I just let him attack and picked him off on the counter. Winning 15-6, it was then a case of trying to see what I could do in the next round.

Some good swashbuckling gave me the edge over somebody I'd seen win in an earlier round, but then it started to a little down hill. I lost my next fight, this time a case of the willing spirit but weak fleche.
My last fight was interesting in so far as my body and brain were working on different game plans. But then, that's what happens when you fence somebody at least 3 inches taller and ten years younger than you. But I did get a beautiful fleche and finished the fight 9-15. Not too shabby - and I came out in the top 20 from 110 starters.”

Note to self: fencing with a broken weapon is not easy, but it can be fun and you can still win.
Note to others: The hand is target in epee, and it can hurt
Note to the brownie monster: bring 'em on

The Isle of Wight Tournament 2007.
13th May.
Diary of a competition fencer abroad...
“The journey to the Isle of Wight was not a bad one, even if I ended up doing the journey after work on a Friday evening. Let's just not mention that I almost spent the night in Southampton because I didn't have the location of the ferry. Oh well, I managed to get to my B&B in one piece - I even had a proper bed and plenty of space for my kit bag.
The weirdest thing about the accommodation was that there were no remote controls for the TV - people have been known to nick them in the past.

Anyway, Sunday proved no different from normal in that the poules had to be redrawn three times before we got underway. I must admit though, winning four of the six poule fights was quite good going. More importantly, I even managed to give my club mate a bit of advice - he went on to win three from six. So we didn't get cut at the first hurdle. I was happy for him because it means he's getting much more confident at competition level - I'll have to be careful lest I come up against him in the future.

Before my DE, I had the opportunity to referee the fight of one of the highly ranked epeeists in the L64. It was rather a see-saw kind of match, with the lead changing hands quite often. Alas, the higher seed was knocked out by a combination of food poisoning (dodgy food the night before) and some tidy fencing from the underdog. My first DE was against somebody I had never heard of before - and I started off in predictable fashion giving away silly hits. But somewhere in all of that I managed a spurt of speed and some nifty blade work to get ahead and stay there. I think I finished the fight 15-8. Unfortunately, my club mate made his exit at this stage. But he did well to make the points stage for the first time, and we're all looking forward to him progressing over the course of the next few seasons.

My L32 fight was a tad harder. I don't know what it is about getting all these good fencers in the L32 and above. Can't they just give a budding fencer a chance to win without being picked on? Anyway, I started in the lead - a good fleche and more of the deft foot and blade work. Going into the interval at 7-5 up, I was feeling quite confident. Alas, it didn't stay that way. My body and brain decided to work against each other in the second period. Whilst my opponent was mentally ploughing through the 'This is how to fence' instruction manual, I guess I was in Cuckoo Land. Maintaining the same action didn't do me too many favours, not to mention the fact that my opponent managed to read every fleche, counter attack and parry. But I still put up a brave fight to lose 11-15 and finish in the upper end of the L32 (again)."

Note to self: Avoid being confident until the job is done.
Note to others: Oh, I don't know. Just have fun, even when it hurts.
Special note to the brownie maker: Keep 'em coming.

Birmingham International Fencing Tournament 2007.
8th April.
Diary of a competition fencer...
"I wonder whether not inflicting any injuries to self the day before the event is an indication that it's going to be a good day. A smooth drive up the M11 was coupled with some really nice weather - so it's a convertible next year. And I was also nice enough to pick up a couple of strolling fencers on their way to the competition.

The poule was really quite interesting. After a quick re-draw to deal with a minor anomaly, things got off to a cracking start. I lost to the Dane, after watching him get demolished by the Welsh wizard. But fighting the wizard was fun - I managed to fence him at distance and avoid the flick hits he liberally handed out to the rest of the poule. Beating him put the bit between my teeth, and I went on to win the remaining fights in the poule. And yes - I still respect vets (I had another one in my group!).

But there's a point when you have to laugh at competitions. The seedings for the DE came out after lunch, only for me to realise that I was going to be fighting a club mate for bragging rights. Considering he kicked me out of the Isle of Wight last year ...

For a L128, it was a good, clean fight. No kicking or punching, but quite a few fleches on my part. Some good distance, coupled with a reasonable ability to point my weapon in the right direction was the difference between an early shower and the next round. Alas, my worthy opponent took the early shower - so it's evens in the competition knock-out stakes...

L64 was a different kettle of fish. Just in case you don't know, pommelers should not be allowed to fence. And if they use carbon fibre grips, they should be sent to the tennis court! OK - so I'm joking. The chap I was up against seemed to have it all together. Good reach and patience, and the fleetness of youth. I didn't stand much of a chance. The fact that I managed to stay with him for a few hits was almost encouraging. The fleche didn't work, but I got a lovely flick to the top of the wrist. Losing 11-15 was a good account at the end of the day. Overall, the result was so much better than last year. A good L64 result, and more ranking points."

Note to others (you know who you are): I think I'm due for my very own portion of chocolate brownies!

Invicta Fencing Tournament 2007.
18th March.
One of several competition fencers...
“Flying down the M2 in convoy at 8am is something I don't get to do too often. But my female American friend (aka SatNav) was kind enough to lead the way and guide the BFC posse to Canterbury with time to spare.
Truth be told, the venue was much bigger than the one they used last year - nothing less than 20 pistes in one hall.

Getting everybody into the mindset for the competition was fun - the more seasoned competitors of the club trying to calm the nerves of the less experienced. Easier said than done, so the idea of warm-up fencing seemed reasonable.
The main drama of the morning was that the poule lists had to be redrawn twice before we could actually get the competition under way. Guess what - it was a leftie that caused all the trouble!

The poule round was good though. I was fortunate to beat the top seed in my poule - at one point he was so red I thought he was going to burst like an over-ripe tomato. I got a bit of revenge on a chap who knocked me out in a competition towards the end of last year - all good natured fun though.
So, four wins from five in the poule wasn't bad, but it wasn't enough to get a bye into the L64.
One of our better fencers seeded 'king of the hill' at the end of the poule - a worthy opponent at any time. More importantly everybody from BFC had at least one victory in the poule - a good building block.

My 128 fight was interesting. He was a left-handed 'vet'. I should have cleaned up the fight but gave away some silly points trying to hit his arm. It was a ploy and I almost fell for it. Instead, I used the force and started to move with a bit more assurance, using some of the speed I'm known for at the club. A final score of 15-8 set me up for the L64 - the fact that this was the guy’s first competition didn't make me feel guilty at all.

By the time I knew who my L64 antagonist was, two of our club representatives had been knocked out. A shame, but they did well.
My new opponent was in a different class and required me to maintain all my wits. It was a see-saw of a match, requiring all three 3-minute periods. The interval reminded me that my drink had managed to grow legs, so thanks to a member of the convoy for carrying a reserve bottle.
One of the highlights was a contentious floor/foot hit. I thought it was floor then foot but he thought it was the other way. Enter the ref - and the floor hit was upheld. I managed to pull away, only to be roped back by speed and point control from the opposition. At 10 seconds the score stands at 14-11 to me. Three seconds later, the score is 14-12. With three seconds on the clock, my opponent fleched. The choices were stark - stand still or duck. The latter choice prevailed, leaving me a tired victor at 15-13.

A brief synopsis of my L32 opponent was simple - blooming good when he was a cadet and now lethal as a fully fledged adult competitor.
Roll on the fight. I'm at a loss as to how a man develops a fleche so accurate when the body and the weapon are going in totally different directions. The consolation being that he didn't also get down low enough to impale my foot to the piste. At 10-7 down, I became painfully aware that I might be fighting a losing battle. By 14-9 it was a bit like the lion sensing that the prey is all but dead. So, a valiant battle ended at 15-9. giving me another L32 finish and some food for thought before the Birmingham International."

Note to fencers (especially men): A box protects your prized possessions - use it.
Note to self: Do better next time.

Nottingham Open Fencing Tournament 2007.
4th March.
The simple life of a long-distance competition fencer...
“You know a room is somewhat inadequate when the bed and fencing bag take up all the floor space at the nearest B&B to the venue. This was my rude induction to The Simple Life before a fencing competition. Thank heavens I was only in the room for about eight hours.

The real joy of the Nottingham Open is the size of the hall - 26 pistes in one location. Not to mention two rounds of poules again - just in case I had a bad time waking up. Getting a new blade proved a bit more difficult. The normal process of acquisition and assembly went wrong - the blade wouldn't work. But I had two extra weapons so things couldn't go wrong - right?

Things went predictably in the first round, with me beating the people I expected to beat and having a bit of a wake-up call with those I lost to. The second round was progressing well until I delivered a good hit to some poor unsuspecting chap. This is where things went slightly awry. Attempting to straighten the bent blade, there was a distinct snap. And like magic, I had a piece of metal in each hand. So, I'm now down to a single weapon and in the middle of a fight - which I still managed to win.

I must admit, running between the armoury and the piste is a brilliant form of exercise. Highly recommended. Anyway winning 6 out of 10 fights in the poules gave me a by into the L64.
My L64 fight was productive. Just before the fight a mate warned me to be careful of the tricky left-hander. So we traded hits up and down the piste, but I still managed to get a fleche into the mix. Not too much energy used either - I'm with the Green lobby.

The L32 was a different kettle of parries and ripostes. I will never agree with anybody who says older people can't fence. My opponent couldn't be a day under 60 and moved like he was taking a sedentary walk down a country lane. But he had the parry of a brick wall and the point control of a precision guided missile. So losing 8-13 (he didn't get a full compliment of hits) wasn't the worst thing that could happen to me.

Another L32 finish was good - inspiration and consistency slowly coming into play.

Next stop - Invicta, Kent."

Note to self: Blades, unlike rules, are not meant to be broken.
Note to others: Be friendly to your opponents - you may be related.

Merseyside Open Fencing Tournament 2007.
11th February.
A day in the life of a long-distance competition fencer...
"There is something inherently wrong when you have to drive yourself 200 miles up the road in order to enjoy yourself for a few hours - somebody else should be driving!
I can't complain - the snow had pity on me and stayed away whilst the rain was just too lazy to follow the predictions of the weather man. So the journey to Liverpool was actually rather smooth for a Saturday afternoon.

I can't say waking up at 0700 on Sunday was the best experience, but when have I ever been happy to get up before midday? First point of call upon arrival at the venue was to pick up my new mask - my credit card had a moan, but ...
The first round of poules was rather dire from my point of view. I lost three of my five fights, including a chap who's only managed a few competitions. He had a really nice flick action though, and he's got plans for the Commonwealth Games.
So I'm currently seeding 57 and ready for the next round of poules. But never fear - trust the Sunday gremlins to come out in the form of a computer glitch. Rectification shows that I'm actually seeding 59 - I'm getting worse!!!

Second round (finally) puts me in a group with a ginger head, another guy who beat me in the first round and a few tidy guys just to keep the pressure on. Plus there's always one youngster who wants the scalp of the resident OAP (in this case - yours truly). Putting the grey matter (and hair) to good use, along with my new red mask (red rag, bull), I managed to win the poule and seed 27 overall. My best hit was a flying flick to the wrist (a la House of Flying Daggers). Happily, I miss the L128 and get to ref.
L64 - Working my way around the piste to get the odd hit was rather enjoyable. There has to be something said for getting a bye and then watching your opponent. L32 put me up against somebody from the poule. Perhaps the awe of being in the L32 got to him, but I would like to believe it was a combination of ‘scream, shout, fleche, and body check’ that gave me the win. No - it wasn't that simple, but...
L16 - why do I always get these really long people who seem to be able to reach me even when I'm at the other end of the piste? I think I'm going to get a genetically modified arm! Anyway, I lost 9-15. But I can't complain - L32 at Slough and L16 at MOFT should push me into the top 100 in the rankings."

Note to self: The spirit is willing but the fleche is often weak.
Note to fencers: Fencing is fun, especially when you are winning.
Historical Note: MOFT started in 1938 as the Liverpool Open Foil Tournament run by Dr Dorothy Knowles, a lecturer at Liverpool University and a prominent local fencer.

The Slough Open 2007.
4th February.
Thoughts of a (damaged) competition fencer...
“Generally, it's probably a good idea to give up when you've already made a suicidal attempt to chop off your hand the night before a competition. Alas, it was the wrong hand so I thought I might as well attend the Slough Open - reputed as being one of the killing fields of fencing opens.

Since it was such a frosty day, I decided to take a couple of people with me - just so they could shout and put off the opposition.
I must be said that the event was well organised. It started on time, and they had proper poules - six or seven people.
I did have a really tall beanstalk of a guy in my poule - he came late and proceeded to thrash everybody bar one. Not pleased. However, I got vengeance on one of the vets (not an animal doctor) and managed to rustle up four victories.

The DE was a little different. In the 128 I had to come to grips with the prowess of a Haverstock fencer. I was losing at the end of the first and second periods and having tantrums in my head.
But in the third period the coffee of a few hours before must have decided to kick in. With lots of fleches, a little speed and some testosterone-induced shouts, I managed to win 15-10.

Roll on the break - so I have a few hits with a fellow club mate. It was good fun and kept us warm and nimble.

The last 64 saw me up against a decent opponent from a club I'd never heard of. The entourage didn't manage to put him off, and my fellow fencers decided it would be sensible to just stand and watch. It was good to go ahead, but the other chap was a bit like Wiley Coyote and caught up - even going ahead.
More tantrums in the brain, along with frustration at giving away some silly hits. So I decided to slip into my alter ego and do some proper fencing. A few parries, a couple of decent ripostes and deft footwork saw me creep back into the lead.
Third period - all to play for. But the final hit was a touch of class - a two-tempoed fleche that landed dead centre of target. Final score - 15-10 to me.”
(Pause for cheers...)

“So I have to start thinking about the last 32. By this time I'm normally fully showered and on my way home. Instead, I've got aching feet and my limbs are cooling down. All the same, I dutifully turn up on piste for the next fight.
Slight problem - I hardly get to see this guy's blade. He's hitting me and my fleches aren't working. The parries are connecting with lots of air but very little blade. Okay. I managed to get a few hits but he was just better than me! Final score 6-15 to the better guy on the day.

Notes to self:
1) Take entourage more often.
2) Do not try and do bodily damage to self on day before competition.

Note to fencers: The best thing your opponent can do is stand still and allow you to have a 5-0 victory in the poule...”

The Cambridge Open 2007.
6th January.
Observations of a competition fencer...
“You know things are going to be fine when you call the competition organiser (otherwise known as DT or Director of Tournaments) and tell them you're going to be about 30 minutes later than close of check-in. You're told you've been entered for the wrong weapon but your SatNav still gets you there 5 minutes before check-in closes.
But then of course somebody messed up the poules so I had two highly seeded people in the personalities of John P and Jonathan A. The fact that I beat them both is beside the point. Since we had two rounds of Poules, I ended up with a total of seven victories and a token defeat.
The L64 fight went quite well, even though I later found out that somebody recorded my scores wrong. I beat the guy 15-7, and even had time to laugh on the piste.
For my sins, I had Jonathan A in the L32 - rather aggrieved that I should have beaten him in the poule. Suffice it to say, I lost in a respectable fashion 15-8, the same score by which one of our more fleet of foot members lost to him in the previous round. But once again, Bexley Fencing Club is out there… I finished 18th from 64 overall.”

The South East Regionals 2007.
7th January.
Thoughts of a (tired) competition fencer...
“If you fence on a Saturday, don't bother getting up to fence again on the Sunday - if only Plato or Aristotle had said that!!!
Whilst the likes of Fitz were thinking about how to win the competition (there were only 28 fencers there), I was busy wondering why on earth I turned up. I vaguely remember losing a couple of fights, one in which I don't think I saw the other guy's blade move beyond his en-garde position. Alas, it was a bad day in the poule. But I got a good fight in the next round and atoned for my earlier folly.
I should have known better - I had Ralph J in the next round. I have a recollection of jumping around in a frustrated manner the last time I fought him so my main aim was not to do it again. Well, losing 7-15 meant I finished 16th out of 28. I console myself with the knowledge that there are no ranking points involved.
And just so you know, Fitz came second (I think the line judge got him angry) and one of our fleet-footed fencers won Best Cadet fencer award for the day.”

Aldershot 2007.
13th January.
Annotations of a competition fencer...
“OK - so I didn't have to drive and there were no phone calls to the DT saying I was going to be late. I was even entered for the right weapon and had my name spelt right. Brilliant day in the office? Not a chance!
First fight in the poule was against this cheeky chap - Alex C. I think I've mentioned him before - the leftie from a few months back. I must have stood still for the first minute 'cos he got two hits on me without me realising it. Finished 5-2. I think I managed to open my eyes in the next fight because rumour has it I won. Somewhere in the middle of the poule my body and my mind parted company...
It meant I had to fight in the L128 to get into the L64 - never a good idea. But by this time they had already cut the bottom 25% so I guess those two victories earlier weren't so bad after all. I made a meal of my 128 fight, eventually winning 15-12 (I think).
The L64 fight was epic - even if I say so myself. The guy is nicknamed Renta (as in Ghost). He's gotta be at least a mile high and also has a three-mile reach (OK - it's a slight exaggeration). I can't tell you all the hits traded, but there was lots of testosterone-induced screaming from both of us. He had the advantage of his girlfriend giving encouragement, but the fight finished 14-15 in his favour. But it might as well have been the final 'cause people just stopped and watched. In all that, I finished 56 from 102 - better than 63 last year!”

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