Young Whip

1:50:53 AM EDT

Since this is my last post, I just want to say thank you to the people involved currently and in the past. WARNING: A cheesey thank you note is about to ensue, those that wish to skip do so, and thank you for reading my posts. The CFA guys brought me to another level in a years time; Coach and the camps he had have not only improved my technique but also gave me very good friends who I know will stay in touch with over the years; everyone else from DFC crew that kept me involved with fencing by making it fun for me, allowing me a place to come back to and not care how well I did but enjoy the sport I have come to love; Jim you were always a brother to me and I dont think that will ever change; Sally was another person of great influence, she introduced me to a LOT of really noteworthy people who helped me grow as a fencer and as a ref, she even gave me flyer miles to get me to Arlington for JO's, and I am sure I will see her again to thank her in person; Coach and the people at NCFDP and the camps helped improve my technique yes but more importantly I got to connect with people who like me have found love for this sport even though mainstream hasnt yet, I know I will keep with these people for a long time, hell I plan on beating them in the NAC's coming up; the parents also have played a great role, both mine and others, as without them I wouldnt have made it without their support.  Mrs. Herrick, the Barjas, etc. (man I can go on forever) just know that I am grateful for letting me stay over so I didnt have to get up extra early, for feeding me and making me one of your own for the weekend and for also supporting me, even if I was going up against your own son/daughter. Matt And Jenn Cox, thank you both for having to deal with epee coaching at several events, it was great knowing that I had someone who was willing to get the card for me, and also Matt thank you for helping me grow as a ref.  I may have problems with the subtlies but give me a little time to get back into looking for things like that and I will be one of the best refs from the US. Sid, Eddy and Kallio have all been helpful too, you guys push me harder every day and it is finally paying off...one year ago I bet I wouldnt be able to last nearly as long as today and you guys pushing me has helped bring my conditioning up while being good friends afterwards, hell Kallio you even let me stay at your house for a week as I didnt have a place to stay! Finally, Toomey.  I dont know where I would be if I had never came down to Charlotte.  Frankly I would be getting my ass kicked by everyone at CFA because lets face it, I couldnt setup a touch if my life depended on it but you have been able to make that quite the opposite.  You literally taught me how you approach every type of opponent that I might come up against by generalizing a strategy and taking away what they are good at.  You have also been a great friend and coach, you took me in and turned me into a fine example of what can be done with a few changes in approaching a bout...yes I have yet to prove that one in the coming NAC but I lately I feel like I will tear apart and plow through everyone and make the dam points list.  We still have a lot of time, I finally decided that I m going to stay here at UNCC, so refining this paradigm(yay Epee 2.0) and soon like we have talked about me and everyone else will make our goals...we are as Eddy said family, helping each other get better so we can climb higher and with guys as tall as Kyle and a wide variety of fencers to train with I see that ladder going very high....hell I can smell the medals.

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12:43:51 AM EDT
well its about time i let the world in yes? last weekend was a bitter-sweet result at kickoff. granted i placed 26th out of 80 and ran through pools after the first bout (with the exception of the second loss-funny how u cant fence with a contact lodged improperly in the top part of my eye otherwise wouldve had em at 5-1 instead of losing 4-5). a BIG improvement over last year overall....just need to relax and do my thing. things clicked after the first bout in pools against a pointslist fencer named Ben (or Alex?) cohen, when they come up and ask who u fence for and ur rating and shrug at ur being a B that can only b a compliment no? nice to know that im turning heads but i think i would rather fly under the radar and storm through everyone.  my first DE was against Austin Carter, an A07 from VTech who beat me last time at Touche 15-9ish and this time i returned the favor with a win 15-7. Attacking and stepping in on peoples feints can b fun!  The second de was where things got bad for me....how many times can losing 2-15 b fun? none at all....especially since u had ur plan and agreed with ur coach before even talking to him and then failing to do said plan....that would b stepping in with the parry and getting up close and personal and setting up an attack to get that threat in my opponent.....as a result, he knew i was BSing and ran thru me with 13 setup attacks....the third period i flesched he went for the back i parried and brought out an in-fighting touch. next we doubled out as i stepped forward into his flesche with his release to lose 2-15. looks like i still need to let em drop.  On the otherside, i get plenty of training between now and then and have a month and a half before the real show begins. The first week of Nov. is Penn State, the week after that is the Junior NAC and then the thrid week in Nov is Temple Open....one hell of an action packed month for fencing events! Im just glad that my midterms are in October when theres nothing really going on.

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3:21:02 PM EDT
well first week of school went fast, even though there is an apparent abundence of free time for once due to how I scheduled my classes....and as such I have taken FULL advantage of this extra time to get in extra studying to stay on top and ahead of my classes.  My profs. are all not bad, except for my calc3. he is a little blundering and seems to have trouble portraying what he is meaning.  Aside from calc, physics and organic chemistry are going well and my liberal studies class is junk but also takes up time....i already have a paper due next week and the class meets once a week. No surprise and no biggy, like I said i have plenty of time and actually have a schedule made and sitting on my wall of when I get time to workout, WoW (yes I still get on some, my subscription hasnt ended yet), study for each class and when I get to eat and sleep among other things such as going to class.  Fencing has been a good week, this past friday I missed due to my back hurting but even thats straightened itself out, apparently I lifted a little too much of heavy/akward stuff helping friends move in and in Atlanta it really started to get sore for some reason.  Awell, heres to the kickoff of a great year so far, fencing and academic!

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7:46:35 PM EDT

well this weekend was move in day and saturday was a very interesting tournament hosted by atlanta fencers.  i finished up i believe 10th-ish of 58 which isnt bad but theres some things that if done differently wouldve put me potentially in the 8's and 4's but for now i m goin to have to work on them.  for now i think im going to play around with my feet distance in en guarde and try using wat ive been learning a lil less often so as to not get caught onto like i did this weekend. the short step strategy is a good idea but requires a lot of energy to use if i keep doing it over and over and also i found that my hand has been either not moving or moving backwards slightly and cost me my last bout with bruce vail. this was an interesting matchup as bruce is a very strong fencer. i actually setup the right way but executed my actions poorly.  also need to work on tightening my blade work up to be more like ashkebuski. aside from some small things, it was a good event.  my speed i have been able to notice along with strength but i need to work on endurance so i can keep them both for later bouts.  i also noticed that i crashed (probably from the energy drinks and 1.5 hours of sleep) in the same round i got knocked out in, either way thats not too blame but myself and my physical fitness. school has been relatively easy so far, 2-3 classes a day and then done is alot nicer then classes scattered all over the day.

on a side note, some friends of mine that lived near by that moved to germany came back to visit and as i was in atlanta i wasnt able to talk to them. now these are the same ones who introduced me to jonas, a fencer about my age that lives in germany and has a lot of great skill and achievements....hes i believe the cade champ several times of germany? or rather high up in general....but i had lost touch with him awhile ago due to aol's craptastic mail and filtering his email as spam and now i have his email again.  the good thing is that should i b able to make it out to visit my neighbors, i also have a chance to get some SERIOUS training in Germany for a summer or wat have u....its a great chance but will it b doable? i smell more student loans coming, especially after the trip to cancun for spring break this will b some serious cash but WELL worth it as i get to train with the best in Germany for a summer. he is still looking to meet people in America and from wat i have heard of him has a big name overthere....guess i will have to see how big for myself.

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3:41:31 PM EDT

in two weeks i will b moving back to charlotte for the schoolyear and i cant wait. fencing will b great and its looking like i will b carless again...man that kinda sucks but i should b getting my license soon.  training has been going good, cant seem to tone up better than wat i got but on the coolside i have noticed that my ability to curl has gone up 100%...i can now curl 35 lbs with my right arm and my overall strength has been good. next year since i have a little more room to practice fleching so i can b a little more explosive next year. goals are being set for next season and i already have my longterm goals. Pointslist is the minimum of where i want to finish within my college years and eventually i want to go to a WC or GP or some other FIE event...Canada is probably one of the ones I will go to but the Heidenheim WC in Germany is the one I really want to go to one of these days. For now, I m trying to focus on cleaning my first intention actions and using first intention and switching to 2nd then figuring out when to go back to 1st. got back from a beach trip with my friends family and have the wedding tommorow....if i could only get down to CFA for some fencing time, but looks like i will have to settle with the gym and running til next week.

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1:11:09 AM EDT
well san jose was bitter-sweet. the fencing was a little disapointing but the trip was still alot of fun.  mens foil team got past the first team 45-40 then lost to a stacked team from Fencing Academy of Westchester 6-45....yes it was that bad but still a fun match, in the first team bout it was against two very spastastic lefty fencers with an inexeperienced right hander that ultimately was the fencing dummy for us to practice our attacks on.  mens team epee was another story. we seeded 12th initially and drew the winner of FAW and Washington (Washington won 45-26ish) and we went on to lose the first round 40-45.  Unfortunately for us, there was a BIG mismatch with Sid and Serge Timacheff, the fencing photos guy, and we went from being up 35-30 to being down for the first time 36-40 with a very tall Venezuelan fencer that kyle was unable to recover from and we lost 40-45. everyone was upset at this point, but sid was the most as everyone seemed to throw their equipment in various directions before finally retreating back to the base camp and packing. Kyle decided that he wanted to at least spend some green since he now has a job (working as a paint mixer in Walmart, even tho he is colorblind...irony?) so he shelled out 50 to get the international symbol put on his knickers....and of course Nick wanted to take away from that so he went to get his knickers done as well. After bringing our equipment back from the venue, we all went to a local diner...man this one caused us some big problems later as we all had some bad beef or undercooked meat. 4 of us (including myself) had some rather unpleasant experience that put us on the toilet a number of times that day, and wat was fun was holding it for the hour train ride to the place where the midsouth guys were staying so we could have a NC bbq type deal.  It was great hanging out afterwards with everyone, swapping stories about nationals and finding out bits and pieces of other interesting things. One more unpleasant thing would happen this trip (well afterwards); as most people know my knee has been in some pain recently, and i have finally gotten it looked at by several of the trainers and they all agreed that it was a mild patellar tendinitis and told me several things i should try and that i need to watch/limit use of my knee and ice and take anti-inflamatory medicine while resting.....as of three days later it is feeling alot better, i fenced on it at DFC wednesday night and it began getting sore so i slowed down on the intensity and again iced when i got home.  Works been real slow the past few days, seems like nobody nowadays wants to spend money at the movies....just makes the job even easier, i cant wait for my new book to get here so i can start reading while working...Epee 2.0 is supposed to b very good/interesting so i will of course post up on my thoughts when i finish.

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10:51:28 PM EDT

Well summer nationals is right around the corner and things are starting to fall into place.  Fencing has been very little, i ended on a somewhat good note after camp. top 8 at state games is lower than i wanted to place but on half a leg (thanks to CFA camp, Sids tough on the body, im surprised i had that much mobility period) i wont be too upset. thats been about the last bit of fencing i have been doing except for in downtown, which has been mostly fun and relaxing and not competitive or training based.....some good clean fun one would say.  the gyms been payin off, ive noticed i can last a LOT more on strip than at the start of the summer and my strength has gotten better. Overall i added another set of reps to my workouts (3 now of each) and added up to 25% of weight i started lifting during the start and can run for a good while as long as my knee doesnt mind.  speaking of knee, my knee when i fleche has been in a wierd but natural placement that i need to untrain in favor of a stronger for structural support....my knees wont last forever so lets do everything to keep em strong.  works been alright, been making the money to get my stretch pants and maybe even a new plastron from Absolute, i got the signature series jacket and its easily the most comfortable thing i have worn in my time fencing...and i doubt that will change, which goes to show how much i like it.  Super camp this year will have to b missed, im a broke college student afterall hehe, gotta save up for next NAC season and i dont work enough hours to make up for a missed paycheck and 800 hit to my bank account.  Speaking of movies, the new one "Wanted" and the new Hulk movie were great, Wanted is now one of my favorites and the Hulk was a step up from the last one, so if anyone is in gboro look up the carmike 18 on a weekday(fat chance I know people have to work for a living) and stop by for a free movie. Im REALLY looking forward to nationals and the team events, Im sure CHFA will tear em up in the men's epee team and in any epee events in general. the foil will b a learning experience albeit an expensive one but at least i get to enjoy cali for awhile when im not fencing.

  On a sadder note, a friend of mine and my familys was found dead the other day. He was the manager and swim coach at the community pool and often times I would see him on my run up to the fitness room at the pool where i workout and we would sit for awhile afterwards and he would more than likely tell me about some crazy party that he would later leave half naked and walking down the interstate back home from chapel hill before being found by his friends and taken to a place to sleep it off.  Its wierd to see someone one day and then have them gone the next but i should b used to that by now, this isnt the first friend ive lost. Aside from the shenanigans, he was a good guy, always encouraging me and helping me push myself and he will b missed by the community he has grown apart of, my condolences to his parents who have to bury their son at 22.

 

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12:20:04 AM EDT
well finally i m happy to say that i have a pretty much routine summer thats pretty strucutred and defined but also has room to relax with friends.  fencing has been fun the past couple weeks, both in gboro and in the queen city that is. been working on that sweep strategy of kolobkov and its definately starting to take effect...i have been able to incorporate a pretty successful strategy so far but as with anything i still need a little more time with it before i m totally satisfied.  wednesday night this week we fenced a pool and tommorow (friday) i go down for practice at charlotte. as unc is still open i will have to look into carpooling with some of the others that go there on thursdays and tuesdays so i can fence holt, alex and others that i only see every once in a blue moon or i will have to have a charlotte drive day to unc instead...either way it should/will b good fencing. works been kinda dull lately, not many people come to the movies in the morning on a week day when they should b working but we find ways to keep ourselves entertained....usually putting money in the massage chairs or checking movies.  my workouts im happy to report are still going on, although less frequently but i believe i have a schedule for that....unfrotunately it involves waking up before work and also hitting up the gym after work if im not going to fence.  while i seem to have leveed off weight wise, 181ish, i seem to have gained a noticable amount of stamina, speed and strength....exactly wat i have been looking for as well as a couple of inches off the waist. i just need to stick to it for the summer and get over waking up at 830 to do so....i feel i can make even better shape and progress if i actually go ;p today i have started increasing some of the weight i have been lifting, nothing too serious just about 5 lbs. to 10 lbs. on each exercise and once i hit a certain amount i plan on just adding reps or another set instead of weight.

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11:39:59 PM EDT
todays lesson was a group lesson and it was the last with coach. instead of physically doing anything, we asked questions (well more he asked us about wat all we learned) and addressed concerns that we may have.  it actually was entertaining because it was laid back and relaxing. on a side note, coach was not able to get me a transfer space and also said i will find out june 15th.  state games is coming up and the week before i got a camp down in charlotte which should b fun and some good training before nationals. speaking of charlotte, i will still b going down but its looking that with gas going up it might b reduced to once a week thing unless i start pitching in for gas...in all honesty i wouldnt mind if that came to it.

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2:51:35 AM EDT
well its been about 3 weeks into summer and things are finally about to get into some order. fencing 3 nights a week is great, 2 at charlotte and one in greensboro with dfc is good as i get to relax a little more at dfc and get some extra intense boutwork and lessons at charlotte during each week. next week i think i will have to only make one trip on thursday down to charlotte to give my parents some rest this week. they really are great dealing with this all and i have to get my permit again (i know i said i would by saturday but work came up). speaking of which, i work mornings mostly during week days and when this one girl is gone i get her shifts and get about 6 days a week working.....exciting? no but it brings me money so i can get to san jose and keep fencing. also, i baught the stretch absolute fie jacket, the one they made that didnt stretch wasnt very good even for the price, maybe a smaller person would like it but hell im not skinny, i need a stretch jacket. state games and nationals along with the camp before state games is the only times i pretty much get off, well its the only time i can afford to get off since i need money for next season should i not get into unc....paying for everything sucks but i feel better not having my parents pay, almost like i take care of my self in at least that respect if not anything more since i still live at home. sometimes i dont think they know how much their support and every other friend and coach i have means....its nice knowing theres a full corner, even if people cant find the time to come watch.

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