Lighting the match

"I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match." --Mia Hamm

I can't tell you how true this statement is for every successful athlete. But (there is always a but) sometimes the match doesn't light. Meaning, the most difficult part of being an athlete is being in the zone at precisely the right moment. I think athletes train, visualize, meditate, do yoga, workout, and do a number of other things to try and get in the zone for competition but deep down each athlete knows it could be a hit or miss day. The matches could light the whole place on fire or they could not light at all.

First, what does being in the zone mean for an athlete? It means that while we are in competition, at least for fencing, doing all the right actions and hitting on every one of them. For the general athlete population it is when body and mind are functioning as one complete mechanism. For people in business realm it means that everything is coming together and flowing almost as if on it's own accord.

When I think of the times that I have truly been "in the zone" I felt like I was having an out of body experience or that I wasn't really fencing on that strip-someone else, my body double perhaps, was out there fencing for me. It's pretty incredible when you reach that point because time seems to slow down and everything around you happens in slow motion. Even the cheering in the background grows distant, all that is left is you, your foil, and the opponent in front of you. The opponent also changes too, targets open up and everything you do just seems to hit. There is also a level of confidence that develops too. In my mind it's the thought, "no matter how many touches this woman gets, I will get to 15 touches before she does." Being in the zone is almost like reaching a sense of calm where all worries and doubt fade away as you concentrate on the task at hand.

Now-how does one light that fire? Well, that's the question. Through more experiences and a sense of familiarity at competitions, the more a routine develops that could help an athlete along to that point of reaching the zone. However, there are so many ex-factors in competitions that throw even the greatest competitors off. The referee could be tired and making bad calls, the tournament can be delayed, the surrounding is unfamiliar, or you haven't gotten enough sleep the night before, etc. Although the athlete tries to control the situations and block them out, it doesn't erase the reality that things are slightly off. Sometimes athletes will not reach that zone. In my mind that's what makes competition so exciting for both the athlete and spectator because the anticipation is the killer. You never know who is going to win. You never know who is going to reach their peak and have all their stars align at the right moment.

The bottom line-as much as you train and prepare for the competition, there is always another factor that comes into play when you are out there. Luck. So, thank you to everyone who has wished me luck for this competition. Although all the preparation is in place we all need a little luck on our side in order to light the fire.

See you guys in Italia!