Here is a lovely photo of Hanna and I in transit. Caption: I wouldn't say this is our best picture..just look at the shiny forehead! OY! However, I am wearing my new glasses.
See you in Paris!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
In transit
Just wanted to say that I am about to board a plane to Paris....the stop before St. Petersburg. I hope to get another blog in while we are Paris waiting for the next flight, especially since we have a seven hour lay over. Do you think we have enough time?
Here is a lovely photo of Hanna and I in transit. Caption: I wouldn't say this is our best picture..just look at the shiny forehead! OY! However, I am wearing my new glasses.
See you in Paris!
Here is a lovely photo of Hanna and I in transit. Caption: I wouldn't say this is our best picture..just look at the shiny forehead! OY! However, I am wearing my new glasses.
See you in Paris!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Return to the Motherland
I lived in Moscow for about four months in 2005, and I have been back once since then to fence. There is a lot of history for me in that country and especially the city of St. Petersburg-the site of this year's World Championships.
The following are short stories about a few of my trips to Mother Russia.
First story: Moscow, 1999
I made my first senior world cup final at the Moscow world cup in 1999. I was about eighteen then and had started at Stanford that year. I remember that Buckie was so proud of me that he bought me a shot of vodka. I am definitely a cheap date so I went up to accept my medal just a little tipsy.
Second story: St. Petersburg, 2004
This one is not as fun as the first story. St. Petersburg was the last competition for selection of the 2004 team. There was only one individual that could qualify to compete for USA women's foil at the Olympics that year. It was at this competition that I needed to just make the top-32, something I had done many times over in my career, in order to make the team. I was leading a Russian girl and in the last period I lost to her making me two points short overall of making the 2004 team. Just writing these words is tough for me.
The interesting thing is that my current coach was coaching Felicia at the time and she consoled me in the bathroom. I was just sobbing uncontrollably.
It was also the last time Buckie ever coached me in a competition. He and I were through. We had a short talk and the end and he said he thought I would make the team and I said I didn't and I felt like it was partly his fault. And we left it at that, nothing more and nothing less. It still pisses me off to think that is how we ended our twenty year career together. But that is definitely a story for another day.
Third story: Moscow and St. Petersburg, 2005
This one is definitely happier than the second. The whole Stanford in Moscow exchange program went to St. Petersburg for a trip during our quarter abroad. We had a great time there and it was at that time I had no intention of coming back to fencing. I did fence a bit in Moscow but I felt like it was already over for me. Was I secretly thinking that I would come back? I seriously doubted that at the time.
I even remember talking to some fencers from Moscow and they would ask me whether or not I would return. I would laugh and say absolutely not and they would respond that fencing is always in the blood. Russians-always so dramatic. True, but dramatic.
Fourth story: St. Petersburg, 2007
This story has yet to be written. This is the story of my return to St. Petersburg as a fencer ready to fence at the World Championships. I'm looking foward to going back, practicing my ever decreasing Russian vocabulary, and visit the Hermitage. I just remember how much I loved that city.
What I loved most about St. Petersburg was it's history of Tsars and Tsarinas, especially the story about Catherine the Great. She was quite the character, you can click here to find out more about her.
My flight leaves on Saturday and I will arrive in St. Petersburg sometime on Sunday by way off Rochester-Newark-Paris. Apparently you can't fly directly to St. Petersburg-or maybe you can't fly directly there on a budget.
By the way-I appreciate everyone's comments about the blog. All are very useful and fun to hear.
The following are short stories about a few of my trips to Mother Russia.
First story: Moscow, 1999
I made my first senior world cup final at the Moscow world cup in 1999. I was about eighteen then and had started at Stanford that year. I remember that Buckie was so proud of me that he bought me a shot of vodka. I am definitely a cheap date so I went up to accept my medal just a little tipsy.
Second story: St. Petersburg, 2004
This one is not as fun as the first story. St. Petersburg was the last competition for selection of the 2004 team. There was only one individual that could qualify to compete for USA women's foil at the Olympics that year. It was at this competition that I needed to just make the top-32, something I had done many times over in my career, in order to make the team. I was leading a Russian girl and in the last period I lost to her making me two points short overall of making the 2004 team. Just writing these words is tough for me.
The interesting thing is that my current coach was coaching Felicia at the time and she consoled me in the bathroom. I was just sobbing uncontrollably.
It was also the last time Buckie ever coached me in a competition. He and I were through. We had a short talk and the end and he said he thought I would make the team and I said I didn't and I felt like it was partly his fault. And we left it at that, nothing more and nothing less. It still pisses me off to think that is how we ended our twenty year career together. But that is definitely a story for another day.
Third story: Moscow and St. Petersburg, 2005
This one is definitely happier than the second. The whole Stanford in Moscow exchange program went to St. Petersburg for a trip during our quarter abroad. We had a great time there and it was at that time I had no intention of coming back to fencing. I did fence a bit in Moscow but I felt like it was already over for me. Was I secretly thinking that I would come back? I seriously doubted that at the time.
I even remember talking to some fencers from Moscow and they would ask me whether or not I would return. I would laugh and say absolutely not and they would respond that fencing is always in the blood. Russians-always so dramatic. True, but dramatic.
Fourth story: St. Petersburg, 2007
This story has yet to be written. This is the story of my return to St. Petersburg as a fencer ready to fence at the World Championships. I'm looking foward to going back, practicing my ever decreasing Russian vocabulary, and visit the Hermitage. I just remember how much I loved that city.
What I loved most about St. Petersburg was it's history of Tsars and Tsarinas, especially the story about Catherine the Great. She was quite the character, you can click here to find out more about her.
My flight leaves on Saturday and I will arrive in St. Petersburg sometime on Sunday by way off Rochester-Newark-Paris. Apparently you can't fly directly to St. Petersburg-or maybe you can't fly directly there on a budget.
By the way-I appreciate everyone's comments about the blog. All are very useful and fun to hear.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
what's in a name?
I'm all about nicknames. You can ask my teammates about it-I've probably had a hand in creating the nicknames they have on the team. I call it the women's foil frasority, we have a couple of guys in our group as well.
Hanna is "skinny" (self-explanatory)
Emily is "the brain" (she goes to Harvard)
Erinn is "guns" (since she broke her finger she has managed to find a way to hit from the hip)
Doris is "the kid" (she's the youngest)
Nat is "the owl" (because she's so wise)
Mike is "the mission" (he is always on a mission and his fencing club is in the mission in SF)
My name-well that is still being decided.
My original nickname was "Mama". Mostly because I was the one with the most experience on the team (although Erinn is older and has just about as much experience), I've been around a long time, and I have a tendency to want to take care of others.
However, this past week I was thinking about it. There is a lot in a name-just take Romeo and Juliet for example, where I ripped the title of this blog from. There is a lot in a name-some names you don't like because you don't like the person they are associated with. Did you have a run in with Rose? Do you like the name Chad because he was your high school sweetheart?
Names are important. Nicknames are just as important because they are supposed to represent a very concentrated part of you. I just wasn't feeling like I was the name Mama. I am still a competitor, I still want to win, and Mama just seems like I should have three kids and a minivan. Nothing wrong with that but not at this moment in my life.
An old Rochester Fencing Club teammate of mine came to visit the club last week during the fencing camp. She made a face when I told her that my nickname was Mama. Julianna knew me as a youngster so Mama would never make sense to her. More importantly, Mama would never make sense to her because I was always so intent on beating the crap out of everyone at fencing practice. I was an intense teenager I guess.
Her words made me think. How did I go from this super intense person to a nurturer? Then it hit me-the nickname just didn't work for me. I asked Julianna to come up with another, more appropriate nickname for the situation.
Julianna finally came up with one at the end of practice on the last day of fencing camp-"the energizer". This comes from the energizer bunny since I always seem to be on the go, up and running, but I also shut off when I am tired. I have three modes-"go", "go faster", and "full stop".
I am both these nicknames. I believe that I am someone that will work hard to get to their goals but doesn't believe that the ends justifies the means. I want to earn a place on the team without compromising any of my ideals. I think that in sports, just as in politics, there is always one path that is clearly right (perhaps slower) and one path that is clearly a little muddied.
Maybe I feel this way because I just watched Karate Kid. It was pretty sweet to see Daniel-Sun beat up on the Cobra Kai without stooping to their level. The crane kick is still one of my favorite parts of any movie I've seen.
Anyways, enough of that segue, I am happier with the nickname energizer. It makes me feel less like a soccer mom and more like the competitor that I am.
Hanna is "skinny" (self-explanatory)
Emily is "the brain" (she goes to Harvard)
Erinn is "guns" (since she broke her finger she has managed to find a way to hit from the hip)
Doris is "the kid" (she's the youngest)
Nat is "the owl" (because she's so wise)
Mike is "the mission" (he is always on a mission and his fencing club is in the mission in SF)
My name-well that is still being decided.
My original nickname was "Mama". Mostly because I was the one with the most experience on the team (although Erinn is older and has just about as much experience), I've been around a long time, and I have a tendency to want to take care of others.
However, this past week I was thinking about it. There is a lot in a name-just take Romeo and Juliet for example, where I ripped the title of this blog from. There is a lot in a name-some names you don't like because you don't like the person they are associated with. Did you have a run in with Rose? Do you like the name Chad because he was your high school sweetheart?
Names are important. Nicknames are just as important because they are supposed to represent a very concentrated part of you. I just wasn't feeling like I was the name Mama. I am still a competitor, I still want to win, and Mama just seems like I should have three kids and a minivan. Nothing wrong with that but not at this moment in my life.
An old Rochester Fencing Club teammate of mine came to visit the club last week during the fencing camp. She made a face when I told her that my nickname was Mama. Julianna knew me as a youngster so Mama would never make sense to her. More importantly, Mama would never make sense to her because I was always so intent on beating the crap out of everyone at fencing practice. I was an intense teenager I guess.
Her words made me think. How did I go from this super intense person to a nurturer? Then it hit me-the nickname just didn't work for me. I asked Julianna to come up with another, more appropriate nickname for the situation.
Julianna finally came up with one at the end of practice on the last day of fencing camp-"the energizer". This comes from the energizer bunny since I always seem to be on the go, up and running, but I also shut off when I am tired. I have three modes-"go", "go faster", and "full stop".
I am both these nicknames. I believe that I am someone that will work hard to get to their goals but doesn't believe that the ends justifies the means. I want to earn a place on the team without compromising any of my ideals. I think that in sports, just as in politics, there is always one path that is clearly right (perhaps slower) and one path that is clearly a little muddied.
Maybe I feel this way because I just watched Karate Kid. It was pretty sweet to see Daniel-Sun beat up on the Cobra Kai without stooping to their level. The crane kick is still one of my favorite parts of any movie I've seen.
Anyways, enough of that segue, I am happier with the nickname energizer. It makes me feel less like a soccer mom and more like the competitor that I am.
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