Camp-a-palooza TAKE TWO

The women's foil team is going to start a three day camp tomorrow. I have been busy trying to physically and mentally prepare for this camp so I've been somewhat unfocused on the blog. Sorry about that.

I'm a little worried about this camp for a few reasons. First, my knees have been hurting more consistently lately, so I am not sure if I am going to be able to go all out for the three days. Second, it almost feels too soon after the last camp to have another one and I think motivation levels will be a lot different. That being said, I do have confidence in our ability to get really competitive once we put all our fencing stuff on. I guess when someone tries to poke you with a steel pointy object you are apt to poke them back.

When I talk about being mentally prepared, I'm not talking about it in the sport sense of the word this time. I've been extremely stressed lately about trying to figure out how I am going to pay for everything while being unemployed. I estimated that it will probably cost me about $65,000 to fence for the next two years. Bills and collection agencies still come after you even when you aren't making money-surprise, surprise.

I had a meeting about a week ago with an influential figure in Rochester that is very familiar with raising money. She promised to help me connect to people that would be interested in donating money towards my endeavor. After our breafkast meeting I was extremely excited because if anyone was going to be able to help me raise money it would be her.

Then there's the reality of it all. There are many people out there that have made promises to me about money or sponsorship and only about ten percent of those who promise will come through. I wonder if this woman is going to be part of that ten percent or am I going to have to find a job? Finding a job would make it hard for me to train and travel.

My mother always tells me this one Buddhist saying at least once a week-"when you sleep you sleep, when you eat you eat, when you do something be in the moment and focus on nothing else." She's right but I don't tell her she's right because she's my mom and children never admit defeat. But, she's right. Every workout and practice is intense at this level that I have to be prepared by being rested, full of energy, and mentally focused. Working would only decrease the amount of energy I have for my training.

If I just fenced it would help me to even the playing field with all the Europeans that receive a pay check from their country to fence. The French are "postal workers", the Italians are "police officers", and the Russians are just paid directly without any false connections. Let's not get into the Chinese, I am sure they are building up some major incentives for their athletes to win a medal in the Beijing Olympics.

Many Americans drop out of fencing after college because they can't come up with the funds to fence. It's easier to get a job and move on with your life than try and bang your head against the wall everytime a bill comes in. Meanwhile on the world stage, senior fencers start to hit their stride when they are in their mid to late twenties. The top three women in the world are either 30 or about 30 years old. Americans are great fencers when they are about 17 and then they have a tendency to drop off the face of the Earth. The U.S. Fencing Association (USFA) has been unable to come up with ways to retain a lot of their best fencers as they age into senior level fencing. I'm a rare commodity-I hope they don't lose me.

Problem is still unsolved but it's still off to practice for me. Many things need to be done today-picking up the campers from the airport, making sure the fencing club is clean, and lots of rest before the three day camp.