Argentina was a good event. The American women, as a whole, did very well. I ended up 7th and managed to move several spots in the rankings to 36th-I'm out of the 40's! Woot!
I actually had a great time fencing in Buenos Aires and that's not just because I did well (but it doesn't hurt!). I'm having fun because I feel as though I am making progress and learning from each experience. My coach and I, after each tournament, take notes, work on something, and in the following tournament, the result usually reflects the preparation we have done.
So what's up next this week?
I'm leaving for NYC on Wednesday morning to train there for a few days before heading to the last grand prix world cup of the season, which is in Havana, Cuba. This isn't the last world cup of the season, but it's the last grand prix world cup which counts double points. Friends of mine joke that I spend more time in the air than on the ground. I think if I really calculated the time and mileage, they may not be far off the mark. However crazy the schedule is, I am still having fun and you're only young once. :) Besides, I know Dulles and Atlanta airports like the back of my hand now. Is that a good thing?
It's been a while since I've been to NYC, I trained there for the 2004 games. A part of me is a little nervous to return to the place where my old coach will be. I'm trying not to think of the significance because it will probably be more of a distraction than I need at this point. But-if you have read my past entries from the beginning of this journey, you know how difficult it was for me to separate him from my life and my fencing. He was once someone who meant a lot to me as he was a father figure-I think I spent more time with him than I did with my own parents. But as I got older and developed a mind of my own we clashed and have never repaired our relationship. Things with him will never be the same but I am glad for it because it means that I am much stronger and capable to stand on my own. I think the appropriate phrase here would be-"I've come a long way, baby."
If you came later to this blog and are not sure of what I am talking about in reference to my old coach, you can go back to the beginning of the blog posts because he is very much a part of them. As I've gone through this year his influence is no longer but I went through a lot just to come to this point. If you haven't read the previous posts about him, I would encourage you to do it since it was such a big part of this year.
So in conclusion, Argentina went well and the season is winding down with it's last few tournaments. I have made significant progress and I am enjoying myself along the way. Life is but a dream, and I am definitely living it. :)
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it's hard to coach children. they don't do things for their long-term good, and they don't often suffer in the short-term of their own free will. that said, i've been through the same "work for approval" psychology too...the attitude remains, though perhaps not toward the original authority figures (sorry mom and dad, i make a pretty good rebel!). i can't say anything about your relationship with your old coach though. there's too much personal detail that you'd probably prefer not to air out on the blog. i think you're all grown up at 26, and you'll do fine in NYC, just find your zone and develop some tunnel vision...
in reference to a couple of the older posts from last year, i'd like to bring up something to reinforce your posts that placing less than first can sometimes still be the sweetest thing: http://www.row2k.com/graphics/2007Spring/IRAPhotoFinish/MV8GFIRA2007.jpg
the top boat is washington's varsity, wire-to-wire ranked #1 throughout the season and undefeated. then, it's harvard and stanford, proceeding downward, tied in a dead heat to the thousandth of a second. the event is the grand final of the IRA national championship, and the context is that 1) stanford's never done so well, 2) in my first three years there, we couldn't place better than 14th, and 3) the stanford varsity's previous two races this season were highly contraindicative of tying perennial power harvard for second and coming within ~1.5 seconds of a national championship.
that's my context for empathizing with the second-is-sometimes-just-as-good and the do-the-best-you-can-do-today ideas. i'd like to throw in a third: hit your peak at the right time.
good luck with the training!
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