The final countdown...
Feb. 3rd, 2017 09:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
graculusSorry, this blog is probably going to be quite fencing-heavy for a while now. *shrugs* For some reason I'm finding it hard to concentrate on books and nothing has really grabbed me, while other than the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
picfor1000 challenge I've signed up for again, no writing is going on. I've started booking my trip to Finland this summer, so perhaps more on that later?
So, an update on the club competition - my team lost by one hit. I'd been told it was close but hadn't realised quite how close it was! I could have been sharing the very ugly team trophy this time around (and yes, it's really hideous, it's a glass thing of indeterminate shape rather than a proper cup or something) if not for that one hit.
The regional comp is now a week and a day from now and I've finally succeeded in my quest to get some of my fellow newbies to enter too. I'd been badgering them for weeks, as I didn't really want to go on my own (not that I wouldn't, but I'd rather have company!) and finally a combination of pleas and pestering has carried the day. So there's going to be 4 of us in all, maybe even 5 if someone else gets his arse in gear in time. \o/
Of course, since a foil competition is coming up soon, our coach decides that last night was an ideal time to start teaching us epee instead. Which is basically 'where would you like to stab your opponent today and it's okay if he stabs you at the same time, it totally still counts'. None of this ridiculous right-of-way and who attacked first business, so much easier to referee in that you just see whose light goes on. I'd been thinking about doing epee some time this year anyway, since there seem to be a lot more competitions, but I wasn't really thinking quite yet!
Anyway, more news after the competition next weekend. ;)
As mentioned above, I've also started booking stuff for my trip to Finland in the summer. As well as going to Helsinki for WorldCon, I've booked a hiking trip beforehand (including bear watching) and then a few days in Turku as well. So far I've booked internal flights and my Turku and Helsinki hotels, so just the main flight and Turku-Helsinki train to go. Though at the moment July seems a long way away and I'm currently trying to decide if I want to go anywhere before then, even if just for a few days.
picfor1000 challenge I've signed up for again, no writing is going on. I've started booking my trip to Finland this summer, so perhaps more on that later?So, an update on the club competition - my team lost by one hit. I'd been told it was close but hadn't realised quite how close it was! I could have been sharing the very ugly team trophy this time around (and yes, it's really hideous, it's a glass thing of indeterminate shape rather than a proper cup or something) if not for that one hit.
The regional comp is now a week and a day from now and I've finally succeeded in my quest to get some of my fellow newbies to enter too. I'd been badgering them for weeks, as I didn't really want to go on my own (not that I wouldn't, but I'd rather have company!) and finally a combination of pleas and pestering has carried the day. So there's going to be 4 of us in all, maybe even 5 if someone else gets his arse in gear in time. \o/
Of course, since a foil competition is coming up soon, our coach decides that last night was an ideal time to start teaching us epee instead. Which is basically 'where would you like to stab your opponent today and it's okay if he stabs you at the same time, it totally still counts'. None of this ridiculous right-of-way and who attacked first business, so much easier to referee in that you just see whose light goes on. I'd been thinking about doing epee some time this year anyway, since there seem to be a lot more competitions, but I wasn't really thinking quite yet!
Anyway, more news after the competition next weekend. ;)
As mentioned above, I've also started booking stuff for my trip to Finland in the summer. As well as going to Helsinki for WorldCon, I've booked a hiking trip beforehand (including bear watching) and then a few days in Turku as well. So far I've booked internal flights and my Turku and Helsinki hotels, so just the main flight and Turku-Helsinki train to go. Though at the moment July seems a long way away and I'm currently trying to decide if I want to go anywhere before then, even if just for a few days.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-03 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-03 06:51 pm (UTC)I'm flying about 10 days before the con but then going straight up to Oulu near the Russian border for a week in the wilderness and that's the flight I've booked since there was no room for leeway over getting picked up or dropped off at the airport in question. There's more room for manoeuvre over the main flight, since I can fly from either Manchester direct or Birmingham/Manchester via various cities as long as I get there before late afternoon to catch the Oulu flight.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-05 03:09 am (UTC):p
Good luck with the foil competition.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-05 10:20 am (UTC)To be honest, the team that came 4th suffered most - it had relative newbies fencing both foil and epee, so the poor lad doing sabre was up against it in a big way. We also know him well enough to know he takes a bit of time to warm up, so when we ended up fencing his team first and won the toss to decide fight order, we made him go first and he got slaughtered 5-0. That's one of the dangers of fighting people who know your bad habits!
I'm trying to mentally frame the regional comp as 'more opportunity to practice' but the element of actual competition keeps sneaking in there - as long as I do my best, then I'll be happy. Happier if I win something, naturally, but we have no benchmark for how good the folks are who're coming from the other clubs.