The Shropshire Open 2018
May. 8th, 2019 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99See, I am now caught up to the start of September 2018 (eeeek!)
The actual fencing went quite well. For the first time ever I was ranked in first after the pools. Okay, so yes, it wasn't the strongest field, but only person beat me is my favourite nemesis J. (J knows I call her this and is pleased and amused at the compliment. Other people do not understand how much love and affection comes with that nickname.)
Also, for the first time ever, I beat C. And then I beat her again in the second round of pools. The reason I could do this was that she was trying this attack that has become popular with the "new" timings. You start your attack, so you have priority, but you keep your hand level with your hip as you move forward, so it's hard for the opponent to parry your blade. You force your opponent to the end of the piste and they either concede a point by stepping off, or you hit them. Now, as the opponent, there are two things you can do:
1 - counterattack, but, because of the height of the hip and the distance the other person is from you, it's hard to get the timing right. Normally, you counter-attack when you see a pause or a slight draw back, with this attack that shouldn't happen. Instead, the arm should come across, which opens up option 2.
2 - As the arm comes over, the wrist has to change direction slightly to get the point on target properly. You parry when you see that movement. It's doable but tricky. Luckily for me, training partner D had been practising it for the month beforehand so I knew what to look for and C is not as fast as D, so I stopped her each time, and enough of them were single lights that she couldn't argue the referee out of all of them. C tries to argue against single lights quite frequently, but they do help convince the ref that actually, yeah, one of use should get that point and it is not C.
Unfortunately, in what becomes a theme for the rest of the year, after doing quite well in the pools, I screw up the knockout stage.
In my defence, I have beaten the woman who knocked me out (K) precisely twice in 15 years. And I was somewhat put off by C endeavouring to maim J on the piste next door. I do not exaggerate. C punch-lunged J's knee. J crumples, my opponent, who is a doctor, has to rush over to ensure that the sports centre staff don't make it worse while they attend to J, and by the time that's over, I've lost all ability to do. Because I am a 'nana that can't focus for long periods of time.
Also of interest is the news about chest protectors. Apparently the powers that be realised that making us wear a whole layer of neoprene over our chest protectors but under our plastrons, jackets and lames was only going to lead to sweat, complaints, tears and more sweat. Instead we now have to velcro a thin sheet of it onto our chest protectors. What that does to help, I do not know, but it is better than the other alternative. It's not better than the best option, which is that people learn to fence, but no-one listens to me.
Also, annoyingly and in something I found out only at the Birmingham, it's only female foilists who have to wear this nonsense.
Even more annoyingly, despite this becoming a rule in September (2019), the BFA have publicised this barely. Like at the bottom of a page on their unnavigable website. Thankfully, J has to keep on top of this sort of thing for her bambinos and doesn't mind passing the info on.
From T we got some more interesting news. T is a ~ 16 year old, so last year of cadets. I was complaining about the lack of competitions between the Shropshire (1st week of September) and the Merseyside (3rd week of February). She was saying she should be so lucky, because she didn't have a break in the calendar until after the Merseyside, because she had to do the cadet comps, and the junior comps to prepare to be a junior next year. Which might explain why all the cadets/juniors are always knackered at the end of the season and/or injured. I have recently (again at the Birmingahm) discovered that the BFA have realised there is a problem, 5 years after everyone else, but they have realised that there is a problem, and have got someone in to try and co-ordinate the tournaments. A is lovely and the job will defeat him and somehow, I think they're going to try to avoid paying him but ... it's a start.
The actual fencing went quite well. For the first time ever I was ranked in first after the pools. Okay, so yes, it wasn't the strongest field, but only person beat me is my favourite nemesis J. (J knows I call her this and is pleased and amused at the compliment. Other people do not understand how much love and affection comes with that nickname.)
Also, for the first time ever, I beat C. And then I beat her again in the second round of pools. The reason I could do this was that she was trying this attack that has become popular with the "new" timings. You start your attack, so you have priority, but you keep your hand level with your hip as you move forward, so it's hard for the opponent to parry your blade. You force your opponent to the end of the piste and they either concede a point by stepping off, or you hit them. Now, as the opponent, there are two things you can do:
1 - counterattack, but, because of the height of the hip and the distance the other person is from you, it's hard to get the timing right. Normally, you counter-attack when you see a pause or a slight draw back, with this attack that shouldn't happen. Instead, the arm should come across, which opens up option 2.
2 - As the arm comes over, the wrist has to change direction slightly to get the point on target properly. You parry when you see that movement. It's doable but tricky. Luckily for me, training partner D had been practising it for the month beforehand so I knew what to look for and C is not as fast as D, so I stopped her each time, and enough of them were single lights that she couldn't argue the referee out of all of them. C tries to argue against single lights quite frequently, but they do help convince the ref that actually, yeah, one of use should get that point and it is not C.
Unfortunately, in what becomes a theme for the rest of the year, after doing quite well in the pools, I screw up the knockout stage.
In my defence, I have beaten the woman who knocked me out (K) precisely twice in 15 years. And I was somewhat put off by C endeavouring to maim J on the piste next door. I do not exaggerate. C punch-lunged J's knee. J crumples, my opponent, who is a doctor, has to rush over to ensure that the sports centre staff don't make it worse while they attend to J, and by the time that's over, I've lost all ability to do. Because I am a 'nana that can't focus for long periods of time.
Also of interest is the news about chest protectors. Apparently the powers that be realised that making us wear a whole layer of neoprene over our chest protectors but under our plastrons, jackets and lames was only going to lead to sweat, complaints, tears and more sweat. Instead we now have to velcro a thin sheet of it onto our chest protectors. What that does to help, I do not know, but it is better than the other alternative. It's not better than the best option, which is that people learn to fence, but no-one listens to me.
Also, annoyingly and in something I found out only at the Birmingham, it's only female foilists who have to wear this nonsense.
Even more annoyingly, despite this becoming a rule in September (2019), the BFA have publicised this barely. Like at the bottom of a page on their unnavigable website. Thankfully, J has to keep on top of this sort of thing for her bambinos and doesn't mind passing the info on.
From T we got some more interesting news. T is a ~ 16 year old, so last year of cadets. I was complaining about the lack of competitions between the Shropshire (1st week of September) and the Merseyside (3rd week of February). She was saying she should be so lucky, because she didn't have a break in the calendar until after the Merseyside, because she had to do the cadet comps, and the junior comps to prepare to be a junior next year. Which might explain why all the cadets/juniors are always knackered at the end of the season and/or injured. I have recently (again at the Birmingahm) discovered that the BFA have realised there is a problem, 5 years after everyone else, but they have realised that there is a problem, and have got someone in to try and co-ordinate the tournaments. A is lovely and the job will defeat him and somehow, I think they're going to try to avoid paying him but ... it's a start.
