(no subject)
If anyone was curious, this was my weekend. On Friday, I left my fourth period class early and ran back to my room to pick up m bags, which I had already packed with my clothes for the weekend and fencing equipment, and went down to get on the bus. The bus left the Air Force Academy at about 1200, and we got to the University of New Mexico at about 1930. Once we got there, we checked into our hotel, went out to dinner at Applebees and went to bed.
The next morning we had to leave at about 0715 to go to the UNM venue for the tournament was. Epee fenced first, so I mostly just watched them until about 1130 when I started warming up. I went through my warm up and stretching routine and everything, and sabre was supposed to start at 1230, but it didn't end up starting until about 1330.
In pools I won five and lost two, which wasn't too bad. While we were fencing pools I met a kid who was thirteen, and he was fencing sabre too. He was really excited about fencing people from the Air Force Academy, and was thrilled that we hung out with him, and we talked a lot. I asked him about the Russian flag on his knickers, and he said that it was a present from his coach. He asked me if I knew his coach, Nikita Sakhanenko. I remembered him because I was lucky enough to beat him 5-3 when we fenced in New Mexico last year, but Nikita won the whole tournament and I only got 15th.
My new friend, Josh, asked a lot of questions about the Air Force Academy, because he said he either wanted to go to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, or University of New Mexico. We talked a lot in between bouts. By the end of the tournament, I think he was pretty set on going to the Air Force Academy. He did really well considering he was only 13, and everyone else was in college or older.
Anyway, I went five and two in pools, and my record was good enough to get me a bye in the first round of elimination, and I would fence the winner of Josh's bout to 15 against Jeremy Bauman, who was rated D. Sadly, Josh lost 15-7, but he did really well.
So I had to fence Bauman. I was definitely better than him, even though he was rated and I wasn't, and I got ahead 5-10 in no time. Then I lost a couple touches, and sort of got frustrated, and before I knew it the score was 10-12. I figured out what I was doing wrong and I beat him 15-12, but it shouldn't have been that close. That win got me into the top eight.
Then I had to fence my friend on the team, Nick Stockdale. Nick actually won the foil competition, and he was just fencing sabre for fun, but he went undefeated in pools and was tied for the top seed. I beat Nick 15-10 to make it into the top four. Then I lost 11-15, so I didn't make it to the championship bout, but I did get third place! I got a medal and stuff, but I had to get my picture taken, so I didn't like that much. I ended up earning a rating, E 08, which isn't very impressive, I was sort of happy to get it after only three tournaments.
Once the day was over, we went out to dinner again, and back to the hotel. We had to wake up early again the next day, and I wasn't fencing so I just watched my teammates fence, and walked around Albuquerque and the UNM campus a little bit, and bought a smoothie, and read a book, so it was a kind of relaxing day. After the second day of the tournament was over, we got on the bus and rode seven and a half hours back to the Academy. We didn't get in until about one o'clock in the morning, and I didn't get to sleep until after that, so I was tired today at school, but it was a good weekend.
The next morning we had to leave at about 0715 to go to the UNM venue for the tournament was. Epee fenced first, so I mostly just watched them until about 1130 when I started warming up. I went through my warm up and stretching routine and everything, and sabre was supposed to start at 1230, but it didn't end up starting until about 1330.
In pools I won five and lost two, which wasn't too bad. While we were fencing pools I met a kid who was thirteen, and he was fencing sabre too. He was really excited about fencing people from the Air Force Academy, and was thrilled that we hung out with him, and we talked a lot. I asked him about the Russian flag on his knickers, and he said that it was a present from his coach. He asked me if I knew his coach, Nikita Sakhanenko. I remembered him because I was lucky enough to beat him 5-3 when we fenced in New Mexico last year, but Nikita won the whole tournament and I only got 15th.
My new friend, Josh, asked a lot of questions about the Air Force Academy, because he said he either wanted to go to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, or University of New Mexico. We talked a lot in between bouts. By the end of the tournament, I think he was pretty set on going to the Air Force Academy. He did really well considering he was only 13, and everyone else was in college or older.
Anyway, I went five and two in pools, and my record was good enough to get me a bye in the first round of elimination, and I would fence the winner of Josh's bout to 15 against Jeremy Bauman, who was rated D. Sadly, Josh lost 15-7, but he did really well.
So I had to fence Bauman. I was definitely better than him, even though he was rated and I wasn't, and I got ahead 5-10 in no time. Then I lost a couple touches, and sort of got frustrated, and before I knew it the score was 10-12. I figured out what I was doing wrong and I beat him 15-12, but it shouldn't have been that close. That win got me into the top eight.
Then I had to fence my friend on the team, Nick Stockdale. Nick actually won the foil competition, and he was just fencing sabre for fun, but he went undefeated in pools and was tied for the top seed. I beat Nick 15-10 to make it into the top four. Then I lost 11-15, so I didn't make it to the championship bout, but I did get third place! I got a medal and stuff, but I had to get my picture taken, so I didn't like that much. I ended up earning a rating, E 08, which isn't very impressive, I was sort of happy to get it after only three tournaments.
Once the day was over, we went out to dinner again, and back to the hotel. We had to wake up early again the next day, and I wasn't fencing so I just watched my teammates fence, and walked around Albuquerque and the UNM campus a little bit, and bought a smoothie, and read a book, so it was a kind of relaxing day. After the second day of the tournament was over, we got on the bus and rode seven and a half hours back to the Academy. We didn't get in until about one o'clock in the morning, and I didn't get to sleep until after that, so I was tired today at school, but it was a good weekend.