A bit of a change

"Here is a little update as I have neglected my blogging duties somewhat recently. My past year in London has seen a huge improvement in my technical and tactical aspects of my game along with a deeper understanding of fencing as a whole. I have been selected for all the competitions over the season and having more time since finishing my degree has allowed me to become stronger, fitter and faster. It has however, come to the end of the season which has been disappointing with regards to my individual results. Whilst I have fenced with increasing confidence in the team matches, my individual performances are not yet reflecting my training, as anxiety has obstructed my way.

British Fencing has also gone through some structural changes this season which has seen a few changes in training schedules and coaching leading up to the European Championships. One of the decisions was to change the women's epee team a little, meaning that I was reserve for the GB team. Although this was a huge disappointment, it can also provide many reasons with which to look upon the experience in a positive light. Firstly, it changes the anxiety of not 'making-it' into a hunger to make it: I have less to lose. Secondly, it allowed me to attend the Championships as a spectator (16th July) and have an objective view of those nervous fencers and the successful fencers without having my own nerves and thoughts of my own performance, as I usually do when I am at the competitions. Thirdly, it has provided me with a little respite to gather myself and get my thoughts clear without a looming Championship during a time when my confidence in my ability is not at an all-time high."

With this time to review my performance and attitude, I have decided with the support of my team, and of friends and family, that I will return to the North. London provided me with the skills and the volumes of training I needed and now I need to focus on the mental side and return to the familiarity and the comfort and happiness I will gain from home to perform at my true standard - when it matters.

There is still the Women's Epee Team Event tomorrow (Tuesday, 19th)and I am certainly looking forward to supporting GB at the Institute of Sport (Sheffield). If you are free, it "kicks off" at 9.30 am and we would really love as much support as possible for a full home-advantage effect.

The Europeans are in Sheffield!!

The European Fencing Championships are in Sheffield this year (14th-19th of July) which is very exciting for me because Sheffield is close to Chesterfield and I am a fencer. Although the teams have not been selected yet I am pretty excited at the concept of having top world class fencing (the Europeans are the best in the world)so close to my house whether I am supporting or fencing.

As I am so local and on the British Team I was asked to write a little something to advise European supporters and fencers as well as British visitors and fencers what to do with their time in Sheffield. This is what I said:


I live in Chesterfield, which is just outside Sheffield and so was delighted when I found that the Fencing European Championships were coming to Sheffield. I have many links with Sheffield…my family come from here, I was a junior season ticket holder for Sheffield United, I fenced at various Sheffield fencing clubs… and so I would like to enlighten you with some local knowledge of the area to make your ‘Sheffield time’ as good as it should be.

I’m a female epeeist and so appreciate that the best shops are of high interest to fencers and females alike. In Sheffield these can most definitely be found in Meadowhall, a very large shopping centre with a large variety of restaurants, easily accessible from the Europeans venue (EIS) - simply get the tram from the Institute of Sport directly to Meadowhall.

Kelham Island is the old location of some of Sheffield’s steel works and is now the best place in England for true English pubs, local music, beers and food. Fact. During the day, Kelham Island Museum is a small but really interesting place to learn about Sheffield’s Steel works and see the monster machines of the past at work. Again, the tram is probably the best transport to use as Kelham Island is a short walk from Shalesmoor tram stop.

Sheffield has a nice city centre, but its brightest aspect is the countryside it sits amongst. Very easily accessible by train, the Peak District is one of the biggest things I miss being stuck in smokey London. Edale is a typical Peak District village and where I’ve spent many of my summers. It is also the start of the Pennine Way and so has clear signposts for great walks in the heathery moors. Grindleford is also a brilliant place to see the best of the Peak District from Sheffield and includes an authentic and very famous (in the area) greasy spoons café within the old railway station building.

Finally, I can’t write this without suggesting you take the train into Chesterfield to see the Crooked Spire and visit the market and Jacksons Bakery for a true North-Derbyshire/ South Yorkshire experience.

For more information about things to do or travel phone the Sheffield Tourist Information on 0114 221 1900.

I really hope you enjoy your stay, and if you’re about to leave Sheffield with a negative view of the place- find me (I’ll be there fencing or supporting) and I’ll head you in the right direction so as to change your opinion.

So this is my advice to them. And my advice to you ( for those of you reading this through the Derbyshire Times) is to GO and see some world class fencing. Its a really great opportunity not to be missed.

500 days and counting

First of all I’m sorry for not updating my blog sooner, and it is only because of a push from Derbyshire Times that I am writing this one.
To be brutally honest and nakedly truthful I have been too exhausted to attempt to sit and write this blog. I’ve started to work two days a week and continue to train hard, but this is not the cause. Instead, I feel emotionally and psychologically drained and weary. The stress that has come with less than 500 days to the Olympics is almost more than I have found that I can bear.

This stress is mainly manifested by not performing, with the pressure to perform twisting my fencing style into a terrified rabbit-in-the-headlights style: a frustrating cycle. The stress is also magnified by the inescapable Olympic theme running through London and the UK.

The encouragement, passion and interest on the radio, TV, billboards, is absolutely what I would hope for (and what my sponsorship relies on) but I can’t deny it's not stressful to experience constant questioning along the lines of “Do you know if you are in the Olympics yet? Should I bother getting tickets? Should I get a ticket for the early rounds or the finals?”.

After a particularly stressful day of funding meetings and goal setting, I sat down to watch Coronation Street, eat some Chocolate and forget about fencing and the ‘O’ word before I had to go to evening training. Sounds like a solution eh? But aaargh, there, on my Wispa, smirking up at me, were those damn Olympic Rings teasing me and laughing at my thought that I might be able to avoid the Olympics for half an hour of my life.

The stress to perform is becoming ever more public as the excitement for the Olympics heightens. Today I got a text from my friend saying she got a leaflet through her door in Chesterfield with the words ‘meet and greet the amazing Olympic athlete, Hannah Lawrence’ at a Brampton Manor function. (I think the Advertising Agency might have something to say about that). All these moments cause a voice to scream in my head “WHAT'S going to happen if I don’t get in”.


But then I remember that all athletes who have ever made it would have gone through similar thought processes and that I’m pretty sure I am not the first person to have ever stressed out about having pressure to perform as an athlete. And now I feel silly for writing this whole post where I have moaned and felt sorry for myself, and not written about the last competitions

So - in a nut shell: have had ups and downs, with Leipzig A-Grade fencing my best yet and very narrowly losing to a Korean in extra time to make the Last 64, and getting knocked out of the team event by the overall winners, Estonia. Barcelona A-Grade: fencing terribly in individuals and not making it on to the team who then did badly losing to Japan. Finally, to Naples at the European Club Competition fencing for London Thames Fencing Club where, with the pressure dropped, I fenced like a praying mantis(patient and explosive) and loved every minute of it.


For a general update, I am 125th in the World which is currently not enough to qualify but I am moving ever further to the top, second ranked Brit in the World Rankings, and third ranked in National
Rankings. (for more stats
http://www.fie.ch/Competitions/FencerDetail.aspx?param=FEC61CE5E2D2DF9195E37082079DB6E )

CHESTERFIELD

This week I was asked to be an honorary Chesterfield Champion and a promoter of Chesterfield.

Although this is a repeat of my first blog already, this is what I wrote for my profile on their website:


My name is Hannah and I am a fencer, currently living in London, and training full-time in the hope of competing in the 2012 Olympics. This is quite an unusual situation to be in considering that I grew up in Chesterfield, went to Brookfield Community School and loved playing netball and doing athletics at Queens Park Annex. Although my occupation is not typical of a Chesterfieldian, I have no doubt in my mind that it is my upbringing in Chesterfield that got me where I am today.

I started fencing around 14 years old at Wingerworth Fencing Club, who welcome, encourage and nurture everyone who comes through the Sharley Park doors, to embody and love fencing as much as they do. Their love of the sport (and their lifts to various national competitions) inspired me to keep fencing despite GCSE’s, A Levels, Pizza Hut shifts and the bright lights of “chez vegas”.

Brookfield also supported me, finding funding from Derbyshire Sports Council and giving me free use of Brampton Manor for fitness and the Sports Hall for lessons during lunch time.

As I moved to Manchester to Study Sociology at University, despite representing Great Britain on the International Junior Circuit, my funds began to run out - but Chesterfield provided for me once again. My friend’s sister’s friend (in true Chesterfield style) who worked at Steria Ltd (behind the new NHS Centre) offered me sponsorship after I became Senior National Champion, and opened the door to a whole host of new opportunities. I was then able to compete at the Australian Youth Olympics 2009 winning a bronze and gold medal, the Junior Commonwealths 2009, winning a gold medal, and The World Student Games 2010. I was then put on the senior national team and have competed at two World Championships and one European Championship where GBR quarter-finalled in the team event. I am now half way through my second senior international season, am ranked 2nd Nationally and have a world ranking.

With my move down to London in October 2010 and seeing the high standard of Fencing clubs in the South, instead of feeling deprived and disadvantaged growing up away from the centre of fencing, I have realised that without the community spirit of Chesterfield I would never have had the drive to achieve what I have, nor to keep striving to achieve, and I hope to promote my home town further in the run up to our own Olympic Games, London 2012.

Trials and Tribulations

I said I would write about my trials and tribulations and the start of this season has already provided me with the opportunity to write about them.

Doha A-Grade (Qatar) was our first competition and with preparation beginning from the end of the Worlds (Nov) I was well trained, rested and psyched. On our arrival in Doha sprirts were high, swords were working and legs were fresh. Unfortunately the food at the hotel buffet was not so fresh and 3/5 funded team members were hit with food poisoning.

Although I didn't get through to the second day of individuals and was in no fit state to fence in the team event, there were some victories during the trip. Sissi Albini came 23rd out of 145. We came 13th in the team event and although this was a place lower than last year it was our most consistant performance yet. We beat Mexico, Japan and Canada and narrowly lost to Germany 42-45 and Sweden 41-45.

The second comp was in Budpest and again has provided us with more trials. Although our flight was on time and the hostel was UNbelievably plush for 15 euros a night (this comp, not including a team event was self funded), our fencing bags were not brought from Heathrow until 2am meaning that we had to go the venue early to put our weapons through security and safety tests and went to sleep unsure of whether we would actually be able to compete at all the next day.

Although I felt I fenced more relaxed and confidently than I had yet in an international comp we all did bitterly badly and none of us made it through to the second day (a dismal result not yet encountered by us).

Of course I can lay on the excuses thicker and faster than the Swedish snow but that is not my intention. Instead I mean to portray the psychological strengths we are building as an individual and as a team. Despite the setbacks we are not beaten in spirit and I can honestly say I cant wait to return to London tommorow morning and start the weeks training again this time probably with more fire to prove myself (although could probably do without the 6am flight!).

When in Rome

Like Julius Caesar, I came and I saw, but the question is: did I conquer?
Just had a brilliant week of great fencing and even greater pasta in Rome, together with my team mate, Mary Cohen, (@fencingmary). Decided to go there to conquer the tensions and stiffness I get whenever my opponent is wearing a national kit NOT containing the union flag. Italy are currently ranked sixth in the world, and Rome being one of the best clubs in Italy, was a great place to train, focus on the season ahead and conquer my unjustified nervousness when fencing other nations.

Unlike British clubs, Rome fencing club has it’s own building within an Olympic sports venue and so is open throughout the day for training and fitness. Because of these “office hours” it certainly has more of an air of professionality about it. Both the fitness and the fencing is in one area, unlike my training which is split between various fencing clubs and Fitness First, and so the atmosphere they create is relaxed but meaningful and, more importantly, their own. Although it has provided me with some new ideas for training, in a paradoxical manner my greatest surprise was what I had really known all along: there is no magic formula to their fencing skills.

In between morning and evening training we got several opportunities to have a look around, and the hospitality of our host allowed us to gain true Roman experiences such as a midnight drive to the pastry factory and a real home-cooked Roman meal with friends.

When asking a twitter friend (@BudgetTraveller) –I have those now, you see- what there was to see when in Rome, I was told it was an open air museum so it would be best to walk around and stumble upon its history.

First impression was the contrast of modern graffiti scrawled upon ancient buildings, which suggested a lack of respect and a run down environment. However, the longer I was there, and the more awe-inspiring the monuments and churches I accidently came across, the more I realised the reason for the lack of red-tape and protection: all of Rome is still very much lived in, acknowledged and understood by its citizens in a very real way. The people of York are no more like Vikings than I am, but the Romans are still as Roman as Julius Caeser himself. Indeed, graffiti is Latin for “scratching” and refers to rude words scratched by Roman soldiers, so the graffiti merely confirms their roots.

So did I conquer?
They train hard, as do we, and perform well, as can we. Whilst this meant I did not leave Rome with The Answer, it has also revealed to me that, in the wise words of B.O.B (feat. Bruno Mars) “they got nothin’ on you babe”.
So Doha – bring it on!

Swedish Camp

This is a brief account of my recent trip to Sweden consisting of a satellite one-day competition which we took as a light start to the season followed by a five day camp with the Swedish and Estonian national teams. The competition was a bit of a disappointment with inconsistency in my performance resulting in my coming 31st out of 55, but also gaining good competition practice .

We arrived at the camp at what felt like midnight due to the early Scandinavian sunset and, seven Chinese buffet plates later (I had reason to commiserate), the five of us piled into our week's accommodation in the form of a log cabin made for three. Training with the Swedes (Estonians, a Kirghizstani and a Norwegian) was a fun affair of doing footwork drills to the rhythm of Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" and fencing to Metallica and Linkin Park.

Our free time was often spent in a (possibly, no I'm going to say highly likely) neo-Nazi cafe about a kilometre’s cold walk from the camp, in Uppsala as this was seemingly the only place for wifi and cheap hot chocolate. We also visited Uppsala Cathedral whose only significant feature to me was the St Lawrence door located in the East Wing.

All in all, the Swedish trip was a success, providing competition practise and increasing my confidence and fight for next time I come up against the six foot, blonde, gorgeous Swedish team.

P.S I am writing this in a Roman cafe and look forward to telling you aall about that too!