OK so I was ABOUT to get my sabre E08. Finally.... after all these months I almost had it. I was +9 in my 8-man pool and my first DE round was against a fencer who I'd crushed 0-5 before. But THEN right at the beginning of the bout, someting happened to my left leg. I think it was the tendon. In any case, my left leg would not support my weight anymore (im a righty) but i kept fencing.
WHY? becuase i NEEDE my E08 at LEAST.
So i fenced and i fenced and the director could tell that I was in pain but i kept waving him off saying it was ok. Then on the last point i knew i was dead so i lunged and probably tore something awful. (I am dosed on mountains of advil right now.) and then i LOST to this NOOB 10-15.
(ive been fencing 6 years sabre)
SO in summation:
-has this ever happened to you? doesnt it SUCK????? ISNT LIFE UNFAIR?
-what can u do when u are injured liek that to help urself fast? are there any rules that u can call into play to give u time or something?
-what can u do when u are injured liek that to help urself fast? are there any rules that u can call into play to give u time or something?
You can request a 10 minute injury timeout. You only get 1 injury timeout per specific injury per tournament- so if you took the timeout then and won the bout, you couldn't take it again in the next bout for the same injury still bothering you.
I've hurt my leg, which drastically limited me for some months . . . and then I think the first tournament my leg was starting to feel better I hurt my back, which is just now beginning to feel better.
I think if I was smart I would have stopped fencing in the tournaments immediately after noticing there was something wrong, and maybe I wouldn't have the same problems nearly a year later. Remember to stretch--a lot, and everyday. not just before and after you fence, but everyday--and work with some weights. Remember to stretch everything, too. All surrounding muscles, since they're all connected.
Life seems very unfair. I don't think I should have such severe back problems at 19, and on the occasions where my back feels all right and I can fence without limitations it's an entirely different game. Take a break for as long as you can bear, stretch and strengthen when it feels good enough to, and ease back into it.
OK so I was ABOUT to get my sabre E08. Finally.... after all these months I almost had it. I was +9 in my 8-man pool and my first DE round was against a fencer who I'd crushed 0-5 before. But THEN right at the beginning of the bout, someting happened to my left leg. I think it was the tendon. In any case, my left leg would not support my weight anymore (im a righty) but i kept fencing.
WHY? becuase i NEEDE my E08 at LEAST.
So i fenced and i fenced and the director could tell that I was in pain but i kept waving him off saying it was ok. Then on the last point i knew i was dead so i lunged and probably tore something awful. (I am dosed on mountains of advil right now.) and then i LOST to this NOOB 10-15.
(ive been fencing 6 years sabre)
SO in summation:
-has this ever happened to you? doesnt it SUCK????? ISNT LIFE UNFAIR?
-what can u do when u are injured liek that to help urself fast? are there any rules that u can call into play to give u time or something?
Ok let me make this abundantly clear. YOUR HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY LETTER RATING!!! Especially an E. You can get one of those just for showing up at enough tournaments.
Fencing on an injury just to finish a tournament can severely impact your future fencing career, cutting it short by years (cutting it off entirely if you're unlucky enough...).
[anecdote alert!]
I tore a meniscus the week before an important collegiate competition (conference finals). Stupid me, I put the team ahead of my own body, and fenced. Team won the conference title, I won the individual title. However, I lost 75% of the meniscal mass in that knee... Which means that I'll need surgery before too long...
let me repeat this, because it cannot be mentioned enough:
IF YOU'RE INJURED, STOP FENCING!
[Sorry, I get a bit worked up over this issue in particular]
I'm sorry this happened. Painful lessons to learn on this one, huh. =(
You'll get your E. No worries on that. Your passion for the sport is awesome!
Time to go see a doctor about that leg.
Time to go see a doctor about that leg.
Time to go see a doctor about that leg.
Let us know how it goes. k?
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
Hmmm....so many things to say but I'll try to stick to the useful:
1) Yeah. Life sucks. Hard. Life is a hover and you are the coffee grounds on the hardwood floor of existence.
2) If you actually injured yourself as bad as you say, stop fencing, find a sports med professional and get a plan of attack together. I injured myself very badly a few seasons ago and had to spend over a year rehabbing to get to 100% again and I'm still learning that 100% ain't permanent. I have muchos work to do and a thigh sleeve to wear if I really expect to fence well at the next NAC.
3) If sports med professionals aren't available, see your doctor. Seriously, as much as you love fencing it ain't worht mobility. You also aren't at a point where people might forgive your foolish pursuit of victory despite health risks yet. Talk to us again when you're a CONTENDA.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
Hmmm....so many things to say but I'll try to stick to the useful:
1) Yeah. Life sucks. Hard. Life is a hover and you are the coffee grounds on the hardwood floor of existence.
2) If you actually injured yourself as bad as you say, stop fencing, find a sports med professional and get a plan of attack together. I injured myself very badly a few seasons ago and had to spend over a year rehabbing to get to 100% again and I'm still learning that 100% ain't permanent. I have muchos work to do and a thigh sleeve to wear if I really expect to fence well at the next NAC.
3) If sports med professionals aren't available, see your doctor. Seriously, as much as you love fencing it ain't worht mobility. You also aren't at a point where people might forgive your foolish pursuit of victory despite health risks yet. Talk to us again when you're a CONTENDA.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
Go to a doctor!! Mechanically if something is torn, all the advil in the world isn't going to fix it. Ligaments don't repair/heal by themselves.
Sadlly, without going into details, my son recently suffered a left knee injury, and he basically is out for 6-9 months. He had to withdraw at the NAC-B after going 5-0, 5-1 in his first 2 JMS pool bouts. He's won gold medals at USFA national youth events and lives for fencing. With the injury he will lose his points and probably will not be able to do any of the designate events next year, which was something he was really looking forward to. You are right, life sometimes is unfair. But he is still a young kid and his health is the No. 1 priority.
Don't be stupid. Some people give up alot more than a chance for an "E" rating due to injury. Make sure you can live to fence another day- and there will be other days.
P.S., To those who know my kid and have expressed concern/given their regards, a big "thank you".
Last edited by fencerwallet; 11-22-2008 at 03:19 AM..
Not to beat dead horse further, but GO TO A FREAKIN' DOCTOR!
If he/she tells you to stay off your leg for 6 weeks, DO IT! Having done more injuries than I care to have, pushing when you shouldn't will only make it worse and take longer to heal.
If you do have to take time off, watch other fencers. You can learn a lot of what to do and not to do.
If you're lucky or persuasive, try doing chair fencing with your clubmates and see if you coach can give you lessons sitting. I did this for 6 weeks +. One of the things chair fencing helps teach you is better control and a more finite sense of distance. (And it is a LOT of FUN!)
If you're lucky enough and you can stand, but not really move, get up on the strip and spar with your club mates. They move, you don't. It forces you to learn patience, figure out new ways to make they break off an attack, and if you aren't good parries, you will learn very quickly.
Bottom line, it's a letter. There are lots of them and it's not going anywhere. Get healthy and set some smaller goals as you get back and then if you still want the "E" try for it.
Ok let me make this abundantly clear. YOUR HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY LETTER RATING!!! Especially an E. You can get one of those just for showing up at enough tournaments.
Fencing on an injury just to finish a tournament can severely impact your future fencing career, cutting it short by years (cutting it off entirely if you're unlucky enough...).
It also can lead to expensive medical bills, and a significantly increased chance of arthritis and other problems down the road.
I'd say there are maybe a couple circumstances where it might be warranted for someone to keep fencing with an injury that could easily be aggravated:
- If they need to win that day in order to qualify for the Olympics.
- If they are at the Olympics.
Outside of that, don't fence with an unidentified knee injury. It's just not worth it.
OK so I was ABOUT to get my sabre E08. Finally.... after all these months I almost had it. I was +9 in my 8-man pool and my first DE round was against a fencer who I'd crushed 0-5 before. But THEN right at the beginning of the bout, someting happened to my left leg. I think it was the tendon. In any case, my left leg would not support my weight anymore (im a righty) but i kept fencing.
WHY? becuase i NEEDE my E08 at LEAST.
So i fenced and i fenced and the director could tell that I was in pain but i kept waving him off saying it was ok. Then on the last point i knew i was dead so i lunged and probably tore something awful. (I am dosed on mountains of advil right now.) and then i LOST to this NOOB 10-15.
(ive been fencing 6 years sabre)
SO in summation:
-has this ever happened to you? doesnt it SUCK????? ISNT LIFE UNFAIR?
-what can u do when u are injured liek that to help urself fast? are there any rules that u can call into play to give u time or something?
Nasty injury, bad timing. When did your doctor say you'd be able to spell again?
__________________
"Their interpretation is, however, refuted most elegantly by your system of radioactive atom + amplifier + charge of gun powder + cat in a box"
-Albert Einstein, in a letter to Erwin Schrödinger
Have I pointed out that if you've been fencing for 6 years and haven't gotten a rating, you don't really have much call to be referring to anyone else as a "noob"?
uhh, well if it was fifteen ten, then you weren't actually that close. I say this only to put things in perspective so you can move on faster. And you NEED to move on faster, because if you're actually trying to get a rating and you've been fencing for six years... then maybe you fencing isn't for you.
I hope that you have a better idea of how important timing and judgement is when choosing to exercise heroism.
__________________ Everyone relax cause I got it....
It's been said enough, but it needs to be said again: you play through an injury like that, and you are basically saying that bout is so important it is worth possibly ruining the rest of your fencing 'career' for it. There will be other tournaments, worry about keeping your body able first.
__________________
The Angel of Death Strikes!
If you can fool your friends, you can fool your enemies...
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