WS Grand Prix Trophy BNP-Paribas in Orléans, February 10-11, 2012

[gladius]

This very busy upcoming weekend has the first Grand Prix of women's saber 2012 season in Orleans, France.







The FFE web site has this interesting interview with Cyril Tahon, France WS National Coach.





Cyril Tahon, "Strengthen the Confidence"



Cyril Tahon, France Women's Saber National Coach - Photo by Icon Sport


February 6, 2012


DG: Few days before the Grand Prix d'Orléans, how are the girls? Any injuries?
CT: "After few minor injuries in mid January the entire group of girls is fully operational and concentrated towards the Grand Prix d'Orléans."

DG: Between Orléans and Moscow the sabreuses have four competitions to qualify for the Olympics. Is this adequate?
CT: "Adequate or not this is the rule and it cannot be changed. For our part we must be at the top of each one to get our Olympic quota."

DG: The preparation for these competitions, all very important, is different in an Olympic year?
CT: "In a non Olympic year some competitions in the calendar are less important than others and allow us to perform some tests, try something out to get ready for the most important events of the season. But in an Olympic year, and even more so in the case of selection only for the individual event each of the competitions carries an important, better a crucial role. Stress management facing competitive pressure repeatedly as well as to maintain a high level of motivation especially after a difficult trial are the elements which we must in particular watch over."

DG: At best we will have two French sabreuses in the individual event in London. How do you manage this when you are training 12 girls?
CT: "Certainly, at a maximum there will be two French sabreuses at the London Games but for each fencer in the group to be selected to represent France they must earn their spot and this is done through their results in very important events like the world team championships, the European individual and team championships and for the juniors also the European championships and the world championships which give every day ample motivation and desire to be on top."

DG: For the GP d'Orléans, taking into consideration what you see during training, which one is in a position to have a good result?
CT: "From what I observe during training in terms of desire, positive aggression, charisma, I'd like to say that all can."

DG: The Grand Prix d'Orléans attracts a public of about 5000 for the final phases at the Zénith. This public support represents an advantage or an additional pressure for the French girls?
CT: "Any competition which generates such support for the athletes and fencing in general and that in addition takes place in France can only be a plus. The public helps in part to convert the pressure into a driving force."

DG: Americans and Russians dominate world saber. What can you put on the table to make our sabreuses beat them more often?
CT: We study/analyze the video tapes and identify the typical and repeated actions each one of them performs. We can spot through the bout analysis where they were put in difficulty, where they are less comfortable, more vulnerable. However, this analysis notwithstanding, to beat the Americans, the Russians and the others each one of our sabrueses must believe in her own skills and exploit them at 100%. We must strengthen their confidence building process and their belief in themselves when they step on the strip."

DG: The idea of training camps abroad especially in USA and Russia, do you think is a good one to learn a bit more about these champions?
CT: "It's always a good idea, however we must fit different calendars in the training program and schedule to get there, and this is not always easy."

DG: The selection for Orléans is of 12 members of the elite team. How many additional spots we can hope to have to complete the tableau and how are they selected?
CT: "It will all depend on the actual number necessary to complete the tableau for the pools. I think between 3 and 5 but hopefully more."

DG: Cyril Tahon, will we have two French sabreuses in the individual competition in London?...
CT: We all, athletes, staff, selection committee give every day the maximum to attain this objective. I have confidence in the athletes and in their ability to meet the challenge..."

Interview by Denis Goran


Palmares of France WS
▪ 2 individual world titles (A.L Touya – Nîmes 2001, Leipzig 2005)
▪ 1 individual European title (A.L Touya – Funchal 2000)
▪ 2 world team titles (Turin 2006, St-Petersburg 2007)
▪ 2 European team titles (Zalaegerszeg 2005, Gand 2007)

Upcoming competitions for the London selection for WS
▪ 10-11 Feb: Coupe du monde individuelle (GP) d'Orléans (France)
▪ 25-26 Feb: Coupe du monde individuelle et par équipes de Londres (Grande-Bretagne)
▪ 10-11 Mar: Coupe du monde individuelle et par équipes d'Antalya (Turquie)
▪ 17-18 Mar: Coupe du monde individuelle (GP) de Moscou (Russie).

[Capt. Slo-mo]

DG: Americans and Russians dominate world saber. What can you put on the table to make our sabreuses beat them more often?
CT: We study/analyze the video tapes and identify the typical and repeated actions each one of them performs. We can spot through the bout analysis where they were put in difficulty, where they are less comfortable, more vulnerable. However, this analysis notwithstanding, to beat the Americans, the Russians and the others each one of our sabrueses must believe in her own skills and exploit them at 100%. We must strengthen their confidence building process and their belief in themselves when they step on the strip."

What infrastructure does USA Fencing, or its employees, have in place to do something similar on a comprehensive, on-going basis?

Or is this kind of analysis not useful, and the French are just whistling Dixie?

[Grasshopper]

the entire group of girls is fully operational and concentrated towards the Grand Prix d'Orléans.

the Death Star is fully operational and concentrated towards the planet of Alderaan

[Grasshopper]

Americans and Russians dominate world saber. What can you put on the table to make our sabreuses beat them more often?

I'm thinking iHop for starters.

[gladius]

This interview with Léonore Perrus, two times Olympian (Athens and Beijing) and currentlly FIE ranked #19 (second of the French sabreuses) is interesting also because it shows how people develop misconceptions about others or in this case other fencing programs. Source



Léonore Perrus, "To live fully/enjoy each touch"



"Léo" wants to live fully/enjoy each touch and qualify for the London Olympic Games Photo by Icon Sport

February 4, 2012

Léonore recalls her career as a high performance athlete, her desire to get back on a winning streak, and provides her plan for an Olympic qualification not yet nailed down.


DG: You are 28 years old and in the run for a third Olympic participation. How does it look?
LP: "Right now before the last 4 selection competitions, everything is possible. If some foreign fencers have their ticket already in their pocket, the fight over the next two months for the last qualifying spots will be especially tough. For me personally, I recovered from some muscular glitches and I look at the weeks to come with a lot of desire and a bit of stress of course. I know that I have to find my way again into the finals to get a valid ticket for London and this by itself is an exciting challenge!"

DG: At your first Olympics in Athens you were 20 and you finished 6th in the individual competition. What was your state of mind in 2004 and what is it today?
LP: The Athens Olympics were a unique experience. I lived through them with bewilderment and determinzation but also with a certain naïveté. This state of mind allowed me to come real close to the semifinals. Conversely, I was totally off in Beijing both as far as results and my personal experience. Today I want to fence my way, to have fun, to fence and win important bouts, to fully live/enjoy each touch. Now 'there is something extra'!"

DG: Age unfortunately is not a friend of the body but does it influence a lot the mind? How?
LP: "It's true that for the past 2-3 years physical problems, especially with my muscles did not spare me... Over time I've learned to accept and manage them a little better but it is still very annoying to be forced to rest. So I try my best to adapt, to find different strategies and lines of work to compensate these shutdown periods."

DG: Considering your career and your results what is the most perturbing element, physical or mental?
LP: "If last season the physical aspect was more defective and handicapped me in many competitions, in the past, in major individual competitions my strees and my emotions played often tricks on me. But these setbacks have pushed me to work a lot harder and to open and explore new avenues. I make every effort to ensure that this work allows me to feel totally relaxed on the strip for the upcoming major events!"

"Orléans is the most beautiful world cup competition of the circuit"

DG: You already have three victories in the world cup circuit but none in Orléans. Wouldn't this be the right moment to nail this event and add it to your palmarès?
LP: "How could I answer but for YES!!! Orléans is the most beautiful world cup competition of the circuit. I had the good fortune to be several times among the finalists and to have great fun in an incredible atmosphere. This year, in addition to being an event where each French fencer would like to shine, this event is also part of the Olympic qualification. It would be THE best time to bag it!"

DG: In Orléans but also in the other competitions you will fence against the Russians and the Americans... Are they really the strongest? How to beat them more regularly?
LP: "The current best fencers have obviously great technique and excellent tactics. But they also have 2 elements which sometime we are lacking and which are in a way related in my opinion: time and confidence. The vast majority of the top 16 fencers do fence full time which is not our case (French fencers are non professional sport amateurs!). This time availability, allows them obviously to get stronger physically and to render automatic certain actions but also to devote time to recovery, work with videos, psychological conditioning, just to give 3 examples... Moreover, all their energies/resources are directed to fencing.
In my opinion, our current organization [in France] allows us to shine in certain competitions but prevents the consistency of results achieved by the best pro-sabreuses on the circuit..."

DG: You are actively involved with sport and serious academic studies. What does a typical week of Léonore Perrus look like?
LP: "After I got my master[*] I was able to be part of the team in charge of corporate relations at my school Sciences Po [for a general information see here and my note at the end]. I was also able to benefit from an arrangement to be paid for my work there. If there is one thing I learned in a little more than a year is to be aware of the difficulty to juggle outside work and be active in high performance sport. Even more than when you are a student-athlete which allows you to do both activities [study and compete] thanks to academic flexibility, a job requires availability which is incompatible with the demands of elite sport. For this reason I had to stop my professional activity last summer. Therefore, today--temporarily--I'm a full time sabreuse."

DG: How do you anticipate your reentry in the business world? Being an amateur athlete is an asset or a liability to enter a new career in the business world?
LP: If my business project cannot be finalized [i.e., if I cannot go back to my old job] I hope that I can build on my experiences in sport and business to work in areas such as sport development and accessibility for example or why not as a consultant/support person in the social and professional life of high level athletes!"

DG: Will sport play a prominent role in your future?
LP: "After more than 10 years as a high performance athlete it's hard for me to stop with my involvement in sports. My body will not allow me to push as much as I have and I'm curious to discover new disciplines. Without a doubt I will go back to dance and maybe music!"

DG: To whom would you dedicate your Olympic medal in London?
LP: " 'Step by step' as our English friends would say! Before singing the Marseillaise one must earn the qualification and win few bouts! And whatever the outcome of this qualification I'll have to thank many people for their support and understanding: my family circle, my social friends, and my friends and colleagues in the sport."

Interview by Denis Goran


Click for Léo's fencing résume

[*] It is never easy to compare different educational systems but Perrus academic background would not be unique here in US where 99% of top elite fencers are in college, many at very prestigious colleges. Also, a student-athlete in Europe in general is first an athlete and then a student with ample allowances to graduate in a decade or longer instead of the customary 4 years. This is even more so for postgraduate curricula combined at the same time with a high performance sport career: here it is practically unheard of, while there it is definitely a possibility.


Comment

The statement that French elite fencers are pure amateur while say Americans are professional athlete is patently absurd. In the pyramid structure that he FFE is where everything is controlled from the top all the way down, elite athletes work and live all together at INSEP escrime, the national training center, and the selection for international competitions is made only from those athletes... in residence! And obviously none of them pay a cent for the service they get or to fence and compete nationally and internationally. For an idea about INSEP and high performance sport programs in France click here

It is interesting to see how misconceptions originate either from ignorance or lack of curiosity to find out what's going on outside your little niche. This is also how cockamamie ideas and projects like US Fencing Future Stars Program for Y-14 and under are conceived ...

[Inquartata]

It is interesting to see how misconceptions originate either from ignorance or lack of curiosity to find out what's going on outside your little niche.

Or else it's rationalization: There must be a reason why they beat me, can't be because they're more talented, so they must be putting in more hours of 'deliberate practice' or something...

Anyway, thanks for posting all of these interviews. Very interesting.

[gladius]

From the FFE web site the press conference ahead of the Trophée BNP Paribas in Orléans.


Bruno Rouillé, President of the Cercle d'Escrime Orléanais, "We don't do just fencing"



Bruno Rouillé, President of the Cercle d'Escrime Orléanais with some of the young volunteers


At the press conference of the Trophée BNP Paribas this morning were sabreuses Cécilia Berder, Marion Stoltz, Mariel Zagunis, and other dignitaries.

"At the BNP-Paribas agency in Orléans," said Bruno Rouillé, "we asked the girls to sign posters of the previous editions. But when came the turn of the 2012 poster Mariel Zagunis flatly refused. She said that she'll sign it Saturday evening!"

This set the tone for the music. The American fencer, currently #1 in the world ranking and winner of the 2011 edition of this event, has no intention to cede this trophée to no one else!

Yet Bruno Rouillé would like to bet some money on Marion Stoltz. "She is showing continuos and regular improvements and in Catania she had the best result of all the other French sabreuses. And there is also Cécilia Berder. She always fenced well in Orléans just like Léonore Perrus."

And to conclude the "forecast" chapter of his presentation, the president of the CEO (Cercle d'Escrime Orléanais) added, "In the winning trifecta it's impossible not to include Zagunis, Kharlan, and Velikaia."

One can understand therefore that the places on the podium will be dear and expensive and this another of many things that make the Grand Prix d'Orléans such a hot ticket. This also explains why the Zénith which is hosting the finals since 2009, is always totally sold out, i.e., 5000 spectators fully behind the French sabreuses. There is fencing, and then there are other things as well.

"We don't do just fencing," confirms Bruno Rouillé. "2012 is an Olympic year and this will be the leitmotiv of the soirée." The president remains mysterious for a moment, then he continues, "The Olympics are in London and in London are the Beatles..."

Last year the finalists arrived to the strip at the Zénith by rappelling from a helicopter hovering over the dome! What could president Rouillé and his team come up with this year?... Arriving by ferry? Rerouting the Eurostar [the luxury high speed train connecting France and UK through the chunnel] to the strip of the final?

"In Orléans we can ensure that the basketball and soccer teams don't play the same evening," explains Rouillé. "Ditto for this Saturday. Our partners will help us to produce a true show around fencing. This includes our main sponsor, BNP Paribas and our institutional partners, the City of Orléans, the Région [Centre], and the Département [Loiret]."

Over the years all this bustle and brain thrust to develop the image of fencing has succeeded in attracting public attention and [paying] spectators. As of today (Wednesday, Febriary 8 at 4:45 pm) 74% of the seats for the Trophée BNP Paribas have been sold. Few seats are left, "but you'd better hurry," warns Bruno Rouillé.

Denis Goran


Trophée BNP Paribas - Grand Prix de sabre dame - 10 et 11 février 2012 à Orléans.
▪ Phases éliminatoires Friday February 10 and Saturday February 11 at the Palais des Sports.
▪ Phases finales Saturday February 11, at 8:00 pm at the Zénith.





French sabreuses know that they can count on the support of numerous and enthousistic fans at the Zénith in Orléans

Tickets:

Gold Zone EU 12 (12 yo and under free)
Silver Zone: EU 8 (12 yo and under free)



Practical links to follow the competition:

http://www.fencingworldwide.com/WAFe...n/frameset.jsp

http://escrime-orleans.org/

[gladius]

Quarterfinals live on FIE TV

http://www.youtube.com/user/FIEvideo

First bout won by Velikaya. Fourth bout between Zagunis and Marzocca...

[Peach]

From US Fencing: Mariel won gold at this event for the second year in a row! Zagunis defeated Sophia Velikaia, 15-8, in a rematch of their 2011 World final

[gladius]

From the FFE web site



Zagunis, Queen of Orléans



Mariel Zagunis earns a second straight victory in the Trophée BNP Paribas d'Orléans, her third in total (2009, 2011, and 2012)


February 11, 2012

The 14th Trophée BNP Paribas d'Orléans, Grand Prix de sabre dames, was taken by the American Mariel Zagunis. The 2008 Beijing Olympic champion beat in the final the Catania 2011 world champion, Russian Sophia Velikaia, 15-8.

Mariel Zagunis addresses a last smile to the public in Orléan at the conclusion of a day which for her was quite easy as she appeared to get one easy victory after another.

15-9 over Alasgarova (AZE); same score against Solenne Mary; 15-10 and 15-11 against the Italians Lucchino and Marzocca; 15-10 over Kim (KOR), and finally 15-8 for the final.

The final against Sophia Velikaia, Mariel wanted it badly.

It was essential to wash the insult she suffered in Catania at the world championships agaisnt the same Russian in the final.

Although the score in Sicily was much narrower: it was very narrow since the student of maître Christian Bauer had a fantastic upsurge to bring the bout to the wire, 15-14!

In Orléans, where she is almost at home, Mariel did not leave any time to Sophia to catch her breath.

She literally grabbed her by her throat punctuating each of her decisive attacks with an angry scream.

Right now Zagunis does not have any opponet of her caliber, that's a fact.

All sabreuses who are thinking about an Olympic qualification they now have 5 months to figure out a chink in the armor of the American.

Denis Goran




CONGRATULATIONS!

[Goldgar]

From the FFE web site
[...] She literally grabbed her by her throat

I'm pretty sure that's a yellow card.

[gladius]

I'm pretty sure that's a yellow card.

No, it's a figure of speech commonly used in French which I left on purpose in English. No card, yellow or any other color...

[edew]

No, it's a figure of speech commonly used in French which I left on purpose in English. No card, yellow or any other color...

So she figuratively grabbed her by the throat then.

[gladius]

So she figuratively grabbed her by the throat then.

If they had written in English that Mariel "kicked her butt" would you have considered this a figure of speech or expected her to actually kick her butt and probably deserve a yellow card (or red, or black, depending on the power kick)?

[Inquartata]

Well, if it had said "literally kicked her butt", there might indeed have been a question. At least from those of us to whom "literally" hasn't come to be a meaningless word added only for emphasis...

[gladius]

Well, if it had said "literally kicked her butt", there might indeed have been a question. At least from those of us to whom "literally" hasn't come to be a meaningless word added only for emphasis...

Original French: Elle l'a littéralement prise à la gorge... (fourth line from the bottom on the original French text)

You can figure out the translation of littéralement... In the French usage it is an adverb used in this case for emphasis, or if you prefer a hyperbole. I transferred it into English...

Now if you or anyone else think that Mariel attempted to strangle Sophia and that is what the French reported, you should have your head examined...

[edew]

If they had written in English that Mariel "kicked her butt" would you have considered this a figure of speech or expected her to actually kick her butt and probably deserve a yellow card (or red, or black, depending on the power kick)?

Of course, I was, literally, being pedantic.

[Inquartata]

Now if you or anyone else think that Mariel attempted to strangle Sophia and that is what the French reported, you should have your head examined...

Literally?

[gladius]

Check this LINK for nice photos by J. Grelet at the WS Grand Prix Trophy BNP-Paribas in Orléans, February 10-11, 2012. Click on the image to enlarge.

Mariel Zagunis is the star of the show...


Also for those with a Euro TV connection, a video summary of Zagunis in Orléans should be broadcast on Europsort on March 21 at around 9:00 pm (Euro time).