went to first tournament.....

[jusplainfencing]

for those who are bored.....this is how it went......

today was the day of my first tournament, i was so nervous that i did horrible, i was shaking so bad from the nerves,I could hardly sign my initials ,t was so sloppy lol! i completely spaz'd out
and cried...(i hate it when i do that)I got eliminated first DE bout ,and the only girl there! and had never seen any of these people in my life, my attacks landed flat, and my parries were huge i even hit the floor a couple times!!! so it sucked completely, and two nights before my grandma was told she has cancer, (right after tournament we went to see her in the hospital)so I'm completely bummed right now,....the only good thing is I'm going to start fencing two times a week and have three coaches woohoo! but thats been my day today I'm going to start trying to get back on here more I've been missing for awhile! ahhh i feel better...just needed to vent my frustrations...hope ya'lls day went better than mine lol!





{edit: two times a week not night lol}

[Peach]

Congratulations on surviving your first tournament!

My first one I was so scared I shook, too. I still remember how I felt, and it has been nine years since then. Now I tell funny stories about it.

[Ramrod]

My first tournament experience was the same. Only fair in the pools and eliminated in the 1st found of DE's. I was onlty fencing once a week at the time. Now I'm up to 3 days a week and it makes a big difference.

Sorry to hear about your Grandma too. I hope she comes through well.

[jusplainfencing]

well that's good that I'm not the only one! I should have done better I didn't fence to the best of my ability, and i had such high expectations so when I didn't get top 3 I was REALLLY REALLY bummed out,....... and thank you Ramrod it means alot....

[whtouche]

I must be one of those rare people who has a good first tournament experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, but looking back there was a large amalgamation of factors contributing to this. My parents and brother were there, my brothers girlfriend, my girlfriend, and nearly everyone who had just started fencing from my club.

Infact, womens sabre was comprised of people from my club, and I can only remember 2 people in mens sabre who werent from my club tho there must have been more. I think I lost my pool bouts 5-1, 5-2, 5-4, 5-4, and 5-0. Then lost my first DE 15-0, and ended up in last place. I was excited I was actually getting touches tho.

Interesting thing to address from the original post: probably shouldnt worry too much if your hand is shaking and your signature is messy. Even top level fencers signatures on score sheets look like sine waves

[lfortier]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jusplainfencing
[B]I got eliminated first DE bout

Don't feel too bad- I ALWAYS get eliminated from the first D.E and I've been fencing for 6 months in like 4 tournies! Gets especially frustrating after doing better than everyone else in pools. Don't worry though, with time, practice, and effort, you'll learn alot and improve at competitions.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

i always celebrate when i win a DE.... always.....

(i got cheated out of my very first DE, i'd won it a couple touches before, i knew it, my coach and entire team that was watching me knew, hell, even the other coach knew.... i avoid that director like the plague now.... )

did you remember knee socks? that's the thing that i've always seen kill the spirits of kids at their first tournament, they don't realize they need kneesocks, they freak about it, and then they're off balance for the rest of the day....

[magma]

Your gradmother told you she has cancer, now hear this! [tawk like Ann Landers]. You probably could have skipped this one and stayed home if you were depressed from your grandmothers news. Which is why you cried, not the de thing. Or you could turn this around and learn from it and have a friend go with you to take pictures of your fencing and smile a lot and bring them to granny to cheer her up with some balloons.

[jusplainfencing]

no,....I always cry when i get frustrated. and we went to the hospital right after my fencing practice,we didnt think that it was anything like cancer,I heard it the same time my grandma and mom heard it, my mom said that it really bothers her that i was there to hear it from the doctor firsthand...and i wasnt sure if i should go but my grandma wouldent hear of it, so i couldent NOT go she was really excited for me and she is determined that everything is going to stay as normal as possible...considering....when i woke up today i noticed that i have the coolest bruises! (boys got spaztic and hit hard off targets)

[corinna2u]

We have one in our household that can really relate to your first tournament experience...

But what made it even worse for her is...she got last, but the other in our house, he got middle placement. Then it got worse for her at the next few tournaments...he would get first and she would still be getting last.

She absolutely hates strips that show off target lights when she hits the floor!, because she has done it soooo much.

But she has been to a few tournaments now and she is very proud that her last placement was 9th (this was against some really big guys) and his was 7th. Also, she rarely hits the floor any more, something about keeping her elbow down...

You kinda have to stick through that beginning rough period...

About the crying, don't worry about it...I have seen it happen and then don't even remember who it was later...

[Zelda]

Heck, I still ocassionally cry after being eliminated in a DE...and I've been fencing for 5 odd years now...

[lfortier]

well, I ALWAYS cry after getting eliminated from the DEs; its so frustrating because knowing that "what if I had used my height to score more touches by means of lunging? THATS how I could've EASILY beaten her! But/and I didnt...." Just thinking of stuff like that really gets to you, especially if the overall bout was really close. Going off the subject for a sec, whats the best way to improve at the DEs? Have 3 tournies coming up and want to get past the first one.

[Peach]

Fence nothing but 15 touch bouts in practice, changing your tactics at least once. Set a goal for your next tournament to fence your DE well. Treat the tournament as a (fairly intense) practice.

Watch out for the "if onlys." Try stuff. Play.

[MikeHarm]

I wouldn't make any dramatic changes to your regimine based on one tourney, fencing development takes a long time. If you overreact and try to do too much you might get frustrated and drop out.

I wouldn't worry about getting so exciting and overparrying, your nerves will settle down after a while, it might take a year, it might take several but it will happen if you go to enough tournies.

[jusplainfencing]

I wouldn't worry about getting so exciting and overparrying, your nerves will settle down

god i hope it settle's down soon,...i felt like such a spazo and everyone was going "hey look at that retardo thats bein a spaz"

well, I ALWAYS cry after getting eliminated from the DEs; its so frustrating because knowing that "what if I had used my height to score more touches by means of lunging? THATS how I could've EASILY beaten her! But/and I didnt...." Just thinking of stuff like that really gets to you

that's what i did afterward i should have done this or i shoulden't have done that. and i once again got all bummed out, I didn't cry at least! my dad video-taped the whole thing but i still can't watch it,I look like a retardo,i told them "you could see me this whole time and you still let me fence!!"

[sabresamurai]

I'm sorry about your Grandmother, I hope she gets well soon.

[haggis]

Don't worry about having a bad first tournament - just about everyone does and usually the second, third and fourth ones you won't be a whole lot better. Nerves, hitting the floor, hitting flat, wild parries, tears most of us have been there. But persevere, it will get better My first 2 years of competitions consisted of a lot of crying, sometimes starting with the first fight of the day and continuing until I was knocked out.

Hope your grandma's goign to be ok.

[jusplainfencing]

it will get better

I have hope now! lol


and thank you all for my grandma's well wishes i hope she's going to be okay...she's strong and feisty so she'll beat it.

[SoonerBJJ]

How was the competition? How many competitors were there?

[jusplainfencing]

How was the competition?

oh boy.....were you absent in class?