Hello! The training camp in Spain was a lot of fun and I'm back in the US now. I do have to say there's been a big jump in my performance and people I used to struggle with I can now reliably beat. It was a very sudden and slightly strange change too. Like I woke up one day and the other 3 fingers on my hand suddenly knew what to do and my accuracy skyrocketed. I do think my...
Hello again! The season has started with a few things so far. The first was a training camp in Vancouver, Washington for 4 days. It was very nice to get to put my offseason training to the test! I improved a lot in skill and judgement and especially in endurance. Previously I was getting tired after pools and 1 DE, now I can do pools and 3 DEs, possibly more. This is an excellent milestone as I need to do pools...
Hello! Just checking in again. Now that Paris is over we are into the "behind the scenes period" that is the backbone of paralympic training. The excitement is over and it's time to rack up those training hours. So for the last month that's what I've been doing, logging 2-3 work outs a day 5 days a week. Saber lessons, kettlebells, abs, cardio, hiking, yoga. Trying to advance my skills and conditioning along every axis as fast as possible. Also...
Sooo it's been a while since my last post! Lots of fun and exciting things have happened!After the competition in Warsaw and the official end of my season I took a working vacation in Europe for a few weeks, since you know I was already there haha. I stayed in Poland for a few more days and my friend from the US flew out and met me there. We went and saw old town Warsaw and some of the new...
Another competition in the books! This time in Warsaw, Poland. This was the last event before Paris and the last event of the season. Things were off to a good but frustrating start with epee on day 1. I have improved tremendously and it was my best performance so far, but I fell just short of making it to the next level where I would consider myself to be part of the middle of the pack. For a first season...
The last event to qualify for Paris was the zonal championship in Brazil. Unfortunately I got eliminated. I caught covid on the way there and was performing pretty well under the circumstances with 4 wins in saber and 1 loss, but I gassed out and got eliminated in my first DE. Then had to do a double event and do saber team later in the same day haha. Teams went really well and I beat everyone I went up against...
Hello everyone! It's been another whirlwind of training and competing!The training camp in Spain lasted about 3 weeks. It was very fun and I would like to thank Carlos Freitas from Argentina for inviting me. I got to train with some of the best people in the world from several countries, eat Paella, and see Barcelona and Valencia. It was a very cool trip and I will definitely be going back. We did a lot of epee and made a...
Hi everyone! The season is in full swing now and life on the road for the next few months has begun!After coming back from the competition in North Carolina I did a few weeks of training at home, fencing lessons, strength and conditioning, and ballroom. Then it was time to head up to Orion Fencing in Washington for a training camp with some of the other members of the US National Team as well as the local able bodied athletes...
Hey everyone! The off season is finished and we're back up to full speed on training and competing. Training started with 3 days a week of fencing lessons, 3 days a week of strength and conditioning, and 2 days a week of ballroom dance! A pretty unconventional training schedule for a fencer but an important system for an athlete's overall health and long term improvement. The fencing lessons primarily focus on getting good at the bread and butter moves done...
Hi everyone! Today will be an intro lesson to the rules of fencing and why it's so much fun :).So the sport of fencing was originally created to practice sword fighting in a safe way to allow you to get good for when you had to duel for real :). Because of this it has things in common with old fashioned dueling, traditional sports rules, and some uniquely fencing things. There are 3 weapons, each with slightly different rules and...
