Getting ready for Fencing Summer Nationals can feel daunting. Fencers want to give their best performance when the big day comes, because of course they’ve worked so hard for this opportunity. But how to go about doing it? The answer lies in doing preparation in the right way.
What is fencing summer nationals preparation camp?
Every club in the country, in fact every club around the world, holds preparation camps prior to the major events. Though the events might vary, the training regimen that’s the hallmark of these camps isn’t. The model is one that works, giving fencers the boost that is incredibly helpful in the last few weeks before national or international competition. These camps run from 1 week to 3 or even 4 weeks in some cases. The purpose of the camp is to bring its athletes to the peak performance for this tournament.
In the United States the major event in fencing happens just in few days – July 1-10 in Salt Lake City this year, where USFA will hold its annual Summer Nationals Fencing Championships and July Challenge.
You’ve put so much in to get this far – keep training!
Fencers have worked so hard during the year. They’ve traveled to many places to qualify for Nationals, and participated in tons of tournaments – from local to regional to national. Some do 3, 4, 5 and even 6 events in different age categories and senior divisions. The amount of hard work and preparation that goes into the front end of doing this level of competition is intense and demanding.
But then, once the goal of qualification is reached, many fencers just *poof* – disappear. Those last couple of weeks before Fencing Summer Nationals for some fencers can mean taking time off, or focusing in other things. There are a lot of good reasons for that – advanced classes and courses in school, different interests summer camps, and even simple vacations. After a long hard season, this break can seem like a time to step back before the big event.
Though we don’t think that medals, ratings, or rankings are the purpose of the nationals, we are going to stand firm in our belief that going there ill prepared defeats the purpose of all of the hard work that went into getting there. You worked hard ALL YEAR! You’ve earned a few free plane tickets flying from place to place to qualify, and now if you quit training, then all of your efforts are unanswered. Your opponents are using these weeks leading to the nationals to work hard and prepare themselves for the nationals, reaching their best readiness. You need to be working on upping your game as well.
Don’t put on the brake just yet! Put in the effort that you need to prepare for nationals, matching the level of intensity that you brought to the qualification process. Not for the medals, but for the feeling that you did your best to prepare and perform to the maximum of your abilities. You want to walk into Salt Lake City knowing that you set a goal and made every effort possible to reach it – without cutting corners and giving yourself a slack that you’ll regret.
Fencing preparation camp allows fencers to get some laser focused training in the last few weeks before the big competition. There’s been so much put into this competition, a Summer Nationals preparation camp only makes sense! Don’t give up – you can get there!
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