Last weekend was a long and fantastic weekend at Salt Lake City, UT, where the best of the USA youth fencers competed in the March NAC.
A New Experience
For most of our fencers this was their first ever NAC, and they were able to experience a lot of things for the first time – from discipline around organization, strict following of the protocol by the referees, the large size of the competition and of course their chance to meet new opponents with so many different styles and skills.
For our fencers it was a fantastic tournament, resulting in many medals, top placements, new ratings and national points.
But for me the most important was not medals, ratings or points.
The most important was seeing the kids in action, seeing how they are growing in fencing and in competition. This comes first of all from the individual perspective, seeing them interacting among themselves and with others, seeing how they have learned to handle their nerves and emotions, and then how they are able to overcome their doubts and fears, and finally how they are growing as athletes and individuals.
I was proud to see the team camaraderie. I was proud to see our fencers supporting and cheering each other on and hugging each other when an unfortunate event crossed their paths in DE’s. It was a team first and foremost, a team of young people that started their growth together, a team that hopefully will go together for many years to come, long after the club and the fencing.
These are the things that I liked the most.
Read More