LAST PRACTICE OF 2024
As promised, continuing to bring you along on this journey with me. So I just had my last practice of 2024. To say I’m grateful and excited for 2025 is an understatement. The practice was grueling but I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come since un-retiring. Read on to find out why!
Gosh! it seems like it has been the longest short month of my life!
The Holiday Season seems like a blur! Thanksgiving and Christmas has come and gone with so much preparation and gone so quickly. The one thing that didn’t stop was my training.
I enjoyed and pigged out on all my favorite foods this holiday season but I also trained daily and had my lessons. As I previously mentioned, my goal until my next competition in 2025 is to train and to learn the new rules of Fencing. Let me tell you it’s more than a notion!
I’m giving myself grace to learn all the new rules and timing. I sound like a broken record but all the moves and how I won before are 100% not relevant. It is humbling to say the least and a reminder that everything is constantly evolving and you have to remain open to learning and growing and going with the flow.
My balestra I still need to re-learn because I have lost it 100% ahaha. I jump up instead of forward and lack the coordination I once had; like anything in life if I did it before I can do it again.
It’s not all bad, in fact it’s amazing how much I’ve progressed since September. I was scared to get hit and my form showed it lol. I forgot the fire I once had aka my uber aggression in competition; instead I was passive and waiting. I also learned to genuinely appreciate the sport something I never did before. Most importantly I think is I finally got my Club - SOCALFA Jacket. So I felt officially official.
I’m truly so grateful that I took the leap to un-retire. It’s not easy and it’s grueling but I’m learning to enjoy Fencing and the benefits it’s provided me - like honing my emotions, attacking doesn’t mean anger, and assertiveness is rewarded.
The last practice was by far my most grueling. It was combinations and mock bouts. Now I have said the box and the rules in the box have changed soooo much and that’s what used to scare me the most and I would stand up and kinda close my eyes lol. Now, I’m ready and thinking like I used to - competitive fencer. Of course, I still freak out and there are times when I don’t have the confidence I stand up and am subconsciously passive. The biggest growth is knowing why I do it, when I do it and how it’s becoming less frequent and the reason is because I’m learning, training and studying and with that comes confidence.
I’m proud of myself for taking the time to re-learn. I jumped in with 3 competitions to know what I need to improve on and in my typical working backwards way now I’m fine tuning the mental and technique.
Happy how I ended 2024 with Fencing and I can’t wait to see the growth in 2025. Realistically, if I can get back my B ranking I would be ecstatic because starting over is not only humbling but it’s a reminder of resting on what was doesn’t serve myself or anyone in the present. My goal for 2025 is to get back to my old ranking - B.
Until next time!
