~JcZw

Some time ago someone told me that for exercising, one should exercise one day, rest, then exercise another day. That is, on alternate days.

Unfortunately I didn't conform to this. Neither for that matter, did VJC. haha

Run on monday, fencing on monday, run on tuesday, fencing on tuesday. My lower right limb is now in a state of severe muscle contraction and feels that it would detach itself from the body under the slightest provocation. Haha... although I kind of love running and fencing anyway.

My running is getting sort of better, n I finished not too badly in the runs over the two days (although I should have done better if it weren't for a bolt of nausea in the final 200m of the monday run).

Fencing too. Coach Jeff has started to teach me how to use the epee as well, as preparation for fencing in VJ (which I will definitely take up if I can remain in VJC, which I hope I can). The problem with epee is that there is no priority, no right-of-way rule and so unless you possess technique and timing, people with height disadvantage are likely to be killed very badly (like me). There are no parries, no ripostes. Just attacks and stop hits. Yup. Very different from the foil. And much heavier too.

Oh yeah. Met some new people at the fencing school. A guy called wei yang from RJC, same age as me. I fenced with him, thinking that we'll be evenly matched. Unfortunately, he had been fencing for 4 years, while I had only been in the sport for 1/2 year. Secondly he was a LEFT HANDER. Boy, did that GP passage come back to haunt me.

The problem was that both of us didn't know how to defend well, so we scored a lot, but also conceded a lot.

I lost 14-15. Oh man, I thought I had won somemore... but then apparently he parried my blade before the blow landed. Yup. But I was thinking that its not bad, considering the difference in experience. And I managed to pull off my first flick attack on his back as he fleche-d past me.

So much for physical exertion
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Mental exertion?

Not for me, but for others.

I know you all are tired... Maybe you all feel theres no point in doing what we have called upon you all to do.

But know this, the thing we are aiming for is coming very soon. We have managed to succeed in this in the past because of sheer hard work. I know that its not easy, that you all have a lot of work to do. But you all do have time. You all have managed it in the past. Other people have managed it in the past. You all CAN do it. Don't give up now just because you are tired, because you are sian or what.

Its not for us. Its for you all. Its for every member that is a part of this group. When you all leave like we have, do you all want to look upon this half a year as wasted just because you all slacked off at the last stage? Do you want your juniors to remember this as a year where we didn't win anything at all? Didn't win just because you all have given up?

Don't do this now. Its already the final stage in your battle that started late last year. If you can't do it for yourselves, do it for the school, for your friends, for your juniors and seniors.

I cannot express what I feel towards you all now. Its not anger, or sadness. Maybe just disappointment? Empathy? I know what you all feel like now, but there remains the point that we have managed to get through this before, so why can't it be done again now. You all are not weaker than us. All of us, both you all and us. We belong to a group which is not weak. Where the members help and support one another when we are down. We don't just crash together in one group and hope that some outside factor can pull us back up, because it can't.

I know many of you all have really tried your best now. Maybe you all have started to burnout. Who wouldn't? But don't give up, don't despair, not now anyway. You are still needed. Every single bit of your effort is a lifeline for the rest of us to be pulled back onto the course that we will have to take if our division is going to continue to exist.

I write this post in what may probably be a vain hope, that you all may continue to work hard. I have faith in you all. So do many of us still. Please, don't let us down. Okay? Not for our sakes, but for yours. Don't waste this one year of training. You will regret it. You will regret it. I can promise you that.

Please, continue to persevere. The division needs every single one of you, whether you are aware of it or not.