~JcZw

The first bout of the tournament is always the hardest. As you step up to the piste all sorts of nonsense is running through your head.

As you plug in the wire you wonder if your blade is working

As your blade is tested you wonder whether you can remember how to fence

As you test your jacket / guard against the opponent's you wonder just what kinda person he is. Will he use length to hit? Does he fence fast? Is he a flecher or a lunger? You've never seen him before, and if you beat him, you'll probably never see him again for the tournament.

How will he attack you and how can you defend yourself or thrash him in turn!?

So much hinges on the first match. The your morale, how fast you warm up. And yet, once "Allez" is given, you may just pull off a brilliant match, maybe even cause an upset. Or you may find yourself flailing against an opponent who is too fast, too tall, too proficient. Or worst, you may find yourself suddenly inept, making ineffective parries, attacking out of ranging, pulling back from too far in, generally looking like an idiot in the face of an opponent who's actually easy

Yet in every tournament there are only two things to be done. One is to put all those thoughts out of your mind. You've trained a year, two full semesters for this match. You may not be as good as your contemporaries, but surely you can survive.

The other is to pray and trust in God. When your back is to the wall (or should I say, to the 2m warning area), that's all you can do. Pray, stay positive and keep fencing. Here we go. 3 days and we'll be through

"Great are you Lord, mighty in strength
You are faithful, you will ever be"
-How Awesome is the Lord most High, Chris Tomlin