After the past 2 tournaments (Budapest and Santiago) in which I performed very well, my expectations for myself have been higher than they normally are. I placed unnecessary pressure onto myself - I was fencing a little too tense and hesitated during crucial moments. In short, I “psyched” myself out.
In my pool, there were 3 very strong fencers – but I could have easily won or lost against them. Because I pressured myself so much before the tournament, I lost my first three matches when I couldn’t do what I had to during the turning point of each bout.
I finished my pool with only 2 victories and 4 defeats. I did not make it out of individual pools and my day was over. I really hope that I have learned my lessons:
1) I need to fence in the moment, and pay attention to the present instead of thinking about the end result
2) I need to remember to enjoy the sport that I love.
I now have 2 weeks of training before the Grand Prix of Rio in Brazil (last qualifier for the Pan Am Games in Toronto and World Championships in Moscow). I’m not defeated – if anything, I’m more determined.
Time to go back to training and get my mind set on the good things!
In my pool, there were 3 very strong fencers – but I could have easily won or lost against them. Because I pressured myself so much before the tournament, I lost my first three matches when I couldn’t do what I had to during the turning point of each bout.
I finished my pool with only 2 victories and 4 defeats. I did not make it out of individual pools and my day was over. I really hope that I have learned my lessons:
1) I need to fence in the moment, and pay attention to the present instead of thinking about the end result
2) I need to remember to enjoy the sport that I love.
I now have 2 weeks of training before the Grand Prix of Rio in Brazil (last qualifier for the Pan Am Games in Toronto and World Championships in Moscow). I’m not defeated – if anything, I’m more determined.
Time to go back to training and get my mind set on the good things!