Claire Bennett

Check out what I have to say about fencing! London 2012 Olympic Guide: Fencing | Mancunian Matters

2012-02-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

London 2012 Olympic Guide: Fencing | Mancunian Matters

Claire Bennett Team GB Fencer tries the CrossCore 180 with Andy "IronMac...

2012-01-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Claire Bennett Team GB Fencer talks Balance Performance Physiotherapy an...

2012-01-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

New WinkBall Olympic video diary

2012-01-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

Claire Bennett GB Womens Foil Fencing 12/04 by Mind Performance Consultant | Blog Talk Radio

2011-12-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

Claire Bennett GB Womens Foil Fencing 12/04 by Mind Performance Consultant Blog Talk Radio

Hi guys, check out my 'Sports Performance' radio interview with Chris Thomas at anytime on the link above. I talk fencing, focus and mindset. I really enjoyed the interview & I hope you do too. I talk a lot about my sport but also about breathing, relaxation, concentration techniques and the importance of 'staying in the present.' Let me know what you think and if you can relate to it! :-)

Olympic Test Event - Fencing

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to the ExCel Centre for the very first time to support our GB Men’s foilists compete in our Olympic Test Event at the Olympic Fencing venue. Not only did it allow for the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to test crucial aspects of it’s operations in preparation for next year’s Games but it also allowed the boys to get a feel of the venue and what it might be like to compete in front of a home crowd come August 2012.

The boys certainly stepped up to the plate with Team A winning Gold and Team B finishing 4th after an impressive day of fencing. Both British teams were clearly up for it, and fencing with guts, determination and every bit of passion that you’d expect to see at an Olympic Test Event. I felt so proud of them because I know how hard they have been training – we all have – and it’s about time they got the result they deserved. It’s a confidence boost and shows how strong we can really be. No question, fencing in front of a home crowd will spur and push our British Team to greater heights. As Richard Kruse said upon winning gold yesterday, crowd support will give us the ‘psychological edge.’ The boys know that they can do it now. They have felt what it could be like at the actual Games and now they can believe it. What a great dress-rehearsal for them.

Women’s Foil were also given a chance to visualise what it could be like in London 2012 with a backstage tour of the ExCel Fencing venue. It was nice to see Sir Clive Woodward around the venue too, the overall Performance Director for Team GB. It was interesting to hear about the logistics of the running of the fencing at the Olympic Games. We were shown where weapon check would take place, where the warm-up halls would be, we were led into the call room and then finally out into the main arena and onto the piste. While the Test Event offered just 500 spectator seats, at the Games 8,000 spectators will be watching each session.

I was chatting to our new Strength and Conditioning Coach, Rhys Ingram, about this last week and he said that there would be two crucial, land-mark events where the realisation of a home Olympic Games would really hit us. One being the Olympic Test Event and the other being NYE when 2011 turns into 2012 and we start writing 2012 in every date and finally get to speak about the Olympic Games in the present tense. He was absolutely right.

I can only speak for myself, but walking out from the call room and into the fencing hall made everything feel so real. I started imagining the crowds, the excitement, the competition and the honour of representing your country. This is what all these years of hard-work and dedication is all about.

I find it very difficult to describe the emotions that were flying around yesterday afternoon. It was an important event for all of our Olympic hopefuls and it made me feel very lucky that I am in a position to try to qualify for the Olympic Games in London. I want to make the most of the opportunity and make sure that nothing gets left in the tank.

These little reminders and reality-checks is what I believe, gives Team GB, the upper-hand in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Team 2012 Appearance

2011-11-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, my team-mate Sophie Troiano and I did an appearance at Lord’s Cricket Ground for Team 2012 presented by Visa. Team 2012 is the official support programme for British athletes. It aims to raise up to £25 million to support the coaching and training of the group of 1,200 athletes who will make up Team GB and Paralympics GB in London 2012.

Sophie and I kicked off a seminar for Team 2012 with a fencing demonstration in the pavilion at Lord’s. We then got up on stage for a quick interview about our training, our life as athletes and our ambitions for 2012.

We had a great morning at Lord’s and want to thank Team 2012 for all their support! We even managed to bump into the official team GB mascots Wenlock and Mandeville who were on great form! Check out the photographs of our encounter above.

Nintendo Launch Party: The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword

2011-11-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Back in September I agreed to do a fencing demonstration and run a ‘Go Fence’ session at the launch of the new highly anticipated Zelda sequel for the Nintendo wii. I’m glad I did.

Last Thursday I entered the gaming world for the very first time, or should I say Zelda’s Universe? Either way, I was impressed and completely taken in by the whole experience.

The event was held in South Kensington in a recently renovated Victorian building. It looked magical and every bit the enchanted world. The stairwell leading up to the launch was covered in foliage and fairy lights while green lighting set a mystical tone for the evening.

Liz Ng and I set up the new white ‘smart’ piste that Leon Paul had kindly lent us for the event which looked brilliant, and very, well... smart. We fenced in front of a hand-full of gaming journalists and took to the floor to teach some of them the basics of fencing with ‘Go Fence’ equipment. I think they really enjoyed it and one chap even tweeted afterwards to say: “Huge, huge thanks for showing me how to fence with a foil and live every worker’s dream by fighting my boss to the death.” Not literally obviously, but needless to say, fencing with ‘Go Fence’ at events like these is a fantastic way of bringing a group together and having fun at the same time. It went down a storm.

After our demonstration and a promotional photo-shoot for Nintendo we were allowed to take to one of the wii gaming pods set up especially for the event. I was honoured to be handed a limited edition gold wii-mote to play Skyward Sword but, sadly, my attempt was less than gold.

I was frantically swinging my wii-mote around in a vain attempt to fence my way to victory. Not my finest hour. Smaller, more contained wrist actions would have probably sufficed.

Despite my frenzied attempt, I really enjoyed playing Skyward Sword and the sword fighting scenes were impressively realistic. The wii-mote was very responsive and I really felt involved in the action. It was fun!

Thank-you Nintendo for inviting us to help launch ‘The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.’ It was a wonderful introduction to the gaming world and a special evening for everyone involved. A big thank-you goes to Leon Paul for supplying the equipment and helping the evening come to life.

I will post some official photographs of the event soon so watch this space.

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword is available to buy on 18th November 2011.

Metro Images - check out a photograph from last night's launch of the new Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword Nintendo game

2011-11-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

News photos Claire Bennett (left) and Liz Ng of the Senior British Fencing team spar against each other at the launch of the new Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword video game for the Nintendo Wii in London.

New Video Blog

2011-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Check out my new WinkBall video diary that I shot a few weeks ago. I talk about what I like to do in my down time, my family and my sponsors. Click on the link below:

http://www.winkball.com/blogs/MTb7mE9jtlHG/claire-bennett-team-gb

Thanks for watching guys!

"The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. Not in your environment; not in luck or chance; or the help of others; it is in youself alone"

2011-09-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Forgive me, but it has been a rather long time since I last updated my blog. As usual, these last few months have been very full. There have been highs, and some lows, but in general, it has been a very positive and rewarding time.

Since my last blog, I went on from Shanghai to compete in our second Olympic qualifier in Seoul where I achieved my season’s best result. This result meant a lot to me. I knew that my preparation had been challenged due to an injury earlier in the year but I was determined to make the best of it and focus on what I had set out in my mind to achieve. I ended up reaching the last 32 of the competition and knocking out Ikehata (Japan) 15-14 after being 14-12 down. Like I said in my last blog, being out with an injury focuses your mind. I came back motivated, enthused and so happy to be back and performing on the World stage.

Next stop was St. Petersburg for the final World Cup of the season before the European Championships in Sheffield. Did anyone see the recent coverage of the European’s on Sky Sports 4? I don’t have Sky but I was told that it was a good two hour’s worth of coverage which is fantastic news. Unfortunately my performance at the European Championships was below par, I learnt a great deal from the experience, and now I face hard work in the coming months to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

If I had thought that the first three years of the Olympic cycle were tough going, the current Olympic qualifying period is proving to be even tougher with the realisation that everything that you do in training, in competition and whilst resting can ultimately make a difference between qualification or disappointment. The difference between success and failure is very slight. Preparation is paramount and with under a year left until the Olympic Games in London, I am committed to leaving nothing to chance. I want to give this my very best shot and have no regrets.

I am delighted to announce that my preparations have been boosted by the Women’s Foil team selection for the World Class Performance Programme. We have started a new training programme which has been going very well and I am looking forward to competing again going forward.

Thank-you for reading and I will write again soon, I promise!

Shanghai 2011

2011-05-14T04:28:00.001-07:00

So what’s happened since my last blog? Shanghai, fortunately.

The aim was to come back fit and strong enough to fence in Shanghai. And so I was feeling pretty happy and relieved to be sitting on my BA flight to China.

Shanghai was a positive trip in a number of ways.

Although I did not achieve a result, I fought hard and was one hit away from getting through the poules. I have come a long way since I injured my foot on 1st March and being back in Shanghai for the start of the Olympic qualifying season has been a massive boost.

This competition has given me the confidence that I need to push on for the result that I want in the next qualifying event. Indeed, I am off to Seoul tomorrow to compete in another Grand Prix competition and I can’t wait to get back out there again.

Now that I am back, my aim is to come back stronger from my injury. I am so happy that I’ve got to a point where I am back, fit and more determined than before. Now I need to push on and get some more results!

I really enjoyed being out in Shanghai this year. We had 5 days of acclimatisation before the competition and we made use of those days to train and do a bit of sight-seeing in an afternoon off. We went to some beautiful botanical gardens called ‘Yu Garden’ and walked around the markets. I brought back lots of delicious jasmine and Chinese teas. I love a good cup of tea!

In general, we ate very well out in Shanghai though I discovered that even after three trips to China; I could still get it very wrong. One evening I ordered Peking duck and I was feeling pretty smug when the waitress brought out a whole duck to carve in front of the table. I was amazed to see the meticulous effort the lady put in to removing the skin from the duck, but to my horror, I was even more amazed to see her wrap the skin up into six pancakes and cart away my duck back into the kitchen! Skin is a delicacy in China you see. So my Peking duck turned into six duck skin pancakes and we all had a laugh!

The finals of the fencing competition took place in a shopping mall just five minutes down the road from our hotel. I thought it was a good way of bringing fencing to the people and the finals were shown live on a screen attached to the outside of the mall. It looked great and lots of passers-by were stopping to have a look. Check out a photo of it attached to this blog.

Thank-you for reading and see you in Seoul!

Fantastic new music video featuring fencing. Not to be missed! TWO SPOT GOBI - 'Simon's Song (Alright)'

2011-05-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Inspired to Perform - Team GB by adidas by Stella McCartney. Awesome new video - the excitment is building!

2011-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Road to recovery

2011-04-05T01:51:00.001-07:00

Five weeks ago today I injured my foot in a training camp in Poland. Although healing, I am still tending to my foot. At the time, I told myself that is was nothing, and I was adamant that I was going to fence in a World Cup in Turin less than two weeks after my injury. It’s funny how your brain can convince yourself of anything if you want it badly enough.

Since then I have had to withdraw from another World Cup competition in Budapest and that was tough. I have been very lucky with injuries in my career. I’ve only had niggles and certainly nothing that would ever force me to have to withdraw from a competition.

What have I learnt from this experience?

Fencing for Great Britain can be stressful at times and tough to deal with but I know now that it isn’t half as painful as not fencing for your country. Sitting at home and watching the results online was not fun. I wanted so badly to be a part of the action and consolidate on my previous performances.

These are just some of the frustrations, but believe it or not, there are some definite upsides to injury.

First, you discover who your real support team are. I have had so much support from my physio’s, doctor, coaches, friends and family. Second, it allows you the chance to fine-tune and train certain aspects of your technique that you might not have had the chance to address in the past. Third, and I believe this to be the most crucial point, you miss it. Being out with an injury gives you that extra bite and motivation to come back stronger. You want to make the most of every competition and opportunity that comes your way.

So while I’ve been out of competitive fencing for the past month or so, I am yet to take my foot off the accelerator. My non-injured foot that is.

I have been having standing (static) fencing lessons most days and have consistently been hitting a fencing target. Hit, hit, hit. Slow and then fast. Fast and then slow. You get the idea. I have been improving my parries in my lessons and getting my hits on at close quarters which has been fun!

Thanks to my recent sponsorship from Balance Physio, I have been doing a great deal of cross training and strength and conditioning as well as finding new and fun ways to minimise muscle loss during my rehab period. One of those being the ‘War Machine’ - also less scarily known as the ‘CrossCore.’ ‘War machine’ sounds harder though so I’ll continue to use that.

It is in fact a suspended pulley training system which was initially created for the military, elite athletes and trainers but is now open big time to the public. Check out a couple of photos of me doing various exercises on it in this blog. I cannot recommend it enough. The constant rotational movement of the pulley system means that I have to engage my muscles, particularly my core, twice as hard to keep it steady and stable. Resistance for most exercises can be increased or decreased according to your level and I had fun suspending my feet in different ways, taking the weight off my foot when I wanted to do exercises that would involve using my feet. It is hard work but so rewarding. My muscles feel strong and conditioned after a session on the War Machine and it definitely gets my heart rate going.

The other very exciting piece of machinery that I have been using is called the Alter-G or G-trainer. There are few available in the country and I am lucky to have one right on my doorstep at Balance Physio in Clapham.

It is an anti-gravity treadmill often used for patients recovering from injury or surgery. It is a revolutionary piece of equipment. I am told that marathon runners also use it to help with their training as it takes the weight of their joints and can help them run for longer periods of time.

The first time I took to one, I was told to put on the rather fetching pair of lycra shorts that come with the machine. These zip you into an air-tight chamber surrounding the treadmill and once the machine registers your weight it blows up to whatever amount of weight you require off your feet. I opted to train at just 30% of my body weight. 20% apparently equates to the same feeling you get from walking on the moon. It was fun. I jumped (or should I say floated) from one leg to the other (in my air cast boot) and it felt great to give my quads and calves a work out. Yesterday I actually zipped myself into the machine backwards and managed to do some fencing footwork and lunges. Next time I’m going to bring in my foil and simulate visualising a proper fight whilst I do my footwork on the machine. I’m going to look crazy.

My boxing trainer has also been strapping weights on to my ankles and we have been doing leg strengthening exercises from sitting down as well as plenty of upper body circuits. He always has new and exciting ideas up his sleeve and it has made my rehab period more fun and bearable.

Apart from that, I have been reading lots, keeping my spirits up and feeding myself positive thoughts.

I intend to be back to fitness in time for the Asian tour in Shanghai which kicks off at the beginning of May.

I know there will be challenges to overcome over the next few months but who said it was going to be easy? Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Which sport will you watch at the Olympics?

2011-03-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Now that Olympic tickets have been on sale since Tuesday 15th March, you’ve had the time to think about which tickets you might like to buy. Here is my guide to buying (fencing) tickets.

Biased, me? Never.

Ticket prices for the London 2012 Olympic Games range from £20.12 to £2,012 – see what they’ve done there? There are 8.8 million tickets up for grabs and 2.5 million of those tickets are priced at £20 or less.

In athletics, the men and women’s 100m final will cost you a hefty £725 per ticket and in diving the 10m final for men and women will cost a surprising £450, whereas the fencing finals will cost just £95. I say ‘just’, but in comparison to many other Olympic sports, fencing is one of the sports which I believe to be good value for money.

See where I am going here? I know I am blatantly biased towards fencing, but I do believe that the Olympics is a great opportunity for you to see sports that you might never get the chance to see outside of the Olympic Games. I will always be a great supporter of minority sports, coming from one myself, and this is our one day to shine.

I believe fencing can be spectator-friendly. It will need knowledgeable commentators and enthusiasts to sell the sport during the Olympic Games. But ultimately it will be about enjoying the atmosphere, the tension, the passion and the sheer determination of our Olympic fencers battling it out to be the best.

I do not believe you need to be a fencing expert to enjoy the sport. There are many sports that I watch where I have little understanding of what is going on but I can still appreciate them. Fencing is fast, challenging, gripping and a combat sport. Many people can relate to that.

As an athlete striving to make the Games, I wouldn’t want to tempt fate and buys tickets a whole year in advance. I am glad the London 2012 Olympics organising committee has reserved a pool of 70,000 tickets for qualified athletes.

Athletes will be allowed to buy one to two tickets each from this pool. I believe one to two tickets is an absolute minimum. If I did qualify, I would buy these tickets for my parents who have supported me both emotionally and financially since I started fencing at the age of ten.

I am glad that a ticketing strategy has been introduced to help ensure athletes get the chance to purchase at least one ticket – even if I’d like to push for more. It may sound trite but without the athletes there would be no Olympic Games in the first place.

Ticket allocation should be transparent and fair. Hopefully this will be the case at London 2012. Lord Coe believes that it will be “the daddy of all ticket strategies.” I hope so too because unless enough fair priced tickets are allocated to sports enthusiasts, they will not be seen as the Games of the people but the Games of money and big corporations at a time when the city is under the spotlight.

Surely the Games should be more about Great Britain and her athletes and less about corporate entities who may buy up large quantities of tickets, and not use them. It would be a travesty to see empty seats. Let there be no repeat of the sea of empty seats that were visible at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Crowd support can take you to the next level and can make the difference between success and failure. Its power should not be under-estimated.

So get buying and support our Great Britain athletes in London 2012. And if in doubt, fencing is always a good one to go for. Honest.

2011 in full swing

2011-03-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

I seem to have had another little drought in my personal blog writing. Sorry about that. Time flies and already so much has happened since the last time I blogged. I have been a busy bee and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Has anyone been following my new Daily Telegraph blog? Here is my latest one: http://bit.ly/gbO5M5 I am very excited to be blogging for the Daily Telegraph. I have really enjoyed it to date and I hope to blog much more regularly in the lead up to London 2012. These are exciting times and I hope that I can capture the moment as much as possible in my writing.

Without wanting to repeat myself, in January I did some pre-season training at Poland’s brand new national training centre for foil in Gdansk. The facilities are incredible and the training was great. Every day I saw very young children taking group fencing classes at the national training centre. They have access to world-class facilities from such an early age and have a system set in place that will turn, some of them, into world-class athletes.

Indeed, I have just come back from yet another training camp in Gdansk last week and while searching for a tap to fill up my water bottle, I discovered an entire separate building devoted to classrooms, nurseries and educating these young children while allowing them to train and to fence.

This genuinely took me by surprise. Of course I have been to sporting institutions where they mix both academia and high-level sport together but these have always been big multi-sporting institutions. The fencing centre in Gdansk is entirely devoted to fencing and even more specifically, to foil. I think it is great.

Unfortunately for me, last week’s training camp in Gdansk came to an abrupt end when I injured my foot while landing badly in a strength and conditioning exercise. As I said in my Daily Telegraph blog, injury is an athlete’s nightmare. You’d be surprised how tender and sensitive the tendons and ligaments are in your foot but I hope to be back to fighting form as soon as possible.

I’d like to thank all the Polish staff and athletes alike who were so helpful, supportive and generous in their dealings with me after my injury occurred. They were fantastic and made a difficult situation a whole lot easier. Thank-you.

I’d also like to thank Balance Physio who have recently started supporting me. They are a top sports injury and physio clinic based in Clapham, South London. I am sure that with their help, I will be back fighting sooner than later. I have absolute faith in the people who look after me and this little test will only make me come back stronger.

On a much happier and positive note, in February I visited St. Benedict’s School in Ealing where I gave two assemblies on ‘Going for Goals’ and took some fencing ‘master-classes.’ It was a privilege and inspiring to see such passion and enthusiasm in the children. I met some bright young fencing stars with so much potential. St. Benedict’s should be very proud of their fencing set-up. Schools are an important recruiting ground for fencing and there seems to be a lot of young fencing enthusiasts at St. Benedict’s. It is wonderful to see. Indeed it was at school where my passion for fencing was ignited. I wish them all the very best of luck in their fencing pursuits, it was a pleasure meeting you all. Onwards and upwards!

Finally, the European tour comes to an end at the end of March and after a rest in April we move on to China and South Korea for the Asian leg of the circuit. I am looking forward to sharing with you, the ups and downs of the next stage of what is Olympic qualifying year.

Fencing demonstration at the Daily Telegraph

2011-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled when, during my work experience at the Daily Telegraph in November, I was asked if I would be happy to put-on a fencing demonstration for an Olympic seminar that they were hosting in January. It was another wonderful opportunity to showcase our sport and get everyone excited and thinking about the London Olympic Games.

BBC sports television presenter Sue Thearle hosted the event and did a magnificent job. After the seminar had ended it was British Fencing’s turn to take the stage. Sue interviewed Karim Bashir (commentator for the event), Susannah Wesley (referee) and Piers Martin before standing back to allow Liz Ng and myself fight it out to 10 hits. Being quite a small and intimate venue, the audience were able to feel a unique sense of involvement and engagement during the demonstration. I was more worried about taking out a light but fortunately Liz and I managed to contain our actions and nothing was broken!

After the demonstration, it was myself and Liz’s turn to take the stage for our interview. It was nice to be able to share with the audience our hopes and dreams for 2012 and beyond. Sue asked me where I was and how I felt when it was announced that London was to host the 2012 Olympic Games. This question stirred in me, all kind of emotions. I remember the day clearly. I was out and had just finished checking my equipment for an upcoming competition. I rushed to the nearest pub to find out who had won the bid. When the result was announced, I remember having tears in my eyes because I knew exactly how much it would mean not only to me, but to sport in this country. That day was over six years ago (can you believe!) and with the excitement building up around the Games, I cannot wait to see what will happen over the next 18 months. What were you doing the day the Olympic bid was announced? Leave me a comment and let me know!

It was great to hear such positive feedback after the demonstration and hopefully we helped generate even more Olympic excitement in the Daily Telegraph offices.

I’d like to personally thank Piers Martin, Karim Bashir, Susannah Wesley and Liz Ng for their help, and for making the demonstration run so successfully. I’d also like to thank Sue Thearle and The Daily Telegraph for being so welcoming and accommodating. A special thank-you must also go to Leon Paul for supplying the equipment for the demonstration, it made for an excellent back-drop!

All in all, it was a fab evening!

The event was streamed live on Telegraph TV. You can check out the highlights as soon as they get posted up on the Daily Telegraph Olympic business website. I will keep you informed!

Thank-you Beazley & Getty Images for these photographs taken of me at the Beazley launch.

2011-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was told to look seriously/fiercely into the camera for the second picture. Not quite sure I pulled it off. *must practice game-face*

Thank-you Beazley

2011-01-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

Just over a week ago British Fencing proudly announced the launch of its 5 year principal sponsorship arrangement with Beazley insurance. It was such a wonderful day for British Fencing and its athletes alike. Beazley’s sponsorship and support of British Fencing will make such a difference to our sport, and will help build sustainable development and success up to and beyond the London Olympic Games.

In my opinion, sports can only effectively be developed from the ground up, and it is only by establishing sponsorship at grass roots level that the elite athletes of tomorrow can be encouraged and nurtured. Pouring money into a sport at the top might work for a while, but this will not allow a sport to properly grow in the long term.

Beazley will be supporting elite athletes and Great Britain teams (including Paralympic hopefuls) as well as the sport at grassroots level, amongst other things.

So thank-you, Beazley, for your support. I am excited by the huge difference your investment will make to fencing in this country.

The actual day of the launch was a fantastic one. We started off the day at Beazley’s offices, giving demonstrations, explaining the basic rules of fencing and giving interviews. There was a great buzz in the office and I was thrilled to see so many employees wanting to give fencing a go with the plastic swords! It was also a good opportunity to ‘skewer’ a colleague. All good fun.

In the evening we moved on to the iconic and impressive building of Lloyds of London. We set up a piste in the middle of the trading floor and our fencers descended atmospherically from the moving zig-zag escalators to a very dramatic (& loud!) intro song. It was a fantastic demonstration and a great end to a great day.

For up-to-date information on British Fencing’s new partnership with Beazley insurance and athlete info and results, check out this fantastic new website: http://www.beazleybritishfencing.com/

Fencing Sporting Challenge - Chris Evans Breakfast Show BBC Radio 2 - Just in case you missed it!

2011-01-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

Just do it!

2011-01-13T03:43:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Can I start off by wishing you all a very happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful and restful break over Christmas and I wish you all, health, happiness and much success in whatever you endeavour to do. Here is to a great 2011. For all of us!

Back in October, I wrote a blog on ‘The Secret’ a book full of inspirational teachings and something I had been meaning to read for a long time. This book has elicited many responses from the good, to the bad, to the downright cynical. In response to my blog and analysis of ‘The Secret,’ a very generous and insightful Jon Rhodes wrote the following:

“Firstly, your writing style is excellent and I wish you all the best with your fencing and journalist pursuits.

In response to the blog: I read The Secret 4 years ago and was initially impressed. The “Law of Attraction” is an excellent way of perceiving the world, working on Quantum levels that pull or push people, aligning us to a common goal. This blog is an example of this “Law”, you wrote the blog, I read the blog due to my interests and now I am writing a comment!

In my experience this book requires some modification. Perhaps the new chapter should be called “The Law of Unattraction”.

Before I explain my critical chapter, I work as a sport performance consultant and have had the opportunity to work at the top end of Sports Psychology and Life Coaching with coaches/athletes working in a variety of professional sports…and fencing!

Perhaps I want to become the best Foilist in the world. I send my Quantum signals out and they are received by coaches, fencers, family…who all align to help me achieve my goal. Brilliant! But there are people who don’t want you to achieve your goal or people who don’t care about your goal – what happens to them? My view is that you need these people. These people will provide the balance (perhaps Rhoda Byrne will name it the Quasi Universe Continuum or the Seesaw Effect!?!).

I worked with a football manager who lived by the Law of Attraction. He would suggest outrageous training for the squad then inform them that if they didn’t do it “your not aligned to MY Law of Attraction!!” and members of the team would be dropped. He gave the metaphor of a Bus. He was the driver and he picked up passengers to help him get to his destination. If you couldn’t help him you were off the bus because you were no use! Needless to say, eventually after many months of riding the bus in circles, I reached my stop and a couple of months later the organisation sacked the bus driver.

In summary, you need people who aren’t aligned to you because these people will be critical and often push you further.

Although fencing is an individual sport, you can only train with another fencer/coach so theoretically fencing is a team sport!

I would direct you (and blog readers) to Belbin’s team roles to discover your personality traits and how to work effectively within a group. Furthermore, NLP is an interesting area heavily used in Life Coaching and Sports Psychology which may benefit performance parameters such as presence on the piste.

Finally, the real secret is what makes Anthony Robbins, along with all the other platinum selling personalities working in “Life Coaching” popular; the “power” of now…or as Nike say – “Just do it”.”

Jon, I hope you don’t mind me sharing your comment on my blog (for some reason, it hasn’t uploaded onto my comments section). But I thought it would be really useful and interesting to share this with my fellow fencers, athletes and bloggers alike.

Jon’s proposal of the ‘Law of Unattraction’ is an interesting one. I too agree that everybody needs criticism at some point in their career, albeit perhaps not in excessive amounts! As much as you need to gravitate towards people who are good for you, who will pull for you and push for you to succeed, you also need someone who will point out your weaknesses, probe you and spur you on to prove them wrong. These people may push you to your limits, but they prepare you, and ultimately empower you, ready to go on. Equally, I believe you should always welcome your fiercest opponent, the better your opponent, the better you have to be.

As for Jon’s final comment on the “power” of the “now” or as Nike say – “Just do it”...this is my New Year’s resolution! To remain in the present and not to worry about what has happened or what will happen. And, of course, to enjoy the moment.

So thank-you Jon for your insight and for sharing your thoughts on ‘The Secret,’ it is very much appreciated and welcomed by myself and many others, I am sure.

En Garde at BBC Radio 2’s Fencing Sporting Challenge

2010-12-04T01:18:00.000-08:00

On a snowy and particularly chilly first day of December, myself, Karim Bashir and fellow athlete James Thornton met up at a dance studio in central London to film Radio 2’s next sporting challenge. It was a really fun day and presenters Chris Evans and Johnny Saunders were great to be around. They are both genuinely funny, polite and professional guys.

Chris and Johnny started the day wearing hilarious musketeer outfits. They were a sight to see and it was hard for us to keep a straight face during filming. They were naturally very witty and bounced off each other brilliantly.

Karim did a great job of explaining the basics of fencing and came across really well on camera. What a pro! He’ll probably kill me for saying that.

Now for the actual challenge - I was teamed up with Chris and had ten minutes to turn him into a champion fencer. Chris was worried that Johnny was naturally more aggressive than him but I told him that it was all in the head! Chris had a great reach and lunge and so I was encouraging him to make use of it and push his arm out to score a hit. Chris was very interested in fencing and agreed with Johnny that it was a more complex sport than he had previously thought. It is more than just a battle, it was tactical, strategic and mental – not to mention, physical!

The challenge turned out to be a great fight. Both Chris and Johnny were neck-a-neck until the final hit. Check out who won here: http://bbc.in/fEaSs6

A great day was had by all and it was a pleasure to film with Johnny and Chris. Thank-you to Leon Paul for supplying the equipment and to Radio 2 for choosing fencing as this week’s sporting challenge. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!

The Power book trailer (sequel to The Secret)

2010-10-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Secret

2010-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

I discovered The Secret a couple of weeks ago. I’ve actually known of it for a while now, but kept pushing it aside, sceptical of its content and supposedly life-transforming revelations. The Secret is in fact no longer a secret, having sold millions of copies worldwide, and taking its vision onto the big screen in 2006. The driving force behind the book was a lady called Rhonda Byrne who was first exposed to The Secret when she was given a hundred-year-old book by her daughter Hayley. In it she discovered that all the greatest people in history knew of The Secret and contributed to it in some way: Plato, Shakespeare, Newton, Hugo, Beethoven, Lincoln, Emerson, Einstein.

So what is The Secret? In my mind, The Secret is the law of attraction! Its underlying message states that everything you have accomplished, that surrounds you, including the things that you are complaining about, you have attracted. Therefore if you emit and radiate positive and optimistic thinking, and your intentions are good, by the law of attraction, good things will happen to you. If you want to change anything in your life, then you have the power to do so, you simply have to change the frequency by changing your thoughts. In other words, what you think about you bring about.

To add to this, when you are feeling good, you are on the frequency of receiving. Michael Bernard Beckwith states: “This is a feeling universe. If you just intellectually believe something, but you have no corresponding feeling underneath that, you don’t necessarily have enough power to manifest what you want in your life. You have to feel it.” I completely agree with this. You cannot just think up positive ideas, you must follow them and feel them. Inspired action will attract support. Equally, expect the things you want and don’t expect the things you don’t want, simple!

The book also touches on visualisation and the powerful signals you emit from such an exercise. Dr Denis Waitley explains: “When you visualise then you materialise. Here’s an interesting thing about the mind: we took Olympic athletes and had them run their event only in their mind, and then hooked up to sophisticated biofeedback equipment. Incredibly, the same muscles fired in the same sequence when they were running it on the track. How could this be? Because the mind can’t distinguish whether you’re really doing it or whether it’s just a practice. If you’ve been there in the mind you’ll go there in the body.” Embarrassingly, I’ve been victim of this ‘muscle twitching’ scenario numerous times on the plane on the way back from competitions. I’ve found myself falling asleep while thinking about the day’s events and out of no-where I hit my poor unassuming neighbour with a beautiful parry quart reposte. It just happens without me even realising the power of my thoughts!

The book is full of inspirational teachings and even sheds light on The Secret of the World! Lisa Nichols says: “In our society, we’ve become content with fighting against things. Fighting against cancer, fighting against poverty, fighting against war, fighting against drugs, fighting against terrorism, fighting against violence. We tend to fight everything we don’t want, which actually creates more fight.” Cheryl Cole’s ‘Fight for this love’ springs to mind. But seriously, resistance seems to be a futile pursuit. What you resist, you attract, because you put all your emotional charge around it, and furthermore “what you resist persists,” Carl Jung (1875-1961). Halle Dwoskin underlines “if you’re anti-war, be pro-peace instead...If you are anti-a-particular politician, be pro-his opponent. Often elections are tipped in favour of the person that the people are really against, because he’s getting all the energy and all the focus.” Again, Le Pen reaching the second round of the 2002 French elections springs to mind here.

I think the message is that you are the only one who can create the life you deserve. If you deliberately focus on what you want, the law of attraction will respond.

At first, I was sceptical about this ‘book on life,’ but now I know The Secret, I am convinced the teachings underlined in the book can help get the best out of you. So there is my secret tip of the week! Give The Secret a go! If you’ve already read it, I’d love to know your thoughts on it.

The Lansdowne Club Exhibition Match, Great Britain v Japan

2010-10-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday 22nd October, the Japanese Men’s Foil fencing team (currently ranked 4th in the world) were invited to the Lansdowne Club to fence in a Challenge Match against our Senior Great Britain team. It was a wonderful occasion for us to showcase our sport and a fantastic training opportunity for both teams before the upcoming World Championships in Paris in November.

It was a full-house and I was excited to see so many familiar faces and representatives from British Fencing who came along to support our boys. There were also a lot of people outside of the fencing circle who seemed genuinely impressed by the set-up and skills that both teams were displaying. It was an exciting match that started with Japan taking an early lead and maintaining it until the gap was narrowed a few fights from the end at 28-27. GB held the score and fought hard until the last hit but Yuki Ota (Beijing Olympic silver medallist) closed-out the match with a final score of 45-41.

Irrespective of who won, both teams gave the audience a fantastic display of fencing. Indeed I brought along a few friends of mine who had only seen me fence once and so were near first-time spectators, and they loved it. They found it exciting, entertaining and professional. This is the sort of event that I wish more people could be exposed to. Fencing can be brilliantly gripping, and it deserves more media attention.

The friendly also saw the GB boys wearing brand new Leon Paul masks made especially for the Great Britain team. I thought they looked great! The Union Jack design is striking and impressive – I am looking forward to seeing what Leon Paul come up with next!

Thank-you to everyone involved for putting on such a wonderful evening.

CFC10 Women's Foil Teams - England v Singapore (final) (courtesy of Steve Johnson)

2010-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hungarian training camp, Budapest

2010-10-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

After a weekend’s recovery from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, I found myself boarding another flight to Budapest for a pre-world championship training camp with the senior GB foil ladies. After enduring 22 hours on a plane from Australia, the flight to Budapest seemed very easy, especially since I was kindly met at the airport by someone from the Hungarian Fencing Federation. This marked the start of the amazing hospitality the Hungarians showed us throughout the week.

The GB team were staying in their brand new training complex in Budapest. It is a multi-sporting venue where athletes can eat, sleep and breathe fencing. We stayed in rooms equipped with the latest mod-cons including plasma TV screen, free wireless, air-con and a big balcony perfect for hanging out sweaty kit! The girls and I all agreed that the rooms were better than most hotels we stay in on the international circuit. It really was fantastic and very comfortable.

A typical training day was split between two training sessions – morning and late afternoon – meaning we had a long break to recuperate between each session. Mostly we did a short warm-up and footwork session and then made the most of our new Hungarian sparring partners with continuous sparring throughout the day. It was a pleasure for us all to fence with such good training partners. It also allowed the British girls the chance to catch up and bond together as a team after the summer off. The atmosphere was happy, relaxed and ideal for getting the most out of ourselves during training.

On the last day we were asked to meet downstairs for a ‘special meeting.’ We were excited to see what the Hungarian coach had in store for us. After years of military-based training camps in Grantham I was half-expecting a ‘special’ team run! Little did we know that we were actually being driven to a private speed boat on the Danube. It was such a great treat! We were each allowed to drive the boat – I of course hit the accelerator hard and sped off as fast as I could – such good fun! It was a beautiful day too and the perfect way to see the beautiful sights of Budapest.

I’d like to say thank-you once again to the Hungarian coach and team for such a fantastic training camp. They were the perfect hosts from start to finish and we each got a lot out of training with them. I hope we can go back there soon! Thank-you!

Team Commonwealth gold! Melbourne, 2010

2010-10-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the England women’s foil team won gold at the Commonwealth Championships and it was a fantastic victory. We fenced sharply and solidly all throughout the day, beating Guernsey and Australia on the way to the final. It was a particularly hot day in Melbourne yesterday, the venue was stuffy and draining and so hydration was a priority. We were lucky enough that the English accommodation is in walking distance from the venue and so we took a much needed break back at the apartments between the semi’s and the finals.

We came back feeling re-charged and ready for what we knew was going to be a tough final. The Singapore team have a lot of experience on the Senior World Cup circuit and we knew we would have to step up and fence to the best of our abilities. It was a very close final all the way through leading up to the last bout of the match – there were never more than 2 hits between us and the Singapore team. In the last fight, with just 20 seconds to go, I got another 3 hits and managed to take England into the lead. At 10 seconds my opponent was forced to attack me and I managed to pick her off ending in a final score of 31-27. We won!

It was a fantastic final to be a part off. The girls made me so proud. They were professional from start to finish and never let up. We bounced off one another throughout the day, pushing each other to get the best out of ourselves. At the start of the day we drew up a list of short-term goals that we wanted to achieve throughout the day and within each team fight. We knew exactly what we had to do and were clear about our set goals. We all played a massive part in winning and that was what it was all about, the team.

We ended the championships on a high and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

Before I sign off, I would like to thank both Beth Speedy and Jonathan Katz for their fantastic support. I really appreciated their help at the Championships. Also, thanks to the entire England team for their massive encouragement. There is a great vibe in the England camp and we are bringing home the medals across all weapons. With just one more day of competition left, I hope England bring home gold so that we’ll all be flying home with gold medal’s around our necks.

Commonwealth Championships, Melbourne 2010 - Individual bronze medal

2010-10-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hello from Melbourne! Fortunately, unlike our English counterparts in Delhi, we have not yet come across any collapsing bridges or snakes in the bed. In fact, Melbourne has been lovely so far. It has rained quite a bit since we arrived but that was to be expected at this time of year and it did make me feel at home! Today however, the sun is shining, the day after my individual event at the Commonwealth Games. I got a bronze medal. I was extremely disappointed not to make the final as that was my goal, but I achieved some important goals along the way to the semis which I know will set me in good stead for the season ahead.

First, I was pleased with my performance and fenced strongly and confidently throughout the day. Second, for me, personally, my final was my quarter-final fight against Wang (SIN). This was my best fight of the day in terms of mental strength. We were hitting each other point for point until the last 30 seconds when she got 2 hits up on me. I managed to level the score in the last 20 seconds or so by applying pressure and either finishing or provoking my opponent to attack and picking up the counter-parry reposte. Wang was given priority in the final deciding hit, and so I had a minute to make sure the last hit was mine, and on target. Usually, when it is down to the last hit, I try to visualise which action I am going to make before I take up my en-guarde position. This time, all I could think about, quite simply, was making it mine. I didn’t allow for doubt to creep in and finished it with a patient parry reposte as she attacked from long-distance. It was a big personal victory for me, and mentally, I was pleased I was able to handle the pressure.

My L16 fight was against Ruth Ng (SIN) who I know and respect from the senior world cup circuit. I beat her 15-9. My semi-final fight was against Lisa Mckenzie (SCO). She beat me 15-11 and I thought she fenced very well. There were a few tough calls to make to which I reacted strongly against, but I learnt my lesson, and I am determined to make up for it in the team event.

As captain of the England team at the Commonwealth Games this year, it means a lot to me that we perform to the best of our ability and make the most of the opportunity. It will take a big effort but I believe we can do it. It will be about whether we can hold our nerve on the day. A couple of weeks ago, the England team and I arranged for us to have a squad training day at the Lansdowne Club. After training, we spoke about the team, what order we prefer to fence in, our likes and dislikes and generally used the time to bond as a team. I believe in creating a ‘synergy’ and sense of unit around the team, we will be able to bring the best out of ourselves on the day. I have really enjoyed bonding with the girls and they are a pleasure to work with. I am excited, and very much looking forward to Sunday. You can follow the team’s progress on: www.cfc10.org & my twitter page cbennettGBR@twitter.com – wish us luck!

Vince Lombardi - Best Speech

2010-09-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

2010-09-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am reading ‘The Essential Vince Lombardi’ edited and put together by Vince Lombardi’s son. It is essentially a collection of Lombardi’s most memorable and inspirational quotes extracted throughout his coaching career. Vince Lombardi was arguably the best American Football coach of all time. He led the most part of his coaching career as head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960’s. Lombardi’s record in the post-season was 9-1, the loss coming in the first of those games, the 1960 NFL Championship Game. In other words: “Vince Lombardi lived each day with urgency, passion, and conviction. His uncanny ability to inspire greatness, and to motivate his followers to test the limits of their endurance, made him the standard by which leaders in all walks of life have come to be measured.”

I personally, am not someone who can function without motivation and inspiration. If ever I need added encouragement or impetus, I often turn to a book or a passage that might spur me on. In this case; ‘The Essential Vince Lombardi’ is alphabetically arranged in subject headings such as commitment, desire, integrity, leadership, losing, patience, punctuality and repetition etc. – each providing instant access into Lombardi’s thoughts, attitudes, and opinions.
I wanted to share with you, some of Lombardi’s most famous, and perhaps not-so-famous quotes that still ring true across all sports and corporate boardrooms alike.

Success

“Success in life is a matter not so much of talent or opportunity as it is concentration and perseverance.”

“Success is not a sometime thing; it is an all time thing. You don’t do what is right once in a while, but all of the time. Success is a habit, winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

Defeat

Lombardi quoting Wendel Phillips: “What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better.”

Defeat is inevitable, we can’t always win. Lombardi did not want his players to be afraid of defeat. He wanted them to be hard losers.

He later stated: “Second place is meaningless. You can’t always be first, but you have to believe that you should have been – that you are never beaten, time just ran out on you.”
Discipline

“It is easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not yet a winner.”

“It matters not how many times you fail – what matters is the successful attempt, which should be remembered, reinforced, and dwelt upon.”

Far too often we dwell upon our failures. Once mistakes have served their purpose, they should be forgotten.

Victory

“Any man’s finest hour - his greatest fulfilment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – VICTORIOUS.”

Nothing can beat the sweet taste of victory when you know that you have given it your all.

Fatigue

“Fatigue makes a coward of us all. When you’re tired, you rationalise. You make excuses in your mind...The good Lord gave you a body that can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. Men in condition do not tire.”

This is a good one to read before a tough session! No-one likes a coward!

Fun

“We don’t encourage comedians. I don’t want comic relief. The only way to keep football fun is to win. There is no laughter in losing.”

Inspiration

“Let us the leaders exert ourselves to fashion an image that none can criticise – that we ourselves are proud to view that shall serve s a stunning example to our descendants.”

Perfectionism

“It’s much easier to let things slide, to take the path of least resistance. Perfectionism rocks the boat. It upsets some people. It will lead to some conflicts on a team, and it translates into hard work for everyone. If a leader slacks off, looks the other way, and allows excuses, it’s a lot easier. Easier perhaps, but you will lose.”

Perfectionism doesn’t allow for short-cuts.

Pride

“When two teams meet that are equal in ability and execution, it’s the team that has pride that wins.”

Pride is a powerful thing, fierce at times. It is that determination – to never do less than your best.

Regrets

“Leave no regrets on the field.”

Team

“A characteristic of a mature person is what is called a sense of responsibility. We must place the demands of duty above our own comfort. We are part of a team – in the family, at school, in games, in work – and we must contribute our share to the team effort.”

There is a higher sense of duty and responsibility in a team. Team is about self-sacrifice and consistently striving to be better for yourself and for those around you.

That rounds up some of my favourite Lombardi quotes... if you have any motivating and inspiring quotes/passages then send them my way & post them up! I love a good quote! :-)

South Africa 2010

2010-08-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

I wouldn’t normally consider posting up my holiday exploits onto my blog, mostly because my holidays generally have no relevance or link to my fencing. But this was a particularly special trip. This was a trip to South Africa.

My dad wanted to take my mum and my brother and I to visit South Africa to celebrate his 60th birthday. As soon as we arrived in the Kruger National Park, we came within metres of elephant, giraffe, buffalo, baboon, warthog, hippo and zebra on our first game drive. It was, however, to be our walking safari that would excite us the most. The highlight was watching a lioness run away from her kill (and thankfully us!) at just 20 metres. A brave hyena then came to steal the meat while the lioness was away. With a reputation as the scavenger of the bush, the hyena certainly wasn’t scared of me coming within 5 metres of him to take a picture! Untroubled by my presence, he was more concerned about the possible return of the lioness who was watching him (and us!) from the long grass not far away. I took a moment to take in my surroundings and listen to the extraordinary sound of his teeth crunching through the bones of a kudu. Our second unforgettable moment in the bush whilst on foot, was coming within 10 metres of a male rhino and his family. There was a nail-biting moment when, having assured himself that his wife and baby were safe, he looked at us and contemplated his next move...fight or flight? Sensibly, or rather luckily for us, with a toss of his head he decided to walk on. Phew! It was a magical experience. I felt privileged to be amongst these amazing animals, and realised how awesome the bush really is.

Next stop was Cape Town. My highlights were climbing Table Mountain and visiting some community projects in a Township run by ‘Uthando’ South Africa. Our guide and founder of ‘Uthando,’ James, explained to us that South Africa’s transition to a free and democratic society was nothing short of a miracle. He believes that the political apartheid of the past has been replaced by the economic apartheid of today. Poverty is rife amongst the black population, and indeed amongst surprisingly many dispossessed whites. Today, Cape Town’s population of 3.6 million includes a population of 1.6 million still living in poverty in the Townships. Racial inequality still persists in South Africa but progress is being made, and projects like Uthando provide a platform to raise funds for marginalised communities where unemployment is high. After spending the morning with various people from the Township who were running community projects, I felt humbled by their courage and resourcefulness in the face of their problems. I came away feeling inspired by the Townships and their people. Many of us do not realise how fortunate we are.

We finished our trip with two days’ walking in the wilderness of the Cedarberg mountains north of Cape Town, viewing cave paintings done up to 3,000 years ago by the San Bushmen, and learning about the local wildlife and flora and fauna from our guides.

South Africans are some of the most upbeat, welcoming and friendly people I have ever met. Everywhere we went we were greeted with a smile. Also, the food out there is second to none – the proof is in my newly tight pair of jeans! Ha! But seriously, I had a wonderful time, and I was left in no doubt that their recent hosting of the football World Cup helped unify the nation. They put on a great show. The trip also allowed me the time to reflect on my fencing, and the opportunities it gives me, before the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the new season. Many people I met in South Africa will never have the same opportunities. And as my sports psychologist would say when I am feeling down, “it is not as if there is a lion standing in the room, so there’s nothing to be scared of!” No need to worry anymore. Been there, done that!

Click on the link below to sponsor Keith Cook for the Commonwealth Fencing Championships, Melbourne

2010-08-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Commonwealth Fencing Championships, Melbourne

Fencing master class

2010-08-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

London 2012 Olympics: Claire Bennett on fencing and the psychological ba...

2010-08-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

2 years to go until 2012

2010-07-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

London marks 2 years to go until 2012 and while the excitement has been building up for some time now, London seems set to take on the Games in 2012. We are on track with our preparations and I have no doubt that the London Olympics will live up to all expectations. The eyes of the world will be on us - it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate our country and showcase our sporting talent.

With 2 years to go, the press have been focusing on the athletes and asking them what their thoughts are on the fast-approaching Games – check out the BBC’s Olympic video wall:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/8846563.stm

You will find Chrystall Nicoll representing us fencers on the wall too. Also, Anna Bentley and Marcus Mepstead appeared on the ITV news as they spent the day having a look around the Olympic site – check it out! http://www.itv.com/london/olympic-hopefuls85140/

I also did some filming for The Telegraph TV which you can watch below:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/fencing/7904007/London-2012-Fencing-Claire-Bennett.html

It was a fun day and it certainly reminded me how amazing it would be to have the chance to compete in front of a home crowd at the London Olympic Games. Today’s press has been inspiring and motivating. I am going to carry on training hard to give myself the best possible chances of qualifying for the Olympic Games. The greatest prize of all.

Nike Courage Commercial (I've Got Soul But I'm Not A Soldier)

2010-07-13T04:10:00.000-07:00

L&P Summer Party

2010-07-09T05:37:00.001-07:00

To celebrate L&P’s summer party and our relatively new partnership with Lloyd & Partners, British Fencing put on a fencing display at their annual summer party on Cannon Bridge roof top gardens. It was a spectacular venue and we were blessed with perfect weather to top off a very special evening.

I was lucky enough to be allowed out of my fencing kit and into my party frock! It was a great evening to meet new faces in L&P and indeed catch up with those I already knew.

There were journalists from both the BBC and the Telegraph present for some welcome publicity and delicious food, pimms and champagne were flowing nicely throughout the evening. It was a happy occasion and a celebration of both our new relationship with L&P and all the hard work that they have put in throughout the year.

I had a very enjoyable evening and everybody seemed to have a great time catching up and mingling between different departments. I think this says a lot about the company and I am proud to be ambassador and a part of such a hard-working and successful company.

I can only see our relationship growing stronger in the build up to the 2012 London Olympics and it is an honour to have L&P on board with us. I am so grateful to L&P for their continued support and the difference that they are making to British Fencing.

I was also so pleased to hear that many in L&P had been following and enjoying my blogs. I know that everyone is so busy and so it means a lot to me when people show an interest. I will definitely keep up with my blogging!

Milan Training Camp

2010-07-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

I flew in from Milan on Wednesday evening after joining the GB senior women foilists at our pre-European training camp. It was a successful camp and was great for team bonding. We shared a flat and enjoyed cooking and living together in between training sessions. We had two fencing sessions a day plus a fitness session in between and were suitably shattered by the end of the day. It is really hot in Milan at the moment and so it took a while to adjust to training in such warm weather conditions – it is not always easy when you have to put on full-on fencing kit and a mask in the summer! Still, it was great for fitness and ultimately, it will benefit us in competition.

Next time, it would be great if we could invite another country to train with us either in Milan or in London. We are hosting the next Senior European Championships in Sheffield in 2011 and it would be an opportune time to train with other nations who may decide to come to London a bit earlier prior to the championships.

The rest of the GB team going out to the European Championships next week are still out in Milan. Keep going girls! FORZA!

They're home, early...

2010-06-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

So England are out of the World Cup after losing to Germany, again. I’ve got to say, despite a slow start to our world cup, I was optimistic and excited about England’s prospects in this match. I thought we had found our stride again and were well suited to Germany’s efficiency and technical ability. Oh how I was wrong!

What annoyed me the most was both the players’ and the manager’s excuse for their sorry 4-1 defeat. During post-match interviews: Capello, Terry and James simultaneously declared their disallowed goal as valid justification for their failure to advance in to the next round. Now I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about football, because I don’t, but to blame their disallowed goal as the ‘turning point’ in what should have been ‘their match’ is a disgrace. In my opinion, it shows a lack of professionalism and maturity. It’s humiliating.

Why have they not been trained to deal with these kind of situations in training? Surely they should have used it to spur them on further towards victory? Yes, I know that these situations are extremely rare in football, and even more so in arguably the biggest sporting event in the World (after the Olympics, of course!). But it happened, and players get unfairly booked all the time. They should have been ready for any given situation.

That said, the fact that the disallowed goal even happened is equally disgraceful. I cannot fathom FIFA’s stubborn refusal to introduce goal line technology. It makes football appear like an amateur sport. I mean even fencing has video replay!
I could go on, but I won’t. You’ve heard it all before, and I’m sure you’re all tired of it! At least we’ve got Wimbledon to focus on - and a Scot who’s got a bit of fire in his belly.

Look Me In The Eyes - Jordan Commercial - Become Legendary

2010-06-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mental Game

2010-06-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Before I go any further I would like to apologise for my recent lack of blogging. I am however back, and will try my best to be more faithful to my writing! Since my last update, I had actually been training really hard in the lead up to a World Cup that I fenced in just over a week ago in New York. Unfortunately it did not go well; I didn’t make it out of the pools.

I still feel like I was the most prepared and physically fit I have ever been and I was looking forward to putting in a good performance. However, my head and my nerves let me down as they have often done in individual competition throughout the season. It is something that I must crack and overcome with urgency. I know that once I do, something will shift, and I will get my fighting confidence back. Indeed, I feel I have committed too much time and effort to fencing over the past 15 years to allow myself to fall short so near to 2012.

Sport can be cruel and frustrating at times, particularly when you put in so much and don’t see the progress you expect from yourself. But that is the nature of sport – there are plunging lows and soaring highs. At this level, I don’t think you can survive mental weakness. You can have all the physical attributes but if you don’t have the confidence and your own self-belief, then it is difficult to realise your potential.

On a positive note, I will be off to Australia to compete in the Commonwealth Games from 29th September-5th October. I will be representing England and also captaining my team for the duration of the tournament. I have always been proud to fence for England and it is an honour to captain the team.

Nothing succeeds like success

2010-05-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Another congratulations is due to Richard Kruse who came second in a Grand Prix in St. Petersburg today. It is another fantastic result and takes British Fencing up to 7 Senior World Cup and Grand Prix medals this World Cup season, topping last year’s 5 – not that we’re counting or anything!

What’s more, the medals have come from four different fencers across all three weapons: foil, epee and sabre. All of these great results inspire healthy competition and desire amongst the team. It is motivating and creates incentive for betterment across the weapons. Well done Ricardo.

Wenlock & Mandeville - 2012 Mascots

2010-05-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

The London Olympic 2012 mascots have been revealed as Wenlock and Mandeville. These strange little one-eyed creatures will be all over Britain for the next two years and I’m not entirely sure what to make of them. Check out this cartoon clip which tells you the story of how they came about: http://www.london2012.com/mascots.

According to the mail Online, Wenlock is named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock where, in the mid-19th century, the Wenlock Games became one of the inspirations of the modern Olympic movement. Mandeville’s name is derived from Stoke Mandeville, home to Stoke Mandeville hospital. Their metallic appearance is said to be due to the fact that they came from the last drops of steel left over from the Olympic stadium when it was made in Bolton.

Although at first I found them a little unnerving with their Cyclopes like features, I’ve actually come to find them quite endearing. Just like it took me a while to adjust to the official 2012 Olympic logo when it first came out, I’m sure these little cretins will grow on me.

Apparently the orange light bearing the W and M on top of their foreheads are said to represent taxi/cab lights and the rings that they carry around their wrists represent friendship bracelets. I like the fact that the lights have been incorporated into the mascots as black cabs are a huge part of London identity.

Love them or hate them, they are different and original. The 2012 Olympic logo also dared to be different and that is a good thing. I think the new mascots will help engage young people and encourage more kids to participate in sport.

The Winning Mindset

2010-05-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Laurence Halsted and Chrystall Nicoll on their respective bronze medals in Tokyo and Koblenz – it’s great to see team mates doing so well and it also raises the bar for the rest of us to follow suit. I definitely feel inspired by their performances and want a taste of their glory! They received coverage of their results on the BBC website which is nice to see, and rightly so. Fencing is gaining in respect and exposure in the national press and it will only improve in the build up to 2012. Here is the link for it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/fencing/8687701.stm

This is the best international season British Fencing have had so far and as Chrystall says in the BBC sports section, she now ‘expects’ the best from herself. Before, we were members of an underdog team, and too many times we were edged into defeat because we didn’t ‘expect’ to win. Now that British Fencing has developed a winning mindset & has grown in confidence and in strength, I cannot see us losing momentum. I am sure that this shift in mindset will deliver results.

Asian travels

2010-05-18T11:04:00.001-07:00

Last week I came back from a 10 day trip to Shanghai and Seoul after fencing in respective World Cup and Grand Prix competitions. It was a positive trip in many ways, and I was really happy with our team performance. As a team, we’re not often in the same place at one time, and we learned a lot from being together and fencing over a longer period of time than we usually get in Europe. It allowed us the chance to develop and grow stronger as a team.

I really enjoyed being in Asia. We arrived in China as it was welcoming the world to the Shanghai Expo. Beautiful lights adorned the main streets and needless to say, the view from my hotel room on the 13th floor was quite special! The Expo began the day we arrived and will run on over the next six months. I must admit, I enjoyed Shanghai a great deal more this time around. When I first visited with the team in 2007, I found the place abrasive and difficult to make sense of. This year, however, with the preparations for the Expo in full swing and a collective effort to make tourists and foreigners feel welcome, I sensed a definite change. Everybody was warm and hospitable and restaurants and shops were much more accessible. We had some wonderful meals in China and I particularly enjoyed the Korean BBQ’s in Seoul... although here’s hoping we weren’t eating dog meat!

BBC 1 News

2010-05-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! I’m finally back and updating my blog... I wanted to post a blog about the news piece I did for BBC 1 on 26th April. It was a piece that tied in well with my Evening Standard article about funding cuts and their consequent danger to the development of grass roots sports. Click on the link below and check out Adrian Warner's blog which features a video of the news clip:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adrianwarner/2010/04/why_do_2012_hopefuls_need_to_e.html
I was delighted to hear that it had been televised on BBC 1 numerous times throughout the day. I had no idea it would get so much coverage and I am grateful for that. It helps create awareness and encourage people to debate and acknowledge the issue. I know there are many athletes in the same position as me who are having to go down the private sponsorship road and so, it is uplifting to see my story out there for people to discuss.

I had great fun working alongside Adrian Warner (BBC London’s Olympics Correspondent) for the day. He was extremely supportive of fencing and is fed up of seeing mainstream sports such as football steal all the limelight. He seemed genuinely interested in reporting on fencing and backed up my non-elitist convictions regarding the sport... now there’s cause for another news piece! Pushing my luck? Yeah. Probably!

All in all, it was a positive day and experience. I feel heartened by the amount of support and generosity people have shown me over the last year or so, and I am once again particularly grateful to all of my sponsors. I will try hard to justify your faith in me over the next couple of years.

Also, thanks to Graham Watts (British Fencing’s performance director) who gave an excellent interview at short notice. I think it was important to have him there, and he made a positive difference to the feature. I know my dad’s cameo appearance was also appreciated by many!

"If you screw things up in tennis, it's 15-love. If you screw things up in boxing, it's your ass."

2010-03-31T03:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I started boxing! I wanted to do a different sport as an aside from fencing to keep my brain stimulated in other ways and avoid getting stale. I chose boxing because of its similarities to fencing. The footwork is largely similar except that whereas fencing footwork is linear, in boxing you need to move in all directions. Like fencing, you need to have quick reactions, and a tactical brain that can outwit your opponent.

I came back buzzing from my first session. It is an unforgiving sport where your brain must be engaged from start to finish or you risk receiving a nasty little surprise to your ribs or chin! I haven't felt that buzz or sense of engagement in any other sport other than in fencing. It forces you to sharpen your concentration as well as your thinking power. The boxing trainer I saw explained that boxing is all about confidence - hesitate or cower away at any given moment and you’re dead. Although I do not intend to actually get in the ring, I think boxing will help with my confidence and increase my competitive edge. I am already looking forward to the next session!

BBC Radio 5 Live

2010-03-31T02:43:00.001-07:00

This month I would like to centre my blog around an interview that I gave a week ago on the BBC 5 Live Show with Tony Livesey. I really enjoyed representing fencing on the live show. I thought the format was fun, and on listening to the show again I feel that the discussion was relaxed and it gave us a chance to get fencing out there on live national Radio.

Despite the surprise and unscripted negative angle given to fencing by one of the participants, I believe some serious points were raised; not least that fencing is perceived as an elitist sport and whereas it may be an exciting sport to participate in, it is perceived as not being a spectator sport.

Although relatively few people do fencing as a sport in Great Britain, in my experience this does not necessarily mean that participants come from elite backgrounds (mostly Public Schools). Indeed, throughout my time in fencing, be it at my club, during domestic and international competitions, or whilst coaching children in the North East of England while at university, I have mixed with people from all backgrounds who have in common their fascination for this exciting and challenging sport.

I feel really strongly about defending fencing against accusations that it is an elitist sport as it is simply not true. I was discussing this with a friend the other day and she pointed out that most sports are elitist to some extent. Look at rowing or horse-riding for instance. They are both watched and enjoyed by millions of spectators but aren’t necessarily the most accessible of sports to the general public. Even tennis is becoming a relatively closed sport, reserved for the financially secure as court hire denies access to many working class families.

My point is that fencing isn’t necessarily more costly or inaccessible than any other regular sport; it simply has an elitist label attached to it from an era where fencing was a gentleman’s sport. My personal goal is to spend some time presenting fencing in schools and break away from the age-old image of the wealthy gentleman's pursuit. I am convinced that schools are an important recruiting ground for fencing whether they be private or state. It was at school that I started and where my passion for the sport was ignited.

Transforming fencing into a media friendly spectator sport is another thing altogether, but a question that no doubt needs to be addressed in the run up to the London Olympics and beyond. As far as making fencing more spectator-friendly, I think it needs knowledgeable commentators and enthusiasts to sell the sport. There are many sports that I watch where I have little understanding of what is going on but I can still appreciate them. Ultimately the test will be whether fencing can be accepted as a televised sport. Presentation will be all important.

Fencing is currently receiving much more exposure in the British press than it used to in the past (check out BBC’s coverage of a men’s foil event last weekend http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8595806.stm ) and received more mainstream media attention at the Beijing Olympics than in previous years. I can only hope that people will give fencing a chance before judging it based on common misconceptions.

Onwards and Upwards

2010-02-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

I took great pleasure in reading ‘Sport’ magazine with Jonny Wilkinson as guest editor last week. I’ve always admired his professionalism, dedication and sense of intent. He simply never gives up. Despite critics and an endless succession of injuries, time and again, he picks himself back up.
Like all great sportsmen, he’s a perfectionist, and let’s face it, a little obsessive. But no-one can criticise his innate drive to get back fit and on the field again. He has constant faith. I’ve always admired that. It takes a lot to keep fighting on and literally smash through challenges.

The hardest part of sport is that, for all those immensely gratifying moments, you will experience defeat. But sport, as Jonny Wilkinson himself says, is a world of extremes and opposites - for there to be joy and success, you have to experience frustration and disappointment.

And so how do you keep on going when things aren’t going your way? You re-evaluate, re-group and have constant faith. If you have that instinctive drive and self-belief, surely your intent will be so well meaning that success will never be far away. And if not, then at least you know that there can be no regrets.

In my opinion, it takes heart and courage to keep pushing on through injury or setbacks. This weekend I had a pretty awful weekend with my fencing, it didn’t go my way and I must admit it was difficult walking into training with a smile on my face today. But I know that I cannot waste time dwelling on it, I need to confront it and move on.

Sometimes you don’t know just how performing and how powerful you can be until you have experienced the rawness of defeat or until you meet a big enough challenge. Just last weekend I had to fence the no.8 in the world and I stepped up to fence probably one of my best fights to date.

Countless athletes surpass themselves when all the odds are against them, why is that? Because the situation demanded it.

What is my point here?

NEVER SAY DIE.

Lloyd & Partners

2010-02-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

To round up a rather long and cold, dreary January, I finished on a high and participated in a fencing demonstration for Lloyd & Partners – British Fencing’s new official partner. I had the honour of being asked to be ambassador for L&P on behalf of British Fencing and was proud to see that L&P had committed to supporting the British Fencing Team in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

It was a wonderful evening and opportunity to showcase our sport to the fullest. We had GB representatives from all three weapons and took it in turn to fence our respective weapon. Champagne and canapés were flowing freely (amongst the guests and not the athletes, of course!) and fun was had by all.

I have attached some photos of the evening’s fencing and would like to thank Lloyd and partners once again for their generosity and support.

Often the difference between winning and losing in fencing is minimal, and the reason on any particular day can come from any one of the following: fitness, technique, mental/tactical strength, nutrition, hydration and more. All of these things have to be worked on in order to achieve success, and that inevitably costs time and money. An elite athlete cannot hope to succeed without proper financial and moral support. And so thank-you Lloyd and Partners, your support means a lot.

Invictus

2010-01-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

I recently went to watch ‘Invictus’ at the cinema and found it utterly inspiring. The film's trajectory is predictable as it is based on Nelson Mandela’s presidency during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, but it is full of emotion and interesting details that I was unaware of during the aftermath of the apartheid era.

It is a film that shows how sport can unify and inspire people to greater things. The crowd shots of the South African support in the final of the World Cup were spine-tingling. They captured the whole stadium erupting in cheer and unison despite the ever-present racial tensions and prejudice that were prevalent in the country at the time.

After watching these stirring images I dared imagine what the atmosphere might be like in London when the Olympic Games come around in 2012. I’m sure crowd spirit and support will be equally as powerful in London and will push our athletes to greater heights. Never can you underestimate the power of team momentum and support.

So there you are, go see ‘Invictus’, it will not disappoint.

P.S. In case you are interested, here is the poem ‘Invictus’ (meaning unconquered in Latin). It is a poem of hope and was apparently a source of inspiration for Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

As you think so you shall be

2010-01-20T05:46:00.000-08:00

Or in my case, as you think AND feel so you shall be. Unfortunately my training in Paris has been interrupted by a throat infection that I picked up soon after arriving. I am just about to finish my course of antibiotics and thankfully I feel much better. I was in two minds about competing on Sunday but decided, in my frustration, to fence and give it my best shot. I passed the first round of poules and my first direct elimination fine but shortly after ran out of steam and felt quite weak. Apart from feeling a little frustrated, the competition was fun and friendly. I was impressed with the efficacy of its organisation and it attracted some strong international fencers. I would certainly like to do it again if I can next year. It is a great warm-up for the up-coming season. And now that I feel much better I can look forward to making the most of my last week of training in Paris. Allez allez!

Bonjour, Paris!

2010-01-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very belated (sorry about that) happy New Year! I hope it is a happy and successful year. I don’t want to jinx the year ahead but I quite like the sound of 2010. Don’t ask me why.

I am in Paris at the moment to train with the French female foilists at their sporting academy called L’INSEP. I have already had a couple of training sessions and I am truly impressed with the French setup. The facilities are outstanding and worthy of any champion. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to train with the French girls and will no doubt learn a lot from them. The ambience is welcoming and sociable too, a perfect environment to challenge and better yourself during training.

I will also be fencing in the Antony International Challenge on Sunday in Paris as a warm-up for the start of the international season in February. There is a strong entry including both French and German teams, and some Italians. The incentive, apart from a good performance to prepare well for the upcoming season, is prize money of approximately € 2000! Wish me luck!

As an additional bonus, I love Paris. I spent a large part of 2007 living and studying in Paris while on my year abroad from Durham University and I often look back upon those days with a big smile. I used to spend my days studying at a leisurely pace (the best way to do it), training and walking, everywhere. Paris is an enchanting place with its quaint narrow streets, beautiful boulevards, parks and bistros.

I look forward to training or competing in France and I am always guaranteed great food. I find it funny how the French mock us Brits for our perceived culinary ignorance. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think the French/British banter is hilarious. And we only do it because we secretly love and admire one another’s distinctive qualities. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

Bye for now!

Claire.

ES article

2009-12-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

One of the most significant things that I have done in recent days was write an article for the Evening Standard about my fencing and funding. It was only a small article but important to me in terms of putting my story out there. For me, it marked a turning point. It allowed me the chance to reflect, and look back on the journey that I had undertaken just over a year ago. Now that I am fortunate enough to say that I have been successful in finding some private sponsorship, I can focus on my fencing and most importantly, on getting results. Some of the weight has been lifted, and I am looking forward to starting a new, more confident chapter.

I had hoped that the article would help other athletes in the same position as me, and I am glad that it sparked up some debate on the online edition. As a side-note, I train fairly regularly abroad, mostly in France and Poland, and I am able to see first-hand how well these countries' fencers are treated by their sponsors both public and private across all disciplines. I believe that if the will is there in GB, better funding can be achieved for all our potential Olympic athletes. After all, the youth of a country is its future. And we should invest in it more.

All of the comments regarding my article (good & bad) were much appreciated by the way. I was glad to see and hear that so many people had read it.

Many thanks to you all!

Claire.

P.S. Here is the link for it: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23763287-why-cant-funding-be-fairer-for-athletes-like-me.do