En Garde at BBC Radio 2’s Fencing Sporting Challenge

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)

The Secret

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

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)

Hungarian training camp, Budapest

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commonwealth Fencing Championships, Melbourne

Fencing master class

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

2 years to go until 2012

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)

L&P Summer Party

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

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...

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

Mental Game

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

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

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

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

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!