US Girls Rocks Festival

On Thursday 1st November I attended the Us Girls Rocks festival in London. It was a free festival aimed at getting women together and having fun taking part in sport and activity. As ambassador of the charity StreetGames I was asked to get as many women and girls aged 16+ to have a go at fencing. There were a range of activities on offer including badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, skipping class, table tennis and zumba. It was a fantastic day out and I was so pleased to see so many young girls have fun and get involved in sport.

After teaching the girls some fencing basics they got stuck in and really went for it. For most, it was their first time fencing and they were surprised at how much harder it was in reality to what they had seen on TV. Everybody got a bit of a sweat on and had fun doing it.

Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams also popped in to the event to join in the fun and help inspire the girls. She spoke of what it takes to become the first woman ever to win an Olympic boxing title and how her life has changed since winning gold. Becoming an Olympic champion changes your life forever and Nicola deserves every bit of her success.

I was able to challenge Nicola to a fencing match and I can tell you that she has seriously fast feet. We both agreed that boxing and fencing share many similarities. Still, I was glad I was fencing her and not facing her in the ring!

Nicola has transformed the face of women’s boxing forever. Her skill set and demeanor forced non-supporters of women’s boxing to question their mindset. She is a wonderful role model for women in sport, and she has changed the stereotype of boxing as a brutal, male-dominated sport with her big smile and positive attitude.

The London 2012 Olympic Games was a fantastic opportunity for women in sport. The results the women achieved at London 2012 and the media coverage that they received was extremely positive. The more successes there are like Nicola Adams, Jess Ennis, Jade Jones and Laura Trott; the more young girls will want to emulate their role models. Women have a very important role to play in sport, just as the men do. It is ridiculous now to think that there were no female athletes nominated for the Sports personality of the Year awards in 2011. That surely has to change in 2012.

Major decisions need to be taken at national and local government level and by sports administrators if there is to be an increase in young girls taking up sport. For now, our wonderful female role models like Nicola Adams and events like the US Girls Rocks festivals are doing a great job in promoting women in sport.

What does sport and the Olympics mean to Claire Bennett

Let the Games begin! Thinking of all of the athletes

Can you believe that the countdown is almost over? It seems like we have been building up to this moment for so long. Finally, the Olympics have come to town and the eyes of the world are upon us.

I am certain that London will put on a great show. We are ready to show everyone what we are made of and this is an exciting period to live through. I wonder what spine-tingling, historic moments will come out of these Olympic games? All of the sports adverts and sporting documentaries that have been televised in the build up to the Games have been fantastic. They have managed to capture the real essence of what it’s like to be an elite level athlete at the top of their game. We’ve seen the relentlessness of training and competition, the raw passion, and the sheer grit and determination required to qualify for an Olympic Games. The expression blood, sweat and tears is no joke. Athletes have to be strong in every sense of the word.

The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of any athlete’s career and while the members of Team GB will be focused on performing to their best and reaching the podium, I hope that they will take a moment to savour the occasion. It is a once in a lifetime achievement and competing in front of a home crowd will be very special.

I have been thinking quite a lot recently too about the ‘other’ athletes who did not make the team for whatever reason. There must be hundreds of British athletes who, like me, were on the tip of qualification and missed out on the honour of going to a home Olympic Games.

Many people have asked me if I am excited about the Olympics and if I will be watching the fencing. The answer is yes, but I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t been tough. Fencing and qualifying for the Olympic Games has literally been the centre of my existence since leaving university four years ago. The intensive training, travelling and competing had taken over my life, almost to the exclusion of everything else, which most people would consider to be a normal part of life. So the thought of watching the Games without being involved in them, is hard. There’s no doubt about that.

I have had some time now to reflect on missing out on the Team and what has kept me going is the knowledge that this experience has toughened me and ultimately, has made me a stronger person. I stood for something I believed in and pushed my body and mind to the limit in order to achieve my goal.

Sometimes you have to accept defeat, but it is how you react to that and move on from that which defines you as a person. Disappointment can allow you to reassess your priorities and your goals. It strengthens your character.

So while I’ll be cheering on our Great Britain Olympic team this summer, I’ll also be sparing a thought for all those ‘other’ athletes who nearly made it. Let’s enjoy it. We deserve it.

I am proud to be the official Fencing expert for the Guardian over the Olympic Games. Watch out for my fencing and Olympic related tweets on @CBennettGBR. I’ll also be commentating on Eurosport this Sunday 29th July.

Claire Bennett wins the GDST Alumna of the Year Award 2012 (my speech starts at 11mins)

The Boodles, 21st June 2012

Thanks to my lovely media agents at The Emilia Group, yesterday I got to spend the whole day enjoying world class tennis at The Boodles.  The tennis tournament itself is set within the beautiful grounds of Stoke Park, but what I found most incredible was the unique spectator experience enjoyed by all. With an intimate crowd of 1,500 and no seat further that eight metres from the action, you can imagine the kind of viewing and involvement that you feel in the game. It was superb. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a venue where I was so close to the live action, let alone world class action.

I got to see Andy Murray play current World number one Novak Djokovic. I almost felt like I was playing the game with them. There’s nothing better. The players seemed to love it too, especially Djokovik, the ultimate crowd pleaser and funny man on court. When it started spitting with rain, he got his towel out and started ‘wiping’ down the grass, he joked around with the ball girls and even high-fived a lady in the front row after landing a particularly beautiful shot. It was a joy to see the players so relaxed and enjoying their tennis. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a competitive exhibition match. An athlete always plays to win – it’s in their DNA. There was just a different feel to the match. A playful feel. They both tried out moves they might not risk at a major tournament, and seeing Murray land an incredible jump shot through his legs made for quite an exciting point. It was pure entertainment, and the perfect pre-Wimbledon warm-up for both players. Djokovic won in two straight sets and he looked on fine form.

I was also pleased to see a piece that I had written about tennis and fencing in the Boodles programme. It looked great, and I was glad that so many people got to read about fencing. I compared fencing to tennis and drew on their similarities in foot movement, hand-eye coordination, speed, agility as well as reading and reacting to a situation and making the correct decision under pressure. I imagine Rodger Federer would make a very good fencer. He has great foot speed and subtle hands. Gael Monfils is springy and has lightening reflexes and fast feet – great qualities to have in fencing. Rafael Nadal probably has a bit too much upper body muscle to suit fencing because as I explained in the programme, fencers tend not to develop big upper body muscles as it becomes restrictive. Your legs and feet are what will get you out of dangerous situations in fencing, the same way that tennis players’ legs get themselves out of trouble in a rally.

My final highlight was meeting the lovely Zoe Hardman who was the host and MC for the day. She gave me some great tips on presenting and working the camera. She was fabulous; very generous with her time and gave me much inspiration for what I might like to do next.

The Boodles was one of my best tennis experiences so far for the sheer intimacy of play. Did I mention they also served up the most delicious, fluffiest scones I have ever tasted? I’ll definitely be back next year.

End of the road, London 2012

You may have heard the news today of the selection of the British Olympic fencing team. Unfortunately I have to confirm that I have not been selected to represent Team GB at the London Olympic Games.

The hardest part of all is telling your friends, family and support team that you have not made it.

I have had such great support from so many of you in this four-year Olympic cycle, and I wish I could give you better news.

Despite this huge disappointment, I have enjoyed the journey, and all of the hard work and sacrifice has been worth it. I have learnt so much about myself, and what it takes to be the best at elite level.

I have dreamt of going to the Olympics ever since I was a little girl but I have felt some peace in the knowledge that at all times I gave it 100%. I tried my absolute hardest, and there can be no regrets.

I am writing this blog really, as a big thank-you to my sponsors and support team, who have been so supportive and encouraging to me over the last few years. You know who you are. I will write to you all personally as soon as I can.

I always felt very lucky to have had such a great team of people around me, my family and friends included, and there is no way I could have even got this far without your backing. So thank-you, so much. 

I wish my teammates and all of the British fencers selected for the Olympic Games much luck this summer. We have trained and worked so hard for this and I genuinely hope that we get the results we deserve.

Poetry and Sport

Apparently Camus was an excellent football player and Beckett loved cricket. Poetry and sport. You wouldn't necessarily put the two together. Until now.

I'm off to check out an Olympic-inspired event celebrating the union of poetry and sport on Monday 11th June at King's Place. The event will be hosted by Clare Balding and will feature Olympic legends Edwin Moses, Tanni Grey Thopmson, Chris Holmes and Laura Badea. They will be sharing their Olympic stories and reading poems about sporting excellence from the book 'Winning Words' which will be launched at the event.

I'm particularly excited to listen to Laura Badea, former Romanian Olympic champion for individual foil at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. I'm sure she has some great fencing stories to tell and I could definitely learn a thing or two from her!

It is set to be a wonderful evening. I am sure it will be very inspiring and I am looking forward to listening to this unique mix of sport and poetry. I often turn to words for inspiration, and sometimes poems, but rarely do I read poems about sport and great sporting endeavour. It will be an interesting evening and I hope that some of you can join me - sporting and fencing fans alike!

More info about the event and how to buy tickets can be found here: http://www.poetinthecity.co.uk/events/136

Don't miss out!

StreetGames, Millwall Community Project

I am delighted to say that I have recently joined StreetGames as an ambassador. StreetGames is a sports charity that brings sport to the doorstep of young people in disadvantaged communities across the UK.

It is something I was keen to get involved in not least because I believe that participation in sport can have a hugely positive impact on a young person’s life, but also because I thought it a great opportunity to bring fencing to the community; a sport that is often wrongly perceived as elitist, expensive and inaccessible.

So on a rare day off on Thursday 29^th March, I went to Millwall on a beautiful sunny day to visit a fantastic group of young people. The day got off to a great start with the official hand over of kit. Thanks to access to a Coca-Cola bursary it meant that four StreetGames projects were provided with Leon Paul starter ‘Go-Fence’ kits and coaching.

The group was great, full of energy, eager to learn and ready to battle it out! Fencing is a sport that most of the group had never associated with or come into contact with and so it was nice to see it connect so well. The young people were engaged from start to finish and a pleasure to coach. I saw some definite talent in the group and I hope that it will inspire some of them to take up fencing in the future. Either way, a lot of fun was had and I enjoyed seeing the smiles on their faces.

Sport has the ability to bring together people of all ages and walks of life. Sport can be the glue that brings together and develops young people in the community and StreetGames does exactly that.

I am really proud to be a part of StreetGames and I’m looking forward to working with young people in their communities around the country. It is something I’d like to become more involved in when I finish fencing and I have more time to give.

On a side note, I also had great fun with Paul Cockerton from the Daily Mirror. I gave him a fencing lesson which was filmed and will hopefully be up on their website soon. I’ll keep you posted. He was quite the Errol Flynn! 

BF Video - Claire Bennett Quick Fire Interview - fun interview!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09032012/58/london-2012-fencers-face-gruelling-schedule.html

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

London 2012 Olympic Guide: Fencing | Mancunian Matters

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