tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82230267928339237172024-03-05T22:46:24.580-05:00Questa Punta, an ambitious epeeist on a missionAfter 6 years of epee fencing, I finally decided to get my act together and start a fencing blog. I have always loved talking about fencing and I want to share my experiences with this great sport with as many people as I can. I hope to inspire kids and adults out there and help them realize that if you work hard enough, anything is possible.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-71590184788901278142011-10-15T02:21:00.001-04:002011-10-15T02:27:50.432-04:00Gearing up for the 2011-2012 Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wow it's been a while, but I finally got my butt back in gear and my writing cap back on. I've been at Northwestern for about 4 weeks now and it has been surreal. The atmosphere is something else. It's like nothing I have ever experienced before. There is a huge sense of independence and freedom to go out there and be all that I can be.<br />
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Classes have been pretty good, pre-med is not exactly a cake walk, but it's worth all the hours spent painfully bent over books for hours on end in the library. You build a certain bond with teammates over the shared pain of school work and practice. It really truly brings you closer together.<br />
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Speaking of the team, the Northwestern Wild Cat fencing team has been fantastic! I am so excited to be a part of such a strong and unified team that would do anything for one another. It is far beyond just putting on a shared uniform or color. This team is truly that, a team, in every essence of the word. There has definitely been an adjustment period, but in the end everyone is there for each other day in and day out.<br />
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Practices have been intense and we have been at work not stop, both in the classroom and outside the classroom. And this weekend I finally got my act together to get myself back into training mode for the upcoming college season. Below I have listed my ab workout from Friday. I am really looking forward to kicking off the season and can not wait to be busing over to Pennsylvania for the Penn State Open in November!<br />
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<b>Ab Workout:</b><br />
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1) Push ups<b> X 30</b><br />
2) Toe Touches <b>X 30</b><br />
3) Alternating Toe Touches <b>X 20 per leg</b><br />
4) Upper ab. Crunches <b>X 60</b><br />
5) Reverse Crunches <b>X 30</b><br />
<b>(3 cycles)</b><br />
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Run 3 miles<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Go Cats!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Courtney Dumas </b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-47548117129385925382011-09-04T21:52:00.000-04:002011-09-04T21:52:10.831-04:00Venezia!!!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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August 31<sup>st</sup>, 2011</div>
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Ahh Venice, such a wonderful city! I was so excited to finally be arriving in such a renowned metropolis. This beautiful city built on the water doesn’t have any motorized vehicles except for boats! There are hundreds of bridges and water-taxis at your disposal instead!</div>
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I arrived in the early afternoon to St. Mark’s Square and to my shock and amazement I found that most of the square was partially under water due to the coming in of the tides. I could not believe what I was seeing! All the stores just brought out mops and platforms. This was an every day occurrence that was just a part of the Venetian lifestyle. </div>
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Bustling vendors, swift moving tourists sloshing through the flooded pathways, and dozens of pigeons, surrounded the square. It was quite a scene. You could see the Byzantine influence scattered across all 118 islands connected by the snaking web of 150 canals and 400 brides. </div>
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The characteristic winged lion of St. Mark could be seen every few feet as it symbolized the city’s emblem. The richly decorated Basilica San Marco stood next to the great square, built as a Greek cross with several eastern domes; it truly exemplifies the Byzantine influence on the metropolis. The Basilica is so richly decorated that it really embodies its name, the “golden church.” Inside the great beauty stand bronze statues captured from the Hippodrome of Constantinople and intricate mosaic tiling of the domes and floors. </div>
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It provides the perfect setting for the great Venetian composers like Vivaldi and Monteverdi. Beyond the breathtaking beauty, the acoustics inside this masterpiece are so unique that the musical works of these great composers do not sound the same when preformed elsewhere. </div>
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This beautiful city is so unique and I truly enjoyed my time exploring its pathways and distinct culture. The famed Gondola ride was fantastic and picturesque. The boat ride through the web of winding canals gave me deeper insight into the city of Venice and a greater appreciation of the ancient tradition. The agile craft maneuvered swiftly and with such ease through the tight turns and narrow canals. The personalities of the Gondoliers alone were hilarious. I swear I couldn’t stop laughing. They sang some Dean Martin, explained the history of Venice, and even hollered at one another, cracking jokes the entire way. What an experience!</div>
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By the time the day was through I had managed to explore Venice and their gelato stores-that desert was the best ice cream I have ever had! The lunch was amazing! I don’t think I can ever get used to regular food again after my adventures in Italy! The pasta is really something else. But alas, all good things must come to a close. I had reached the final chapter in my European adventure. It was time to go home and to get back to fencing. Ciao Italy!</div>
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As always, I would love to here your feedback and questions! Please leave your comments below!!!!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery"; font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-32501625202761571942011-09-04T10:09:00.000-04:002011-09-04T10:09:21.471-04:00At Sea Day #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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August 30<sup>th</sup>, 2011</div>
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I woke to a bright and clear day, the sun shinning and not a cloud in the sky. Temperatures were blazing and the pool and the shade were the only relief from the sun’s gaze. I grabbed a quick breakfast buffet style and hit the gym for a nice long workout to help make time fly on this at sea day.</div>
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I warmed up for another intense spin class this morning as well. The focus of this class this time around was isolating the muscles used for speed and pushing your body to bike at 80 percent of your fastest level and continuously increase and decrease the speed from their. The class also isolated the muscle groups used to train endurance and strength. I had to bike at resistance levels that were 60 percent of the highest resistance I could go and then increase and decrease levels from there on cue. Finally, the third aspect of the class involved muscle confusion by combining both speed and resistance training.</div>
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I had to preform pushups and squats while biking at various speeds and resistance levels. The exercise was great! The hardcore hour of continuous biking really got the blood pumping and pushed me to new levels of training. The difficult combination of speed and resistance as well as the added tasks of pushups, squats, and other various exercises forced me to concentrate on the tasks at hand and my breathing.</div>
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Immediately after my spin class, I moved on to focusing on strengthening and toning specific muscle groups such as the arms and legs. (The workout is listed below). Today I made sure to push my body farther than I had gone any other time along this trip in order to continue to confuse the muscle groups and to train for the upcoming fencing season. I was pumped up from my spin class and was itching to jump right into the weight training.</div>
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After the exhausting workout I hit the pool deck for some R and R. I was looking forward to Venice and thought that killing time would make the venture move along a tad bit faster. So I caught some sun and even had the opportunity to see Kong Fu Panda 2 poolside! </div>
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Thanks for reading, please leave any questions or comments you have on my posts, adventures, training, etc. below!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Jumping Squats</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Press Ups-10lbs</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Lunges with the opposite arm extended above with a weight-10lbs</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Hand to Elbow Pushups</div>
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(Set 1-16reps, Set 2-14reps, Set 3-12reps, Set 4-10reps, Set 5-8reps, Set 6-6reps. No break after 3<sup>rd</sup> set.)</div>
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Abdominal Workout</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Crossover Crunch with arm+leg extended-20 reps, 3 sets (each side)</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Reverse sit ups-20 reps, 3 sets</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></i></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-52592886269625316542011-09-02T14:24:00.000-04:002011-09-02T14:24:40.105-04:00The Climb to Athens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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August 29<sup>th</sup>, 2011</div>
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We hit Athens bright and early at 8:30 this morning on the venture to the Acropolis. Our guide led us through the city and to the Olympic stadium from the first modern day Olympics in 1896! From there the bus drove us through the city to the heart of the ancient ruins. </div>
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We climbed the 80 steep steps through the Propylara, the monumental marble gateway to these incredible ruins. Along the venture I saw the Temple of Nike and had a great view of the valley in which Athens was built. The whole Acropolis is under massive renovation to restore it to its great glory. It was so amazing to see the ancient ruins and to imagine the civilization once there. </div>
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On the north side of the Acropolis stood the Erectheum, the sacred site where it is said to have been decided that Athena would rule the city. At the center was the amazing and gigantic Parthenon. This massive monument was better than I could have ever imagined. It truly is one of the greatest monuments of ancient times. I really felt one with the Athenian culture and really gained new respect for the creativity and forward thinking of their culture.</div>
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From the Acropolis we strolled through the modern day Athens to the Plaka, the city’s historic shopping district. We sat down to a great authentic Greek lunch. The food there is truly amazing! It was a little shocking to see that my shrimp still had eyes and a head that looked straight back at me, but it was still fantastic. </div>
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Perusing the boutiques, jewelry stores, taverns, and cafes and visiting the local museums and galleries was fantastic! Zipping around the cobblestone lanes of such a colorful marketplace made my day. I loved plunging myself into this great culture and hope that I have the opportunity to visit again soon!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-63632137723825294192011-09-02T10:23:00.001-04:002011-09-02T10:23:21.943-04:00To the Ephesus Ruins!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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August 28<sup>th</sup>, 2011</div>
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My morning began with an early morning workout before the boat docked. I hit the gym nice and early so I would be ready to tour the fabulous ruins of Ephesus, Turkey. Today I wanted my cross training to involve plenty of leg and abdominal workouts in a jam-packed calorie burning workout. I have listed my workout for today at the end of this entry.</div>
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I was off to explore the best preserved ruins in all of the Mediterranean today. My day began with a scenic motorcoach ride from the port city of Kusadasi and past the Byzantine fortress in Selcuk to the house of the Virgin Mary. We traveled through the picturesque Solmissos Mountains and saw the Adaland waterpark that claimed to be the biggest in all of Europe, the one problem with it being that geographically, the waterpark was in Asia not Europe.</div>
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We traversed the ruins on a downhill walk of the city, stopping and awing every step of the way. Our guide highlighted the best archeological finds throughout our journey through the ruins, particularly highlighting how technologically advanced the civilization was. They even had heated floors for the winter!</div>
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I saw the beautifully preserved Temple of Hadrian, the magnificent Trojan fountain-with a man placing one foot on a globe symbolizing the ruling of the world, and the Odeon Theater. All of these sites were so well preserved that it was nice to not have to imagine what was once there, but actually see it right there in front of you with your own eyes!</div>
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The mansions were so ornate and advanced with their heated floors and marble walls and mosaic flooring. It was so beautiful and to know that each intricate part of the house was all made by hand without any modern technology just amazes me. Their culture truly was something else. Above all the majestic Celsus Library was a site to be seen. It was three stories high, even though only two stories remain today. The whole front of the building was pretty much still intact! I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was so detailed-someone had even carved a menorah into the steps of the marble stairs hundreds of years ago and you could still see it today!</div>
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We concluded our fantastic tour of the ruins with a view of the Great Theater and hiked our way back to the bus past the camel ride and all of the noisy vendors. The day finished up with a nice shopping trip through the colorful bazaars before we hopped back on board the ship to travel back to Greece.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Burpees</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Lunges with Torso Rotation-10lbs</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Bell Ringers-10lbs modified-after the reps hold the position for that many seconds</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Mason Twists Rotations-10lbs and the last set was a double count</div>
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(Set 1-16reps, Set 2-14reps, Set 3-12reps, Set 4-10reps, Set 5-8reps, Set 6-6reps. No break after 3<sup>rd</sup> set.)</div>
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Abdominal Workout</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Crossover Crunch with arm+leg extended</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Crossover crunch legs in the air and bringing the opposite elbow to the opposite knee</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Leg lifts and leg circles</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Cross body pulses-balance on one side of the body and reach for the opposite leg with the opposite arm and then switch. Then hold the position for the count</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Reverse situps</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Six inches</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Lean back abdominal twists with dumbbell-10lbs</div>
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(4 sets of 20 reps)</div>
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Thanks for reading, please leave any comments below!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-59983249117974457382011-09-01T23:38:00.000-04:002011-09-01T23:38:34.371-04:00Adventure in Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">August 27<sup>th</sup>, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">The boat ride into Turkey this morning was amazing! The sun was shining bright and the domes of the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia were glistening. It was quite a site! My tour of Istanbul was first thing in the morning once the boat was docked. Our tour guide led us right to the Topkapi Palace where all of the sultans had lived. It was huge!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The palace is decorated with thousands of tiles since Muslims do not and did not believe in depicting the faces of people. Each tile is worth around $2000 to $3000! Here at the palace many religious relics are supposedly held as well like the staff of Moses. The palace is also the residing place of the Topkapi dagger and the Topkapi Diamond. This diamond is no regular diamond. It is 86 karats! It was unbelievable. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our next stop after a fantastic lunch was the Blue Mosque. The decoration was so beautiful! The lights lit up the room perfectly and the stained glass looked as though hour upon hours of work must have been put into them. The interior of this mosque has over 20,000 blue Iznik tiles that give it its characteristic blue color. I could not believe the detail that went into the production of such an ornate building.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As we moved on to our next stop, the St. Sophia, we had a chance to grab a quick drink before we were off again. St. Sophia or Haga Sophia was a church built by Justinian in the Byzantine period before it was later converted to a mosque during the Ottoman takeover. From there the beautiful building was further converted to a museum with the rise of Ata Turk. The architecture alone of this museum is unbelievable. Its rich mosaic work and fine craftsmanship cause one to stare in awe of its beauty. Most of the mosaic tiles in this fine building are incredibly decorated with real gold leaf! The marble pillars are grand and the coverings ornate. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The amazing thing was that the Ottomans never destroyed the mosaics depicting the biblical figures. They merely covered them with plaster and redecorated the church. Today the massive disks they hung on the pillars still stand and depict the five pillars of Islam. The stucco has been removed and at the head of the building both the Christian alter and Muslim alter remain. One is literally not even a half turn to the right of the other! This museum is an amazing blend of both cultures and religions!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the end of the tour around Istanbul we were taken to see the construction of fine Turkish carpets. Unlike normal carpets, the threads are knotted twice. From there we were set loose on the Grand Bazaar. I honestly could not believe my eyes. This market place was the biggest thing I had ever seen! There were so many stores and people bustling about and scurrying from place to place. It felt like a giant shopping maze! I’m pretty sure we went in circles for forever, but we finally after shopping for a couple hours found our way back to gate one and our bus and back to the boat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next stop is the Ephesus ruins! Please leave your comments below, I would love your feedback and would be happy to answer any questions!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-26005925704163602652011-09-01T17:36:00.000-04:002011-09-01T17:36:22.541-04:00Arrival in Greece!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">My arrival into Greece was a bit of a bumpy ride Friday morning. The sea was rough and the wind roared and slammed the waves upon the ship. We had to travel to Mykonos, Greece by tender, in other words- our boat would anchor in the harbor and another boat would come and fetch us. As soon as you left the safety of the ship, you could hear the howling and screeching of the wind. It was one of the most awesome displays of Mother Nature and the sea at work that I have ever seen!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we landed in Mykonos, we took another boat to the ruins of Delos. The island had been known for its religious importance throughout the ancient ages. Even the enemies of Athens-Sparta and Persia, respected this sacred ground. During this period of time Delos was the most important port in all the Mediterranean until it was deserted due to the fall of the Roman Empire. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The island was barren as far as vegetation growth, but many of the pillars still stood. It was very interesting to see the temples dedicated to the different gods in which they believed in. Much of the builds were made of local slate and granite. They were nowhere near as extravagant as the marble used to build the Parthenon. Nonetheless the layout of the town with its market place and intricate mosaics were still incredible. After the tour of the ruins and the Delos museum we grabbed some lunch and shopped around for a bit before we boarded the cruise once again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I took a quick break before I headed on down to the gym to get in a longer workout since the boat had to leave earlier than the past few days in order to get to Istanbul by the next morning. I wanted to make sure I got my heart pumping this workout and to build my endurance and leg muscle. I need to have a lot of stamina for the upcoming NCAA season this year and my goal is to make the Junior World Team, so I wanted to improve my running to get into better shape. I have listed my workout below! The next stop is Istanbul and it should be pretty fun! Please leave your comments below!!! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Run- 4 mi with 0.4 mi cool down for a total of 4.4 mi (500 calories burned)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Vertical Chest Press- 60lbs, 12 reps, 3 sets</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Sit ups- 50 reps, 3 sets</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></b>Bicep Curls- 20lbs, 12 reps, 3 sets</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-38302832175769582972011-09-01T17:35:00.000-04:002011-09-01T17:35:03.064-04:00At Sea Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">The journey from Italy to Greece was a very long venture, too long to arrive in Mykonos by the next morning. By about 5am we were traveling through the Straights of Massena. It was way too dark to take pictures, but the lighted shore was so beautiful, you will just have to take my word for it! The shore was lit up in all different colors and the land seemed to stretch forever as we plowed through the sea. But in the end I retired back to my bed to rest before the morning really got underway.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By 9am I was up and ready in the fitness center. My aunt had some how convinced me to participate in the spin class (biking) with her. I had never done a spin class before so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For an hour we continually replicated the experience of biking up a mountain using standing bikes. Every couple of minutes we had to increase the resistance on the bike and keep pedaling at around 80-90 percent of our fastest speed we could pedal. I do not think that I have ever worked my legs so hard! The resistance training was tough, but the speed sprints were even harder! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We would do sprints and then increase resistance again to “climb the mountain” again and then sprint even harder and faster. It was really something else. But in the end it was a great workout that really worked my sprints and endurance training.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Immediately following the spin class I worked out in the fitness center for another hour. I worked my legs muscles by far the most as well as abs and some arms before the morning was finished. (Below is the workout) It felt good to get in a nice long workout for once. I had been traveling and touring so many great places that it was difficult to get in a long workout. But this sea day gave me the perfect excuse to hit the gym for a big session. Up next, Mykonos and Delos Greece!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Abdominal Workout:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Crossover Crunch with arm+leg extended</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Reverse situps </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Toe Reaches-(extend legs upwards and keep the back on the ground. Extend arms to the toes in pulses.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Crossover crunch legs in the air and bringing the opposite elbow to the opposite knee</div><div class="MsoNormal">(4 sets of 20 reps)</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></i></b></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-694773997585459642011-08-29T10:24:00.000-04:002011-08-29T10:24:16.424-04:00To the Ruins of Pompeii<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">As I entered the ancient city of Pompeii, I was in awe of how well structured and organized the town was. The city was literally frozen in time. We explored the city and saw their amazing engineering feats and organizational skills. They utilized aqueducts to transport water to the city. Not only this, but the villagers of Pompeii had built water heaters to heat the water from the aqueducts to create spas without the assistance of natural heated springs! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The columns and buildings were mostly made of bricks with mortar to hold them together as well as lava rock. But the really interesting thing was that all of the buildings, both inside and out, were covered in stucco over the brick and painted with bright colors that have since faded due to sun exposer and polluted rainfall.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The mosaic patterns were also so detailed and extensive. I could not believe how the citizens of Pompeii could have created such beautiful works of art solely by hand! This city was just so different from anything else I had ever seen. There were literally complete skeletons that had been taken out from the compressed ash with the help of a plaster to preserve the shape and integrity of the find. You could see the teeth on some of them they were so detailed! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After 2 hours spent scurrying all over Pompeii, we moved on to the Amalfi Coast. We ate lunch in Sorrento at a great pizza place in the middle of town. From there we drove around the city and Positano. The coast was beautiful and then we even saw some Italian movie being filmed in the area. The city was very pretty and was nice and quiet-a nice change of pace from some of the other cities we have ventured into.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By 4pm it was time to head back to the boat. We came back and relaxed before we went out to the deck for a nice buffet dinner looking out at the sunset. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-53141215173546039802011-08-29T10:22:00.001-04:002011-08-29T10:22:44.983-04:00Welcome to Rome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Hello Rome! What an amazing city! I spent the entire day with my family traveling the ancient city by motorcar, visiting all of the historic sites. Everything was so beautiful and so cultured. Rome was such an ancient city and such a contrast from the architecture in the US. And I was surprised and happy to see how green the city was. There were trees everywhere and it created a beautiful atmosphere for the already breathtaking Italian capital.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our guide took us through the city chronologically, beginning with the ancient times and our first stop, the Circus Maximus. Not much is left to show of this once great arena, but the shape and some of the land markers are still there. I felt as though I had travelled back in time to the age of the Roman Kings and Emperors. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From there we travelled to the huge Coliseum. I could not believe how much of it was still intact after all of this time and after so many had pillaged it for its stone and metal throughout the years. It really was a sight to be seen. I could just imagine the entire structure covered in marble and the stadium filled will energized people screaming and cheering for the gladiators or for the beasts. It was something else.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As we travelled throughout the rest of Rome, the same thought kept coming to me. I was just in awe of how well each building was made and the craftsmanship and care that was put into every single structure. The attention to detail was amazing! The paintings, the sculptures, the murals, the churches, the ruins, the fountains, the list goes on and on. But they all were like a time warp and they all had such detail that I could not imagine how long each project must have taken!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The most amazing and painstakingly beautiful attention to detail that I saw was by far the Vatican Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The sculptures and paintings by Michael Angelo were breathtaking. The ceilings were painted with a 3D effect, the domes painted with such feeling and emotion, and the sculptures were so lifelike. I have never seen a more ostentatious building in my life, but boy was it a site to be seen!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the end of the day I felt like I had learned a lot, but I still felt a little sad and discontent. Rome was such a great city and it is one of those places that you really need to spend three days there at least to truly explore the entire city. I loved Rome and would live there in a heartbeat. The city was just so pretty and historic. I really hope that some day I get the chance to come back and visit this beautiful destination again! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the time we got back to the boat and got settled in our cabins it was dinnertime. Everyone was very tired from the hustle and bustle of moving quickly from location to location, so we took our time at dinner. I wanted to make sure I got in my cross training before the gym closed so I hustled back to the room to change. I had a pretty good workout, focusing mostly on weightlifting for the night. I made sure to work my arms, legs, and abs all in the half hour before the gym closed for the night. Below is the workout, Ciao from Rome!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Bicep curls-15lbs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(6 sets of 12reps)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Tricep extentions-10lbs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(6 sets of 12reps)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Walking lunges-40lbs in each hand<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(6 sets of 12-each leg)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Shoulder press-15lbs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(6 sets of 12reps)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Sit ups-50<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2 sets)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Push ups-15<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2 sets)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b>Medicine ball squat ab twists-15lbs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2 sets of 50reps)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Courtney Dumas</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-42649736305644536382011-08-23T17:11:00.000-04:002011-08-23T17:11:22.762-04:00Destination Italy! <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">We had an early start on Monday this week. The cruise docked at about 6 and we were off the boat and on the busses for the tours around Italy by 7am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went on the tour around the Cinque Terre region in the Italian Riviera. I got the opportunity to visit the Italian countryside and learn all about its amazing culture! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a blazing hot, but great fun. We hit the shops and toured the quaint little towns. I had to use some of my Spanish to try and communicate with some of the locals, but I got around all right. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We toured the Riviera and learned all about the special wineries that were terraced on the mountainsides by the ocean. All of the work had to be done by hand. The local farmers couldn’t use machinery since heavy machinery would damage the grapes. Now that’s tough labor and a good workout! One of the types of wine they made even takes 2 years before it is ready to be put on the shelves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the end of the day I was exhausted, it was over 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity. The tour had taken us around the different towns and we visited the “lovers lane” that connected two of the towns that otherwise would have taken 1 hour and a half to get between. The site seeing was fantastic and Italy is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen! The waters were clear and the surroundings amazing! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We finished the day with a dinner on the porch with a great view of the sunset as we left port. Our next stop, Rome, should be fantastic! I will be visiting all of the usual sites and much more! I will make sure to take plenty of pictures! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-75683449421940024482011-08-21T13:23:00.000-04:002011-08-21T13:23:16.212-04:00Last Day in Barcelona/Monte Carlo <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">After 2.5 fantastic days in Barcelona, it was finally time to board the cruise ship, the Ruby Princess. I spent my last day in Barcelona touring the Barcelona Cathedral and exploring Old Town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 1:30 it was time to head for the boat and get settled in our rooms.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once aboard the ship, I took the liberty to venture around and get the lay of the land. This boat was huge! From what I heard there are around 2000 people on board! After I figured out where everything was, I sunned myself for an hour or so at the pool and then headed to the fitness center for a workout. I got in a nice 3.5 miles before I jetted back to the room for a quick shower and to get ready for dinner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the end of the day I was pretty tired, but very excited to be underway and heading to our next destination, Monte Carlo. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We dropped anchor in Monaco at about 11am the next morning. I decided to take advantage of the later docking time to catch some extra ZZZs, before I ate breakfast and headed to the gym. By about 10am I was up and ready to cross train for the upcoming fencing season and Northwestern.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I focused on muscle confusion and toning my body, working my legs and abs as well as my arms in a fast pace workout routine. I started off with cross slashes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(8lbs), sumo squats (10lbs), punches (5lbs), and crab crawls all in reps of 16. From there I decreased the number of reps by 2 until the final set of 6 reps per exercise. After this set of exercises, I moved on to abdominal work. Supporting my head with my hands I did 20 sit ups to start. Once I completed those, I moved on to cross leg raises (each time trying to bring my leg close enough to touch my toe with the opposite hand) at 20 per leg. From there I did 20 reverse crunches, making sure to really raise my hips. Finally I finished the set off with a 1 minute plank-my least favorite :P</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For this group of exercises I did 3 sets. By the end of this workout my abs were pretty soar, but I wanted to make sure a did a little more cardio work before lunch, so I ran a quick mile. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After lunch, my family and myself went off to tour Monaco, a country within France. I was able to see the casino where the James Bond film Casino Royale was filmed and ventured up to the Prince’s palace. This quaint little town was pretty cool and it was really nice to get off the boat and explore a different culture!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To wrap up the day, we headed back to the boat after exploring the city to kick back and relax before we departed for our next destination later that night. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-85663887291869684152011-08-19T17:27:00.001-04:002011-08-19T17:28:38.591-04:00Barcelona Day 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPtIJaM-BMk2oYEnpZUL_x1HxAyUtwNCoLyKZIPyhkf7AyGCENZwp7eYIHbbGjPjMhFiel1s1Gwca7IhhKmi798ViR0F0I45JKnTiHR-oqWHtHNH5nxlxfKZh1OIsw65APYrkeEhnWU8/s1600/DSCN0144.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPtIJaM-BMk2oYEnpZUL_x1HxAyUtwNCoLyKZIPyhkf7AyGCENZwp7eYIHbbGjPjMhFiel1s1Gwca7IhhKmi798ViR0F0I45JKnTiHR-oqWHtHNH5nxlxfKZh1OIsw65APYrkeEhnWU8/s200/DSCN0144.JPG" width="150" /></a>Today in Barcelona a tour guide led my family and myself around the city. I learned all about Gaudi architecture and Barcelona's history. The designs were amazing and I could not believe that so many of Barcelona's buildings were constructed of ceramic! The designs were so ornate and the attention to detail was fantastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWrkBLUQj7pdONoEe3irmmj5_zgBXJ2s9PqLZKbS63U-_XZyE_U39WCUJzBf7leWMz4iJt_7eUV3L7pPQpknrhtvco4AzR-MkXgVOzCmGkY0o2hvVq0tuGkmzFi-mWIM1tsBYy9FRbPE/s1600/DSCN0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWrkBLUQj7pdONoEe3irmmj5_zgBXJ2s9PqLZKbS63U-_XZyE_U39WCUJzBf7leWMz4iJt_7eUV3L7pPQpknrhtvco4AzR-MkXgVOzCmGkY0o2hvVq0tuGkmzFi-mWIM1tsBYy9FRbPE/s200/DSCN0136.JPG" width="150" /></a>I toured cathedrals, museums, the heart of the city, and so much more! The culture is just so fantastic!!! After our 4 hour tour we grabbed a tapas style lunch and relaxed in the room before we hit the city again. My aunt and I spent at least 2 hours exploring Barcelona's shopping, modern, and historic districts. We must have walked around 4 miles at the least.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVbI2VssQZshX-U1Iq0VlLujo_fForSakgWgjhBqA93M1eqcxqwrHKRPyGxwsNDniT4qmi0prPKOXaDrztybiKIn8wPw2dqomZCzG_QZO8Cax4D5hd39amDV5LHvmwkrh_GOBScK1T2s/s1600/DSCN0138.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVbI2VssQZshX-U1Iq0VlLujo_fForSakgWgjhBqA93M1eqcxqwrHKRPyGxwsNDniT4qmi0prPKOXaDrztybiKIn8wPw2dqomZCzG_QZO8Cax4D5hd39amDV5LHvmwkrh_GOBScK1T2s/s200/DSCN0138.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nhEHQBKYYk3higaEqCtTbnzNst4znPJzSHV3YRjrPDqtpgh5JeQjf1JfMLy7yDj3TPfb5Vmz9sLuOZA8I-2z6Y6aPJU61cUmICtH6cihyIMRoOGX2oWw74BxzdCq1jHxKRn0KazdPDc/s1600/DSCN0141.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nhEHQBKYYk3higaEqCtTbnzNst4znPJzSHV3YRjrPDqtpgh5JeQjf1JfMLy7yDj3TPfb5Vmz9sLuOZA8I-2z6Y6aPJU61cUmICtH6cihyIMRoOGX2oWw74BxzdCq1jHxKRn0KazdPDc/s200/DSCN0141.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPtIJaM-BMk2oYEnpZUL_x1HxAyUtwNCoLyKZIPyhkf7AyGCENZwp7eYIHbbGjPjMhFiel1s1Gwca7IhhKmi798ViR0F0I45JKnTiHR-oqWHtHNH5nxlxfKZh1OIsw65APYrkeEhnWU8/s1600/DSCN0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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We found some great gelato and smoothies along the way as well as stumbled upon street mimes (the people who paint themselves to look like statues and hold still to entertain the public). They were so colorful! There was a great market as well! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX_mS9TU8KC7F2lAg7IjQY_S2fonNYXaVOzEd5VGz90EVkTKkrqhRJQIJXUh3DFN6PCQi2PGJoT6RkAmjk8WeilArp5-7qOqOiwNY2Mz9eaTQQutd9OS0WcNeQH0dQNN5IH5mOQv7sMc/s1600/DSCN0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX_mS9TU8KC7F2lAg7IjQY_S2fonNYXaVOzEd5VGz90EVkTKkrqhRJQIJXUh3DFN6PCQi2PGJoT6RkAmjk8WeilArp5-7qOqOiwNY2Mz9eaTQQutd9OS0WcNeQH0dQNN5IH5mOQv7sMc/s200/DSCN0153.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF-MzfEuSnVeKRbXdhYf3znuSxR1kUR_JPemDZrVByfBXSH-3DJmPfTwZocVtFyXQNQxAfdpabI6v0wZ1y4MtHaAozGaxAX-I_7uVL-Dfh_9wNPQZbICNLQEDAmZ-8TOI17JqKYEhETc/s1600/DSCN0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF-MzfEuSnVeKRbXdhYf3znuSxR1kUR_JPemDZrVByfBXSH-3DJmPfTwZocVtFyXQNQxAfdpabI6v0wZ1y4MtHaAozGaxAX-I_7uVL-Dfh_9wNPQZbICNLQEDAmZ-8TOI17JqKYEhETc/s200/DSCN0139.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvRN1I7w1ef1yfcel_neZF_43oW0thgdsPZp288OJAd0zdgVsgahxJAgoex5vmRiPOkefA69G4xmvGeS_nsZB3BrkT7fOzaUphRv6g_0f-UDLDCpYbjuINPyi6SBaJbwgZ_z4Mvn4fuc/s1600/DSCN0142.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvRN1I7w1ef1yfcel_neZF_43oW0thgdsPZp288OJAd0zdgVsgahxJAgoex5vmRiPOkefA69G4xmvGeS_nsZB3BrkT7fOzaUphRv6g_0f-UDLDCpYbjuINPyi6SBaJbwgZ_z4Mvn4fuc/s200/DSCN0142.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
On the way back to the hotel we took pictures by the arch of triumph. I love this city and am sad to be leaving tomorrow, but at the same time I am excited to be moving on to the next countries in this Mediterranean cruise!<br />
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</a></div> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas</span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-42291681004809298612011-08-18T17:25:00.000-04:002011-08-18T17:25:26.376-04:00Adios Cleveland, Hola Barcelona!<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Today was great! I made the long venture from Cleveland to Barcelona, over 7 hours, but in the end it was worth it. I survived the flight running on 1 hour of sleep due to the chatty stewardesses and the noisy man that sat behind me. But the endless episodes of the Office during the flight made up for the lack of sleep as well as the fact that I made it to Spain!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">Once we reached the Palace Hotel at around 10:30 am, my family and myself found that we would not be able to get into the room until 3pm. Luckily the room was ready before expected and we were able to get settled and freshen up by 2:30pm. With a basic idea of where we were and where we wanted to end up, we headed out to take Barcelona by storm. Taking many of the side streets, we were able to gain a greater idea of the true Barcelona and not just the one seen in travel guides. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">I had the opportunity to explore the city and get an idea of where everything was before our in depth tour tomorrow. We saw the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Roman Wall, as well as Main Street. The architecture was amazing and the weather was fantastic! I had a blast getting to know the sites and sounds of this city. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_LcY1_jG94_6JL7yiVONgdJp4GEmqSdFB0XWq6oWalTXh6FiGlAOSkD0XZt-9-_uCVDh_pALUjgvHU-biXK9XisTGu4CtvXXjS_I0elpBq7wjc7M0VMf3WErPTvQyM7CU2gncgORER4/s1600/DSCN0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_LcY1_jG94_6JL7yiVONgdJp4GEmqSdFB0XWq6oWalTXh6FiGlAOSkD0XZt-9-_uCVDh_pALUjgvHU-biXK9XisTGu4CtvXXjS_I0elpBq7wjc7M0VMf3WErPTvQyM7CU2gncgORER4/s200/DSCN0112.JPG" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3Od-JkNSR0mD_C7lAyAH9GCxEh06xBUjxGhFodF6thiYBxni_n-J0V3Ah64wp2XDavCNgBSZNGjQjsCxlIEvxDAEg4pVgexMuTN0rxacHy19g9KNnhtIre8Y7_P0Xxz393cGkiI3YVA/s200/DSCN0109.JPG" width="150" /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">There were mopeds left and right and Gaudi inspired buildings everywhere you looked. The tiny stores were quaint and unique in their own way. On top of it, I got the chance to practice my rusty Spanish! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe-jafrLf4m52A6T2AR2F_YNdYV7gzV3Wm17lMpRabwpgN_4PrvjVjpDBsuhyphenhyphenbKLUrtQA66RHZ9xV8Cx1pcK-UYHAgbNA-5f0qTUdccExbq5V0cGd3zg-7hHNLmR4FZ2Ew7RQZHaropU/s1600/DSCN0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe-jafrLf4m52A6T2AR2F_YNdYV7gzV3Wm17lMpRabwpgN_4PrvjVjpDBsuhyphenhyphenbKLUrtQA66RHZ9xV8Cx1pcK-UYHAgbNA-5f0qTUdccExbq5V0cGd3zg-7hHNLmR4FZ2Ew7RQZHaropU/s200/DSCN0114.JPG" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYsNC_Dqfyhj0mTXtDtoiaho7Q-CvKnud_yZcoDRY2F1FVBm9zufPvnTl6YTZXaQpzpVh91HsrFMTrGqxpPpxFVanrOiRLt5rZCsS0DdNhPq9KLkYljxMH3-00SRCLNCoejsXzjgsIrg/s200/DSCN0113.JPG" width="200" /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">After a few more hours of exploring, we were ready to kick our feet up and rest a bit before dinner. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJw3kHJvVFT2By3Wbw6EwX3sYbhSwC6deRcx7lmbemnw1IpJkYou6dFPd7uKsgKF8zWEA-gEm8tJk6Bvt2_utQLQO1TXReyBVz5rr4NP5HOdKYZKveUlfV5CSy8lURf9WqCacDyyDkhQ/s1600/DSCN0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJw3kHJvVFT2By3Wbw6EwX3sYbhSwC6deRcx7lmbemnw1IpJkYou6dFPd7uKsgKF8zWEA-gEm8tJk6Bvt2_utQLQO1TXReyBVz5rr4NP5HOdKYZKveUlfV5CSy8lURf9WqCacDyyDkhQ/s200/DSCN0116.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span id="goog_1285837207"></span><span id="goog_1285837208"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span id="goog_1329473978"></span><span id="goog_1329473979"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">For dinner we went out to a tapas restaurant, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">something Spain is known for. Dinner was great and I even tried some fried small fish…</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span id="goog_135248941"></span><span id="goog_135248942"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgYUteag_-RtXD8skeK44hPVHHmP7IfqLI1u8ecOh6ogS8eMWRHVZq_YzcnTdrH20yqgtLpyfdJOfhX39FiwyVEANLq6el-NL7snWm8PqLGJ1wdHexcbbHe2Jct0n3TF9xLSfy7w2qjk/s1600/DSCN0124.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgYUteag_-RtXD8skeK44hPVHHmP7IfqLI1u8ecOh6ogS8eMWRHVZq_YzcnTdrH20yqgtLpyfdJOfhX39FiwyVEANLq6el-NL7snWm8PqLGJ1wdHexcbbHe2Jct0n3TF9xLSfy7w2qjk/s200/DSCN0124.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgYUteag_-RtXD8skeK44hPVHHmP7IfqLI1u8ecOh6ogS8eMWRHVZq_YzcnTdrH20yqgtLpyfdJOfhX39FiwyVEANLq6el-NL7snWm8PqLGJ1wdHexcbbHe2Jct0n3TF9xLSfy7w2qjk/s1600/DSCN0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHjY_TAmAYgm2jNQ_wF5PK_3WsfODfjUMIZwxhnFIbrUD1_ea1NBmCv8YmYZYMKw7CMF_giSyRmG2zcHE9xpLqZTQqdOubNLDeNGoX0FK8PVAV-IcgKyfD3b1i1HygHlJD8M2FvK7YM8/s1600/DSCN0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHjY_TAmAYgm2jNQ_wF5PK_3WsfODfjUMIZwxhnFIbrUD1_ea1NBmCv8YmYZYMKw7CMF_giSyRmG2zcHE9xpLqZTQqdOubNLDeNGoX0FK8PVAV-IcgKyfD3b1i1HygHlJD8M2FvK7YM8/s200/DSCN0126.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRazK5LC65ymLv3-Qr2UNmPUcpGCDfxbcVavCKIoH7m5Sam-_8vf7gV8S36QJzcEib1vJl4gFjx2zEkUSJ9PZeUVYZoj9D724XYPsfVIGIl3kBpISm8xLxjBCllu-alerxJHaR9PMSofw/s1600/DSCN0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRazK5LC65ymLv3-Qr2UNmPUcpGCDfxbcVavCKIoH7m5Sam-_8vf7gV8S36QJzcEib1vJl4gFjx2zEkUSJ9PZeUVYZoj9D724XYPsfVIGIl3kBpISm8xLxjBCllu-alerxJHaR9PMSofw/s200/DSCN0125.JPG" width="200" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosv3bXhBPRWGts_QMPJxFAu2LDmFWPonDiIEEASAYgh6qGWEibG7THfpQO0LNwV65iuaXrboOI8anrs_s0f-2ijWDT7u-GYw_MayTtiPX-EMhQioX-193IQVjLOsPHKvBBg7M48qzD0w/s200/DSCN0127.JPG" width="150" /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgcGD3p4wT7qUSWI1QanLevPPN3NuIlr9JcGnkF2rC2T26E_4RXwNEK1qQm2nt4u7kHuYXpZAUmEEvKje7l2VxnSgLjU97WWlsKk576P3BuPpfFdZ_HbVg4iXX-KNGMQxQeyTSXXN08Y/s1600/DSCN0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";">After dinner I had this delicious brownie and ice cream for desert! Once we finished we headed back to the hotel to get some rest so we would be all set for our 4-hour tour around Barcelona the next day.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU__yCwml36bCbVG0B9_AR6y6nQJ-nziN79Bhw0ZqktvMZ9dlMxNHpdgpyWTI-VKUclbwA-p2_Mf9L7juD07t5pQauJ0qyK6B4-1LOcSot1T0BZQ6o7KcaZ6mg8D9TQhIbo0dOHaKivmo/s1600/DSCN0123.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU__yCwml36bCbVG0B9_AR6y6nQJ-nziN79Bhw0ZqktvMZ9dlMxNHpdgpyWTI-VKUclbwA-p2_Mf9L7juD07t5pQauJ0qyK6B4-1LOcSot1T0BZQ6o7KcaZ6mg8D9TQhIbo0dOHaKivmo/s200/DSCN0123.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgcGD3p4wT7qUSWI1QanLevPPN3NuIlr9JcGnkF2rC2T26E_4RXwNEK1qQm2nt4u7kHuYXpZAUmEEvKje7l2VxnSgLjU97WWlsKk576P3BuPpfFdZ_HbVg4iXX-KNGMQxQeyTSXXN08Y/s1600/DSCN0134.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgcGD3p4wT7qUSWI1QanLevPPN3NuIlr9JcGnkF2rC2T26E_4RXwNEK1qQm2nt4u7kHuYXpZAUmEEvKje7l2VxnSgLjU97WWlsKk576P3BuPpfFdZ_HbVg4iXX-KNGMQxQeyTSXXN08Y/s200/DSCN0134.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Apple Casual";"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nAJvTbXQCxWgV86J_aIQQhuD0u1VqYrTgcLvLNZS8hTGltDTx9Wfl-kYggfP3NQgjrfmvmFHv6pfgtHp7CJQqOuPyGnLisauuRngvhM225sjpTwplLOQtTZy1Mcmc-MM3QEiEvDi_TE/s1600/DSCN0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nAJvTbXQCxWgV86J_aIQQhuD0u1VqYrTgcLvLNZS8hTGltDTx9Wfl-kYggfP3NQgjrfmvmFHv6pfgtHp7CJQqOuPyGnLisauuRngvhM225sjpTwplLOQtTZy1Mcmc-MM3QEiEvDi_TE/s200/DSCN0133.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery"; font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-70353895232719060732011-08-16T20:58:00.000-04:002011-08-16T20:58:22.846-04:00Cross TrainingThis summer has been great, but I am so excited for the end of August. Especially since the end of August means my vacation to Europe for two weeks. I leave tomorrow! I am so excited! My trip begins in Barcelona, Spain. After a few days there, I leave Spain on a Mediterranean cruise. I travel to various parts of Turkey, Greece, and Italy before I head back home. I will be posting pictures and descriptions of my travels throughout my adventure!<br />
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In order to keep in shape I will also be cross training throughout my trip. Today I did a lighter load (no weights or running) in preparation for my travels and to prevent sourness and injury before my trip. Below I listed my workout for the day.<br />
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1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">sit ups</span>-<b>50</b><br />
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2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">six inch leg throws</span>-<b>50</b><br />
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3) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">lunges right leg</span>-<b>50</b><br />
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4) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">sit ups</span>-<b>50</b><br />
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5) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">lunges left leg</span>-<b>50</b><br />
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6) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">squats</span>-<b>20</b><br />
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7) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">engarde squats</span>-<b>15</b><br />
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8) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">fire feet squat jumps</span>-<b>10</b><br />
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9) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">lunge jumps</span>-<b>15</b><br />
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10) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">high knee fire feet</span>-<b>10</b><br />
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11) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">engarde jumps</span>-<b>15</b><br />
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12) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">double engarde jumps</span>-<b>15</b><br />
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13) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">engird jump lunges</span>-<b>15</b><br />
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14) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">forward crawls</span>-<b>5</b><br />
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15) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">caterpillars</span>-<b>5</b><br />
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16) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">push up hops</span>-<b>5</b><br />
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17) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">clap push ups</span>-<b>5</b><br />
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18) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">sit ups</span>-<b>50</b><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-47702020859155573742011-08-05T22:38:00.001-04:002011-08-08T09:26:51.893-04:00Work Out<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Hey guys! So everyone has their own personal workout, and for good reason too! What works for your best friend may not work for you. So after much trial and error, I came up with my own personal program to train my fencing. I have listed my summer program below and I hope this gives you guys some idea as to what may work for you! (I found that taking bits and pieces from different camp programs and techniques from coaches and high level fencers helped me to build a foundation for my own plan that I customized further from that point). I hope you enjoy and please leave your comments below! </span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Monday</span></span></b><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bench Press</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">RDL Shrugs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Squats</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pull ups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Plate Punch</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shoulder Press</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Wall Passes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tricep Extensions</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bicep Curls</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lunges-walking overhead & regular</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Broad Jumps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Depth Jumps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Box Step ups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back Extension</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Supermans</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Ab Twists</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Footwork</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fencing Practice</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Run 5 miles</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Footwork</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday</span></span></b><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bench Press</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">RDL Shrugs</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Squats</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pull ups</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Plate Punch</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shoulder Press</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Wall Passes</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tricep Extensions</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bicep Curls</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lunges-walking overhead & regular</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Broad Jumps</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Depth Jumps</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Box Step ups</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back Extension</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Supermans</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MB Ab Twists</span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thursday</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Run 5 miles</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Footwork </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fencing Practice</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Friday</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bench Press</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">RDL Shrugs</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Squats</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pull ups</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MB Plate Punch</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shoulder Press</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MB Wall Passes</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tricep Extension</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bicep Curls</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lunges-walking overhead & regular</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Broad Jumps</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Depth Jumps</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Box Step ups</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back Extension</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Supermans</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MB Ab Twists</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Footwork</span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saturday</b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Run 5 miles</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Footwork<br />
Fencing Practice</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sunday</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Video Analysis </span><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-3738888642351507682011-08-02T18:39:00.000-04:002011-08-02T18:39:25.701-04:00Alliance Camp Footwork, Day 2/Week 2Today was great, lots of intense fencing the entire morning! I got a lesson from Andre today as well during lunch. After some intense blade work (1 hour long), we moved on to super intense footwork. We spent 45 minutes drilling our legs and calf muscles.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Drills:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1) Squats-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into the engarde position and slowly lower your body down into a squat. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 10</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2) Fire Feet Squats-</b>get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, making sure to keep good form.<b> </b>Drop into a squat every couple of seconds. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 10</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3) Fire Feet Squat Jumps-</b>get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, make sure to keep good form during the exercise. Drop down into a squat, varying the time difference between squats. Once in squat, propel yourself upward in a jump and land softly back in engarde on the toes.<b> <span style="font-size: large;">X 10 </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">4) Lunge Jumps-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into a lunge and while staying low to the ground hop in and out of the lunge into the engarde. Make sure knee in the lunge is at a 90 degree angle. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 15</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">5) High Knee Fire Feet-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into engarde and start alternating feet in fire feet workout. Every so often pick up your knees alternating knees 4 times then continue fire feet. Make sure to keep the back straight. <b><span style="font-size: large;">X 10</span></b> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">6) Engarde Jumps-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can, landing softly on your front foot. Keeping your back foot in the air, push back as far as you can. This is one rep. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 15</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">7) Double Engarde Jumps-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can just like before, except this time when you land hop in place once on your front foot before you hop back. On the back hop when you land also do another small in place hop on the toe. This is one rep. <b><span style="font-size: large;">X 15</span></b></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">8) Engarde Jump Lunges-</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">get into engarde and continue the exercise like above. This time though after the second back hop lunge forward then reset into engarde. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 15</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">9) </span></span>Reaction Lunges-</b>Find a partner and a tennis ball. Have your partner extend their arm with tennis ball in hand, when they drop the tennis ball lunge as quickly as possible. The point is to finish the lunge with clean form before the ball hits the ground. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>1-2 minutes</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>10) Short/Long Reaction Lunge-</b>Set up the exercise just like before, except your partner has two tennis balls. When they drop the ball in their left hand you are to do a <u>double lunge</u> before the ball hits the ground. When they drop the ball in the right hand just do a regular lunge. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>1-2 minutes</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>11) Short/Long Hand Target Lunge-</b>Find a partner and have them stand with one hand closer to you than the other. Have them randomly open one hand at a time and you must react quickly to lunge and hit it. The closer hand for the short lunge and the farther hand for the long lunge. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>X 20</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>12) Fencing Suicides-</b>get into engarde and start at the very back of the strip. Go as quickly as possibly and keeping good form go to the 2 meter line and back, the engarde line and back, and so on. <b> </b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-26066458430812274742011-08-01T19:15:00.000-04:002011-08-01T19:15:08.930-04:00Strength WorkStrength work is very important for athlete's muscles. Strength work helps to prevent injuries as well as improve muscle capabilities. Today at the Alliance International Fencing Camp after our massive bladework and long day of epee fencing, we took 15-20 minutes to work on muscle strengthening activities. Below I have listed the exercises we worked on and their descriptions.<br />
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1) <u><b>Squat Forward Jumps</b></u> X 15 (reps)<br />
Go into a squat and jump forward and land softly on the heels. Slowly go back into a squat and immediately continue to the next hop forward.<br />
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2) <b><u>Squat Backward Jumps</u></b> X 15<br />
Go into a squat and jump backward and land softly on your toes. Slowly go back into the squat and immediately continue to the next hop.<br />
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*After these two exercises you should feel really sore in your legs*<br />
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3) <u><b>Wall Jumps</b></u> 1 minute<br />
Find a spot on the wall that is challenging to jump to and reach with your fingers. Jump up continuously, landing on your toes, for 1 minute straight. This exercise works the calf muscles.<br />
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4) <b><u>Forward Crawls</u></b> X 5<br />
Start from bending to reach your toes with feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Crawl out to the push up distance and crawl backward staying low to the ground. Keep your legs straight during this exercise.<br />
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5) <u><b>Caterpillars</b></u> X 5<br />
Start from bending to reach the toes position with the feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop forward on the hands 4 times to push up length distance and then hop back 4 times.<br />
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6) <u><b>Push up Hops</b></u> X 5<br />
Get into the push up position with arms extended and feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop on hands and toes to the right 3 times, then back to the left 3 times.<br />
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7) <u><b>Push up Circles</b></u> 1 clockwise, 1 counter clockwise<br />
With feet together, get into the push up position with extended arms. Walk your body with your hands clockwise in a full circle with the back straight. Then do the same counter clockwise.<br />
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8) <u><b>Kick Turns</b></u> 1 minute<br />
Start by picking the right leg up into the air and kick up with the left leg so that you are now balanced on your right leg. Hop turn counter clockwise so that you are now balanced on the left leg. Continue the hopping and switching of legs. Works balance and coordination.<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-1724948223561424612011-07-30T19:04:00.000-04:002011-07-30T19:04:55.307-04:00Alliance International Fencing Camp Week 1Well week one is in the books. The Alliance International Fencing Camp has been fantastic! There was over 40 fencers, men and women, this first week and I have been fencing non-stop. This whole week was inconstant motion, everyone was always on the go doing things. Whether it be fencing at camp or going to the movies, shopping mall, frozen yogurt, we were always moving both during practice and afterwards.<br />
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I met all new people too. The Russian and Israel National teams are here as well as some French fencers. It has been a little difficult communicating with them, but still fun as well.<br />
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Almost every day we began with warm ups and stretching. One day we even learned this funny train dance that worked our coordination skills. We had to kick right twice, kick left twice, hop forward, hop backwards, then forward forward forward. Then the next time we would do the three hops backwards instead of forwards and so on. It was a bit confusing and difficult to coordinate with over 40 people to say the least :P<br />
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Every day the camp was divided into two groups, one would do footwork while the other fenced in a giant pool and we would switch at lunch time. Oh and speaking of lunch-we didn't let a day go by without playing an epic game of Egyptian Rat Screw (if you don't know the card game finish reading then IMMEDIATELY google it! best game ever!).<br />
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By the end of the week everyone was sore and tired, but pressed on. We held a giant mixed tournament on Friday. It was tough. The tournament was mixed and took all day in the unforgiving heat. Pools were in the morning and we had a shortened lunch in order to have enough time to finish the direct elimination bouts. (I finished 17th).<br />
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All in all the week was great. I learned some new great footwork, part of which I included in the footwork page of the blog, and focused on my game's week points while competing with top-notch fencers. We had great bonding activities after practice with camp parties, movies, and shopping nights. I got to know some of the Russian fencers pretty well-Tanya and Nastia. They would teach me some Russian and I taught them some English-there definitely some stumbles on the parts of both parties hahaha. For instance I could not for the life of me pronounce the word for the number 4. It was impossible! I really truly can't wait for the fun to continue this upcoming week!<div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-62132312427870036682011-07-28T21:19:00.000-04:002011-07-28T21:19:34.086-04:00Victory and Defeat<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Winning is great, but winning and improving are two totally different things. Victory is only improvement when we learn from our mistakes. That is why a positive attitude is so important in one's defeats. Defeats are not failures, they are only steps toward the greater goal and allow us to learn from our mistakes. Without mistakes we have no improvement and without improvement we can never get better.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Never be a sore winner and always be a good loser. Treat everyone with respect regardless of the outcome on the strip. Analyze bouts to improve your analysis skills.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas</span> </span></b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-68548207814720661932011-07-23T10:34:00.000-04:002011-07-23T10:34:24.964-04:00Alliance Fencing Camp AnticipationDuring the next two weeks I'm going to be spending my time training in sunny Houston, Texas. Alliance Fencing Academy is holding a two week international training camp that will have strong United States fencers as well as international fencers in attendance. I'm so excited! This camp promises to have top notch competition and coaching.<br />
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I will be battling it out with top fencers from the US and the international community. Fencers are coming from Russia, Israel, and France just to name a few places. The camp runs from 10AM to 4PM every day of the week with a minimum of 30 competitive bouts for each fencer.<br />
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We will be training our footwork and bladework along with our fencing technique. I'm looking forward to this camp as a step towards greater fencing and experience in my journey towards becoming the best fencer I can be.<br />
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I truly believe camps are a great way to train, in any sport. Camps allow us to gain new and important experience as well as friendships. The more practice we get the better! Camps can really help to focus the mind and body towards the goal of increasing skill and determination. They bring new faces and with that, new challenges that we must overcome.<br />
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I leave tomorrow at 8:50AM for Houston and can't wait to see some old friends and meet some new ones!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-10129379220539584352011-07-16T19:53:00.000-04:002011-07-16T19:53:17.127-04:00Hello St. Lawrence River!After a laborious 7 hour drive from Cleveland, Ohio to Oak Point, New York, I finally had the chance to stretch my aching legs and sore knees. The river was calm and the air was crisp and fresh. I was thrilled to be back up in this beautiful and quiet cottage after a hard fought venture in Reno, Nevada for Summer Nationals 2011.<br />
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The St. Lawrence River way is so secluded from the busy city noise and ruckus. You can actually hear the sounds of the river lapping up on the shore and the sun beats lightly on your shoulders and warms the senses. You are close enough to small towns that you still feel attached to civilization, but at the same time you are isolated enough to feel peaceful and all your worries fly out the window.<br />
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The surroundings are beautiful! The flowers are in full bloom and Canada is a short boat ride away. The big freighters flow up and down the river, the trees are green and the beautiful birds pepper the branches-decorating them with splashes of reds, yellows, brilliant blacks, and bright oranges. The water is crystal clear and the air clean. It is the perfect place for a nice vacation.<br />
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The cool water makes training ten times better when the sun beats down on your back. This week I will not only be relaxing, but training as well. The peaceful surroundings make exercising so much more enjoyable. Imagine training in total and utter complete bliss. Work almost feels like play-almost...<br />
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I have been and continue to plan to fill my days here with brisk 3 mile runs-the cool air in the morning allows for perfect running temperature, but if you wait too long the beautiful river side street becomes a hellish pathway where you feel as though you are melting and the sun is pounding you into the asphalt.<br />
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After my morning runs, I come back to the house for footwork and fleche exercises that fill another 45-60 minutes of my time. Due to the gravel road, I am forced to resort to utilizing the faded wooden gray floors of the boathouse as my mock piste for my training. (It is not well appreciated by my family members when I do footwork across the kitchen and living room floors :P). Even though the room gets a bit muggy, it's nice to have my own secluded fencing training area to concentrate on my footwork and technique without interruption.<br />
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I put in the minutes day in and day out carefully training my footwork. All the pain and sweat goes towards perfecting actions and improving reaction time and foot speed. Pushing myself to the limits allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment. I am not only physically working, but mentally too. I imagine bouts and actions happening bore my eyes-my fleche taking off and my fingers ever so slightly disengaging and taking the blade in 6 as my point finds its intended target-the shoulder.<br />
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Throughout my lunge jumps and scissors jumps I picture my lunge growing and increasing in speed and endurance. I practice and perfect patterns and blade takes to shave time off of my footwork. I force myself to bounce during footwork exercises like I would in tournaments in order to increase endurance and speed of attacks.<br />
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At the end of it all I relax and make my way swiftly to the calm cool water way of the St. Lawrence River. The cool water refreshes my sore muscles and cools my mind, allowing me to let loose and unwind. By the end of my days I work my ab muscles with my medicine ball-performing ab twists and sit ups. All in all, throughout my time on the St. Lawrence I relax and unwind and take the opportunity to train deeper than usual with my clearer mind. My goals are sharper and my motivation high. I run, swim, do footwork, and all sorts of ab and arm exercises to reach my goals and to train for my next fencing challenge-this year I will be at the Alliance international training camp in Houston for two weeks after my week here!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Courtney Dumas</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-8328507831738274532011-07-13T09:40:00.000-04:002011-07-13T09:40:32.134-04:00Training...It's a Love/Hate RelationshipTraining, every athlete does it, but not many actually love the cross training. It's work. At the same time, this work is what makes athletes great. Determination and perseverance drive athletes to work their hardest to be the best.<br />
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Personally I HATE running. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but nonetheless running and myself are not friends. Unfortunately, to be a great athlete running is a necessary evil. It is probably the best form of cross training out their for athletes and especially fencers!<br />
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Although I dislike running, I feel that I have to do it in order to keep progressing in my fencing and hey, you gotta love the way you feel after a workout. Not the sweaty nasty feeling, but the accomplished and I can conquer the world feeling. My lungs just feel so much more open than before I went on the run!<br />
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Running is great for the body, but in order to keep pushing yourself as an athlete to the edge to improve, one needs to do more. Personally I love to hit the gym. Weight training is probably my favorite training outside of actually fencing more. I create my own playlists to jam out in the weight room and and a little pizazz to the routine.<br />
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I lift every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to improve my physical abilities, while allowing my muscles to rest and heal in between. After I complete my workouts I feel like the Incredible Hulk, like there is nothing that can stop me. It is such a great feeling and I hope you all are inspired to get up and try it after this post!<br />
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I mentioned above that I rest my muscles in between lifting days, and that is true to some extent. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my footwork exercises. Footwork is vital in fencing. Without it you might as well be a padded dummy for all your opponent cares. It is the foundation of fencing and the true way to improve one's abilities. I created my own footwork workout that entails preforming exercises at normal speed for 45 seconds, fast speed for 30 seconds, and fastest speed for 15 seconds. (If anyone ever says they can do their fastest speed for more than 15 seconds then they aren't actually doing footwork as fast as they possibly could). I build my endurance, speed, and technique all at the same time with this workout.<br />
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On top of this I also go for a run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I either hit the standing bike or go for a run. In doing this I give my muscles time to heal from lifting by working other muscles. In this way my body is always working, except for on Sundays and I burn far more calories than I would otherwise. (Let me mention that I do not diet, I hate that word and its connotations-I eat healthily and I eat less calories than I burn off working out to destroy fat. My goal is always to build muscle, never to lose weight).<br />
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Let me end by saying that every person is different and my workout routine won't work for everyone. My coach's never did for me, that is way I created my own routine! Working out is hard, but it is fun too and the results are a plus too ;)<br />
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Happy training!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW85wqc8NImSALhtRX0EYiyHSyXBMFk0_ehFdA20A0qxIUmWKCw1v_4zPB30lOVKN35RvQ1yMB3B6AS2pIAUviqQzruTVM8z6YEoq0sxsXJJgH1rVcHpt2UNm4FNhOH8OI8m10s97VZfS/s400/Nike+Men%27s+Air+Zoom+Vomero++3+Running+Shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW85wqc8NImSALhtRX0EYiyHSyXBMFk0_ehFdA20A0qxIUmWKCw1v_4zPB30lOVKN35RvQ1yMB3B6AS2pIAUviqQzruTVM8z6YEoq0sxsXJJgH1rVcHpt2UNm4FNhOH8OI8m10s97VZfS/s400/Nike+Men%27s+Air+Zoom+Vomero++3+Running+Shoe.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Courtney Dumas</span></b></i></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-16510793053791825182011-07-09T13:39:00.000-04:002011-07-09T13:39:04.770-04:00Battle to the Final 8 and a Podium Spot Reno 2011With memories from my dismal finish at previous Division 1A Summer Nationals in mind, I marched on into the venue. This year was going to be different. I had trained myself better both physically and mentally. The adrenaline was high and my heart was pounding as I heard the clashes of weapons, yells of victory and defeat, and the screeching of the scoreboxes as the fencers scored.<br />
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I came out of Juniors with my worst finish of the year 17th a few days earlier, which in retrospect was not horrible, but at the same time I had the potential to do so much more damage. I was hungry for a medal and redemption. I felt that it was my time to shine.<br />
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Pools started off shaky again with a priority victory. I told myself that I wanted to be more aggressive today than I had been in Juniors, that was no the case the whole day....<br />
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Pools were going well to some extent-I was 3-0, but the footwork again just was not flowing in that same great rhythm that made every fencer feel as though they were an Olympian. Suddenly I found myself losing two bouts back to back. 3-2 with one match left, I was determined to get out of my slump. I was tired of sleep fencing-fencing like a robot with all the right moves, but without the passion or the cognition to ignite the spark in one's step that led to victory.<br />
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I wanted this back and in my next bout I used my determination to win 5-0in a swift victory. Now I was rolling, or so I thought...<br />
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The DEs came about and my fencing was still struggling. I was fighting from behind in almost every match-leaving myself exhausted come the end of the bout. I was draining my fuel storage early and I would unfortunately pay for this later.<br />
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My best bout of the day, which ironically was the bout that probably cost me my chance at the final four and possibly the finals, was my round of 16 bout against Floyd. I was down 7-2 and was losing control of the bout until I finally found an answer to her forceful fleches and infighting. I would pressure her with plans to run away swiftly and score a counter attack or continue in the 8 line to the leg. It worked like magic!<br />
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With 30 seconds left in the second of three periods, I found myself up 13-12. Unfortunately I decided to be a little more daring then was called for and after two poorly setup leg attacks I was down 14-13 with 17 seconds left in the period.<br />
<br />
Kill the clock time with the goal of reaching the one minute break before the third period. I had been incredibly naive and stupid not to set up the distance and I had to pay for it with the loss of the lead in a 15 touch bout! I needed horribly to get out of the period, but my opponent had other plans-she decided to push and attack me with only 17 seconds left!!! Her bread and butter move against me!!!!<br />
<br />
Now was clutch fencing time and I needed to focus all my energy towards <i>this touch!</i> It was ultimate fencing time-Olympic touch time. Floyd pushed and pushed and finally gave me what I was looking for-the blade!!! I made a swift blade take and slammed my point into her body as fast as I possibly could.<br />
<br />
One light came on-MINE. That brilliant, bright, shiny green light! I could not believe it!!! I scored with 1 second remaining in the period!!!! the score was now even at 14-14.<br />
<br />
The next period was wrought with constant movement and adrenaline pounding actions. The time passed and the pressure was on for one of us to score. This was no time to fence scared-it was time to be the fencer I had trained to be- Courtney Dumas. I was in awe of <i>no one. I was myself and confident in my actions.</i><br />
<br />
<i>I pushed and pushed</i> Floyd down the strip and pressured her blade, creeping ever closer to my goal. I finally broke distance and dropped to the leg-this time with distance. I hit the hip with one light on, my light. The bout was over and I was victorious.<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>But I was to pay the ultimate price of such an exciting victory.</i> My fuel was all but spent and I had my best friend left to fence to reach the final four.<br />
<br />
Amanda Sirico was on fire that day- she went 6-0 with a plus 24 indicator and she had not tired herself the way I had in the DEs. And we were to fence.<br />
<br />
I pulled myself together, ready for the challenge. But the footwork was just not there. I followed my plan as detailed before the bout. I pushed Amanda down the strip, but once I got her into the last meter line I remained flat footed. This resulted in her attack nailing me and when I did attack her leg like I had planned-she was ready. She unfortunately remembered I had a deadly leg touch from our last encounter at Junior Olympics.<br />
<br />
My failure to pull the distance and run away after I pushed the distance combined with attacking into her trap led directly to an 8-2 deficit. And I was exhausted, but not done quite yet.<br />
<br />
I pulled myself together for one last go for the bout and managed to reclaim my footwork and bring the bout to 10-12 score with me just behind two.<br />
<br />
But it was too little too late- Amanda rattled off two quick touches before the end of the second period and one right at the start of the third period to win 15-10. My run was over and I was defeated.<br />
<br />
I had made the 8, but had paid the price of poor footwork at the start of each bout leading directly to my exhausted state that in large part led to my defeat. Amanda was the better fencer that day and went on to win the gold medal.<br />
<br />
I finished 6th and was extremely happy for my friend, but at the same time I wanted more and still do. Footwork will be my prime goal as I move further into the summer. This was a painful learning experience, but a necessary one that is one more small step towards reaching my goal to become an Olympic fencer some day.<br />
<br />
Until next time!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Dumas</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223026792833923717.post-51443433085679091852011-07-09T12:42:00.000-04:002011-07-09T12:42:02.667-04:00Lessons Learned, Reno Summer Nationals 2011So I'm finally back from Reno, Nevada. It was a lot of fun, although there was nothing but desert all around the hotel. This year I competed in Juniors and Division 1A. The competition was fierce and unrelenting.<br />
<br />
There ended up being a total of 186 fencers in the Junior event. I blasted my way through the pools after a shaky opening bout that I won in priority, 3-2. The confidence was flowing and the actions were swift. My lunges and fleches flowed with ease and my mental game was sharp.<br />
<br />
With the assistance of my tournament personalized playlist and the support of Amanda Sirico of DCFC and my Hooked on Fencing teammates, I pounded out a 6-0 record in the pools with a plus 18 indicator (touches scored minus touches received). Everything was working pretty well and I was confident moving into the direct elimination round.<br />
<br />
By the DEs my fencing was strong, but not up to the caliber it was at Junior Olympics where I finished second. The footwork was just not as crisp and the distance was shaky. I struggled to put away my opponents, even though I won by 4 or more points. The flow just wasn't energetic or agile. I had to rely on my counter attack much more often than I felt comfortable with.<br />
<br />
After fighting my way through to double elimination I finally lost a close bout to Signe Furguson, 15-14. We had doubled all the way from 10-10 to 14 all! The bout was intense and nerves were high. As she pushed and pressed me, I finally took the initiative and fleched in the 8 line, but I missed the blade take! I ran right into her counter attack and lost a hard fought bout 15-14.<br />
<br />
After a long wait for my second chance DE, I regretfully was nervous and jumpy. I doubted my skills as a fencer and was scared to lose. I had come all this way just to fence like I had 3 years ago. My bout against Jennifer Horowitz was dismal. I would close the distance or allow my self to be pushed around the strip as a result of my timid fencing. I didn't fully commit to actions and lunged half-heartedly. After all my hard work I lost 15-9 in a bout that I will never forget.<br />
<br />
A fencer can never be timid. If you compete scared you will in all likelihood fail. That is what happened to me. I forgot my training and my mental preparation. I had no "general"-mental prowess, to lead my "army"-skill set and ability. Without a general your army is worthless. You could have the best army in the world, but without a leader to command their movements, they are an unorganized mess. This is why I lost the bout and it is a lesson learned and will not be easily forgotten.<br />
<br />
May this be a lesson to all you out there not to be afraid to risk it all. In competition the worst you can do is lose, but if you are afraid to lose and compete in that manner then your opponent has ALREADY WON.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Courtney Dumas</i></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">22JXPPTHGGFM</div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447518094923450527noreply@blogger.com0