Gearing up for the 2011-2012 Season

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.

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.

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.

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!

Ab Workout:

1) Push ups         X 30
2) Toe Touches   X 30
3) Alternating Toe Touches   X 20 per leg
4) Upper ab. Crunches    X 60
5) Reverse Crunches       X 30
(3 cycles)

Run 3 miles

Go Cats!

Courtney Dumas

Alliance Camp Footwork, Day 2/Week 2

Today 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.

Drills:

1) Squats-get into the engarde position and slowly lower your body down into a squat. X 10

2) Fire Feet Squats-get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, making sure to keep good form. Drop into a squat every couple of seconds. X 10

3) Fire Feet Squat Jumps-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. X 10 

4) Lunge Jumps-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.  X 15

5) High Knee Fire Feet-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. X 10

6) Engarde Jumps-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. X 15

7) Double Engarde Jumps-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. X 15

8) Engarde Jump Lunges-get into engarde and continue the exercise like above. This time though after the second back hop lunge forward then reset into engarde. X 15

9) Reaction Lunges-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. 1-2 minutes

10) Short/Long Reaction Lunge-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 double lunge before the ball hits the ground. When they drop the ball in the right hand just do a regular lunge. 1-2 minutes

11) Short/Long Hand Target Lunge-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. X 20

12) Fencing Suicides-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.   

Strength Work

Strength 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.

1) Squat Forward Jumps  X 15 (reps)
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.

2) Squat Backward Jumps X 15
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.

*After these two exercises you should feel really sore in your legs*


3) Wall Jumps 1 minute
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.

4) Forward Crawls X 5
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.

5) Caterpillars X 5
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.

6) Push up Hops X 5
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.

7) Push up Circles 1 clockwise, 1 counter clockwise
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.

8) Kick Turns 1 minute
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.

Alliance International Fencing Camp Week 1

Well 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.

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.

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

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!).

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).

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!

Battle to the Final 8 and a Podium Spot Reno 2011

With 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.

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.

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....

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.

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...

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.

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!

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.

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!!!!

Now was clutch fencing time and I needed to focus all my energy towards this touch! 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.

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.

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 no one. I was myself and confident in my actions.

I pushed and pushed 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.

But I was to pay the ultimate price of such an exciting victory. My fuel was all but spent and I had my best friend left to fence to reach the final four.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Until next time!


Courtney Dumas