Foiled Again–My Return to Fencing

As I go through this journey, I have rediscovered many youthful passions, but now I’m rediscovering a sport I learned about 7 years ago and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun. When my son was 13 I signed us up for a beginning fencing class. I was not too sure about my capabilities, but it was something I had always wanted to learn how to do. My son was never into athletics, certainly not team sports, but he did love Star Wars and all of the light-saber dueling.

We took the class, and by the end were dueling. I always felt awkward, but my son was having a great time. He could look at the sport as a chess match on steroids…instead of 30 seconds to make a move you had to think ahead fast enough to make your move in a fraction of a second.  We decided to sign up for the advanced class, and as my older daughter was just turning 11, the minimum age for the class, I signed her up for the beginner class.

That Christmas, I got the three of us our own gear (really, it is not very comfortable putting on a mask that has been worn by countless others). That winter, we’d go to the gym and first my son and I would watch my daughter’s class, then she’d watch us as we took the advanced class. When that course was over, I re-took the advanced class with my daughter. After that, we hung up our gear bags in the garage. My son went off on his own once or twice for competitions, but then he hung his gear bag up too.

Over the next several years, I put on weight and got more and more out of shape. But recently, I’ve lost a lot of weight through running, walking, and dieting. I have so much more energy and need something to do over the winter, since most of my running is now done on the treadmill…and that isn’t fun at all. Every day I see the fencing bags hanging in the garage and finally it dawned on me that my super-athletic 12-year-old had never had fencing lessons. An idea was born! We recruited another mother/daughter duo of our friends and jumped in.

There’s something a bit embarrassing about starting over at something you have forgotten how to do…but the good thing is that it comes back to you and you advance quicker…or at least that’s what I’m telling myself! The first class was 85% sitting on the bleachers learning about the equipment and the history of fencing and 15% getting started.

So, first we learned that when a nobleman got challenged to a duel, he’d get a sword master to teach him…but of course you don’t give an effete nobleman a real sword and tell him to point it at you. Hence the foil was created as a training tool. The point was “foiled” by bending it over, giving the foil its name. Duels happen very quickly with one man sticking the other in the heart or other vital organ…so fencing with foils is all done on the torso. It’s done very quickly, and is nothing like the dueling seen in Hollywood movies.

Once our safety and history lessons were over, there was little time left in our first lesson…but enough to learn the grip, the en guard position, and moving forward and backward. Although this portion was only 15 minutes, my arthritic knees got a work-out…quickly reminding me that my biggest problem with fencing has always been my knees.

When I got up this morning, my knees were stiff…but I know that I am in so much better shape than I was even 6 months ago…and I am determined to figure out how to do the right thing by both my knees and my new-found desire to be athletic.

Find the Joy in the Journey…and don’t be afraid to try new things (or return to old things) even if it means overcoming a few challenges!

Related Posts:

Taking Up the Gauntlet

From Fancy Footwork to Parry and Riposte

Rules of Engagement in Fencing and In Life

Putting On My Oxygen Mask—Gifts to Myself for the New Year

We all know the safety drill on airplanes…if there is a sudden loss of pressure, an oxygen mask will appear in front of you. When it does, you must put it on and adjust it before doing anything else. You will have plenty of time to help those around you. If you do not follow this advice, you jeopardize everything, including the lives of those around you and your own. It is great advice for our everyday lives as well, but one we often ignore. So, before I make my resolutions for 2013, I am going to put on my oxygen mask.

I give myself the gift of routine

When I first started my 50-by-50, I wrote a lot about getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, eating regular meals, exercising regularly, and similar routine things. These routines are essential to a happy and healthy life. I love excitement and occasional disruptions to my routine, but without the routine itself, I lose my center and lose balance in my life. I am finally at a place where many of these routines are settling around me and providing me with the support I need to be a healthy, happy adult who has more than enough capacity to be available for the needs of my family, friends, work, and non-profit work. So, I give myself the gift of routine. May it make me a stronger, happier, more giving person.

I give myself the gift of fun and fitness

I have built up, very slowly, to my fitness routine. I went through the C25k program and then onto a regular running routine. I’ve added walking on my days off as I’ve focused on weight-loss. This has worked for me, and I am often compelled to work-out out of some newly in-borne need. But, I cannot say it is truly fun. So, especially during the dark days of winter, I will find fun that is also exercise. I will dance to Just Dance IV which I bought for my younger daughter, and I will fence. Yes, I signed my younger daughter and I up for beginning fencing lessons at a local community college. A friend and her daughter are joining us. We will have so much fun! I give myself the gift of fun and fitness. May it make me more joyful and infused with life.

I give myself the gift of forgiveness and do-overs

Like most people, I am harder on myself than on others. When I fail, I often feel like giving up. I’ve learned, however, that there is no point in beating myself up over my failures. As Thomas Edison famously said about his attempts to refine the light bulb, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  So, I will try to look at my failures as evidence that I am willing to try new things and not give up when they don’t work. Edison also said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not know how close they were to success when they gave up.” I do not want to be someone who could have succeeded if I’d only tried one more time. Several times in my life, I tried to be a runner, and I failed. I even tried early in my 50-by-50 and didn’t get it quite right. By trying a new way, this time I succeeded. So, I will try again, in different ways, to reach my goals this year. I give myself the gift of forgiveness and do-overs.

Find the Joy in the Journey…and don’t forget to put your own oxygen mask on first!