Modern Pentathlon

MODERN PENTATHLON:

As a junior I competed in the Quebec Championships and won gold, gaining the most points for jr. men and jr. women. The Modern Pentathlon which was originally an army sport consists of five sports-running, shooting, fencing, swimming and equestrian show jumping. This is an excellent and fun sport for young people, as they are introduced to a number of sports. However, many modern pentathletes decide at some point to specialize in one of the sports as I did with fencing. 

SPORTS TIPS:

Shooting: In my first pistol shooting contest, everyone hide under the tables as pellets were flying everywhere. The competitors said that they hoped that I did not fence like I shot. Shooting was my weakest event as my parents would not allow me to have a high powered air pistol for quite some time. One thing I learned from a coach who had coached an Olympic gold medallist-Linda Thom was not to try to hold the pistol still, but to actually let the barrel move in small circles as you line up your shot. 

Flying with your air pistol can present problems as I learned first hand. I asked advice from a modern pentathlete coach on the best way to travel with my air pistol. He told me not to put the air cylinder in the case with my gun, as it could explode in the cargo hold of the airplane, so I took the cylinder on board with me in my backpack.  All went well on my way to Calgary, however, returning home my bag was searched by security and when I told them that the cylinder belonged to my air pistol, I was treated like a terrorist, even though my air pistol was in the baggage section of the plane.  Air Canada confiscated my air cylinder. They also said to my mom when she was trying to get my air cylinder back, "Do you know that your daughter was traveling with a gun?".   Sorry, AIR CANADA, but I was not the one who included shooting as part of the Modern Pentathlon event.   Anyway, just one of the many problems faced by athletes.

Swimming:  Swimming is a  sport all young people should do in my opinion. Besides, the health benefits, there is the necessity of being a strong swimmer, it could save your life as it has  mine, now that I am into surfing. Swimming also helps to develop a good looking body.

Running: In my opinion, running is a sport which wears down the body, if done to excess. I prefer to run barefoot along the firm sand at the water's edge along an ocean or lake-much easier on the joints and running barefoot helps to develop the muscles in your legs.

Fencing:  Fencing is a sport which requires cross training at other sports, or else one side of the body will be more developed than the other.  Fencing requires superior balance.  I won my North American Cup while still a rookie, but I had come off a great training camp in San Francisco and was surfing a great deal.  I know my surfing helped my fencing  tremendously by giving me better balance.  Unfortunately it does not work the other way around.   I had only been fencing for three years, however I had been involved in sport such as gymnastics since I was six years old and later competitive swimming. Almost all sports help with fencing in some way, by improving strength, cardio fitness, balance, etc.

 Most movies have given a wrong impression of the sport of fencing.  You will often see two actors who are beginner fencers masquerading as expert fencers, they have no co-ordination, put one arm up over their head (this is never done in competition, and originated when duelists had to hold candles or lamps for night dueling) and are slow. However, your top fencers are lightning fast and have great form.

There are three weapons in fencing, the epée (my weapon) which is the original dueling weapon.  It   only recently became an  Olympic sport  for women as it was previously deemed too dangerous a weapon for women. The target is the whole body. The foil, which is a lighter blade  was introduced originally as an instruction weapon as it was less likely to inflict injury on the students. The target is the torso. The saber is the weapon used by the cavalry and  a slashing action is used against your opponent.

White became the official colour for dueling, as most duels ended after one hit and blood showed up better on white.

Equestrian Show Jumping: I found this event of the Modern Pentathlon to be the most dangerous and competitors are injured. The competitors  have to draw for horses,  horses we were not familiar with and many of the horses have very bad habits. As a riding coach told me, riding is about "harmony" between horse and rider;  however, "harmony" does not happen instantaneously with a strange horse. I remember at the Canadian Championships in Calgary, someone said that they hoped they did not draw a certain horse and guess who drew that horse, myself. I refused to ride and watched while someone else was part of a wild rodeo act. It was this event which discouraged me from pursuing the Modern Pentathlon further. My most serious injury during a competition was a sprained finger after falling off a horse in one of the competitions. However, other competitors have suffered much more severe injuries.

POWER OF FOOD

DIET

Bean Goulash

 Actually the title is a misnomer.  I NEVER diet, however, since my early teens I have always been very conscientious about what to eat and always read  labels.  You would be surprised at what is in our food from the supermarket.  So many food products which you would not suspect, contain hydrogenated oils, glucose, fructose and sugar.  Even some baby foods contain hydrogenated oils and other undesirable additives. 

I was brought up on a diet of Organic foods as much as possible.  Organic foods have been shown to be more nutritious because they grow slower and with the added benefit of no pesticides,  no herbicides, etc.  I became a vegetarian at the young age of sixteen, but I  was already leaning in that direction from a very young age, as my mother use to trick me into eating meat by saying that it came from the "Yum, Yum, tree".

Throughout my athletic career, people have asked me what I eat as if that is the magic bullet to my  energy.  Perhaps it is.  Another side benefit of a good diet is that I still have not one cavity, so I must be doing something right!

Free Diving In Cuba

Surfing In San Francisco

 

I took up surfing while training in San Francisco at my sport of fencing. 

Vampires in Budapest???

My first apartment in Budapest a couple years ago had an old world feel....dark and cold with a sweeping staircase that spiraled up into darkness which led to my little apartment..Below is an account of that first time I stayed in Budapest
.

VAMPIRES IN BUDAPEST???

It had been ten years since I was last in Europe.  I had hoped the dark memories of my times there were behind me now...of when I was chased in Germany and only my athleticism which allowed me to jump a high fence saved me.

In Budapest, I rented an apartment through a government agency...I asked for sthg very quiet.  When I arrived, I was struck by the appearance of an old world building with a sweeping staircase... and yes, it was definitely quiet as everyone was so elusive.  Once I was startled to catch the eye of an old lady peeking out through her door....she looked slightly scared...which made me wonder why??  Next to me, in a dark corner was a door with bars and three locks and inside that was another door with more locks....did they know sthg I did not.

The dark streets which led to my apartment were sometimes frightening.  Often coming home, I would have to fumble around to find the hallway light...so I could unlock my door.  Sometimes the light would not work, even after tapping it three times in a panic. Trying to find my door in the blackness while feeling the walls with my hands as a guide felt like being in a thriller movie....then I had to find the right key for the right lock.  Later, I kept matches which helped a little, but that  was just as scary as I was afraid of what I might also see.

Every night around midnight, I would hear the turning of the keys on the barred door next to me and the echos of  footsteps sent spooky chills up my spine.  I would wake up before the break of day to the sound of the returning footsteps and the clicking of all the locks.  I began to imagine that maybe I was living next to a phantom/vampire???

I decided that the night before I was to return home that I would get up the nerve to try to catch a glimpse of my fantasy phantom/vampire to prove to myself that a normal person lived next to me.  So while lying in bed, when I heard the door being unlocked at the usual time, I took a deep breath on my way to my door. When I heard the echo of the footsteps starting on the stairway, I quietly opened my door, like the little old lady downstairs had done. As I peeked down the stairway, I almost fainted when I saw what looked like a black cape swish around the staircase.  Jumped back into my flat and locked all my locks in one breath!.

Canadian Teams In Singapore

In 2008, the Canadian Women's Epee Team (myself, Ainsley and Sherraine) and the Men's Foil Team spent a week training in Singapore; before going on to Beijing for the World Team Championships.  On a rest day, we took in the Singapore Zoo.....if only more zoos were like this one!

Photo Album - Beijing 2008 - World Team Championships

A sheep herder we passed when we made a wrong turn

Dinner in Beijing with the Canadian women;s team and officials

A Diner hosted by the Canadian Olympic Committee

Waiting for the Romanians to finish their bouts

Never A Dull Moment In Budapest!

Budapest is a very mysterious city to me.....from the language to the food and culture. After training while walking to the hot springs crossed paths with Marching soldiers...these things are so typical here...you never know what you will turn a corner and see...never a dull moment in Budapest.

When i first arrived here one dark winter for training,  i was dreading my stay. But in Budapest, there is always more than what meets the eye and after the cultural shock i began to enjoy it here.  I discovered all these amazing cafes, restaurants.....hot springs, etc...tucked away in the most unlikeliest places and alleys... secret gems. There are many cafes and restaurants where you feel like you are entering a dundgeon....not so scary anymore.

Training Through The Pain

 Honved Training Centre in Budapest

It is great to be back in my old training stomping grounds....it has triggered my competitive streak to fence and compete again. Still dealing with unresolved pain of my injury so i still need to hold back while my body is still healing....however, once able to sleep comfortably at night that will be my Q to wake up and not be afraid to hold back so much. Coming here is sort of an experiment....to have no regrets.....if i come home unable to compete in World Cups again...at least i will know that i gave it my all.

Yesterday, walked over to Honved for a little point control lesson from Gabor Bognar. It was the first time that I had picked up an epee in over a year...the grip molded right into my hand...a reminder of the years of hard work, money, blood, sweat and tears put into my sport.

After donning  my mask for my lesson and positioning into "engarde"...had to giggle...brought back memories of the excitement of  first learning how to fence.   Warned Gabor that "I feel like a beginner all over again".  Love when coaches allow you to have fun with the sport and laugh. There have been coaches who have become angry with me enjoying the sport and not taking myself too seriously. In fact, i have been hit over the head and whipped in the knees with the blade for laughing about a "mistake". But with Gabor,  there is no worry about such things. Although, still flinch sometimes when i make mistakes...from those memories of being struck.  My last competition was a National Competition in Canada, October 2009 which I won and Gabor Bognar's coaching played a huge role in that result.

Muscle memory is such a beautiful thing....not too far into my lesson,  was no longer feeling like a beginner. Although my hand and arm got really tired 15 minutes into the lesson....and we decided to call it quits and not push..  As it was....i was afraid of the repercussions of how my injury would be responding to my training. And was right in thinking so...

Still unable to sleep at night...went to bed at the break of day then awoke with sharp pain in my upper back.where the chiropractor had put the heels of his hands when he crushed my upper back.   Will continue to train in baby steps through the pain with the hopes of becoming stronger..

Now off to train at Honved again....will be working on my footwork, point control, etc today. Then the hot springs!

A Clip From the Past

A World Cup in Havana, Cuba...Canada vs USA for Gold...Canada wins!

I was a junior when I competed in this World Cup Team Event. Seen here fencing an Olympic American fencer. I am the fencer who is closest to the table on stage.