THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
It is a clear day and you can see forever but to forecast outcomes requires skills lost or hidden from modern technology. The sweet and the bitter – sweet to come from behind in each match – each fencer pulling it together to offset any down moments of a teammate, the bitter to lose in the final touch.
But for a medical interruption for a cut to Touya’s hand the momentum that carried Keeth to tie the score at 44-44 would have undoubtedly pushed the match to US favor. The interruption and the determination of Touya to prove his worth and his ability to overcome injury pushed the match to France’s favor. So close, so far and such a heartbreak for Keeth, for the team, for the coaches and the captain who have spent so much time, energy, thought to these few matches. The fantastic cheering section was stunned to have seen how hard the team fought to get to this point only to have the moment slip away from them. As even more credit to this team, they lost just barely to the team that went on to defeat Russia for the Gold Medal – that certainly speaks loudly for the US team.
This great sabre team defeated Hungary for the first time, amazing everyone including Hungary. No longer will the US teams be taken lightly but will be considered serious threats to anyone facing them. We have the strength, the training and the courage to defeat any country on any given day. No longer will we be satisfied in just going to the Olympic Games – the goal has been and becomes intensified to win medals and stand high on the podium with the past “rulers” of the fencing world.
The match for the bronze medal was against Russia and again the US team showed Russia and the world they are a team to contend with. This time it was even more disappointing as Ivan Lee had drawn from within himself a fearsome series of actions that left the score 40-35, US favor. He knew that was his job, to have a lead for Keeth to work with to win the match. Unfortunately, Pozniakov was not to be undone by a mere American fencer nor could he afford to go back to Russia without a medal. The consequences for the Eastern European countries and certainly for Russia are much more severe than anything the Americans face. For us it is a victory to be contending for the medal, for the Russians it is tragic to be fencing for bronze and not for Gold!!! We applaud all these fine US fencers and hope they will continue their growth and depth of experience towards 2008. We are not done, neither at these Games nor at future Games.
THE PEANUT GALLERY
What’s like to sit and wait high up in the bleachers (“reserved seating for athletes and credentialed personnel”)? You think of the athletes preparing to psych themselves for the bronze medal match (a downer after being so very, very close to the gold medal round). And to face Russia, a team also disappointed that they lost the medal round berth. Which team will be hungrier, more willing to hang it all out for the victory, a medal, a chance to be in that special part of the record book, marked in the memories of friends, families, coaches, and young fencers coming up the ladder??? What does it take to find the zone in which all the lessons, all the competitions, all the analysis coalesce into the fruition of one’s dream – to stand on the awards podium of the Olympic Games? Can anyone say for any of these athletes, that ingredient that pushes a team or individuals on the victory side of competition. We are such complex individuals and each of us affects the performance of the athletes, either subliminally or directly. The family in its support and in its presence, may sometimes be great and sometimes be distracting. The staff, the administration, and the coaches wanting to be helpful but perhaps can be too intrusive. Who is to say? We all work for the athletes and hope that our efforts will be more beneficial than destructive. The athletes find the way to shut out the distractions and focus on their job in their preparations and then in the actual competition. To all the athletes on this team and ones striving for future teams, the US fencing community salutes you and stands tall with you.