Of Seattle and the Leon Auriol Open

First things first... I am really beginning to like Portland... it is a GREAT city. But man does Seattle have a skyline. I had the opportunity to drive into Seattle after dark and let me tell you... breathtaking. It was amazing. If Portland had a skyline like that, I might never leave. That and I also left Seattle just as the sun was setting over city. AMAZING.

Anyway, friday night was good times. Went out to eat with Laura at a snazy little italian place called Lombardi's (or something close to that spelling). Tasty. 'Nuff said. I taught Laura the basics of fencing, as it was the least I could do for her giving up floor space for me to crash on! She beat me 5-4... I hang my head in shame.

Saturday was the Leon Auriol Open, basically the one of the biggest and best tournaments in the Northwest all season. A bunch of the Northwest Fencing Center folks showed up. I love my club... they have taken me in as family. There were a total of 68 entries for mixed epee... something like 14 A's, 15 B's... basically it was an A4 event (for those not of the fencing type, an A4 event is the highest rating an event can get). I was on fire in my pool. I crushed everyone, went 6-0 and had a +20 indicator, which seeded me 3rd for the direct elimiation bracket. I beat some very good fencers to finish 2nd. It would have been nice to win the whole shebang, but I am not quite ready yet to fence on that level. I am stubborn and when it comes down to it, I have a very strong core when it comes to pressure situations, but I need more time to develop my skills to truly be winning a tournament like this, instead of getting a good draw and fencing out of my mind. But it was a great experience and I fenced VERY well... Michael got to see alot of what I can do, and alot more of what he can fix and adjust to make me a great fencer.

Well, thats it for this post... the drive back was a killer, especially cuz I got absolutely tattooed (sp?) on my right shin in my second to last bout. It hurt like a mother on the way home, and now that I am in shorts, I can definatly see that it has swelled pretty bad... nothing serious, but man did the drive suck.

Thanks for reading, and keep commenting! I like to know how people are doing, and when they are going to come visit from A2 or beyond.

God, I would give my physics degree to the first person who offered (and actually gave me) a back massage...