The Keizer Karel tournament was my first ever fencing tournament. I (Nick) have been fencing since the beginning of this year, but have never competed in a tournament. When I heard about a tournament that was nearby and organised by my own club, it was a perfect time to do my first tournament.

There were two poules, both of which I lost. What was quite interesting, however, was that after every match I got feedback from my opponents. Because of this, you see a lot of different playstyles and get a good amount of feedback. My first elimination was against a member of my own club and I lost that one.

After I was eliminated from the tournament, I still had quite some energy left. I went around and found another fencer that was also eliminated. We fenced on an empty piste and gave a lot of feedback to each other. Because of this, you can learn a lot from a lot of different styles. This tournament really broadened my view on the possible playstyles, and I learned a lot that day.

Nick (left) during the poule. Photo by Rieke Bande.