Hello athletes. Welcome back to The Elite Competitor. My name is Coach Saylor, and I am our head athlete coach. And every month, we spotlight an athlete inside of our Elite Competitor Academy community to be our athlete of the month. Today, our September athlete of the month is Ada. We are so excited to have Ada here. She has been very interactive and engaged in our community, and has shown a ton of growth over the past few months. We're super proud of her, and just looking forward to hearing more about her story. So Ada, welcome. Thank you so much for having me. You're welcome. And for starters, you are an incoming freshman fencer. Um, some of your highlights over the past year, one, you got fifth nationally, which is awesome. You've overcome some injuries, and just have so many personal success stories. Tell me, like, how you got into fencing, and what you love about it. Yeah. Well, it was COVID, so summer of 2020, I think. And I just had nothing to do. I was, like, second, third grade, and there was a community ed class of just fencing. Like, beginners, like, come and try it, and my mom was like, "Well, you can try this." And I was like, "You know what? Sure, like, why not?" And I went, and I just remember loving it so much. The coach was like, "Yeah, you have a great knack for fencing." So I started doing it at a higher level and, competing a little more in the tournaments. And then I eventually got in the club and competing regionally, and I just loved it ever since. That's awesome. You've been doing it for six years. What do you think keeps you coming back to the sport? What are those things about it where you're just like, "Yes, I am meant to be a fencer"? I just love the competing and as you're getting better and you're moving up in the age groups and you're learning more actions and you're trying new things, and the community is great for fencing. I just love the newness of it and how it's, constantly changing, and then I can adapt and just stay physical and the mental side of it, and, using it tactically as well. That's just amazing to me. It sounds like you have a really supportive, encouraging community around you who's pushing you to grow, and I know that you're also working on being a leader inside of your club right now and s- inspiring other athletes, so I'm sure you had that inspiration given to you. You have that competitive drive, that competitive fire. Tell us the basics of fencing, fencing 101, and what your everyday or weekly training schedule might look like. Well, so it's like sword fighting pretty much. There are three types. There's sabre, épée, and foil, and I would say foil is the most balanced, tactical, and physical for sure. So there's a certain target area on the torso where you can hit, and there's the electric blade, and you're doing actions, trying to, like, hit the other person with certain rules. Training and competing is different at all levels, for sure. Um, in my level right now, I go to nightly practice three or four times a week, and it's hard to balance my school life and social life with fencing. But I try and integrate it as much as I can, um, and make time enough for both, 'cause, you know, I love fencing and, and it's one of my passions. There's club couple nights a week where I'm going and I'm getting private lessons. I would say I'm going to a tournament, like, regionally about once a month. Then I'll go to a big national tournament, like, three or four times a year. So those will be on my weekends. And then at home I'm trying to, do the mental game stuff where I'm visualizing and everything, and also just, like, workouts and staying healthy. Then definitely managing my school life and resting for sure. Yeah. I mean, that is the busy life of a student athlete. It sounds like you are grinding in all areas. I'm trying to do as much as I can outside of club to, grow better physically and mentally. 'Cause there's not a lot of stuff the coaches bring outside of club so I try and do that as much as I can. I think that's great to, take the initiative, and I think that speaks so much about who you are and what you think is important, and I know that your work ethic is there. So that's awesome. Thank you. You've mentioned the mental game a few times now, fencing is a very physically and mentally draining sport. It requires a lot from you. You do have to be locked in. So when did that decision come, and what were you struggling with or challenges you were coming up against when you decided to join the Elite Competitor Academy? Yeah, mental game's a big part of fencing, in both, the tactical and, getting out of the hole and, mistakes of what you're doing. I kinda had those, tied together, and I was getting dragged behind by both of them. I'm more of a technical fencer, so that's, like, the actions and I have a bigger, toolbox almost of actions and things that I can do. So I'm definitely trying to work on my tactical, which is part of, the mental game, and, one of the biggest things I used to struggle with was when I was down a couple points or, I didn't do an action right and, my opponent got a touch, I would just dwell on that and, I wouldn't necessarily move on from it as easily and, just kinda getting dragged behind from the bout, which is like the match. Then I would just lose more touches off of it, and it just wouldn't end well. So now I have been trying to work on, as much as I can, in the bout, especially, in the certain touches when I'm walking back taking a breath, and then I'm doing, my reset, actions and stuff and saying my reset word. Thinking like, "Okay," "that's all right. I made a mistake, but I can learn from it and take the information to, you know, get ahead of my opponent." 'Cause it's all just, like, and the progressions, and, you're building off of stuff. So how can I take this and get ahead of my opponent and get the next touch? It sounds like that was probably very detrimental to your game before of when you would make a mistake, just going down that spiral, which I think is so common. Like, everybody goes down that spiral where one mistake turns into another, and another, and another. But with fencing, like you are trying to build within the bout, and you're trying to level up, and you can't really afford to go backwards a whole lot. And so I'm glad to hear that now you have the tools of like, all right, one, mistakes are okay. Like, you are going to make mistakes. You don't have to be perfect, and you can grow and improve from them. And then taking that time to do your snapback routine and fully reset and refocus on that next moment. 'Cause I would imagine that you have to stay very present when you're in a bout, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Then let's go this spring, I believe you struggled with an injury, right? Yeah. Something in my knee where like it wasn't strong enough, and then it was hurting a lot when I would put pressure on it. That was really hard 'cause I couldn't train as much, and I was sad 'cause I just wasn't fencing, and then I couldn't do- Yeah as much tournaments or get enough out of my practices. We tried physical therapy and stuff, and it just wasn't like working, and eventually I went to a trainer, and we just did more leg exercises and growing the quad and hamstrings to help the knee. And I just took off from there. That was amazing. Like start of summer I went to a fencing clinic in Boston at a club, and that was like a week of fencing, and learning from different people and new coaches. That was so fun. Then there was nationals, where I won fifth nationally, but I had sprained my ankle in the middle of that week. Hmm. And that was just like crazy now that I think about it. But in the moment I was just, using my skills from the Elite Competitor Academy. I was just like, "Okay. Well, it's a small setback, but, like, am I just gonna sit here and, dwell on it and be like, 'Oh, well, my ankle's hurt,' like, I can't fence? Or am I just gonna be like, I'm gonna make the most of it and, just fence and, do what I can to help it while also, taking advantage of the opportunity that I have at this tournament?" After taping it and just fencing, I mean, it was honestly fine And it healed pretty quickly. And I'm very thankful, that none of them were, like, major, so very glad. Yeah, totally. I am also glad to hear They have not sustained. You were able to overcome them, and turn both of those kind of setbacks into your comeback story, right? Of like, "All right. You know what? I'm gonna strengthen my knee. I'm gonna find the right fit of a trainer. I am going to make sure that I'm doing more of the physical therapy exercises," and, getting back into it as quickly as you can. And then, yeah, with your ankle sprain, I know that this summer there was a lot of competitions, and you were traveling, and you had those big clinics to go to. And for you to not go down the spiral of like, "Oh, my gosh. Why is this happening to me? This is the worst possible timing. I can't believe that something like this is even going to happen. How am I gonna bounce back from it?" You were able to, take that moment of, "You know what? I've trained for this," right? Yeah. Like, I have the mental training. Yeah. I have the foundation to come back from it and recognize, there's an opportunity here, and I can learn from it, and I can move on and, channel my focus into very specific things. Take us to nationals, and, ending up in fifth place is just such an amazing accomplishment. Congrats again on that. What kinds of routines and tools and strategies, did you rely on to help you? Fencing is a very physically and mentally draining so I'm sure you had to, rely on some of those things that you've built. Oh yeah, 100%. So just kinda like to set the scene, I went to the clinic in Boston a week earlier, and then I had a day to come back and then fly to Portland for nationals. And I had been at a couple nationals before, but I feel like after, practicing, my mental game and just evolving a lot during the past season, I had a better view on this nationals. I was almost putting too much pressure on myself to do well. I think that was definitely my downfall in the first couple of days. I was like, "Well, crap, I'm not fencing well. I'm putting all this pressure," and because of the pressure that I had been putting on myself to do well, I wasn't doing well. So eventually I was just like, well, like after some long days, hard fencers, great opportunities, I was just "Okay, well, I'm gonna turn this around." And I did a lot more meditations and visualizing of what I wanted out of the tournament, and my view had changed from "I wanna do well, and I wanna like win," to like, "I want to do this for me," and do something that I can be proud of, in the end, and be proud of my fencing. Not even, looking at results. Like, results, should never be, a factor I'm looking at, um, besides, for information and, guidelines. But so I was turning my, views around, and I went into, the competition that I sprained my ankle in feeling like, "Okay, we're just gonna fence and see how it goes," and just trust my actions, what I've learned. I sprained my ankle, in the middle of a bout, and I had to fence and come back to win, and, take a medical in the bout but it helped me, think, and I was doing some breathing while they were, taping up my ankle And I could, reset. That was definitely a turning point in my event, 'cause I had six events that week. That was the third one the next one, I think, honestly, that was my best event, even though I didn't get fifth in that one. Because I was just fencing so confident, and I could just use everything and fence to the best of my abilities without looking at results or, putting pressure on myself or comparing myself to anybody else. I was proud of myself. My coaches were proud of me. Like, I was so happy. Then the next day, my ankle had been healing. I had been icing it a lot "We're gonna try and do this again." Feel confident and have fun. Just take advantage of the opportunity at the high-level tournament and fence great fencers. And yeah, I won fifth, it's a great, achievement and testament but, in the end, my results don't define me, and, I had a lot of fun fencing to the best of my ability. That is, such a huge turning point for you mentally. And yes, that's a huge success over the weekend, and not just getting fifth, I actually remember you messaging us, and you were like, "Oh my gosh, I just had something click in my mind that, stats and outcomes and anything having to do with the result is out of my control, and I just need to use that as information. It is not who I am. It doesn't define me in any way." And then all of a sudden you shifted focusing on you, having fun, competing really freely with your, passion really coming first, and just being able to be process oriented and focus on what you can control. And then you got better and better and better. Again, it's very normal to experience that pressure, especially when you are on a big stage, right? Like a national stage. And feeling like, "Oh my gosh, I have to win. I have to do well." And that just makes us play tight. We play it safe. We hesitate, right? And so for you to release the pressure that you were holding onto and get back to the foundations of, "You know what? I can compete really freely. I have trained for this moment. I can trust my skills," that is such a great story and a huge turning point, so thank you so much for sharing that. So much inspiration, motivation, All of the things in there. That's amazing. Thank you. What are your goals right now? What are you continuing to work towards? Right now I am just trying to grow as a person, leading in my club, like leading the younger fencers and like the more inexperienced ones. Um, but also balancing, my career for sure of how, like you said, like results don't really matter. It's the fencing and how I'm getting better in the end. So I just wanna, have fun and, make the most of when I can go to these tournaments and these events, really become something that like I can look back on and be proud of, loving what I do. I think that's gonna take you so far I love the drive and passion that you have for learning as well. I think that that is going to be so helpful in, both in fencing and then also in everything else that you do in life. I think that you have a great growth mindset, and you already have a ton to be proud of, so you're just gonna keep on building off of that. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Ada. We're gonna end with some rapid fire questions for you. Ooh, okay. All right? Okay. I would love to know, what is your favorite mindset tool to use? Um, definitely the three, two, one brave at night. I do it after practice, and I, you know, say my three affirmations, and then I kinda visualize about those, set goals and journal after the day. And that really helps me, you know, reflect on practice and my goals of what I want in the future and how I'm accomplishing them today. It sounds like that was helpful for you in nationals too imagining how you want to show up and making that really intentional shift of connecting your goals with how you can show up right now every day. I would visualize before the event I love this one so much, um, like the competition ones where you're like how do you wanna fence in this, and, like, breathing to release the pressure. Then visualizing on the strip and how I wanna fence, and I love that one. And then what is your favorite post-training meal or snack? Ooh, okay, this is a hard one because it's just whatever I'm feeling that day. But I would say I always try and, get fluids in me. Um, so, like, a protein shake or some water is always great. What do you do to decompress and let go of any stress that you might be feeling since you do have so many things going on? The main one's journaling. I journal every night. I write down my three affirmations, and I just reflect on the day, and I try and keep it a neutral tone. listing all the things that have happened to me. And then saying, like, how I'm getting closer to my goals of did I do a workout? Did I go on a walk? Um, did I try and, like, eat healthy today, you know? And that just really helps me, clear my mind before bed and keep a count of what I've done. Like, narrating your day and then having the evidence of how you're growing and getting closer to those goals. Who is an athlete that you look up to? This is a good one. I think, sure my coaches, 'cause they're just, like, great emblems of who I wanna be. They're leaders in the club and, like, helping the younger fencers and I look up to them a lot, and how they're, like, training us and getting us ready. I've been so lucky to have amazing coaches and, like, they just want the best for me. They do a great job and that's who I wanna model After. It's been amazing. Yeah. That's great. I love that. It's really important to have coaches that you can look up to and, like, have that trusted relationship with as well. Yeah. Awesome. All right, and then last one that I have for you, what kind of advice do you have for an athlete who might be listening who is maybe on the fence about mental training or is doubting themselves where they are, struggling with the pressure that you've struggled with? What kind of advice would you give that athlete? I think the main one is just, like, trust your training, and be confident in what you learned, and really know that deeply. Make sure you've practiced your skills and you know what you wanna do you have a plan for even just, like, the next touch, the next minute of the game. Just really trusting yourself and being confident in what you want. Yeah. That's amazing. I think that's a really great message out there for all athletes who are tuning in right now. And athletes, if you are wanting to get started with your mental game, the easiest way to do that is to take our elite competitor style quiz. So we have a link for that quiz in the description here. Um, and you can take it and see, okay, are you a pressure player? Are you a self-motivated grinder? Are you a comeback player? And I think that is very informative of being able to trust yourself and lean into those strengths that you already have, because you have to know what you've learned, you have to know what you bring to the table, and that is a huge part of being mentally strong, being mentally tough in your sport so that you can show up and know yourself well and be able to trust those skills and trust yourself. Um, so thanks for that message, Ada. That's amazing. Yep. Yep. All right, Ada. Well, anything else that you have to no, this has been great. Thank you so much thank you. It was so fun having you join us today. Um, and congrats again on being our September athlete of the month. We are seriously so proud of you, and- Yeah, it's an honor really excited to continue supporting you and to see what you accomplish next.