Fencing: Junior Olympics 2024-The Growth of An Athlete!

So proud of our Hayden!

Last year (2023): I was a proud Mom just because he got to the Junior Olympics. The first day Hayden fenced last year he was eliminated very early into the tournament. He was a young, innocent, timid 14 year old boy who was blown away by the caliber of fencers he was fencing. He was so green to it all. I don’t remember last year’s ranking. I remember watching the surprise on his face at how fast the other fencers came at him. He froze up, lost his focus, and gave up…it all happened so fast. Then I watched my baby boy process the overwhelming feelings of defeat. When he was first eliminated I saw his confidence leave him and disappointment settle in. Watching him go through that made me feel helpless, it killed me a little inside as his mother to see him go through this and I had no words to comfort him. I didn’t expect him to place but I didn’t anticipate or understand the emotions that would come from such a big tournament.

Then my brother Luis told him…”Hayden now you know where the bar is, now you go home and you work for it! Nothing is worth it unless you work for it!”

WOW…I was blown away and so grateful for that beautiful, powerful message that his Tio Luis shared with him. It was not a pep talk, it was a tool, a new perspective that would force him to get up and dust himself off. I saw a change in him at that moment. I don’t think words can ever explain what I saw in him but I swear I saw the change in his face (a mother just notices everything about their kid). I literally saw the fear and disappointment wash away, in a great way. Hayden needed to hear that! Hell…I needed to hear that because the mama bear in me wanted to coddle him and shield him from that moment. In that situation it would have been a mistake on my part. He needed to fail to grow.

He did not make it past preliminaries in the Junior event but he did make it to direct eliminations in the Cadet event last year.

Fast forward to this year (2024): Again, I’m a proud Mama just because he made it to the Junior Olympics!

He walked in with a confidence he did not have last year, ready to learn and grow this time, that was his goal! I loved watching him, he was making every minute count and having fun in the moment he was in!

With a smile on his face he asked other fencers to warm up with him and spar. During the preliminaries he was observant and thoughtful about what he was watching. I could see his brain working. He is not yet a man but he is not that little boy that I felt the need to coddle. This part of him grew up and understands what he is working for and I can tell he is figuring out how to reach that bar…he is working for it!

During the Junior event one of the fencers actually missed his target and hit Hayden’s hand by accident. Hayden’s hand was bleeding. I suggested he run to first aid to get his hand checked and wrapped but he said he was fine and he needed to finish preliminaries. He was so focused so I let him do his thing, his way! He did not make it past preliminaries in junior or cadet this year but he fought this year for every single point. His opponents had to fight him for every single point.

I have never been prouder of my Hayden. Not just proud of him for getting to the Junior Olympics this time, I am proud of the athlete, the fighter, and the man he is growing into!