Australian National Champions 2008
Sword Fighters Australia brings to you a series of Interviews with the
Open National Fencing Champions of 2008 (Sydney).
Entitled : Inspiration of National Champions
Instalment number 1 : Evelyn Halls Winner of Open Womens Epee 2008
1. Why did you start Fencing?
Evelyn’s Answer: I started fencing when i was at primary school. My sister (Jo) was keen to take up the sport but there were not enough students interested for the class to go ahead – until my parents volunteered me!
2. How many years have you been fencing?
A:. I should decline to answer that question on the grounds that it makes me feel really old – however, I will say the answer is a number larger than 20!
3. What was your inspiration for winning the 2008 National Fencing Championships?
A:. I have only returned to fencing in the last month or so (after taking 14 months off) and only have time to train once a week. My inspiration was to prove to myself that i could still be competitive and to win my first national title since my daughter Gabriella was born!
4. Now (that you won this year) what are your future aspirations?
A:. The demands of my job and looking after my daughter mean that my future aspirations for fencing are likely to be minimal. At the moment, I am just happy for fencing to be a part of my life again.
5. Why do you believe you won?
A:. I think that I managed to use my skills of distance and timing effectively and made very few mistakes (which fortunately made up for my lack of fitness!). Also, I couldn’t have won without the support of my husband Peter in encouraging me to start fencing again and looking after Gabby during my competition.
6. Who would you like to meet? (As an Inspiration to you)
A:. There is no one in particular I would like to meet. In a fencing sense, I always love watching the great epeeists – in particular, Pavel Kolobkov. More generally, I would be interested to meet Barack Obama – to discover what he is like behind the public persona.
7. What’s next for you in 2008? (Training, Break, Work?)
A: Next for me is work, work and more work!! I’m also looking forward to celebrating Christmas with Gabby, now she is starting to understand what it’s all about.
8. What comp’s will you do (International) if any in 2009?
A: I’m unlikely to do any international competitions next year. It’s possible I might decide to go to the World Cup in China in May. The main problem is that I find it too hard to leave Gabby, even for a weekend!
9. Can you give us some words of wisdom for future Australian champions?
A: My advice to future Australian champions is to train hard. And then train harder. Also, to figure out what it is you want from fencing, and what role it should play in your life. My advice to those with international aspirations is that you don’t need to go overseas to become a good fencer – there is plenty of work which can be done right here at home.
10. If you could sum up Fencing in one word, what would it be?
A: Fencing is in my blood (and in Gabby’s too!) – not one word, i know!