Report from Trent about the European Cup

We arrived in Vienna after a very long 30hrs of travelling via Bangkok and Dubai. The weather was very cold and perfect for waiting around for hours in the airport for a bus. So that’s what we did. When we finally arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia we checked in at the hotel and crashed for several days!!!! (not really). The next day we met up with the other Australians from USMA and caught a taxi to the city centre for some sight seeing. Mum was not very happy when she found out that I forgot to bring the camera. (Oh well, too bad, you should have been there!!!!!). When we got back to our hotel we did some light training in the local park.

The following day we had the weigh-ins and then we did some more training in the park. Later on Mr Christensen also had to attend the coaches meeting. By now I was slowly starting to get over the jet lag. The hotel we stayed at was nice and the food was pretty good. The water was not so special, as it had a bit of an aftertaste. There were lots of other teams staying at our hotel and we were definitely starting to feel the buzz as the competition approached.

Competition Day 1: The next morning we got up early for the first day of competition. I was scheduled to do three events on the first day.

Special technique was first up, with “Flying overhead Kick”. There were 36 competitors in this event with the target at 2.4mtrs. At the end of the first round it was down to 7 competitors with the target at 2.5mtrs. I just touched the target in the second round but did not score so was eliminated. Only three people hit the target at this height. Next it was “Flying high side kick” with 39 competitors. Ha ha, I bombed out in this one, as I dragged my back leg across the tape in the first round. 

Next up was “Patterns”. This was a huge division with 72 competitors in the first round. In an unusual draw the original 72 was cut to 64 in the second round with many people getting a Bye in the first round (me included). Then I was against Poland in the first round and I got the result and moved through to the round of 32. My next bout was against Russia and I lost in this round. I felt good about my patterns and was beaten by a very good opponent. The Russian competitors were very strong in this division and went on to take all three medals. At the end of the day I had really had a great time and was definitely ready for sparring action the next day.  

Competition Day 2: Boy this was a long day. I was scheduled to do sparring today but as the day wore on it became apparent that my division was likely to be postponed. So I spent the day watching, as most of the sparring events were completed. I saw some amazing action throughout the day and I was blown away by some of what I saw. These Europeans are soooo fast. Boy have we got some work to do! There was also a lot of quite heavy contact at this competition and I saw at least ten Knock Outs. I think we need to start training for this level of contact as it can be very intimidating if you are not used to it. At the end of the day it was confirmed that my division would be postponed until the morning. I was glad they postponed my fight as I was mentally quite tired from sitting around all day waiting.  

During the evening, they ran a “Finals Night” with selected divisions fighting their finals on the centre stage. It was an awesome atmosphere. One day I want to be up there!!

 Competition Day 3: I couldn’t figure it out! I am sitting at breakfast and can’t hold my spoon still. I am shaking like a leaf. I had better put my dark brown undies on and take a couple of extra pairs. (I was packing it!!). We arrived at the stadium and found out that I would be on around mid morning. My division consisted of 21 competitors including members of a number of national teams and the current European Champion. I was fortunate to get a bye in the first round. My first fight was against Czech Republic. This was a hard hitting affair but by the end of it my nerves had settled and I was feeling OK. My next fight was against one of the biggest fighters in the division, a huge kid from Hungary. I spent most of the fight trying not to get hit but landed enough points in between running around to score the win. By the end of it I was struggling with my fitness. One three minute round is quite exhausting if you are going at it for the whole time. Down to the last 4! My next fight was against Poland. Obviously he was just as wary of me as I was of him, because we were both stalking each other for most of the fight. It was very much a cat and mouse affair with us both receiving warnings for not engaging, but neither wanting to be the first to make a mistake and leave an opening. In the end, he was the one who became impatient and tried to rush in. I was able to score a couple of shots on him and it was over. Now it was the final! Mr Christensen had not told me that I was through to the medal rounds and I wasn’t aware of it at the time (probably a good thing). The final fight was against Norway. This fighter was smaller in size, but very fast and I was on the defensive for most of the fight. He was also a very aggressive puncher which I don’t come across too often in Australia, and by the end of the fight we were both receiving warnings and minus points for contact. I was aware that I was ahead on points because of the electronic scoreboard which can be very off-putting and which I found can affect the way you fight (not necessarily in a good way). The time ticks down, three, two, one, my arms are raised in the air, winner!!! Yes!!! I am excited. Mr Christensen comes rushing onto the matt and lifts me into the air. This is definitely the biggest tournament win that I have ever had. THE REST IS A BLUR of phone calls and celebration. 

Trent Hayden