Five Nations Cup in Basel Switzerland

Friday

The weekend started on Friday 18th January at 7.30 am with everyone meeting at Luton airport where Sarah Hernandez, friend and Swiss squad member, also joined us. The flight to Switzerland was short, which left us with plenty of time for sightseeing and more than enough time to get to know our home for the next two days – an underground war bunker! The bunk beds were unique, and despite all 5 Nations participants sharing the wash area (pictured below) and only 2 showers, the place did the job of housing all Kendoka for 2 nights.

"The Bunker"

With the afternoon ahead, we set off for more sightseeing and in search of some sustenance. The Swiss food in general is of high quality, especially the chocolate, but in Basel the locals don’t seem to eat pizza during the day. Undeterred, we eventually found a café that would serve it and with Sarah (affectionately known as "the enemy") acting as our invaluable interpreter, we managed to get one of the best pizza I have tasted in years.

GB Ladies team with Sarah "the enemy" Hernandez

By the time we returned to our digs, by then dubbed "The Bunker", more of our competitors had arrived and it was time to get ready for the evening practice. Suffering from a cold, I was advised to watch only, and it was an experience to see the differences in style of kendo from the other Nations participants. After practice, the whole GB team went out for a late dinner (or last supper).

Saturday

The Big day had finally arrived.

We got up at 7.30 am for a continental breakfast generously prepared by the Swiss squad team, then made our way to the hall to warm up. For most of us in the Ladies team, this was our first competition representing Great Britain and the short practice help to steady some of the nerves.

Our first fight was with Germany. Daisy fought bravely but lost to Men then Kote. Rowena and I both lost, to two kote, a Men and Do. And though Kim fought with courage she finally lost to Kote. Gel did better than the rest of us, managing a draw with her opponent. But all of us were unhappy with our performance. We felt we needed to get our fighting spirit up, and readied our selves for the next battle – the Swiss.

This match started much better with Daisy winning with two nice Men, then Rowena scored two Kote. I was next and fired up, managing to win with two Men. Gel soon followed with a Kote and Men. Kim fought a hard battle, her opponent scoring Men first, then Kim fighting back with Men, but she was unlucky to lose when her opponent scored another Men right at the end of the fight. We had won our first team match and we were jubilant – a far cry from how we felt after the first!

There was an hour wait before our next match with Sweden and we all cooled down, physically and mentally, something as novices we will learn from for the future. Daisy fought first again, managing the pressure from fighting in this position for the third time very well, taking it all in her stride and putting up a good fight. She was unfortunate to lose to two Men. Willing myself not to lose my fight, I could not quite get the point and drew. Rowena came next and she was unlucky to lose by two Kote. The pressure was on Kim and Gel – we needed to win the next two matches. Kim battled hard but lost to a Kote, which left Gel with an impossible task. Though we could not win the match, Gel did not give up and drew with her opponent.

Our final match was with Finland. The Finnish Ladies proved very hard to fight and it showed how hard they had been practicing over the past year. First to battle was Rowena, unfortunately losing to two Men. Daisy fought next and lost to Kote. Kim put up a good fight and pulled us back with a draw, but disappointingly, I lost to two Men. Then Gel stepped up and won with two really nice Kote.

After lunch break and a very nice packed lunch, which we all appreciated, it was time for the individual competition. I will not go into details other than to say, Rowena did well and won one out of her three fights. Daisy and I lost both of our fights and Kim fought really well but lost her three matches. Our champion of the day has to be Gel. She put up a monumental fight, wining all her bouts to reach the semi finals where the shiai went into encho, both girls wanting to be in the final. After about 8 minutes, Gel scored a Men and was through! With only 5 minutes to recover before the final, she prepared herself.

All the GB squad got ready to watch the Final: Gel v Yokoo. The match started well, neither Yokoo nor Gel giving an inch, both with the title in their sights. Then Yokoo scored Men. Gel fought hard to get the point back, but in the final few seconds Yokoo scored Kote. It was an incredible performance and a day to remember.

After the competition, all the teams when out for an evening of spaghetti Bolognese and fun.

Sunday

I did have the pleasure of waking the Germans on Sunday morning with my annoying alarm clock. We needed to be at the airport by 9am and the Germans thought they would get a nice lie in. Sorry Girls.

Several things really struck me about my first British squad competition. You need to practice at least 3 – 4 times a week to get the skill to fight at such a high level. Team spirit and encouragement are paramount even if your fight doses not go according to plan, continuing to support and encourage your team boosts their confidence to do well. It is also important to keep warm between matches so you can do your best kendo throughout the competition.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Jumpei Matsumoto Chief National Kendo Coach, Kazuyo Matsuda National Ladies Coach and Paul Budden for their support and encouragement over the weekend and the months building up to the competition.

GB team at 5 Nations Cup, Basel, Switzerland