Autumn in the summer

It's that time in the coaching cycle when a number of my longer term students are moving on in life. It's happened before and it will happen again. So I have a number of my group who are off to pastures new over the summer and it's always a little bit sad for the coach when this happens, kind of a bitter sweet experience really as you know it's great for the students to be pushing on with their lives but also that it will just feel that little bit different around the salle for a while.
Luckily I can already see the green shoots of potential in their successors but all the same I am very proud in the efforts made by and successes enjoyed with this group and it has been a total pleasure to coach them. So best wishes to all of you; Abby off to counsel, Rob off to Nottingham Uni, Ben off to be an instructor with PGL, Matt currently in the US coaching at summer camp and Sammy off to Sheffield Uni. I'm very proud to have been your coach and I wish you all the success you deserve. Keep up the fencing (if you want), enjoy whatever you do and if you're ever near the salle do drop in and say hello, I shall still be there!