Personal Narrative: 4th Grade Fencer

Nick Ybarra
Period 5
8/28/14
4th Grade Fencer Thinking back to 4th grade there a couple memories that come to mind, but none more vivid than my experience at the Bay Cup. The Bay Cup is a California state tournament for saber fencing hosted in half moon bay. Somehow, little fourth grade Nicholas Ybarra got 3rd place. Coming into the tournament I had a game plan: lots of sugar and confident aggression. For breakfast I devoured a sticky diabetes inducing bear claw pastry from the scary looking connivance store on the corner. When I got to the tournament, everyone else was slowly chewing on Powerbars and sipping Fuji Mountain Spring Water. Not me. I popped open one of my six cans of coca cola and started guzzling. When it was time for me to face my first opponent I had already downed 4 of my 6 cokes. I remember seeing the tip of my sword involuntarily jittering.
My feet stand behind the blurry yellow line, my little 4th grade muscles surging with the unholy chemicals of Coca Cola, I'm ready to try out part two of the game plan.
When I heard the beep, I charged at the big burly 5th grade enemy fencer with my convulsing and jittering sword. I'm not even sure if I was using the proper footwork. Despite my little size, the 5th grader hesitated and began to stumble backwards. I hit him with the sword within seconds. I figured that if I "charge up and plow into them with the sword" the opponent would become overwhelmed and not be able to think straight, as someone runs towards them. This worked for even the biggest of
kids. I kept on with my sugar and aggression game plan, and before I knew it I was competing for 2nd place. I don't remember much about what happened, but I'm guessing it was the six cans of coke and the bear claw. I crashed from all the sugar. All three rounds of the match for 2nd place involved me standing mostly still, while the other guy uneasily walks up to me and jabs the sword into my helmet. After I lost, I slept for about 38 minutes until my dad shook me awake to go up and get the 3rd place medal. It wasn't all bad though. The medal was shiny despite being bronze, I got a toy sword, as well as some candy. I finished eating the prize candy before I even returned to my seat. /; Diabetes runs in my genes, and throughout the years I've become well aware of sugar's effect on my body. Needless to say, I still have yet to learn my lesson with sugar, seeing as I'm currently chewing a mouthful of skittles. I feel like I won't learn that lesson until it's too late.