UPDATE: The Commonwealths are only 3 weeks away; my training is moving along nicely and I am lucky enough to have been invited for 2 days of intensive training in Italy with Pasquale prior to the competition.

I competed at the World Championships held in Verona, Italy and my final ranking was 83rd in the individual event; there was no team event for Cadets at this competition. It was an amazing experience and provided me with the opportunity to put the lessons learnt from the Eurpoeans, along with debuting new tactics into practice and was the perfect way to end my Cadet career and move into Juniors next season. I cannot thank my coach, Pasquale Capuano, enough for his enduring support, patience, guidance and understanding but mostly for believing in me and ensuring that I believe in myself and my ability to perform on the world class stage. Highlights for Pasquale, and me, was receiving compliments from competitors and international coaches on my fencing, attitude and maturity, however, when one of the most respected coaches in the world (he has an 2016 Olympic Gold and silver medalist to his name as well as previous Olympic medallists) came to speak with Pasquale, having been watching me on piste, to comlipment me, stating, "she is a very good, strong fencer with a bright future" and he hopes to see much more of me on the fencing circuit, it was the icing on the cake!

I continually strive to make my coach, family and supporters proud of my achievements and I cannot thank you all enough - without this fantastic support network it would be extremely difficult to pursue and achieve my Olympic dreams.

I am delighted to announce that I have been selected to represent England at the Commonwealth Games, for both Cadet (U17) and Junior (U20) Individual and Team events and will compete for the duration of the games!

I competed at the European Championships and my final ranking was 48th in the individual event. In the team event I was delighted to be nominated as the Captain for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (final 3) matches and was the top scorer for the GBR Cadet ladies team overall.

Hi,

My name is Taylor, I am a fencer (Epee) and I am thrilled to have achieved my goal, for this season, of being selected to represent Great Britain at the Cadet European Championships 2018, taking place in Sochi, Russia at the end of February and then the World Championships in Verona, Italy at the beginning of April; I am also in the running for selection for the Cadet and Junior Commonwealth Games taking place in Newcastle in July; selection for this is due to be announced very soon and I will update this page as soon as selection is announced.

This is my final season as a Cadet (U17), before moving up to Juniors (U20) and with my coach, Maestro Pasquale Capuano, we set a goal of selection for these prestigious events and I am proud to say that I will now end my Cadet career having earned the right to display the GB logo on my fencing kit and represent my country.

I am also on the British Fencing Talent Programme which concentrates on athletes with the potential to compete in the European, World and Olympic arena.

The fencing season commences in September and I have travelled the length and breadth of the country competing in Cadet, Junior and Open competitions as well as competing internationally on the Cadet European Circuit as both an individual and team Captain/member. I was also selected to to compete in the Junior World Cup as an individual. Between September and January, I have competed a total of 16 weekends and I have also attended training camps during half terms and on weekends that I am not competing.

My journey has, like all athletes, had its peaks and troughs, but every competition has taught me something and with Pasquale, we have adjusted my training programme to reflect lessons learnt as well as ensuring that we continue to work on new areas both physically and psychologically.

Every competition I attend is self-funded as there is no funding available from UK Sport or British Fencing for Epee, therefore I am trying to raise additional funds to allow me to attend the Championships and I would be extremely grateful if you would consider supporting me in this quest and the first rung of my Olympic ladder.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Taylor