Well it has been quite a while since I last blogged, these past couple of months has been really busy on and off the mat for me. In August I attended the 2014 beer bloggers conference in San Diego where I met Benjamin Moore, a jiu jitsu practitioner and beer blogger. It’s amazing how such a sport can unite people in such different aspects of life. Even though I am not a beer blogger, this conference motivated me to start blogging again. I just needed the right content to come back to blogging and I received just that this past weekend at American Nationals.
First off, let me be the first one to say I hate competing, why? Well as those close to me know I get anxiety before a competition. This is why I hate competing. Yes, that’s right, I said hate. I hate the anxiety, I hate feeling like my heart is going to pound out of my chest, I hate that I get clouded with the anxiety and can’t focus on anything but that. I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. It’s a very claustrophobic feeling, however as soon as I step on the mat it all just seems to disappear. I focus on the fight at hand and give it my all during the match. This weekend was no different, except for the fact that I was also working as a score keeper. Switching the role from score keeper to competitor was not as difficult as I thought. It actually helped me keep calm and enjoy some amazing matches. Below are some pictures of my fight in which I lost by 2 advantages.
I have to say anxiety and all I am glad I compete, as it helps me overcome many things I am feeling at the time. Having my teammates for support win or lose is truly priceless. This weekend I came home with some memories in the bank with my fellow teammates and some pictures with amazing competitors, and friends. A big thanks to my teammates and followers for all the support.
