Competing Again!

A LOT has happened this year and many things have kept me from competing.  My goal every year is 12 competitions...this year I've been to just 2 so far :(  BUT now things are a little less hectic and I'm going to start training hard, dieting, and competing again.





My next tournament is July 22nd, Grapplers Quest: US Nationals, Morristown, NJ.

Then on August 4th I'll be doing US Grappling: Richmond, Ashland, VA.




My coach, Dave Trader, is going to start competing again too.  I'm super excited about this!  Going through the process of opening a school and building your program takes a lot of time and energy.  You have to focus all of your efforts on your new students, which doesn't leave you very much time to focus on yourself.  You leave most, if not all, of your previous training partners when you open your own academy, making it hard to train at a level that will allow you to be competitive in competition.

Now things are going well and Dave has the time to visit and train with his instructor, Leo Dalla, and train with other upper belts to help him prepare himself for competition.  Dave's next tournament will be the IBJJF World Championship: Master and Seniors, in Long Beach, CA on October 7th and I can't wait! 

Kids Martial Arts Summer Camps

Manassas MMA (my BJJ school)  is offering summer camps in MMA, BJJ, Judo, Boxing!


If you know anyone in the Manassas, VA area who has a child/children ages 6 to 13 - please let them know about our Martial Arts Summer Camps. These camps are open to anyone - no prior martial arts experience is required - and are a great opportunity to introduce a child to the benefits of martial arts training!


If you are an experienced BJJ competitor, we are also offering a Competition Training Camp for anyone looking to take their game to the next level!  


For more info about camps call 703-594-6220, email us at manassasmma@gmail.com, or visit our website at www.kidsmartialartsva.com!

Day 1 - Grapplers Quest: Beast of the East 2012

Normally I compete  in the 140 - 159.9 division at Grapplers Quest, but lately I've been walking around between 150 and 155 so about 5 days before the tournament I decided I wanted to try to cut down a weight class.  I started dieting and lost about 6 lbs in 4 days.  I was down to 146.5 when I got to my hotel and decided to sweat out the last few pounds. This started out well, I dropped 3 lbs in the first hour.  I thought to myself this will be a piece of cake! but it wasn't.  The following hour and a half  I only lost 1 pound and was down to 142.5, but time was up and I needed to weigh-in.  I was sooo depressed - all that hard work for nothing.  Now not only did I feel like crap but I still had to go with the heavier girls :(((  

I didn't think it would matter that much because I was used to fighting in that weight class, but I definitely felt it today.  I lost my first match and felt like puking afterwards.  I felt weak and out of breath the entire match. Not only did I physically feel bad, but I felt like my jiu-jitsu wasn't up to par either.  I was having a lot of trouble gripping and controlling my opponent with out the help of the gi.  This really made me realize that if I am going to compete no-gi I need to start training no-gi.

My absolute division went a little better.  I won my first match 20-0.  I completely controlled positioning but was unable to finish any submissions.  I tried for the d'arce choke and the rear naked choke but couldn't finish either one (I did get 2 advantage points though).  My second match was the finals match and it was against the same girl I fought in my weight class.  She took me down and scored 2, but then I swept her with a really nice hook sweep and scored my 2.  I tried passing the guard but couldn't figure out a good way to control her body and she closed her guard on me and eventually guillotined me.  

I ended up taking 2nd place in both my weight class and the absolute women's advanced no-gi divisions, but I am definitely not satisfied unless I win gold.  I am very confident in my gi game, and I am extremely motivated to go out there tomorrow and win my gi divisions.  And when I get back home I plan on continuing my diet, starting conditioning, and starting no-gi training.

Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Trials - NYC

Below is a link to a write up my Manassas MMA did about my trip to the trials!

"Michelle Welti of Team Dave Trader Jiu-Jitsu traveled to New York City this past weekend to compete in the Abu Dhabi World Pro Trials. The trials are held each year in different cities all around the world, with the winners taking home an all expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi to compete in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships. Prizes go to the winner of each weight class at Brown/Black Belt, and the winner of the Absolute (open weight class) at Purple, Blue, and White Belt."

Click here to continue reading!

Here are a few picture from the tournament:

JGA 2012 Season Opener - DTJJ Kids Results

"Congratulations to the Dave Trader Jiu-Jitsu Kids team! The team brought 6 competitors to the Junior Grappling Association’s 2012 Season Opener today and came home with 13 medals and 2 trophies! Abby fought in 4 divisions today and brought home 4 medals and 2 trophies!  Abby placed 1st in the female gi absolute* division, 2nd in the mixed gender [.....]"  

Click here to read the entire article on ManassasMMA.com!

DTJJ's 2nd Female Competitor

Last spring a man and his teenage daughter came through the doors of the gym. They were both pretty into UFC and he wanted to get his daughter into one of our programs. She said she wanted to try Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which made me very happy because I had been trying to start a women's program, and you can't really do that with just one girl. She was a tennis player, and seemed pretty girly. This worried me, but only a little. I was afraid all the close contact of sweaty people would gross her out and she would want to switch to Muay Thai or something. Luckily for me she loved class and decided to join.


Her competitive attitude got her itching to compete right away and in turn motivated her to train harder. Now, a little over 9 months later, she will be competing in her first tournament.

Good luck this Saturday Liza, I know you will do Team DTJJ proud!

Tears

This one is directed mostly towards the guys...

Just because you see a few tears stream down my face doesn't mean that I am hurt, or something awful happened to me.  There is a difference between how girls and guys react to certain things, for example frustration.  I'm sure I am not the only girl out there that sheds a few tears when she gets extremely frustrated.

I am under a lot of stress right now in my life and training is my time to just forget about everything.  I leave everything behind when I step on the mats, and for the next 2 hours I am as happy as can be.  The exception is when I start getting frustrated with something.  Maybe the same person keeps catching me with the same move over and over, or I just can't quite get my body to move in the right way.  If I allow these minor things to get to me my happy bubble feels like it bursts and all of my stressful emotions start flooding in.  Next thing I know my face is getting warm and my eyes start to swell up with tears.  I try so hard no to let them fall, but the moment someone says, "Hey, are you okay?", they start pouring out.  I hate it, but when I am stressed out and then get frustrated that's just how my body reacts.

So please don't ask me if everything is okay, or if there is anything you can do to help.  You can help by not saying anything and letting me regain my composure. W85W6PT2M28V

NEW! Women's Gameness Feather Gi

Every gi I have ever owned (besides my first one) has been Gameness.  I have two platinums (white/blue), one elite (white), and one feather (black).  When I heard they were coming out with a new gi, cut specifically for women I was very excited!  I just got the new female gi from Gameness last week and I must say, I love it!  It is a feather weave with rip stop pants.  Gameness also makes a feather weave for men, which is also awesome...I own one of those too :)  Although, if you are a girl I highly recommend getting the female gi.  The top is cut slimmer, the sides tapper in, so its not all baggy like the men's feather.  The sleeves are thinner too - this is a feature I personally really like.  It makes it harder for your opponent to get a good grip!  As far as I can tell, the pants are the same cut as the regular feather.  It comes in two colors, violet and white.  I have the violet right now, and I plan on getting the white for the bigger tournaments that have color restrictions for the gi you are allowed to wear. 

 So all you lady's out there that are in the market for a new gi, I suggest trying the new female feather weave from Gameness!

Words I Live By

Loyalty: faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause

 “The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.”  -Rensis Likert

Integrity: a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. 

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity."

 -W. Clement Stone

Honesty: honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair. It also denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft.

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it."  -Marcus Aurelius

IBJJF: New York Open

Last Saturday I competed in my first New York Open along with two of my other teammates, Kevin Callen and Arturo Ayala.  This was Kevin's first ever tournament and he took gold after mowing through his opponent.  It was Arturo's first international level tournament and he took bronze.  I placed 3rd in my division, losing to the champion, and I took 2nd in the open weight class.  I only lost two matches all day...both to the same girl, Jessica Eve Richer.

Below are my videos from the open division.  Unfortunately my camera died (I really need to get a wall charger for that thing!) and I couldn't get the finals recorded. :-(

MATCH 1


MATCH 2


MATCH 3

Thanks to our coach, Dave Trader, and to those that came out to cheer us on!

Grapplers Quest: Beast of the East VI

Last weekend Andrew Babeu and I traveled to Asbury Park, New Jersey to participate in Grappler's Quest Beast of the East VI.  We had quite an adventure....

It started off at 3:00pm Friday afternoon.  Our estimated drive time to the weigh-ins was 4.5 hours without traffic and 5.5 hours with traffic.  Okay, so weigh-ins end at 8:00pm, we are supposed to leave between 2:30pm and 3:00pm, so if we drive fast we should be able to make it no problem.   Well, Andrew gets to the gym around 3:15pm so we are already behind schedule...hopefully there won't be much traffic.... (its 3:15pm on a rainy Friday...no traffic?  yeah right!)  It takes us 2.25 hours to get from the gym, Manassas Mixed Martial Arts, to I-95!  36 miles in 2 hours!  At this point we know we aren't going to make it to the night before weight-ins; in fact, we probably won't even make it up there in time to go out to dinner :-(  The drive was long, it was dark and raining the entire time, and for a while I didn't even have anyone to talk to because Andrew decided to sleep...thanks man.

We end up getting there around 10:00pm, we checked into our hotel, and went out for food.  Pretty much the only places left to eat were fast food restaurants....so we went to Taco Bell.  I was a little nervous about getting any food since we had missed the weigh-ins.  I didn't bring my scale and I wasn't sure what eating out would do to my weight.  I ate a quesadilla and a taco and drank some diet Pepsi.  Not too bad....  I finished way before Andrew, who was eating multiple burritos and tacos!  They looked and smelled so good!

YUMMY!

After Taco Bell we proceeded to the 24 hour grocery store to get snacks and drinks for Saturday.  Of course the have and Easter section and Andrew just couldn't resist buying the $10 giant chocolate Easter bunny!  which I have to admit was pretty good : )  We got our snacks - Nature Valley granola bars along with some G2 for me, and a bunch of random stuff for Andrew.  After this we went back to the hotel and went to bed.  ..But only after eating a little bit of the chocolate bunny...I just couldn't resist!

Since I was so nervous about my weight I decided to wake up early to go to the weigh-ins.  That way if I was over I would have time to cut a little if I had to.  Weigh-ins opened at 7:00am, I got there around 8:00am, stood in line to register, and then proceeded to the stage to weigh-in.  I weighed in at 157 lbs.  I could have eaten more of that bunny!!!  I drove back to the hotel to get Andrew.  We went to IHOP for breakfast.  I got the Simple & Fit Two X Two X Two (2 eggs, 2 strips of turkey bacon, and 2 pancakes - 400 calories!)  Andrew got something enormous, as usual...I think it was an omelet, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and sausages.  Service was horrible.  It took forever for them to take our order and forever for our food to come out.  Once our food finally came out, it was barely warm.  I would've complained but I didn't want to risk them doing something gross to my food if they took it back.  Andrew's food wasn't very hot either.  He didn't even finish.  For the the first time in my life I have only 10% tip....   I love IHOP but I was very disappointed with this visit.

Anyways, back to the tournament.  We got to the venue, Andrew registered and weighed in while I found a place to sit.  The place was awesome.  As soon as you walked through the doors you could hear the music playing and see competitor warming up.  There was such a good vibe traveling through the room, it really got you excited to compete!

The tournament started an hour late, which is not unusual.  Before starting Brian Cimins made an announcement welcoming everyone, wishing everyone luck, and informing all of us that this was the biggest turn-out of competitors Grappler's Quest has ever had!  Kids divisions started at 11:15am and went till about 2:00 or 3:00pm, when finally the adult divisions started going.  I think a lot of competitors dropped out of their gi divisions since the no-gi was taking so long.  The gi divisions didn't even start until about 6:30 or 7:00pm and the last match of the night took place around 11:00pm!

I went into this tournament with a new confidence.  After losing in the first round at Pan-Ams I decided I needed to reevaluate my jiu-jitsu game and mentality.  My jiu-jitsu was good but my mind wasn't right.  I talked a lot with my coach and one of my teammates about it.  They both gave me some great advice, which I followed, and it worked.  
My first division was the Women's Advanced No-Gi 140-159.9 lbs division.  I won my both of my matches by triangle chokes!  Watch the videos for all the details.
MATCH #1


MATCH #2

Michelle Welti takes 1st in the Women's Advanced No-Gi 140-159.9 lbs division.

My next division was the Women's Advanced No-Gi Absolute.  My first match was stopped.  During a takedown my opponent landed on her knee wrong and was unable to continue.  My second match went all 6 minutes, ending 15-2, allowing me to take home the gold in this division as well.  Despite winning the match, I was thrown off a bit by all the leg locks my opponent was getting my in.  I managed to escape every time but it definitely threw me off a bit and made me want to learn some leg locks myself.

FINALS MATCH


Sorry the video cuts out early.  My video camera battery died :-(

Michelle Welti places 1st in the Women's Advanced No-Gi Absolute.

I placed first and took home the prize of a championship belt, $250 cash, and compete free for life!

During the finals match my name was called over the loud speaker, so after my match I went to the customer service table to see what was up.  It turned out there weren't any other blue belts registered in my weight class or the weight class above me.  Soooooooo disappointing!  I am getting ready to compete in the New York Open this coming weekend and that will be gi only so I was really looking forward to competing in the gi.

Around 7:00pm Andrew division finally started.  He was competing in the Men's Beginner No-Gi Absolute for a shot at $150 cash and compete free for life!  The division consisted of 26 men!  Andrew fought 5 matches, finishing 2 by points, 2 by submissions, and losing just one to the eventual winner.  Andrew placed third overall.  He also competed in the Judo Throwdown Challenge and the Wrestling Takedown Challenge placing 3rd in both of those as well.  Make sure to check out Andrew's blog for all the details of his matchs!

Andrew Babeu places 3rd in the Men's Beginner No-Gi Absolute.

We finally left New Jersey around 11:30pm.  There weren't any restaurants open anymore so we just started heading home.  We were both pretty tired so we stopped at a gas station for some energy pills and soda.  Andrew wanted to go to Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia for their world famous Phili Cheese Steak.  I wasn't opposed to the idea since I was hungry and they were open 24 hours.  Once we got there I was a little annoyed though.  It was in a bad part of town and there was absolutely nowhere to park.  I dropped Andrew off to get the food and circled the block.  Totally sketchy..weird people were standing on the corners.....  I come back around and there is Andrew, standing on the sidewalk with NO FOOD.  Apparently they only accept cash.  So I had to park, find and ATM, and then wait in line for my food.  We were surrounded by drunk people at 1:45am in the middle of Philadelphia...fun.  I was so grouchy because I was tired and hungry.  I kept telling Andrew that this cheese steak better be worth it!  It was :-)

We finally got back to the gym at 5:15am.  I got 2.5 hours of sleep and then it was time to teach my kid's team.

Overall, I had a very fun, satisfying trip.  Congrats again to Andrew on his medals and for getting over some mental fears he had about competing in the adult division.


TOURNAMENT PICS:

Be sure to check out www.mmaindc.com for articles and more pics from the tournament!

Feeling Good

So things seem to be coming together a bit.  I have started focusing more on myself and less on what is going on with everyone around me.  I am focusing on my own personal weaknesses and correcting them when I catch myself doing these things.  I have been pushing past my mental blocks and taking more risks when sparring.  It feels good.  By not putting so much pressure on myself during class it is allowing me to enjoy rolling more and I am actually preforming better!


In Judo class Tuesday I land and ippon drop seoi nage against James!  And I tried for many other throws against him, Andrew, and Victor (black belt Judo instructor).  Even though I knew there was no way I was going to be able to throw Victor I still tried, and if I got thrown in the process (which I did...a few times) that was okay because I was being offensive and aggressive.

Last night I actually surprised myself -- I did things that I thought I couldn't do.  I swept a bigger, stronger opponent from my half guard, I swept a bigger, stronger guy from deep half, I used the technique we learned in class during the guard rotation, I landed submissions.  I felt like the mental blocks were gone and I was in the zone.  I didn't want to stop training, but class had already run overtime and we were preventing the muay thai class from starting.

My confidence is starting to reach the level it should already be at.  I am feeling really good about going into these upcoming tournaments.  Grappler's Quest Beast of the East this Saturday in New Jersey, and the IBJJF New York Open next Saturday. :-D

Check these items out on Amazon -- These are some great books, and the Gameness Platinum Weave Gi is the one I use for competition : )

Thanks

Dave Sweeping Me

I just want to say thanks to my coach and boyfriend, Dave Trader, and to my teammate, Bill Nagle, for helping me to get past this mental hump I've hit.  I haven't fully passed over this hill but I am on my way over it.  Your words of wisdom and hours of rolling have definitely changed my mindset these past few days.

Bill and I - Half Guard Action

There are some fundamental flaws in my game that have been hurting me and there are definitely mental blocks that I have too.  Dave gave me a great book to read called The Mental Athlete by Kay Porter.  I have only read a few pages so far, but I believe it is already starting to help.  

Thanks again Dave and Bill.

Hitting a Plateau

Do you ever feel like you've hit a plateau?  Like you are just stagnating at a certain level?  Like no matter what you do you just can't seem to improve your weaknesses?

This is how I feel right now.  I know all the things I need to do but I just can't seem to make my game change.  I need to make my mind think quicker and retain more knowledge...but I can't figure out how to make it do this.  I learn things in class, drill them, and understand them, but as soon as the day is done I seem to forget how to execute them.  I spar and my coach yells for me to do things but by the time his voice processes through my head and I think of what he is saying the opportunity is gone.  I see openings but by the time my head processes what to do the openings are gone.

....I have my good collar grip, I'm breaking the posture, I'm going for the choke -- he postures waaay back -- ooh, I should hip bump sweep.....

Do I get it? NO.  By the time this thought gets to my brain the opportunity is gone. 

It's the same with transitions.  I know how to transition from one thing to the next....but when I spar my mind seems to forget.  I shoot a triangle, they posture.  I know I should switch off to an armlock or an omaplata but do I do it? Of course not.  The thought doesn't even seem to cross my mind.

WHY??? I don't understand this.  I have been doing jiu-jitsu for years, why am I having so much trouble all of sudden?  I need to be quicker and transition faster.  I know these things, but why can't I do them?

No matter how hard I try, it doesn't seem to be enough.  The harder I push myself the more I seem to shut down.  I go into class thinking about my weaknesses with the plan to conciously think about them and try to fix them.  I try, and try, and try, and the harder I try without results the more frustrated I get.  I push myself more, I tell myself to relax and not get upset, but I can't.  I go insane.

I feel lost...

I don't know what to do to take myself to the next level...

I need help...

Pans - Day 3/4

Pictures and Videos coming soon!

Pans - Day 3: Local Competitor Videos & Pics!

LEO DALLA

Leo Dalla vs Alessandro L. Gomes Almeida

ISAAC JULY

 Isaac July vs Omar Sabha

NAKAPAN PHUNGEPHORN

Nakapan Phungephorn vs Aldo Januario de Oliveira

Pans - Day 2

So I know today is day 3 but I want to recap day 2 before I say anything about today.

Yesterday was my day to compete.  I woke up early, took a shower, and got ready to go.  I left nice and early so I could get to the venue with pleanty of time to check my weight, settle in, and relax before my bracket was up.  I got there at 10:00am and my weight was 160 -- great! that's 3 pounds under!  I ate some granola bars and an apple throughout the day and drank some water and Gatorade.  I kept weighing myself throughout the day and my weight never went above 160.5 (which I don't get because I was drinking a lot!).  Forty minutes before it was time for my bracket to go I decided to start getting warmed up.  I like to warm up early because I always get nervous jitters and running around helps me to get rid of them.  My bracket was called to the warm-up area at 1:20 so I went from running around the back hallways to bouncing around in the bull pen.  I was in there for an hour before they called me to get my gi and weight checked.  Surprisingly I was pretty relax this whole time, even as I walked onto the mat. 

Michelle Welti (DTJJ) vs Brooke Goldsworthy (Crispim BJJ) 

We shook hands and the match began.  Brooke crouched down low - I knew this meant she was going to try to pull guard.  She backed away from me as I came in to get my grip.  I remained in the center of the mat to wait for her to come to me.  I wanted her to play my game.  Time was ticking by and she wouldn't come to me so finally I went to her.  I grabbed her lapel and she immediately pulled guard.  I held her up, her feet weren't closed yet - this is not so bad, I like the top, I'll just pass to the side and submit.  Oh no, she grabbed my ankels - I can't let her sweep me, I am not starting this match down to points.  She ended up sweeping me.  She was in my open guard in combat base.  I tried for submissions, and I tried for sweeps but she was holding her positions and not wanting to move.  I was getting frustrated.  All of a sudden I here someone call out "30 seconds left!"  No, I refuse to lose in the first round again.  I MUST get a sweep!  I tried so hard, but was unable to do anything.  The buzzer rang - I lost. 

I was so mad, and dissapointed, and frustrated.  I couldn't believe I lost in the first round.  I honestly thought  I was going to win gold.  I wanted to cry.  I gathered my things and returned to the stands to watch the remainder of my braket.  Brooke Goldsworthy ended up placing third in the bracket.  First place went to Jessica Eve Richer of team Gracie Barra Long Island.  And 2nd place went to Alexis Dufresne of team Carlson Gracie.

Hours past as I watch the rest of the women's blue and purple belt divisions.  Time was closing in on the Women's Blue Belt Open.  I cleared my head and was ready to make my comeback in the Open.

Michelle Welti (DTJJ) vs Hana Fischer (Alliance SP)
Match starts and I immediately get my grips.  Hana also gets her grips, a huge power grip around my arm and to my belt.  Great, gotta break this and get my posture - she's creating an angle, she wants to throw - break that grip NOW.  I broke the grip - we gripped back up, same grip.  I broke it again.  We gripped back up, SAME grips - ugh this is getting frustrating. Oh no, I just got thrown.  I won't let her take my side...turtle up.   I reached for her leg to drive he back.  She was big and sprawling hard - I just couldn't pull that leg under.  New plan, sit through to guard.   I tried a few time to sit through to guard but had to revert back to the turtle.  Eventually I got to the half guard. I need to sweep to the top, I can't let this 200 pounder stay on top.  Let's try to get to deep half and sweep, I don't think I can lift all her weight with a hook sweep with my bad knee.  Oh shit, she has my arm and is going for a paint brush!  My shoulders are bad!  This hurts so bad...  Tap.  I lost again.

I learned a lot yesterday.  There are many things I need to work on.  But the number 1 thing is my confidence.  I know I am better than most, if not all, of the girls out here, but for some reason when I get to the mat all my confidence goes out the window.  I start to fear losing and it crushes me mentally.  I need to search deep inside myself and figure out why this is.  It is only then that I will start winning the titles I deserve.

Pans - Day 1 Con't

I got to the tournament, paid $10 for parking, and made my way inside.  It's a pretty big place, not as big as the venue for the World's, but still pretty big.  There were all the usual stands -- Atama, Jiu-Jitsu Pro Gear, Keiko, Vulkan, Gracie Mag, the Brazilian BBQ, and the Acai ice cream with granola and sliced bananas on it (soooo good!).  I took a couple pictures and then started trying to find the stand to pick up my event t-shirt.  I wanted to get my t-shirt right away because there were already a lot of people there and I didn't want them to run out of size small.  At last year's World's I had to get a medium that I don't even wear :(  Eventually I found it -- downstairs in the competitors area.  I had never seen a line so long to get a shirt!  I was a little worried they wouldn't have my size, but after standing there for 45 minutes I found out they did!!

I went back upstairs and found a good seat to settle in at for the day.  I watched hours of matches and finally left the tournament a little after 4:00pm.  It wasn't over yet but most of the blue belts were done and the next 3 hours of the schedule were supposed to be white belts.  I did want to see the blue belt male open division but it wasn't scheduled until 7:00pm and I just didn't want to sit through all those white belts to see it.  My drive back to my hotel is supposed to only take 15-20 minutes and it took me an HOUR!  Ugh, traffic was so bad.

Now I think I am going to head over to the 24 Hour Fitness and do a little cardio and kill some time!

Pans - Day 1

When I got to my hotel last night I was a little scared.  It was dark and rainy, my room was all the way in the back of the building, and there were weird people sitting outside.  I was planning to go to Walmart to get some food and drinks and other stuff I'd be needing for the next few days, but decided to stay in because I didn't want to walk past those people again.  I talked to Dave on the phone for a while and then went to bed.  It was only like 10:00pm here but it felt like 1:00am.  I ended up waking up at 5:00am (equivalent to 8:00am back home, which is like sleeping in for 2 extra hours for me) went back to sleep and woke up again around 7:00am.  I got dressed and went to Walmart.  The neighborhood I'm in is not actually bad like I originally thought.  Like two blocks away there is an amusment park, Knott's Berry Farm - America's First Theme Park, and tons of stores and restaurants and a mall!  I feel much better now :)

 I got all my groceries and have settled in a bit so now I am ready to head out for the day.  Check out the venue, watch the white belts and blue belt males compete.  I want to get my event t-shirt today too so that I can get a size small -- at last years Mundials I had to get a medium and I don't even wear it because it is too big :-( 

Well, I'm off -- I'll take pics while I'm there and post them for you guys!

Later!

Heading to Cali -- ALONE!

This is the first time in my 23 year of life that I have ever traveled alone. It’s a little scary but kind of fun. I feel like I am being forced to grow up a little bit and becoming more independent. I am traveling to Irvine, CA to compete in the IBJJF: Pan Jiu-jitsu Championship. I wasn’t supposed to take this trip alone, but due to unexpected circumstances I had to. I was pretty stressed out this morning – I had to work before leaving for the airport, and the entire time I was at work I was on the phone with the travel agency making changes to my trip – cancelling a flight and changing the car rental. After being on the phone for what seemed like forever, I finally got things straightened out. After getting of the phone I felt like one weight was lifted off my shoulders and another was put on. I am about to travel to the other side of the country to compete in the second largest tournament in the world – ALONE!

Dave Trader was supposed to bring me to the airport but because of those unforeseen circumstances he was running late. Those of you who know me know how crazy I get when I am feeling stressed. So finding out Dave was going to be a little late got my heart rate going and I could feel the stress coming on. Luckily for me, Dave is awesome and knows that I got nuts about this kind of stuff and he suggested I drive myself to the airport and just pay to park. Initially my heart sunk at the thought of not being able to see him before leaving for this trip – my first trip alone, to a big tournament. I wanted to wait for him so I could get some last minute words of wisdom before the tournament, but then I decided it would be best to just get to the airport and not stress myself out too much. I can always talk to him on the phone right? :-)
Josh was in between clients on a long break so he said he would take me to the airport. (Thanks again!) My flight was scheduled to take off at 2:20pm so getting to there airport at 1:00pm gave me plenty of time to get through security. So I head to security dreading the long line I’d have to stand in, but luckily for me there was almost no line at all! I flew right through that (no body scanners) and headed to my departure gate. When I got to my gate I saw there was a flight delay! Ugh, I wished I had waited for Dave! We didn’t start boarding the plane until 2:45 and didn’t take off till after 3:00! This pushed our arrival time back to 6:00pm – hopefully this doesn’t effect my car rental…I know they are weird about you picking your car up within a certain amount of time. I’m sure things will be fine – why do I always do this to myself, stressing over nothing!

Anyways, now I am bored on the plane with nothing to do. The last two times I traveled out to California I traveled on Virgin America, which was awesome. They have TV’s behind every seat and you can watch TV or movies, play games, listen to music, order food – it even shows you a map of where you are, how fast you are going, your altitude, and your ETA! Today I am flying American Airlines and I must say I am very disappointed. The only thing for you to do is watch the “feature film” on the one TV they have for every 3 rows. Fortunately for me I was interested in what they were showing – a documentary on how bad the education system and teachers in America are. Now that that is over there is nothing to do again, so I thought to myself, what better time to write a blog entry! As soon as I land and am able to connect to the internet again I will post this!


Later!