I trained more as a 2-stripe white belt than I do now. That was when I was afull time college student and working 9 hour shifts four days a week. Sometimes I would attend 6-8 classes a week mostly because I had an academy with a full schedule that fit into mine and later classes. I don't have that now. After Romulo left GB Encino our classes dwindled down remarkably. We added more and more and worked up to about 10 opportunities to train a week, 6 of them being classes taught by Romulo. I can only make three of them due to my job. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday is when I get my small fix. If I could train at least once a day, especially twice a day, maybe I'd be winning more. Maybe I'd be more confident, more conditioned, a better athlete. Maybe I would have won that trip to Abu Dhabi.
This past weekend I drove down to San Diego by myself after work. I was able to get off at 3:30 but it still took me 4 hours to get to the high school to weigh in. I made weight and one of my best friends who I never get to see anymore allowed me to stay at her apartment since it was conveniently located 15 minutes from the venue. The day of my weight division I was ready to compete without a coach, and that's what happened. I actually shouldn't say ready. I was there to fight but I was not prepared. In fact, I was more prepared to lose considering I had eaten pazookie's all week and didn't really train for a few weeks. I hadn't seen or talked to Romulo in a little so I said hi when I got there but didn't mention that I was competing so I guess he didn't know. My first match was against a girl I knew and had trained with before and ironically she lives and trains 2 minutes from my house. It was a given that one day we'd someday be matched up together but I wasn't sure if it would be weird. Her coach said he chose to keep his mouth shut and not coach Tessa since we were friends. It was a little awkward warming up and hanging out before our division was called but I'll have to learn how to deal now considering the amount of girls competing is small and I'm highly likely to compete against people I like. Anyways, I won that match by points. I pulled guard, swept, prevented deep half for about 3 minutes, passed and almost got the back before time ran out. I was told that I looked shocked I won. Pretty much. I was so prepared to lose because I was fat. I got a pep talk from Tessa and her coach and they even offered to coach me my next match. The second match was going my way and I kept wanting to sweep her over my head because the opportunity presented itself multiple times but I didn't go for it. I had the cross choke a few times and even made her gargle her own spit but she didn't tap. I killed my forearms like an idiot and at the last minute she gathered some points. I don't really remember but she ended up in mount at the last second. That sucked. But I wasn't shocked then.
Somehow I had made it to the podium allowing me a chance to win open weight meaning the trip to Abu Dhabi. The stars aligned, obviously. While on the podium I saw Romulo and my 2 teammates who gave me a look like, "What?" I secured my spot in the absolute brackets and then asked Romulo to coach me. But not before arguing with him how I haven't been training but for valid reasons that weren't valid to him. I waited 4 hours for the division to start. And then I waited some more as all the girls had matches. Finally I was called to fight yet another girl I had trained with and in fact had indulged in a pazookie with that week. I definitely said "pazzoooooookkieee" right before the match started. Romulo told me to replay what happened when I rolled with her in training so I did, submitting her with a cross choke from guard. Bittersweet win. After the match I gave my name to the coordinator managing the bracket and he said "Okay, see you tomorrow." All the final open weight matches were scheduled for Sunday. I immediately responded, "I'm in the finals?" He confirmed to which I turned around and yelled, "ROMINHOOO!! ROMINHO! I'M IN THE FINALS!!!" Wut? I had a by and then won one match and I was in the finals.
The next day was lagging and I finally got called after about every final match. My opponent and I were led to the mat and I took my place and waited for Andre Galvao to finish his match. After he won, I stepped onto the mat, wiped my sweaty palms on my gi, shook her hand, hopped back and immediately pulled guard. So did she but I stayed on bottom and she gained the advantage for coming up from the double guard pull. I tried for some sweeps but mostly just played de la riva and toyed with her balance. I went for a shitty omoplata and a measly dumb cross choke attempt from upside down guard. She played a good strategy by simply not getting swept and staying tight to me. She didn't really try to pass much and time ran out. One advantage, no points. She yelled in excitement running to her husband, Mario Reis while I to take in everything that just happened or rather everything that didn't happen. Because I was so complacent and passive I missed out on the biggest opportunity of my jiu jitsu career thus far. I wish this blog post was written with the sole purpose of announcing the huge step made towards building my legacy but unfortunately it's a bit milder and the topic is less exciting. Depressing as usual. I'm learning and I am still carving my path. I will make a name for myself, it just wasn't my time yet. I don't deserve it yet. I'm going to now work on not being an asshole to my training partners and treating my team with respect. I train at a lot of different places and I think it's time to go home. Team Romulo is my home and I can finally say I'm proud of what we have become and I hope that with a fresh start I can make them proud and they can begin to support my aspirations and acheivements. I'm just starting my journey. Here I come Pan Ams, ready to rip some heads off and leave them droopy and armless while I celebrate over their lifeless bodies. WINNING!
Here's everything I gained.......
Somehow I had made it to the podium allowing me a chance to win open weight meaning the trip to Abu Dhabi.
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