Drop from lightweight to featherweight
Win featherweight division
Win open weight.
I have always walked around at about 135. I lost weight when I started jiu jitsu but due to some muscle gain, I generally stayed the same weight. At this year’s Pan Ams I had to watch my weight/cut just to get to lightweight which is 141 with the gi. After starting to work with weights/being conscious of the crap I was putting in my mouth, I was down to around 132 recently so I decided to make the drop to featherweight. On three separate occasions, I rolled with girls who were feather or just lighter than me and they weren’t nearly as much of a threat to me than girls at my weight and up. It was a pretty significant note made in my head each time I was faced with these girls and so I finally got it in me to drop the sweets. I started dieting/working out more and more over about 2 1/2- 3 weeks but wasn’t noticing much difference. In fact, three days before my Vegas departure I was really worried and planned to be sitting in the sauna for hours. Once we were in Vegas and I took some exlax (I have never been so excited to poop before) I was on point. I ended up weighing in at 127.5. (Feather is 129 with the gi) and it was a shock. I didn’t feel too dehydrated or weak. I could have gone home then and there feeling satisfied with the completion of my weigh cut/loss. But of course, I had more goals to accomplish.
My first match was against Marisol Romero, a really tough 14 year old from Drysdale’s that I had gone against at Vegas Trials. No matter what happens, win or lose, she is stoked to be there and immediately congratulates/praises you—truly a grateful kid. I pulled guard, she attempted a pass and I slapped on a triangle and finished her with an armbar in 30 seconds. My teammates and myself all went “what just happened?” I was off to a great start. Second match I really felt the weight cut. I think I puked in my mouth a bit. It was against a GB girl that I’ve taken classes with in the past. I swept right away, had issues with being in her guard and she closed it up. I stood up a couple times, she went for an armbar and I flipped her over where she turtled. I could not get my other hook in nor the seatbelt even. She was tightened up like a shriveled something or other. Super frustrating. I ended up getting in side control or something. It was a blur. Time ran out and I was up by a couple points. Third match was against a girl that beat me in open weight at Vegas Trials. Really nice, awesome girl. We went at each other like mad women. She kept coming forward and driving her knee in like a knee slice pass but I she neglected to kill my feet on her biceps beforehand so I just kept throwing her over. Got some advantages for sweep attempts since I guess I wasn’t sitting up enough and she would stand up when I got her over. It was mostly just spider guard the whole time and then I finally came up and she got me in an omoplata and the match ended.. Mission #2 completed, featherweight champion.
After my teammate Karna won her lightweight division, in great fashion with an RNC, we were iffy about open. Most of the girls I had talked to were the same. It was like, “hey you doing the open!?” “ehhh, I guess” We signed up and waited for the announcement to start warming up a few hours later. My first match was against an awesome girl Erica that I’ve mentioned in my blog before. She was at my first tournament and I beat her at Vegas Trials. It’s always the same girls! Karna had already won her on points in her division and now it was my turn. She was really tough and strong but kept driving her hips forward in my spider guard and I took her over my head. She made a weird noise since she landed on her head and I asked if she was okay and she said yeah so the match continued. Match was basically me trying to keep side control and take the back. Second match was a girl I used to train with at GB, the sweetest girl. It felt like we were training at GB HQ again during our match, I won on points. After this, Karna had won two and was in the finals due to a by and all I had to do was win this next match and we could close it out. This match was with a girl from mediumweight and I played my guard, tried to get the back all awkward and it totally failed. Then after having her in closed guard I opened it and threw her on top of me into side control. I have no idea why. I still had my foot on her bicep so I recovered and slapped a triangle in. Pulled the head, got the tap and did a spaghetti arm dance. It felt awesome. I jumped on Karna and celebrated.
My trip has soooo many other details that aren’t worth mentioning. In fact, my play by play probably isn’t very exciting to read. But I am ecstatic that I am finally headed in the right direction. I’m staying at featherweight and will continue to work out/get strong/thin/healthy. I have a million things to work on for American Nationals next month. I am super sloppy and I am still relying on wiggling out of things. Obviously Cobrinha has helped me transcend thus far, so I can only get better and better from here. Once school starts I’ll have two days out of the week where I can go in early to the academy and drill drill drill.
As far as everything else, I have a Ryan Hall interview up on Budo and I even got in an article of my own on Graciemag where for once, I was the one being interviewed. Zine three will be out shortly I swear! And school starts in two weeks. Life is great.
http://www.graciemag.com/en/2011/08/the-women-take-to-the-mats-in-las-vegas/
http://www.budovideos.com/online/bjj-news/ryan-hall-on-training-with-everyone/
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