These past 9 months of my life have been spent in a cubicle. I took off from school, I didn't go back after a semester like I had intended to and I remained a full-time employee for a wholesale travel company down the street taking calls and selling travel packages to snobby, lazy travel agents. About 2 months ago I was given the opportunity to change positions to be a part of the "custom" desk where, along with one other very seasoned individual, I would be getting quotes from our suppliers for items that were not already in our system. My daily tasks involve emails and that's pretty much it. I answer an email, forward it to a supplier, receive the quote after a day or two (or a week) and then I mark up the quote and give it to our agents to offer back to the travel agent. Yesterday I sent out a mere 7 emails, one of which was one word, and sat at my desk for 8 long hours. I applied for jobs, learned some HTML, fiddled with my wordpress website, edited some articles of mine and researched many many things on google such as anterior pelvic tilt and 100 best companies to work for in 2011.

Today I had the day off to see a chiropractor since my neck was tweaked at training and I needed some treatment so that I could properly check blind spots to the right of me again while driving. After, I figured I'd try to sit at a starbucks in order to tune out and finally get some work done on my zine. As I sat there, an old man came to sit near me on an opposite couch. He was quite aged with a near bare head decorated with dwindling white twines. His hands were shaky, and without a cap on his cup he spilled some of his drink on the floor without even noticing. As he sat down on the seat he seemed to have a little trouble and as his hand neared towards the coffee table holding my phone I was only worried about some more of his drink spilling onto my beloved possession. He finally got to his destination, bum firmly resting on its leather abode, and he looked peaceful. He had nowhere to be, or so it seemed. I stared at him wondering if he knew that in a matter of some odd years, he'd be dead. Maybe he stared at my feet just looking at my tattoos or maybe he was really pondering my young soul and how far he was from my stage in life. It was in that moment that I felt bad for him. Did he know? Did he realize that everything he had wanted to do in life had to have mostly been done already? I wanted to tell him, "hey, if you ever wanted to go skydiving, you better have done it already because there's no way in hell you'd be lively enough to accomplish that now!" Of course skydiving is just an adrenaline rush that most people consider a notch off their fun list but more to consider would be whether he had kids, got married, accomplished all his goals whatever they might be, became the man he had once aimed to be, surpassed the assholes he met that he never wanted to be. His time was running out.

My post isn't about this old man. This post is about the past year of my life and how much, at this very moment, I feel like that elder fellow coffee drinker. Given that I was working part time, or working elsewhere with better hours or had managed my money better, doesn't mean that I'd have published a book already, moved to Paris and found my soulmate. But I know that I would have gotten my zines done. Gotten my website well on its way. Competed more, traveled more, found more enjoyment in my life. Instead, I have damned myself to a hell full of middle aged fat people who have no dreams that exist beyond their monthly sales goals. Where the topic of conversation is their children. Where the excitement of their day is held in the hands of the rare nice travel agent who happened to make them laugh. I am not one of them. And it's not to say I am better or I am in the position to shit on their life but by all means, I will be better. I refuse to settle.

So I plan on quitting that job within the next two weeks and finding a retail or mindless part time job somewhere I don't feel stuck or sucked in. I start school next week and have never been so excited to start my life of improvement back up. I can't ever take back that year of my life. I now know what it feels like to have wasted time in a place where I don't belong that is truly bringing me down, telling me I can't. When I started working there I decorated my cubicle with some ripped out ad pages from a GracieMag and two of my medals to try and remind myself why I am there. When I moved cubicles to the department I'm in now, I added a photo of myself from Pan Ams and the brochure I received the day I walked into Cobrinha's academy but it does not do justice to remind me of my life outside of that restricted environment. In fact, the only thing it earns me is coworkers starting conversations regarding their 7 year old in tae kwon do and non-funny "jokes" involving me being a bodyguard if one should ever need it. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can regain my mojo.

I hope no one should ever feel that their work is unfinished. Death will come to us all and the feeling of a time bomb or an hour glass on its final ounce of grains should not be involved when it does. Whatever you're putting off, I hope you do it soon. Whatever I am fit to be, I hope I figure it out soon and run towards it full force. It really is the only way to live.

I think I’m finally on a good path. This past weekend I went to Las Vegas for the IBJJF Las Vegas International Open. I competed in this tournament last year and received my blue belt on the podium from Romulo and it was a really great experience. However, this time gave the previous a run for its money. I had a few goals I was planning to accomplish and each one that I achieved felt amazing.
 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/

Self Improvement

Due to some influence from driven people around me and a new perspective on life in general, the idea of self improvement has become increasingly more important to me. I used to wonder what my purpose or anyone's purpose was in life. I thought that one person had to be a contributer to society in order to really possess value in my eyes. Anyone who was partying or sitting on the couch everyday was a piece of shit. I thought as long as I wasn't that, then I was okay but I was still lacking. I realized that someone needs to be constantly progressing. Never settle. It's a bit comical considering the way my mind processed that phrase before had more to do with being single but now it holds so much more meaning. We should be constantly creating new goals, reaching for our existing ones and never being satisfied with our past performances. (I stole that last idea.) I may not know what I want to do with my life and I may lose focus easy but if I can accomplish something every single day, use my waking hours to some sort of benefit, I can be worthy of life. Living is not about appreciating the sun or "natural beauties". It's not about appreciating others and love. Don't wake up and tell someone you love them. Wake up and tell yourself that today you will move forward. Wake up and decide how you will make yourself worthy of that heart beat. For those who waste away and don't take full advantage of the life that they've been given, the value that you place on yourself will reflect on others and ultimately, you're missing out.
A couple days ago I impulsively went to Borders to capitalize on the close out sales that were happening due to its unfortunate demise. If Borders can’t get a buyer I can’t imagine the fate of other large companies. I don’t think the value of books is decreasing but the value of knowledge and physical copies. I’m never getting a kindle. Anyway, I read a book called “A Millionaire by Thirty” by Alan Corey front to back that same day. It’s really about being an extremist and penny-pinching and investing but the author resembles anyone looking towards a goal. I read it with jiu jitsu and writing in mind. You must never lose sight even if being a black belt is still about 6 years away. He became a millionaire by simply (okay it wasn’t THAT simple) educating himself about investments and finance, being a cheapskate, sucking it up/holding out at his 9-5 shitty day job , ignoring whatever anyone else said about his progress and perhaps ridiculous goal and resisting temptation. Every single day was spent working towards becoming a millionaire if only a penny. There may not be concrete numbers involved with jiu jitsu that can be easily calculated but the hours of training can definitely accumulate and show through competition results and belt promotions. If I can suck up each day, drive my 40 minutes to training, learn and apply my techniques, maintain my diet and basically work hard as fuck, I will accomplish not only being a black belt but becoming a world champion.

I’ve spent the past few months figuring out how I can constantly improve. At this point I’ve relied on daily to-do lists just so that I can come home feeling like I did something and that today, I am better than I was yesterday. I try to get all of my tasks done in a timely manner and the ability to physically pass a line through a task on a piece of paper really aids in that. My latest have been:
-Renew license online. Check.
-Register for Vegas Open. Check.
-Send Bruno Malfacine Interview to Budo Dave. Check.
-Create website for zine. Check.
-Put out zine #3. Not yet.

My training has been fairly consistent but lacking. Now’s about the time I should start stepping it up since the Vegas Open is less than a month away and I’ve registered as featherweight. I’ve got about 5 pounds and I want to be walking around at that weight rather than be forced to cut. A couple weeks ago I flew to Atlanta and stayed with Jordon. He helped me with a work out plan and as soon as I got back I restarted at the gym near my house. It consists strictly of deadlifts, benchpress, front squats and grip exercises. I trust his knowledge and it is a tremendous help to feel like I’m making progress even if I don’t feel it. I never went to the gym before because I never really knew what to do and even if I did a bunch of things, I never knew when it was enough or how much because there’s no instant results. By trusting Jordon’s judgment I can get in there and out without hesitation about whether results will show. I’ve been going about twice a week generally and plan to step it up to three this week starting today.

On another note, I’m starting university again next month and I cannot wait. My hours at work will be minimized and I do not mind. I will be able to train still and advance myself every single day. Really, just the thought of having my daytime hours to myself even for two weekdays makes me ecstatic. The 29th of August needs to approach faster.

Yesterday I had an audition with MTV regarding a new life improvement show. I spent one of my working days applying to whatever casting I could find. When I got the voicemail the same day my 12 year old self giggled. I auditioned as a dependent jiu jitsu athlete who wants to not only become world champion but grow up essentially. Not exactly a great twist but the girls interviewing me seemed to enjoy learning about the sport. And even if I’m not considered for the show, the producers will know what jiu jitsu is all about by the time they’re done watching my audition tape. In that small chance I do end up on TV I can spread jiu jitsu even more. It'd be really cool.

My newest goals will be winning the Vegas Open on August 13th, losing about 6 pounds or so, saving/investing my money, getting more writing jobs, getting my zine issue 3 out, advance my website, do well in school.

If anyone can give me some business advice, help with distributing the zine, know anything about website design or want to give me more writing jobs don't hesitate to contact me.

Bruno Malfacine Interview
Pulling Guard Zine Website
How to Prepare for an Interview with a Successful Individual

I never want to be that writer who merely writes articles for the word count or quantity demanded by an editor. To report and skim the top of a truly inspiring person, tragic event or passionate interview is so offensive to me. The last time I paid any real attention to my zine was about 3 months ago. I burn out a lot. If my breakfast every morning is strawberry eggo waffles, it will remain that way for a few months. I will be so stoked to wake up and pop that sucker into the toaster. So easy, so quick and mmm tasty. Well, after awhile the boxes will pile up in my freezer and my motivation to eat those tasty waffles will dwindle down to non-existent. Then I move on to something else that really sparks my taste buds and the cycle continues. I use this one perhaps unrelated example but this is to show how I am with every interest in my life. Call me the jack of all trades. Playing in a band, starting a beanie/scarf business, jiu jitsu competitor, writer, blogger, horse-back rider, hardcore show enthusiast, you name it. And it’s starting to happen with jiu jitsu and my zine but I refuse to let it happen. I’m sitting at my desk at work and my zines are piled next to me since I started distributing them once again. I read it over and even though I’ve read these articles a hundred times, stared at the pictures as I strategically placed them so the words fit just right on the page, downloaded the perfect fonts and used them accordingly, poured all of my emotion into that Roylerzinho article, etc., I still feel so excited and proud to have created it. I have created every single aspect of these two pieces of paper on my own. I look at this and I think about the time I spent getting quotes from 15 different copy places to finally get a bulk rate after visiting kinkos twice a week, how much money I have put towards supplies, shipping, postage, copies, the time I spent contacting people and them never getting back to me, the images I cropped and edited for hours on photoshop where I am just a beginner. The list goes on and I’m sure you get the idea. And my point is that this zine is my pride and joy, too much to just let it die out. I’m currently working on the next issue and my bulk order of 1,000 copies of issue 2 will be driven down to the Atama headquarters next week for them to be distributed.

As far as jiu jitsu is concerned, I can’t really say its in the same boat and I’ll have to report on my results at the Worlds. It went exactly as expected. I won my first match via submission and met Monique for the second time. I knew I did not want to be in her guard and she didn’t want to be in mine. We both pulled as expected and she was making sure that I came up. I positioned my knee so she couldn’t close and I reluctantly came up on my knee. At the same moment she pulled my right arm and locked up a triangle. I had my other hand in enough to prevent the choke but my arm was fully extended. She tried the armbar but it didn’t work. I passed my leg over to help relieve my head from her legs so she went belly down and even with a wristlock couldn’t submit me still. She swept to mount and as I was squeezing my head out of the triangle she yanked on my arm when it was near the elbow and I tapped. I’ve trained two times in total since then and haven’t found much motivation to go. I don’t think I am cut out to be a world champion and I will need to force myself to attend class before I will find enjoyment once more. At this point it’s a task. It feels like a job to have to drive to the academy, focus on the techniques at hand and then have to roll. I’m hoping to get through it and compete at the Las Vegas Open in August but we’ll see. This is the longest I have not trained since my arm injury and it has not fazed me one bit—kind of a concern. I won’t quit because long term, I want that black belt and more gold medals but it does not make me happy to train now.

I’m writing this awesome article on Jordon Schultz that will be the main feature of my next zine. It’s worth reading and although maybe a bit discouraging or very motivating depending on how you look at it, the article will show such determination and drive for success that your attempts at jiu jitsu competition may just prove weak in comparison. The most intense person I have ever met, the article will be the same. Also waiting on a Bruno Malfacine interview that will blow some shit out of the water.

The 2011 World Jiu Jitsu Championships are 3 days away. This is the time that athletes are cramming in their last strenuous training sessions, starving to make weight, traveling and adjusting to time changes and ridding themselves of distractions in order to focus on the days ahead. I, on the other hand, have skipped a few training sessions, eating a bunch to make up for the dramatic loss of appetite I incurred the past few weeks, and dealing with internal issues that are preventing my mind from settling into competition mode.

Any jiu jitsu competitor will tell you how important your mind is to this sport. The mind is so powerful. Do whatever it takes to free yourself of demotivating thoughts and set a game plan. Gain your confidence. Be ready to act quickly and remember every thing you've learned. Sharpen your tools and load your arsenal. Sure it may be the hardest part but its necessary and its what I struggle with.

In 2008 I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. I had found a paid voluntary drug trial on Craigslist and being a troubled new college student, I jumped on it. I knew I had an abnormal amount of stress and wanted confirmation that I wasn't just overreacting and I wanted to perhaps learn if I could control it. I can't lie, though. The idea of 500 extra bucks in my pocket was a large incentive. The trial was about 8 weeks long and at the end I was advised to continue seeking help and that I could be referred. They even gave me samples of an existing drug on the market for depression and anxiety since they go hand in hand. And they really do.

After that I never sought out therapy. Instead I found a great alternative-- jiu jitsu. Today its proven to aid my stress levels and controlling my life. I'm sure most can vouch for that. But my anxiety and the like still exist and it is all still very real. It hinders my ability to not only train efficiently but also perform at competitions. With worlds days away, I know I want the title and I know it can be mine but whether or not I can get my shit together will determine everything.

If I don't win worlds it will not be because I was ill-prepared. It won't be lack of technique or cardio. It won't be because I'm not good enough or I wasn't pushed hard enough or I didn't surround myself with the right people. It certainly won't be because I was denied the necessary means to be at a high level. No, it will because I sabotage myself and couldn't make my mind right. Maybe it will be lack of confidence or will to give everything. Maybe it will be because of what someone said or did days before or unfortunate events. My troubles can get the best of me and in order to be able to step on the mat and compete against the person I shake hands with I have to win over my mind first. And that's pretty depressing.

Cobrinha

With everything going on in my life the past couple months or so, the drama has been surrounding my personal life more so than my jiu jitsu journey. There’s only so much information that people want to hear regarding doctor visits, boy problems and speeding tickets. Or none at all… Basically I’ve been adjusting to the new gym and trying to grow up. I’ve trained every night except for one and the time I went to Dallas. A week ago I returned from Tejas with a gold medal that I feel I barely earned. I flew out to Dallas to meet Jordon and Alec from Atlanta for the IBJJF Dallas Open. I saw it as a way to see where I’m at since switching schools. Sporting my new Alliance patch and with no coach and at some random gym with the name “Kitty McGee” in the middle of humid Denton, Tx I felt like I was just completely on my own. It was just another instance lately where I had to grow up. Maybe I sound a little immature but I was definitely spoiled and babied at my old team compared to Cobrinha’s. Everyone is respected and there’s no goofing off except if someone farts or Fabio sways his hips better than J-Lo while teaching a technique. That’s always funny. I had two other girls in my bracket in Dallas but one didn’t make weight which I found out later. My first and only fight was against I think a Lloyd Irvin girl. I pulled guard (shocking, amirite?) and got a triangle right away. I adjusted but she framed a bit and had her other hand still inside. I tried angling and hooking her leg and then pulling her head down and I couldn’t get the tap. I tried pulling the elbow of the hand that was still inside and she was pinning it so that didn’t work. Swept to mount and she squeezed her little head out and I was gassed which made me disgusted. I played guard and she passed and I swept and then we stood up, I pulled guard again and then time ran out. It felt really really horrible to have won that way and my technique was atrocious. Not a great way to rep the new team. Anyway, we waited around and I saw the others fight and blah blah blah. Texas is humid and gross and desolate and boring and dead. I never want to go back.

Cobrinha’s has been a definite step in the right direction. His techniques require serious mental notage and makes me realize every technique I learned before him was the cliff notes version. He has an answer for every situation and will answer them anytime. He loves to teach. When he shows a technique he goes from start to finish and it feels like it never ends. Here I am taking bullet points of all the moves in my head and the list will go to about 20 for every technique. He walks around and makes sure everyone gets the move exactly how he intends and any trouble you may have he will jump right in and let you do the move on him to see exactly where you went wrong. I can’t ask for a better teacher. The first Saturday class I attended was the first day he came back from Abu Dhabi. After a vigorous 2 hour training he had us get in lines with one person in the middle and have us run through that person for 2 minutes, no breaks just one person after the other. After the 2nd training we did strength and conditioning in which he turned into a drill sergeant. He may only weigh 62 kilos but he has such stature and professionalism that you never want him to feel disrespected. As far as my training partners, they are all there to win. We have about 4 white belts, a lot of blues, a handful of purple and about 3 brown belts and one other black belt who trains with us who weighs less than me and is awesome. I get killed every night and the different games that were produced at other academies allow for me to have a variety of different rolls. Some love deep half, some are great at passing and others have a really dangerous guard. Either way the intensity is always on high. The best part is that there’s another blue belt girl that I love training with regularly. The other great part is that I’ve been able to keep everything professional and my training partners stay training partners. No opportunities for others to know my personal business which is a mistake I made at my old academy. With worlds well on its way I get to prepare with Malfacine, the Langhi brothers and others. Hopefully I can pull everything together to ensure my spot on the podium, I plan on leaving it all on the mat.


P.S. I've got interviews on the way from Gabi Garcia and Braga Neto and possibly Nick Diaz.

P.S.S.
My favorite person to see every day:

Pan Ams 2011, Alliance

Let’s see. Back in March for Pan Ams I was only training 3 days a week maybe, was fat and had to starve myself to make weight. Unfortunately my work didn’t allow me the days off and I had to work on the Thursday and then from 6-10am on Friday—the day I was competing. With nothing in my stomach, not nearly enough sleep and no coffee to keep me awake, I miraculously worked my shift and my friend Jessi chauffeured me to the tournament in Irvine. Yay carpool lane.

So I got there and weighed in and was a little under. I had room for some banana! So I warmed up with my friend Jessica Eve Richer (remember that name) from New York and waited for my name in the bullpen. I wasn’t very nervous and my first match was against some girl from some team I had never heard of. I jumped guard, which I’ve never done in competition before. I played some spider and got an armbar where the girl was tapping but I let up before the ref called it. Abort. Got up, passed, remembered a choke that my training partner had taught me two days before that involved using my own lapel over her neck and turning my body to north south. Success. With my first match over, Romulo rushed me out of the barriers to lay down and rest. He got me water, yelled at me for texting and even told my annoying teammate to leave me the hell alone. It was awesome. Second match was against a girl that I had just met while waiting. She held my water and ipod while I tied my belt and fixed my hair. It was nice (HA) and then I realized I was going against her. In my head I thought “this girl wears too much make-up and smells too good, I must beat her.” I spent the match just gaining point after point. Sweep, pass, knee on belly, mount, half guard to pass, to mount to a cross choke from mount. Next match was my friend Sam from Paragon. I pulled guard, swept, had some trouble passing and my balance was compromised a bit. She got into deep half and I somehow managed to stay on top and pass. Romulo tried telling me that I needed to be sitting on the other side of her head but he didn’t explain it right and I ended up looking at him with a confused look while almost doing the splits. Anyway, I got in side control and she would not stay down. She kept trying to sit up and it was exhausting and near the end of the match she reversed me but I was able to get my legs under to recover an upside down guard and snatch her arm for the armbar. Three submissions, felt good. Before the final match I had a lot of time to rest and get ready. I knew it was the girl from Las Vegas Abu Dhabi trials and her only pass was double unders. Guess what she went for? I was able to maintain my guard for awhile but her pressure was so much and my legs went over my head. She got my back and I tapped to the choke. I also had a temper tantrum because she held it for so long. We cool though. So I placed second and it was alright.

End of that weekend I tagged along with the company I was with over to Cobrinha’s grand opening. A week later I left Romulo’s and signed up at Cobrinha’s. As much as I look up to Romulo and appreciate everything he has ever done for me (which is a shitload), I am a blue belt and don’t owe anything to anyone. I do think my switch to Cobrinha will prove beneficial and I have nothing, absolutely nothing against team Romulo. It wasn’t anything anyone did, it wasn’t anything said, it just wasn’t working and I had been having problems for months of all different kinds. I know I need to mature and I wasn’t going to be able to do it there. I wish everyone success and I hope I haven’t burned any bridges. Sometimes we need to do what’s right for ourselves no matter the cost and for me, this switch was it. I’ll be competing at the Dallas Open in 2 weeks under my new team Alliance.

As far as my writing, expect a new interview with the Mendes Bros on budovideos.com!