Bittersweet in HOT-lanta

Thanks for all the messages and support!

Nice and short.

Mr. Nicklaus and I have been working on perfecting my system of competing. The system includes all the precedes the tournament competition.

Who do I eat dinner with?
Who do I stay with at the hotel?
What do I eat?
What do I do to stay relaxed before the tournament?
How long do I wait to warm up?
What do I do to warm?

MOST IMPORTANTLY...what thoughts do I put in my head leading up to the competition?

Mr. Nicklaus really helps me to figure out what sort of success thoughts do I put in my head to really get me prepared. One key component is to stay relaxed and not think about the competition the 2 days before the big day. I tend to get really focused and zoned in before the competition and that sometimes tenses me up. You're always performed better from a relaxed state. Think about it from a physical stand point...when you're squeezing or flexing your muscles really hard, can you move fast? No, you're frozen.

So I appreciate the "Good Luck" messages and the supportive energy before I compete, but understand why I won't talk in great detail about my mental or physical readiness before a tournament. Keep the "Good Lucks" coming and keep me in good thoughts in your head, and finally help me relax by not asking to much about the tournament leading up to competition day. Thanks! That's part of my preparation to take my mind off things and relax the 2 days before competition. Try it before your next performance -- business, school, Martial Arts, or otherwise. You'll experience a whole different success and enjoyment. Remember that it doesn't mean don't prepare. Do your best to prepare as much as you can, and then when the time nears and your preparation is complete, sit back and enjoy. Take time away from it, and watch your success really take off.

Back to the tournament. I was really conscious of my preparation before the tournament. I made sure to hang out with my friend in Minneapolis before I flew out, and he's great. We joke and talk about everything non-Martial Arts related. That's the best environment for me before a tournament.

Friday went great. My flight got canceled but for my benefit. I would have flown out at 630 am -- ick. I got rebooked to a flight at 930 am -- beautiful -- and got upgraded to first class. NICE!

I came in and competed in Creative Weapons division Friday. I used a different bo than I have been using b/c it was better balanced. WHOA! A huge difference. I was able to really spin and strike with confidence. The other bo felt like it was gonna slip or fly out my hand. I got second place, which I'm happy with, considering that all of my time is spent really training for Trad'l form.

Friday night, I had a great dinner to go from Hard Rock that I've found to be a good pre-competition meal...Twisted Mac & Cheese with Chicken.

Saturday, for my Traditional Form division. I made sure not warm up too soon before competing. Good call. I felt that if I warmed up too much, I would get worn out for my division. Instead, I had it all for the division. The form felt great. Unfortunately, I didn't have anybody tape it. I had one little balance slip in my form which put me in second place. That's the bitter part. The sweet part, I talked to all three judges afterwards, and they said I would have had first without the slip -- SWEET!

The best part and the thing that tells me if I've done a good performance is that I had two people I don't know come up to me afterwards and say that my performance was great. The reason why that's the best part is because when you perform if the people watching you don't feel your passion and enthusiasm, you're missing something.

When it comes down to it, in order to do anything worth remembering, there has to be an emotional tie to it -- a passion and energy that people feel. That's what'll take you to the top. Give it.

-wc3

p.s. I guess not so short ;)