I'm working my deal before the tournament. I was flying out of Madison, and coincidentally, my friend was staying in Madison for the 2008 National Poetry Slam Competition. I've never been to one of his poetry slams, but he's an awesome poet. Last year he was on the Madison National Team. Since he moved to Minneapolis last fall, he was on the St. Paul National Team.
It was amazing. The competition was similar to Martial Arts competition because of the similar type of judging and various types of competitors which, even though it it's a different competition, are parallel to the type of judging and competitors in Martial Arts -- just a different area.
Anyways, his team won the quarterfinals that night.
I flew out Friday at 1255 pm, landed at 400 pm, got to the hotel and competed at 600 pm which creative weapons. I got 2nd place. I like the competition on Friday because it gets me geared up for Saturday.
Saturday was good. I slept in until 930 am, and then watched Ms. Facchinello tear it up in her divisions. She got 1st place in traditional form out of 4 girls (not as big as U.S. Open, but nevertheless), and she also got 1st in Creative forms against the top 2 seeds in the country. Nice Work! Check her vids.
I went at about 1 pm. I've got it down, now, where I can come out with the same consistent mental energy that I want. Physically, no prob, but you have to have the juice mentally. The form felt pretty good. I tied for first place, and then in the tie breaker where the judges take a look at the scores closer. It's good to keep the pressure coming, and then the pressure will finally break through.
Later that night, Ms. Facchinello won the 14-17 Girl's/Boy's Form Grand Champ against two competitors who were doing all the flips and tricks while she came out and performed a strong traditional form. The judges obviously liked it. I told her beforehand that "you have no choice but to go out and show them how strong you are and how much you want to win...forget all the flips and tricks. That doesn't change what you want and what you're going to do." Afterwards, I got a chance to say "I told you so." Heehee.
I haven't decided what my next tournament will be before the Diamond Nationals in October, but I'll keep you posted.
-wc3
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
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 ;)
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 ;)
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