Eye of the tiger

Alright, so Pan Ams are two days from now.

At the behest of my training partners, I took much of the week off to rest, recuperate, and make sure that I am going into the competition in top shape. I've been taking naps and have pretty much been laying around all day, and I feel pretty good.

I won't front, though, I am sort of shook about competing. It's a one and done deal, as your first loss will eliminate you from the entire tournament. Quite an uphill battle, but I really feel like I had to test myself for this one.

I feel like I do actually have a chance to win my division, but it all depends on who shows up, who I get matched up against, and how well I perform under pressure. I've been tapping blue belts that outweigh me by quite a lot, so hopefully I can handle people on my own level that are closer to my own weight.

At this point, last minute preparation won't do so much for me. I've been training very hard for the past few months, and hopefully it pays off once I get on the mat.

It's still my first tournament, though, so no matter what happens I'll chalk it up to experience. Being in a competitive atmosphere actually will raise the level of my game regardless of what happens.