This was my first match. I was competing in Masters 3 Light Feather division. I stepped onto the mat while the other match was just walking off. This was not in the video, but that just shows you how much I knew about waiting for the ref to call us in for the match. So I was replaying in my head what I needed to do to establish a good position. Get grips. Check. Then I knew there would be a fight to get those grips off so my transition was the moves I drilled. I actually fucking did the move and it worked. I wanted to sweep her, which I did. I wanted to pass her guard, so I did. I wanted to get her back, and I did.
Here I am, my first time competing in a big tournament. This was American National 2024 in Las Vegas. Thousands of people traveled from all over the country to be there. Me, it took 20 minutes including parking.
I was going with the flow that day. I didn’t know how check-ins worked. Or weighing-in really meant. Thankful for teammates who have lots of experience, they held my hand through it all.
I enjoyed my time on the mat immensely. I am grateful for the overwhelming support from my team. I would do this again.