In The Storm....

Weight: 200.0

Yesterday, I started off doing some conditioning work, a few grip and leg endurance workouts from Martin Rooney, and feels like I injured my left foot again...You know, the one minus a good ligament across the top of my foot? Well it hurts like I dunno what, even sitting here typing...That said, I am driving to teach class, and something loud and metallic hits the underside of the truck OR breaks under there and I notice the truck pulling and making noise...I make it to the gym, and as I am pulling in, it is hard to even turn the wheel to park....I get out to smoke and notice the wheel on the passenger side is tilted in like it is broken and the brakes there are on fire! Literally in flames!...that put a damper on my mood and I had to struggle not to be harsh to the students (I already make this a pretty hard class as it is.) ...Was a good lesson in focus...I got through the first part of class and luckily Kelly walked in and he helped me by showing the pass I was to teach today...One good thing is that something one of the students asked for extra help on, helped to clear my mind for a few and while showing him side mount escape techniques, a tiny detail kind of clicked in my head, and I have made a little bit of progress there as it can be used for a better transition and makes things a lot easier...It was good to have Ron asking questions showing the new guys that the upper belts(he is a purple) still must learn...That said, had a few other issues as my neck pain reminded me I still need to have the procedure this week, and a few regular ole money issues...all told, it put together the makings of a lot of stress and me not being able to roll and work on the things I am already too short of time to get done...:( All that said, now because of deductible which needs to be paid as well as the $ for a rental car for however long, combined with the fact that none of the sponsors I thought would come through, managed to actually do so, registration money, money for babysitting my daughter while gone, spending money, and money for a private lesson I was to take before I leave is all gone...Read about a guy receiving $2500/mo on top of all expenses paid to travel/register for tournaments...A brown belt like myself...and I can't come across a sponsor for a couple hundred...Kinda depressing...Stressful...To alleviate that, I have decided to severely scale back the tournaments I will go to this year to the one or two I can afford to save up for totally on my own as it is just too frustrating to be chasing sponsors that really aren't there it seems...
Speaking of sponsors, I have a great one in GOMGI...They believed in me when no one else did, and have kept me able to compete in top flight GIs and no-gi equipment for the last year and a half or so, pretty much asking for nothing in return other than me going out and trying my best...Well, that super Fight at the Animal Fightwear championships, is out...Loyalty is a big thing to me and in jiu-jitsu definitely...I had to pull out of the super fight as I would have had to take pictures to be used for advertisements as well as would have had to compete in their GI in the super fight...The opportunity to be invited was an honor, but the feeling that someone believed in me enough to stick with me even though I am not all that worthy of it is much greater. I wish I had been able to work something out where they would have let me just wear a patch or something but I see where they are coming from, and more than wanting to have ceratin competitors put on a great show of Jiu-Jitsu, they wanted in addition to launch and advertise their new product...Ahh well, I guess there will be a next time...I think I have secured a spot in a Super Fight at the Texas International Grappling Festival in April..We shall see...
Well last night, I get the makings of a pain episode and really wasn't ready for it. The medicine really didn't work so I laid there all night unable to sleep, not in bad pain but very uncomfortable....I really ain't worth much today...and I don't really have much more to write jiu-jitsu-wise so for now...I fight on...


Thought For The Day: "Do not think...Feeeeeel"