The Euros for me this year seemed like the ideal opportunity to test myself after a good showing at the London Open 2014. Also I know that a good few others from the gym and from CFS would be competing so I'd be able to watch them and support them as well. Training was going well until the lurgy struck over Christmas and New Year and I was still struggling a bit by the time the Euros came around. However, I was determined to go out and fight well and hopefully bring back a medal.
Myself and Kieren arrived on the Tuesday and met Dan and Fran who had already settled into the rather quirky Lisbon apartment. I think the last time I slept on a bunk bed was when I was about 6! It was good having a kitchen to cook in though as it meant I could cook my own food - very useful when maintaining a specific weight and the Lidl round the corner meant it was cheap as well. Wednesday would see Fran and Kieren compete so they went to bed early whilst I sprawled on the coach watching a film. Ritchie had also turned up and joined me in the bunk bed room.
A nice early start the next day saw us get to the sports hall for 9 with Ritchie competing first followed by Kieren and Fran. It was around 7 that evening before everyone was done so a pretty long day. I was impressed with the number of people entered and the number of spectators as well, the atmosphere was definitely buzzing and it gave me a taste of what was to come on Friday. I didn't go to the comp on Thursday as I wanted to rest up and I was changing hotels as well. This meant I could go and meet little Liam as he got of the metro and show him where the gaff was. As a reward he took me for a coffee and ate a custard tart for me. That evening I was nice and relaxed in my own room at the hotel and watched a film before going to bed. I didn't have to rush the next morning so took my time and got to the sports hall about 11' in time to see Chip competing. He did great and won his first two matches. I was pretty nervous but there were a few people around to chat to so that helped distract me. When I knew I would be up soon I went to change and had a bit of a warm up although space was pretty limited. At check in I did have to change my Gi, they were strict on the rules, so I was glad I put two in. I didn't know who I was fighting so my idea was to go out with as much focus as possible and try and do what I'd been doing in practice. When you've been on the scene a bit you might have a better idea about your opponent and be able to put specific game plans in place but I was there for the experience more than anything. Stepping out on the mat I felt good, I'd managed my weight well, I was hydrated and pretty calm. Looking back I think I might have been a bit too calm and maybe needed to be a bit more ge'ed up. The match was quite fast paced, faster than I expected, and I don't think I was quite prepared for that. I started well with a take down then struggled to control position although I did manage to almost pass guard. I'm still getting used to BJJ, especially competition style, and have some habits from judo that don't work well for BJJ. We spend much less time working on controlling the position in judo, unless it's side control! And don't have as long to work on control and progression in a match so it is different. After another takedown I was 4 points and an advantage ahead but got caught with an armbar from guard with less than a minute left. I wasn't happy with the result but was happy with the overall experience and stayed to watch her win the division. Then it was time to kick back and relax and get that custard tart I'd been waiting for! It was awesome watching some of the other gym members compete and being surrounded by BJJ geeks helped me really get a deeper appreciation and understanding. When it comes to competing, some people may judge you on whether you win or lose, but I'm not doing it for them, I'm doing it for me and for the people I'm close to so it doesn't really matter. However..... Next time..... ;)
