Introduction

"...My legs are leaden, my throat is dry and I feel slightly sick with anxiety. As I make my way towards the arena the roar of the crowd gets louder. This is my first major tournament and to say I am nervous is an understatement. I think it is because of the uncertainty of what I will face out there..." (Mark Law, Pyjama Game)


What is interesting about this quote is that the author, Mark Law was never a serious judo competitior.  However, through his own observation of the sport and as a spectator, he is able to capture the"feeling"of an elite competitor. I know this feeling too well and it never lessons with experience....


(you can read more about the pyjama game at: http://www.thepyjamagame.com)

My Introduction

Hi there. My name is Kylie Koenig and I am the Australian Judo Representative in the women's U/63kg division. I've competed as a member of the Australian Judo team for over 15 years and can I say that this feeling never changes...it could be a local event or the World Championships, it doesn't matter. It's a distinct feeling and following it comes the adrenalin rush when the referee says "Hajime".

The aim of my blog is to share with you my experiences, and the ups and downs as I attempt to gain selection for the 2012 London Olympics. It won't be an easy road, but it will be an experience that I hope to share with the young judo player who has their sights set on representing Australia one day.So firstly, here's a bit about myself.
I will shock some of you when I say I've just celebrated my 35th birthday! I am a mother of two beautiful boys aged 7 and 4 and I work full time. I am married to a wonderful husband who himself was an accomplished athlete having represented Australia in freestyle wrestling at the Olympics. He also competed in four Commonwealth Games where he won a silver medal on each occasion! He understands the sacrifices and training required at this level and supports me in trying to fulfill my dream of representing Australia at an Olympic Games. He is my true hero!

I started Judo at 13 and its been my passion since. I represented Australia for the first time aged 16 at the Oceania Championships in 1992. From that time I remained a member of the Australian Judo team competing at numerous International events including US Open, Canadian Open, various European Championship events, Fukuoka in Japan, Pacific Rim Championships, Oceania Championships, World Cups, Grand Prix, Grand Slam and World Championships. I have been a medallist at every senior National Championship in which I have competed.

In the lead up to the Sydney Olympics I was a member of the Australian shadow team. However three months out of the first selection I suffered a knee injury at work which required surgery. It certainly affected my ability to perform and I was not successful in gaining selection. During the 2004 Olympics I was not competing after giving birth to my first child Ryan in 2003. After having my second child in June 2006, I realised then that I had unfinished business in this sport. I set about shedding the 30 kg I had put on during pregnancy. I was so determined to return to the top level that I swam 1km, 11 days after a cesarean section. I returned to the gym 6 weeks after this and by the following January (6 months after having Josh) I went to Japan by myself where I trained for 3 weeks.

At this time I made the move to the University of New South Wales Judo Club under the can I saw "awesome" coaching of Warren Rosser and John Buckley. I won the Australian Championships in 2006 (one year after having Josh) and was set to fulfill my dream of representing at the Olympics. But it wasn't to be. Three weeks after this I snapped my ACL, MCL and destroyed the meniscus in my left knee. For the fourth time, I had surgery on this knee. The first Olympic Selection event was exactly 4 months later and I attempted to compete. If you know anything about a knee reconstruction, 9 months is usually the minimum time out. So I competed, lost miserably and continued on after. At the second Olympic selection the following March, I again destroyed the cartilage in my knee whilst training the day before the competition. I was unable to compete and went home for my 5th operation on this knee.
I have continued on after this and strangely enough have had my best International results in the past 12 months. Any plans of retiring are definitely now on hold. If I am to make the London Olympics, I need to maintain a ranking within the top14 in the World. To do this I must compete at numerous international events similar to a tennis circuit which gives me ranking points. When I last looked I was around 11. (This is removing duplicate countries as only one per country can qualify this way) So as they say...anything is possible. It's going to be a full on 18 months and the support of my husband, coaches, family and friends will get me there. Im also furtunate enough to now be sponsored by JOLS ADIDAS so I have the advantage of wearing the best gis.


I look forward to sharing this journey with you. If the experiences I share in this blog motivate just one Australian Judo player to follow their dreams...then its been a success in my eyes.