Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan World Cups...

Pre comp warm up in Uzbekistan

After the Mongolian World Cup, we headed off to World Cups in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. For these competitions I was also joined by fellow JOLS sponsored athlete Carli Renzi. A result in the top 7 in either of these competitions would provide well needed points towards selection for the 2012 Olympics.

In the lead up to Uzbekistan, I felt confident and ready to improve on my 5th in Mongolia. Following the competition in Mongolia, we participated in a 3 day training camp and I was confident this would hold me in good stead for the next competition.

In Uzbekistan I drew the number Kazakhstan player in my division. This was not a good fight for me. I was thrown early and had to play catch up judo. This played into her hands and I was caught on the ground in a strangle. She then went on to finish 3rd.e in good stead. The standard at this camp was high and there were plenty of partners to go around. The training generally consisted of 6 x 5 minute Ne Waza Randori (ground work) followed by 8 x 5 minute standing Randori. There were two sessions a day. As I was heading into another competition my coach did not want me to complete all randori. The theory is to make each randori sharp, hard and intensive, but to give yourself sufficient break and recovery before the next.

Despite feeling well prepared leading into this competition, on reflection I seemed a "little slow of the mark" I was not aggressive or intensive enough from the start. This was an area I wanted to improve upon the following week.

Carli and I taking some time out after the comps

After the competition, Carli and I went to a training camp 45km away from where we were staying. The mat would have had 200 judo players on it and they didnt bother to split the group for groundwork. This meant that each player had about 1 mat each! The situation was ridiculous and the worst of seen for being crowded and dangerous. Again, a lot of good teams were there to train with including Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Slovenia, Switzerland, Brazil and many more.

We then travelled onto Kazakhstan later in the week. I drew a player from Moldova who I was able to "check out" on U tube the night before. She appeared to be a left handed player and we developed a plan to deal with this. Carli drew the same Armenian girl again.

On the day, I started my fight well. The plan was going well and she was penalised and should have been more than once. However for reasons even I'm not too sure, about half way through the fight, I got lazy with my plan and allowed her to grip in a way that was against my plan. Although I felt confident she could not throw me, it did not allow me to display the dominance that I had earlier in the fight. With 13 seconds to go I attempted to throw with uchi mata. She feel to her knees and in following through and pushing her towards her back, I rolled over her and into a hold down...I couldn't do it again if I tried! She went on to beat a well ranked Ukranian and lost to Russia for 3rd.

So that was it for the competitions in that part of the world...and I cant say I'm unhappy about that! Its not really my choice of holiday destination for too many reasons to list.

We got back on the Wednesday and I have on week to prepare before again leaving for the World Cup in Belarus and Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. There are a number of areas that I want to improve upon that should help me get the results I want. I still dont feel as sharp as I did before the knee surgery As of these comps I was 4.5 months post op from a knee reconstruction and I feel its just a matter of time before I get back to how I was playing pre operation.

From Paris to Mongolia...

So from the 23-28 August, 2011 the World Championships were held in Paris. Although it was a World Championships, for me if felt more like a "test event". Competing 14 weeks after a knee reconstruction was always going to be touch and go. Even though the knee felt physically good, one of the hardest things coming back from this type of injury is dealing with your mind. The thought of re-injuring the knee is always there and it takes some time to get confidence back.

To help get around this thought process, I "stopped over" in Melbourne to give the knee a run in VIOC. Unfortunately I only had the one fight but it was still good to put myself under competition pressure. You cant ask your opponent to stop in the middle of a fight because you don't like the position your knee is on (unlike training !)

From there it was onto Paris and I drew Kazakhstan first. There is not a lot so say about this fight as I didn't get going and got thrown early..game over for me. Luckily there was the teams event on the Sunday and we drew Germany first up. This put me up against the no.5 in the World. The fight went full time but I was beaten on penalties. You are never happy to lose but I felt that after going a hard 5 minutes with such a top quality opponent, the knee should no longer be a problem both physically and mentally.

I returned home from Paris on the 30th August and was only there for a week before leaving for the World Cup in Mongolia.I travelled to Mongolia with my UNSW club mate Gemma Chadwick who competed in U/52 kg. I drew a Mongolian first up as did Gemma.

Our coach JB was not able to arrive until the morning of the competition. I was literally about to go through judogi control when JB came walking around the corner. The Mongolian officials were amazing. They picked him up at the airport, rushed him to the venue and took him straight to where I was. Five minutes later I was fighting with my coach in the chair and had a win!

The second fight was against the no. 1 Korean. I went full time but lost on penalties. Little disappointed in the refereeing which appeared to favour the Asian countries....but at the end of the day if you throw them for ippon, this wont be an issue!

In the bronze medal fight I was up against Puerto Rico. The girl was strong but I was feeling in control and confident. I managed to get her penalised for doing nothing and things were going to plan. I got a few good attacks in and some sharp ne waza. That's until I got caught with a left drop seoi... so no medal and had to be content with 5th place.

It's funny how in the past I would have felt content with this result. But not anymore. These are winnable fights and its about getting it right when it counts. We now have a 3 day training camp where I can continue to work on some strategies before heading off to the Uzbekistan World Cup next weekend.

I must say I had reservations about coming to Mongolia...I mean who goes to Mongolia??? But my opinion has definately changed. The people are amazing, the competition venue was awesome

and so well run....and despite being warned about the food, it's been pretty good.

The Mongolian Judo Federation hosted an after party function. they drove us 90 minutes into the middle of no where before we ended up at this mansion. We are told it belongs to the President of the Mongolian Judo Federation. Coming out of the roof of the house was a 54m statue of Chinggis Khan on a horse. From inside you were able to go inside the horse and look out over what was probably the Gobi dessert. It was an amazing experience!!!

I would definately recommend this competition to others who may be considering it. Particularly when you have the added benefit of the training camp.

After a LARS reconstruction...

It's been 9 weeks since I had reconstructive surgery to my knee and things are moving along well. It's definately a period of ups and downs though...but the secret for me has been making sure there are more ups than downs.

I was looking through my diary that I started after my operation and found this:

Day 4

"...Vegging in bed...dont want to do my exercises...hurts too much...but I know I must....there's nothing like forcing yourself into pain...it just depends on the mindset I'm in. I know when the Olympics come around in 12 months that I would find it difficult to sit back and watch knowing I had a good chance of being there. How do you give up such a big dream after so many sacrifices?? I am more than 90% there if you count all my competitive years...."

I can still remember this period well. It would have been so easy to just lay in bed and watch movies. When you don't move the leg...it doesn't hurt, so why would you want to move it and cause excruciating pain? ...That's because taking the easy option, would not help me achieve my dream...even if it only counted 0.1% towards this dream...It has to be done...I dont want to have regrets of "what if???"

A lot of things are out of our control as athletes, we cant control what our opposition are doing, how they are training...but we can control what we do....and although the pain after a reconstructive is pretty bad, we can control how good our recovery will be....even if its not pleasant!

Moving ahead to week 9 and things are definately different. I did my first full randori this week and survived! In some respects it is more difficult mentally...because you are so scared of re doing the injury. I know this feeling well from my last knee reconstruction....but I also know that it will eventually go. What is different this time, is that the recovery is so much faster. I am doing things that would normally take 4-5 months...not 9 weeks. So while Im just ecstatic about the results so far...its a very scary experience pushing it to the limits so far. Although the knee is structurally sound now, you cant help but think its just going to fall apart....but thats just in the mind!

If I look at how far the knee has come in the last 6 weeks...I'm more than confident that it will be good to go in 6 weeks at the World Championships. If the AFL guys can go back at 12 weeks, then a judo player will be more than capable!

After the Australian Championships....

The Australian Championships were held over the long weekend in June. Overall NSW did an awesome job coming away with the majority of medals. It was an interesting experience for me being on the other side of the fence for this competition. ie: coaching and not competing. With my knee only 4 weeks out from a reconstruction I was only of use in the "coaching chair". But I must say it was an enjoyable experience, although frustrating at times!! I definately have a new found respect for my own coaches and what we put them through!!

The over all results were:

GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL

QLD 8 10 12 30

VIC 11 5 9 25

NSW 23 22 28 73

TAS 3 2 2 7

NT 0 1 3 4

SA 6 1 5 12

WA 10 11 18 39

ACT 6 2 5 13

For NSW Judo, I believe the results are greater than expected and indicates a healthy future for the sport here. It was especially pleasing for me to see so many of my junior clubmates from UNSW do so well. As a result some are off to the Cadet World Championships in Kiev in August.

For the seniors, the team has been selected for the World Championships in Paris in August. I have been selected in the U/63kg division and its a race against time to be fit and injury free for this competition.

Its only 9 weeks away and I am doing everything and anything that's physically possible to have my knee ready and be fighting fit come this time. I had a knee reconstruction using the LARS technique 6 weeks ago and the progress is unbelievable. This operation has allowed AFL footballers to come back and compete at 10 weeks.

I know there are "doubters" out there and to some degree...fair enough. But those that really know me, know my stubborn streak. Yes the rehab is painful.... yes there are days where you sit, cry and wonder ..."why me?" and yes there are days where you think..."is this really happening?" and "why am I putting myself through this?" This last question...."why am I putting myself through this?" is not easy to explain. However in simple terms....if you are or have been a serious competitive athlete you'll understand...

So the battle continues and it will make the end even more satisfying.

Having said that, it's fine to pump out these figures, but there is a mountain of work that goes into achieving this. I was lucky enough to be given a "cryocuff" ice machine after my operation. This was arranged through my physio and the company "cryocuff". This has been amazing for my rehab. It allows me to ice the knee for continuous periods whilst providing compression. From everything I've read and been told, its so important to keep swelling down for the knee to progress. This gadget has definately helped achieve that! It comes everywhere with me!

Next week some of the Aussies will compete in World Cups in South America. This will be hard to watch as I should be there and every competition is an opportunity to earn those important Olympic selection points. But its not possible and all I can do is refocus on the Worlds and comps after that.

Speaking of the World Champs...don't forget they will be strictly enforcing GI's as of the World Championships...Australian World Championship team members can get a discount on the top of the range ADIDAS judogi at JOLS:

The J930, with the new optical label, meets the rules for the next World
Championships, and beyond.
The price for Australian Team Members competing at the Cadet, Junior or Senior Worlds is:
adidas J930 White - $220.00
adidas J930 Blue - $255.00
...Sizes available are 150cm to 210cm, including half sizes.
That is $475.00 for a set plus $12.00 freight/handling.

One week to the Australian Championships....

So it's one week until the Judo community takes over Perth, Western Australian for the Australian Judo Championships. This event will include all ages from junior boys/girls, through cadets to senior men/women. For the first time, those that cant make the trip across to Perth can watch the competition live on the internet at:

http://www.lmsc.com.au/

This event is also sponsored by JOLS ADIDAS and you will be able to try on and buy the new IJF approved judogis and other judo related items.

Unfortunately for me, I will not be competing due to an injury I received at the beginning of the New South Wales squad 6 weeks ago. Since then I have undergone surgery, and Im ecstatic at the results! Im doing things after 3 weeks that previously would have taken 12 weeks.

Being unable to compete in the Nationals, opened an opportunity to join the experienced coaching staff of Morgan and Jo with the NSW Senior team. At first I thought it will be hard emotionally because I want to be competing, I want to be doing the randori. However I have found it the opposite. The NSW team are a great bunch and they are a pleasure to coach. There are no egos to deal with, just guys and girls who want to improve and do their best. While Im busy putting 100% into helping them, I have found this takes my mind off my current situation....it was definately a good decision!

I recently talked about the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people...and this is so important for the guys and girls leading into the Nationals. There is very little a coach can do physically one week out from a competition. Its too late to "get fit", that work should have already been done. The guys in the NSW squad are fit, that have trained their butts off. But now its about feeling sharp, fast reactions, and most importantly CONFIDENCE. This is an area that coaches and players can have a massive impact on one week out. Its a time to focus and say, "Ive done the hard work, now I will finish it off" So surrounding yourself with positive, inspirational people is definately the way to go! If someone wants to be negative, get rid of them!


"Pain is temporary, it may last a minute, an hour or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it lasts forever" (Lance Armstrong)


Is that how you want to feel when you've walked off the mat? or will you leave no regrets?

Surround yourself with positive people...

In any Judo players' career, there will be periods of "Ups" and "Downs"...it is inevitable. The sport can be tough, brutal and unforgiving at times. There is no place to hide on a judo mat. It is how we deal with this ups and downs that will define the Judo player and person we want to become.

I have seen many promising Judo players quit before their time. They never reached the levels and results they were capable of. I suppose there are a number of reasons for this...one being the ability to keep going when the going gets tough.

I have competed for over 20 years now, however it is only recently that I realised how important is is to surround yourself with positive people. Recently, I was training with the New South Wales Squad when I suffered an injury. It is serious enough that I have undergone yet another operation.

When I received confirmation of the injury from my Doctor, I was shocked. My husband was with me and probably looked more devastated than me

. I had to make a decision there and then on which path to take. There were a million things running through my mind. I rang two people that I know will give a balanced view and spoke with my husband before returning to the Doctor and saying, "Lets do it". I was booked in there and then for surgery.

I made the decision there and then to continue. I did this because I had the support of the people that mattered. As one of these persons put it..."you stop when there is a wall you can no longer climb over....when you no longer have the will to climb over it...." I thought about this and realised that this wall was not too high, and I would have major regrets if I gave up climbing it now.

In the days to come, I had to speak to a number of people and advise them of my situation. This is where you come to realise the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people. People will sense your aura and are affected by your thoughts, and vice versa. Well all I'm going to say here, is that negative people are no longer welcome to call....if you want to give out a negative vibe...you are not welcome, good bye! These people have no part to play, no right to be a part of my dream. They will bring you down when times are tough and you start to doubt yourself. They may not even say anything .....but their silence says it all......get rid of them!!!!!

There are a few guys on the Aussie team that I can think of who are very good at this. I wont embarrass them by naming them here...but I think they do it well. I am pretty confident that faced with a similar situation...it would only be speed hump to them when others see it as a mountain.

Positive thinking and negative thinking are attitudes....they are just points of view...which one will you take?

See you back on the mat soon!

Grand Prix - Baku - 6 - 8 May, 2011

There are four Grand Prix events a year and one is currently being contested in Baku - Azerbaijan. In terms of points towards Olympic Qualification:

1st place = 200 points
2nd place = 120 points
3rd place = 80 points

There are no Australians entered in this event. With a Masters event, World Championships, 4 x Grand Slams, 4 x Grand Prix and in excess of 20 World Cups in a calendar year, its not possible both physically and financially to do all of them.

Looking at the draws, there appear to be no Japanese competitors which is unusual. I hope that they are able to overcome the recent disaster in their country and attend future events.

This competition can be watched on the IJF channel Judo TV.
Friday: Mens U/60kg, u/66kg Womens U/48kg, U/52kg, UI/57kg
Saturday: Mens U/73kg, U/81kg Womens U/63kg, U/70kg
Sunday: Mens: U/90kg, U/100kg, over 100kg, Wommens U/78kg, Over 78kg

http://212.227.28.227/live/index.php

You can also check out the live results at Ippon.org

http://217.79.182.227/www.judo-world.net/ijf/grand_prix/2011_baku/tta_menue.php?modus=1024&sprache=english