Getting Started in Santa Cruz
In 2023, I signed up for the Santa Cruz open to help me prepare for Master Worlds at the end of August. I hadn't done a tournament since the last Master Worlds, where I lost my first and only fight. I met all my goals that year, mainly having fun and not being nervous. Check and check. This year's new goal was to make it to the end of a match without tapping. Just 1 match. It felt modest but doable. To help prepare, I wanted to do another IBJJF tournament before Master Worlds, and Santa Cruz, CA was the closest scheduled to my Washington state home. I signed up early hoping other Master 4, Purple, Middle-heavy weights would want to join me.
Having a new date circled on my calendar helped motivate me to be disciplined with my weight. I was currently 2 weight classes higher than where I wanted to be in August, and had just had surgery which is usually a trigger for me to gain weight.
I excitedly checked registration regularly, and as the tournament date got closer, there still was no one in my bracket. When registration closed, there was not only no one in my bracket but also no other female master4 purple belts, so an absolute match wasn't possible. I had signed up for gi and nogi, but it looked like I'd just be going to make weight and pick up a medal. My plane ticket, rental car, and airbnb were already booked for myself and my son. My son, Ender, was coming along for support and coaching, and we decided it was still going to be a fun trip. But it got me thinking about what next? When I had seen I likely wasn't going to get a match in Santa Cruz, I registered for the Denver Open, hoping there I could get the practice I was looking for.
After arriving in San Jose and making the drive out to Santa Cruz, we got settled for the evening. I messaged my partner, Endo, who was back home and told him if the medals actually say Santa Cruz on them, then I think I might have a new life quest to embark on. I had just started reading "The Happiness of Pursuit" by Chris Guillebeau, and Endo has long talked about the value in having a mission and purpose. I had been thinking about going on an epic quest and so glad I finally might know what that quest would be.
The next day I went to the tournament early so I could check my weight. Hopped on the test scale in my gi and was well below the maximum 163.4lbs. I went to the single competitor table, weighed in, and was told I would get gold as well as technically winning my absolute bracket. They handed me my gold medal and sure enough, it said Santa Cruz on it. I sent Endo a quick picture and told him my quest starts now.
MY QUEST: 'Participate in every IBJJF tournament before I get my black belt.' Just participate, I don't need to medal, but I do want to try. This quest has a timeline, it supports my desire to do bjj, travel, and maintain a healthy weight. Ender excitedly spent the rest of the day talking about what my next steps were. Before we flew home, I was registered for 2 more tournaments!
Weighing in for nogi went smoothly, but I didn't like needing to make weight twice in a row. I was in a new town, and I really wanted a nice dinner after the first tournament but had to hold off until Sunday to make sure I maintained the weight I needed.
So I decided no more nogi. My schedules for the most part would be fly out Friday, gi tournament Saturday, nice dinner Saturday night, fly home Sunday, while fitting in some sightseeing where I could.
2 weigh ins = 4 championships.
Let's hope Denver has more to offer.
Santa Cruz sightseeing:
Santa Cruz boardwalk (from Lost Boys!) Where I got a celebratory vegetarian corndog.
Monterey Bay aquarium, so big and we got to see cute sea otters.
Henry Cromwell Redwood Forest. Such a beautiful easy walk among the redwoods.
We fortunately have made many friends in the BJJ community in the 7 years since starting BJJ and I was excited to see some old friends at the tournament as well!
Next tournaments:
May 6 Denver Open
May 13 Houston Open
May 31 Masters in Long Beach, CA
