First Post; First Tournament

I want to begin this blog with an outline of my first BJJ tournament.  In short, I took third place with a record of 2 and 1.

I'm a competitor in the masters division (30-40 years old), and I'm a super heavy weight (208-221 lbs).  There were 5 gents in my division, and I drew the first match with a fellow to whom I had spoken throughout the long day of waiting for the white belt matches.

The wait was long, and my nerves were flowing.  I passed time by watching matches (this tournament began with upper belts and worked down from there).  I calmed the nerves by talking to folks--people I knew; people I didn't know; even people in my division.  I met a fellow who would be competing in my division.  I struck up a conversation which seemed to calm both of us down a bit.  The dude was big and stocky which made we nervous as a someone who may be competing against him, and I became very jittery when I learned that he was a wrestler.

In my first match (the lead match in my division), I drew the big wrestler dude.  Looking back on it now, I know that I lost the match before even taking the mat.  I was nervous about the situation and scared of my opponent.  I pulled guard because he is a wrestler.  We struggled a bit; he passed my guard and slipped on a slick paper-cutted choke.  As it turns out, this guy had a nice choke and caught everyone with it and wound up winning 1st place.

After my first match, things started feeling like normal jiu jitsu.  I was awarded a win via withdrawal.  The other guy hurt himself in his first match.  I hated that it happened to him, but I was sure that I would have beaten the guy.  (I know him, and it totally would have happened.  He's okay by the way; just a tweek.)

By this point in the division things were taking shape, and I knew who I would be facing for 3rd place.  I told myself that I could still do well, and I entered the consolation match feeling great.  I won that match on points:  26 to 0 to be specific.  I was happy to execute such positional dominance, but I would have loved to finish my opponent.  I tried, but the fellow's defense was decent, and I was being cautious.

After my division was over, I was able to actually enjoy the tournament.  I  enjoyed seeing the jiu jitsu of my team mates paying off for them.  Seeing their hard work working for them encouraged me more than I thought it would.

During my long, nervous wait, I told myself that this would be my last tournament.  I must say, though, at the end of the day, I believe I will compete again.