Good conversations

Please come. If you do, I promise to win or die trying.

We have just booked our tickets to Natioanls. Non-refundable. Both of us.
At least one will be there, we won't let nonrefundable tix go to waste.

WAHOO!!!

Feeling recharged for the next month. It's going to be really grueling, but I've had a sudden surge of optimism and renewal after the camp. Now that my muscles are loosening up and it's finally sinking in. Nationals and Pan Ams back to back, that's going to be rough. But some of the doubts are clearing up, and demi-confrontation didn't blow up in my face. They're coming to Nationals for sure. And if I win, Adolfo said he'd get me a lifetime supply of Tabasco. Heh =)

**********

It became very real to me that I'm not a full-time athlete, and you're not
full-time coaches. We can't and shouldn't be. But it's still a fact and it
makes it harder.

On Sunday night, I was talking with people and the topic was, if OTC [the Olympic Training Center] brought back its resident program and you were asked to go, would you go? A lot of
people said yes right off the bat. I thought about it for awhile, and I actually said no. I think being around all those other people made me realize that despite how hard it is sometimes juggling career, teaching, training and all, I'm actually quite happy to be where I am and wouldn't want to train with anyone else. Even if I spend half my time trying to figure out if you're mad at me.

you CAN have it all
you CAN be intelligent and do TKD
you CAN have a life and be a successful athlete
you CAN practice TKD as a traditional martial art and retain the values of the martial arts and still be a great athlete.

I knew it! There may be sacrifice, lack of sleep, and a crazy time management - but I can have the best of all worlds. Or die trying...

It was a good weekend in that sense. A lot of soul searching and self-discovery amidst the grueling physical pain. In the end, even if I had a chance to train with any other coach(es), I wouldn't. And as I was saying to my friends that night...to me, a coach is not someone who has the most knowledge or experience or status. A coach is someone who can motivate me because I respect and admire them, trust as role models, caretakers and partners in a common goal. I can only hope to be as such for my kids.