rather than people playing poker and gambling in their spare time, stephany claire and i taught them how to play korean games (like king kong shower) for some hilarious times in the back of the bus. i really valued also that poomsae team spans all age ranges - and that you could really get the depth and the wisdom from your seniors (or have seniors, period) - rather than travelling with a bunch of hormonal 21 year olds who just wanted to drink on the side and cause trouble.
dan asked me on the morning of competition if i was nervous ... and you know what? i really wasn't. i'm not sure if it was time or age ... or as i told him, the reassurance that no one was going to hit me and i was likely not to get hurt - but it was really a different feeling towards competition. sure, you still want to puke in anticipation, but there's something vastly different about knowing that your results are entirely on your shoulders. (well, ok, mostly). that if you screw up - there really isn't much forgiveness and you've basically lost - but at least you've lost it for yourself and not because someone kicked you in the knee. (yes i'm still bitter about that)
overall, russia is at the bottom of my list of countries i've been to, and for $2000+ just to get there via crappy russian airlines, i would never voluntarily go again. but i think it was a valuable trip - eye-opening for sure, if only to see how far we've come and how much farther we have to go.
the new poomsae uniforms were ridiculous - actually, beyond ridiculous. i don't think anyone liked it, and seriously, who went back in time and brought back the cross-overs? sigh. but we made do, and it was kind of neat that all competitors from every country looked the same.
but i was just thrilled to have coaching, and to have teammates i got along with and had fun with. it's interesting being on the world stage again, but starting over to build a reputation in a whole new crowd. the familiarity that came with seeing the same competitors and coaches in the sparring world was no longer there. but i suppose everyone has to pay their dues, even if it means doing it from scratch again. hopefully this will better equip us to make the team again next year...
