Hey all! If you could spare a few seconds, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you could forward this to your friends or share it on your social network sites. Any little bit helps, including just spreading the word! I'm working my butt off to get sponsors to help with the travel and training expenses, but for now, I raise (and work for) the money to pay for it on my own. (Of course with the help of friends, family, and the community offering donations!) Thanks for the encouragement and support, everyone! I couldn't do it with you all. :) | |
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I'm not going to lie...I'm nervous for this tournament. I have 2 weeks until I leave for El Salvador. The South Americans are known for a style of judo that's called "dropping". They basically drop to their knees, get in between and under your legs, then pull you over their back. It is my kryptonite. (There's a picture of it below)
I guess what else makes me nervous is the fact that, like I mentioned, I haven't been training nearly as much as I should be. There have been a lot of changes and distractions in my personal life that have thrown me off my judo game a bit. Work, life, finances....the norm. It's hard to separate everything else that's going on in my life with judo. Most days, I'm so exhausted after work and from the other stressors in my life, that I have zero energy left for judo. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been able to sleep much at night. My brain won't shut off; it won't let me relax! A bit frustrating. That's why coffee has been my savior at work! "Venti Starbucks coffee? Large Dunkin Donuts coffee?" Why, yes please!! So, as you can probably see...I'm just like everyone else in this world. I get tired, scared, sore, exhausted, frustrated, nervous, side-tracked...the list goes on and on. In case you thought athletes are immune to feelings of insecurity or lack of confidence. The only difference between me and most people; I just happen to be flying around the world, trying to fight girls. ;) Anyways, thanks for letting me vent. I needed to get that off my chest. :) Directions: Rinse chicken breasts and remove any excess fat. (I like to cut the breasts in half, as I normally get the largest chicken breasts I can find!) Then toss it in the slow cooker. Mince garlic (or use about a teaspoon of the minced garlic--you can always use more or less depending on your preference!) If you bought fresh pineapple, you'll need to cut it into small cubes. If you are like me (and bought the canned, diced pineapple) just toss it in the slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper, honey, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic into the slow cooker. Toss all ingredients together so they are evenly dispersed over the chicken. Cook covered on low for 6 hours. **This recipe can easily be frozen. Just prepare all of the ingredients as mentioned above and place in freezer bags (before cooking). It usually lasts 3-6 months in the freezer. The day before you want to make this meal for dinner, take it out of the freezer and allow to defrost in the fridge. When you want to make it, put everything in the slow-cooker for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Ingredients: 3 chicken breasts 1 garlic clove (or used the bottled, minced garlic) 1 cup fresh (or canned pineapple) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (80 calories) 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil Optional ingredients: Side of brown rice Nutritional Information per serving (makes 4-5, depending on the size of the chicken breasts) Calories: 293 Fat: 6.5g Sodium: 1,229mg Carb: 23g Fiber: .5g Sugar: 21 Protein: 34g Place all ingredients in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Ingredients: 1/2 c. Quaker Old Fashioned Oats 1 banana (ripe is better) pinch of cinnamon 1 tsp agave nectar (or honey) 1/4 c. walnuts 2 tsp. ground flaxseeds 3/4 c. water Optional: Almond or coconut milk instead of water (for additional flavor) Calorie breakdown: 1/2 c. oats: 170 Banana: 105 Agave nectar: 20 Walnuts: 180 2 tsp flax seed: 30 Tournament Information & Agenda June 13th Arrivals: Delegations 10:00 -18:00 Accreditation in Official Hotel (Intercontinental Hotel) 19:00 Referee Clinic Official Hotel (Intercontinental Hotel) 20:00 Draw Official Hotel (Intercontinental Hotel) 18:00-19:00 No Official Weight (Intercontinental Hotel) 19:00- 19:30 Official Weight (Intercontinental Hotel) June 14th 10.00 Opening Ceremony 10:30 Preliminaries and Repechage MEN: -60, -66, -73 kg FEMALE. -48, -52. -57. -63 kg 18:00-19:00 No Official Weight (Intercontinental Hotel) 19:00- 19:30 Official Weight (Intercontinental Hotel June 15th 10:00 Preliminaries and Repechage: MEN: -81, -90, -100, + 100 kg FEMALE. -70, -78. +78 kg June 16th INTERNATIONAL CUPS “JUAN CARLOS VARGAS AND YANIRA VIGIL” 9:00 Preliminaries and Repecharge MEN: -60, -66, -73, -81, -90, -100, + 100 kg FEMALE. -48, -52, -57, -63, -70, -78. +78 Kg June 17th Departure Venue: Sports Palace Carlos “El Famoso” Hernandez Indes Address: Alameda Juan Pablo II, Centro de Gobierno San Salvador To view There's a possibility that the tournament will be streaming live online. This isn't a guarantee, but if it is, it will be on the website I've provided for you. The tournament brackets will be available for you. They are typically available to view the day before the tournament starts. In this case, you will be able to view my bracket the evening of June 13th. Olympic/World Ranking Points Possible
Team USA
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Chill for 30 minutes, then roll into balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week. Ingredients 1 cup Quaker oats 1/2 cup Vermont Peanut Butter 1/3 cup honey 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes 1/2 cupBob's Red Mill ground flaxseed meal 1 tbsp Bob's Red Mill chia seeds 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp cinnamon You can also add: Any type of chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.) Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries,etc.) Additional spices (nutmeg, all spice, pumpkin pie spice, etc.) Agave nectar instead of honey 1/4 cup cocoa Serving: Makes 20-22 Calories: 100 Sodium: 29 mg Total Carbohydrates: 11.8g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 7.6g Protein: 3g
This is a huge honor for me to compete in this tournament. I've only been doing judo for about 3.5 years...it's pretty crazy to think that I'm now competing on the same stage as World and Olympic Champions and Medalists! (Yea, this girl will probably be there....) (Don't forget this one...) Intimidating, yet REALLY exciting! In order to continue to compete at tournaments like these, I need your help. This trip alone will cost me close to $2,000. Though I pride myself in taking care of myself, being financially independent, and never taking hand-outs, I've come to the point where I either drop my ego and accept help or I don't compete. So, here I am, dropping my ego, asking for your help. If you are in a financial position to donate to help get me to El Salvador, I'd greatly appreciate it. If not, please forward this blog post or the GoFundMe Page to friends, family, and co-workers, or post it on your social media sites to help get the awareness out. Any little bit helps and I can't even tell you how grateful I am for your support and encouragement on this journey! Stay tuned for additional information about the tournament in El Salvador. I'll write another post about it soon! At times my life is stressful. Ok, that's a lie...MOST of the time my life is stressful. Physical, mental, emotional, financial stress....I've got them all. Now, I don't believe, in any way, that I'm the only one with stress in life (that's absurd!). I do believe I may be one of the few athletes that utilizes creativity as an outlet for stress (instead of running, lifting, yoga, hitting something, lifting something, etc.). My stress reliever (I've recently come to find out) is painting. I honestly had never picked up a paintbrush (besides in middle school) until 2013 at a team meeting activity for my work. I told a friend of mine that I somewhat enjoyed it, and he persuaded me to give it a try. So, we went to Hobby Lobby and Michael's, bought a few supplies, and I tried it. I was horrible at it (I still have no idea what I'm doing) but found a sense of peace while developing my creation. I didn't know what the end product would look like, I couldn't screw it up (I've come to find out), it brought out my creative juices, and I was able to just focus on the brush strokes, the colors, and my project. I could finally be at peace. If you don't know me well, here's something you should know: I over-think and over-analyze everything, plus I have some perfectionist tendencies. My brain never shuts off, ever. Only when I paint am I allowed just to be...it's quite an amazing feeling. If you're an overly stressed, overly anxious individual that hasn't found your "peaceful" place yet, I do recommend painting. You don't have to be creative, you don't have to have experience, you can't screw it up. Just let the brush stroke and the colors flow! :) (Am I sounding hippy-ish?!?!) :) In all honesty, if you haven't found that place or activity that gives you peace, keep searching; try new things. You may find it where you least expect it. You deserve to unwind, de-stress, and find peace throughout this crazy, wonderful, chaotic life! This is part 2 of the interview from a blog post done by Milady, one of my sponsors. See the original post here. MILADY IS PROUD TO SPONSOR TEAM MEMBER IN THE AFRICAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR JUDO The sport is mentally and physically exhausting, plus you have a full time job! What keeps you motivated? Seeing my own progress definitely keeps me motivated. Every time I get to that next level I am encouraged to do better. Also, knowing that my competition is working just as hard. Sometime, to be honest, it is hard to stay motivated. It is absolutely exhausting--working full-time, doing judo, training on the side, plus marketing myself to find sponsors in my "free time". But having a good support system (my family, boyfriend and my teammates) plus an understanding, flexible boss, definitely helps. How does Judo translate into everyday life? The lessons I learn on the mat can be directly translated into everyday. Things like, ‘when you fall down you have to get back up,’ ‘there’s always going to be roadblocks in your path’ are applied both in my everyday life and in my Judo life. In all honesty, sometimes I want to quit--it's hard, demanding, physically taxing!--but it's at those points in this journey that I have to push through and keep going. The same concept applies for everyday life--sometimes it gets hard, things don't go your way--but you have to continue to try. Never give up. Who are your mentors? My coaches Jason Morris and Teri Takemori--they have taught me everything that I know. They saw potential in me when I didn’t see it in myself. I also look up to my father and my sister, Carrie. They are the people that I strive to be like and one day I hopefully will be. As an athlete what is your beauty routine like? Skin: The healthier you eat the better your skin is. Before I started judo, I would eat a TON of sugar--chocolate, cupcakes, ice cream, you name it! When I started to clean up my diet for Judo, my skin pretty much cleared itself. Of course I wash and moisturize everyday. Hair: I was lucky enough to find a great stylist, Claire Harris. I see her every 4-6 weeks, and she takes great care of my hair. She recommends products that help. I always use professional products like Biosilk, Deva Curl, Bumble & Bumble and Nexxus. Once a week I will use a deep moisturizer or hair mask because my hair gets destroyed at judo and I have naturally wavy, frizzy hair. How does Milady’s philosophy fit into Judo? Knowledge is power to me. I have a never ending thirst for knowledge. It's essential to continue your education in almost every aspect of your life. Milady has that same philosophy with professionals in the beauty and wellness industry. Directions Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine seasonings in a large bowl. Season chicken with spices and toss to evenly coat. Add the chicken to the saute pan and cook on each side 2-4 minutes (until there is a crispy coating). Repeat with remaining oil and chicken. Put chicken in a oven safe baking dish. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken tossing well. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Serve with celery, carrots, ranch dressing, or blue cheese. Ingredients:
Optional Ingredients
Servings: 4 Serving size: 2 strips Calories: 111 Fat: 2g Carb: 2g Fiber: 1g Protein: 21 g Sugar: 0 g Sodium: 640 mg We all have battles to fight. Whether it's on the judo mat, for your career, for your relationship, for your kids, for your family, for your friends, for your life...we all have to fight. If you truly believe in what you're doing or what you have...never hesitate, even for an instance, whether you should put up a fight. Get out of your comfort zone, work yourself to the bone, feel uncertain, ask the difficult questions, take the first step, be the first one to show love...do whatever it takes for what you believe in and what you really want. No matter the outcome, you will come out a winner--even if it doesn't feel like it right away. Even if you lose, or the outcome isn't exactly what you wanted, you will walk away knowing you gave it everything you had and have no regrets. The worst pain you will ever feel isn't physical and it's not when you push yourself to the max--the worst pain is the pain of regret. So, whatever your fighting for today....fight your ass off. It's worth it! Don't wake up one morning with the pain of regret. Tournament Overview The USA Judo Senior National Championships were held May 3rd and 4th at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. This year's National Championships had over 620 entries from athletes across the United States. I competed in two divisions--the 48kg Senior Elite Division as well as the 48kg Brown Belt Division. In the Senior Elite Division I ended the day going 3-1, my only loss coming from the #1 seed in the tournament and eventual gold medalist. After the loss, I came back to win the next match and my first ever National Medal, a bronze. This result boosted my overall national ranking to a career high, #5 in the nation. I also competed in the Brown Belt category to get additional fights and experience. I ended up with gold, winning all my matches by ippon (a full point). My thoughts: the good Now that I've had some downtime (while traveling back home), I've had a chance to really evaluate my results, the weekend as a whole, and my progress. I'm proud that I've accomplished yet another one of my judo goals: to medal at a USA judo senior national championships. For this being only my 2nd Nationals and my first at 48kg, placing third isn't too shabby. I started to figure out and understand the USA 48kg player's game. It's very different from my own in that it's very quick (some would say spazzy) and a bit sloppy (compared to the way traditional judo is played). This was really my first time experiencing it, so the fact that I performed as well as I did competing against a new style of play is admirable. Another "good" thing about the weekend was that I competed against and beat (for bronze) a girl that's being doing judo since she was 4 and is also a black belt. She has two to three times more experience in the sport, yet I was able to perform well enough to get the win. Last but certainly not least, I moved up in the national rankings to a career high, number 5 and also solidified my spot on Team USA to compete in a World Cup tournament in Miami this fall. This tournament is an A level international tournament and will give me c a chance to earn Olympic qualifying points. My thoughts: the bad Now, as some of you may know, I'm rather hard on myself...so with every success, there are definitely things to work on and improve. Though this weekend was rather successful, I have to admit that I was disappointed in a few things--the first being how I performed during the senior elite bracket. I had a chance to really make a statement on the national stage and make sure everyone knew who Ashley Hejlik was and that I was a force to be reckoned with. In some regards I did, however not to the extent that I wanted. I fought against the #1 seed in the tournament and #1 ranked girl in the USA, but went out on the mat timid, hesitant, and questioning my own abilities. "Am I good enough? Do I know enough judo? Have I competed enough? She has two to three times my experience...can I compete? She's fought numerous times on the international stage." These are the thoughts that went through my head and inevitably, was my demise. I questioned myself, my abilities and my confidence. That can't happen. Judo is probably 80% mental and confidence. I basically defeated myself. I had my chance to fight for gold and I let it slip through my fingertips. Confidence in my abilities is definitely a part of my game that needs work. The other thing that really stands out which I found to be disappointing, is that I didn't play MY judo. I was stiff, timid, didn't commit to my throws, and didn't attack nearly enough. I let my nerves and lack of experience get the better of me. Luckily, halfway through the bronze medal match, I started to find my groove and pulled out the win. I just wish I would have done MY judo throughout the whole tournament. Yet another thing I will have to work on at practice. Next steps Thankfully, with the success I had at nationals, I earned the opportunity to represent USA at more international, Olympic-point-generating tournaments. That means I have A LOT of work to do--on the mat, mentally, and also finding ways to financially take these trips. I will head right back to practice tomorrow to get working on the holes in my judo game. I have some scouting to do (both for national and international players I could face). I'll be watching videos of their fights on YouTube and I'll analyze their game and come up with a strategy to attack their weaknesses. I have some recovering to do as well. Besides the obvious soreness, I also need to rehab my shoulder (which was injured multiple times and never healed properly). I probably should see my physical therapist as well as my chiropractor to get healed up. I also need to work on my mental game and confidence. I'm hoping to find a sports psychologist I can work with to help me with this aspect of my game. My next big tournament will be next month inEl Salvador. After that, in the late summer I'll be heading to Miami to compete in another World Cup. To see additional tournaments, check out my competition schedule here. In order to pay for these tournaments, I'll continue to seek out additional sponsorships, partnerships, grants, and donations. If you're interested in helping fund these trips or know someone who might be, please check out myGoFundMe page. If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring me or partnering with me, I'd love to hear from you. Please know, you'd be in good company! I'm currently sponsored by an international health food company as well as a multi-million dollar publishing company! Check out my sponsors here. Reno, NV - Brad Bolen (25) from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) in Glenville, NY captured his second US Sr. National title winning the 66kg division on day two at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Sunday, May 4, 2014. This was Bolen's fifth overall medal at the Nationals having been in the finals the last four years (Gold 2012, Silver 2013 & 2011) along with picking up a bronze in 2009. Bolen won the final against up and comer Spencer Augustine (22) getting his signature "Bolen Arrow" choke in the first minute of the match to give the JMJC it's 27th National Champion. SCCC student, Maria Dhami (18) continued to improve as she made it all the way to the 52kg final losing only to #1, Angelica Delgado by penalties 3-0. Ashley Hejlik (27) also continued to improve as she picked up her first US Sr. National medal winning a bronze at 48kg. Hejlik now moves all the way to #5 in the US. Hejlik also won a gold in the 48kg Brown belt division with JMJC teammate Haley Meara (18) taking a bronze. Burnt Hills High Senior, Eric Skylar (17) posted a 5-0 record on the day to capture a gold in the 81kg brown belt category making that his first Sr. National medal. Dave Harris (28) lost to eventual silver medalist, Augustine, who he had beaten just a month earlier placed 7th in 66kg. The JMJC has now won a remarkable 93 total medals at the US Sr. Nationals in it's 13 year history. Yesterday, Tony Sangimino (23) who won silver last year took it one step further going 4-0 on the day in dominating fashion giving the JMJC it's 26th US National Champion. This was Tony's third overall National medal. RPI Graduate, Leah Fisher (29) had her career best performance at the Nationals taking a silver in 70kg. Burnt Hills High School Junior, Nick Irabli (17) turned in his best performance at the Nationals as well taking 5th place at +100kg improving upon his 9th place finish last year. Burnt Hills graduate placed 9th at 81kg as did SCCC student Alex Turner. Check out the rest of my news clippings/press releases here! |
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