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So I recently found out that I've been doing a certain throw wrong...basically since I first learned it! Yikes. About a week ago, I figured out how to do it correctly, YAY! Though it hurts more (basically squatting a person), it will be more effective and efficient. So, here's me FIRST learning how to do Seoi Nage (say-oh nog-ee) correctly. It's still pretty bad, but it'll get better through repetition.
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Anywhoo....my training will continue to intensify as we get closer to March 4th. I'm doing everything I can to bring home some medals for the USA. But, financially...I need your help to make that happen. Yet again, I have a GoFundMe campaign set up to accept donations towards my travel and training expenses. I hate to continue to do this, but it's the only way I'm able to make these trips happen. I'm so grateful for the donations and support I've received in the past. I'm going to thank you all ahead of time, because I know you're doing and giving everything you can, to help me succeed. Every well-wish, "good luck", confidence-boosting comment, every penny, every "like", and every "share" helps me along the way. I couldn't do this without all of you. If you get a chance, check out my "GoFundMe" campaign page for the upcoming South American Tour. "Like" it, "share" it, comment on it, and donate if you can...please, please, please? :) To learn more about the tournaments... The start of the 2015 tournament season wasn't an ideal one, but one that was essential for me in this journey. I conquered my fear, didn't let my insecurities get in the way--I won, just by showing up. Now, you may be thinking, "that's not the mentality of an athlete or a champion". But, let me explain: On Wednesday, January 14th I headed off to Tunis, Tunisia for the 2015 African Open. Going on this trip was a last minute decision, mainly because of unseen circumstances that presented itself. If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that during Christmas I came down with a really bad flu bug. It ended up being an upper respiratory infection, along with bronchitis. After about a week and a half bout with that, I was essentially, a useless judoka. I indulged (gained weight) during Christmas, wasn't able to workout, and was bedridden for a week straight. I didn't get my first workout in until January 3rd, which was a test run at the gym to see if my lungs would hold up. If I were to go to this tournament, I would have 11 days to prepare myself as best as I could. It would be a long shot, a rough weight cut, and I wouldn't be 100% up to par on my judo abilities (after not having practiced in two weeks). Knowing all of this, and after a 45 minute talk with my coach, I decided that the regret I'd feel (if I chose not to go) would be more of a burden than if I went to the competition and lost. Here's my thought process: I'd rather take the risk, show up and give it my all, than slink away into my comfort zone and come up with excuses as to why I didn't compete. Quite often I have a barrier which holds me back...myself. Insecurities; fear; failure; doubt--they plague me; they plague us all. But, showing up is half the battle; pushing through when your mind is against you is the other half. Just by putting in the effort to get in the best shape possible, making weight (even when I thought it would be impossible), and stepping on that mat in Tunisia; I succeeded. So, hopefully my phrase above, "I won just by showing up" makes a bit more sense now. :) Anywhoo--about the tournament & Tunisia... Short story: Lots of time in planes. Crappy food. Decedent and delicious desserts. Very tough weight cut. Worst draw possible. Sub-par performance. Long story: The travel time totaled 46 hours. The actual time I had in Tunisia was 60 hours. I arrived at our hotel, The Carthage Thalosso Resort & Spa on Thursday afternoon, extremely jet-lagged. I got a quick 45 minuteworkout in then went to the spa for a quick relaxation session. (This normally doesn't happen, but we were at a resort a spa! Plus it was cheap.) Most of Friday afternoon was spent trying to cut weight. Running in plastics, biking, walking, and two sessions in the steam room with Hannah Martin. The last steam session we both had .01kg left to get off...enter: running laps, naked in the steam room. Yup, it happened. #Judo #DontCare #GottaMakeWeight The session was quick and we both easily lost the .01kg we had to get off. (Making memories with teammates at its finest...) We weighed in Friday night and drank and ate as much as possible...typical. Late Friday night, the draws for the competition came out. I needed two things to happen in order for the best shot at winning a medal:
To my UNPLEASANT surprise, both of those scenarios happened. I was seeded #7, which meant I was in the same pool as #2 (the French girl). If I won my first match, I'd have to face her to move onto the semifinals. And, lucky me...my first round was against a World Ranked Hungarian player who is very experienced and accomplished in both the 44kg and 48kg categories. She is a top 7 placing judoka at the 2014 Junior Worlds and a 2-time World Team member for seniors (2011 & 2013). WORST. DRAW. EVER. I ended the tournament going 0-1, losing my first round to the Hungarian. The match went the full 4 minutes and I had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on, but was unable to do so. When watching the video of my fight, I was able to see 2 huge errors which, most likely, cost me the match.
She had a nice attack early in the match (at 52 seconds). This move is called Kouchigari. She was able to score a 1/4 point with this throw. You'll see at 2:10, me gracefully throw myself. I impress myself sometimes... (sarcasm). She was able to get a 1/2 point, from my lack of grace and complete bonehead move. Overall, I'd have to say it was an "ok" experience. I'm mad at myself; the stupid mistakes I made and the opportunities that I didn't capitalize on, but I learned a lot and fought her hard. She ended up losing in the next round, to the French girl, in the last 30 seconds of the of the match. It was a good fight; both quality players. Had the Hungarian been on the other side of the bracket, I'm pretty sure she would have been in the finals. Instead, she fought up the losers bracket and took Bronze. The French player (as I expected) ended up killing everyone for Gold. So, like I said...tough draw for me. So, a few takeaways from the tournament:
Check this out! I'm on the Team USA website! Click on the image below to see more!
I just got back from competing in the Quebec Open in Montreal. Canada. This was a doozy of a tournament. Never, EVER have I felt as awful in a tournament as I did at this one. I honestly don't know what happened. I barely cut--I even ate the morning of weigh ins--was fully hydrated, mentally prepared, etc. but my body was NOT having it. I was getting sick in between fights, trembling, pale, hot then cold flashes, wiped of all energy, and had sporadic episodes of vertigo. Overall....awful. This isn't an excuse for losing to the eventual champion; it just clearly wasn't my day. I can't take that away from her. We will meet again, quite frequently, so I'll have another shot at her. Though it was a rough day for me, and I'm disappointed with a third place finish, I'm also proud of myself. I'm proud that I pushed through the nausea. I'm proud that I had the guts to keep going, even when every part of my body was telling me no. I'm proud that I didn't pull out of the tournament after I was sick and dead after my second fight. I'm proud that even after having nothing in the gas tank and getting sick twice, I still stepped on that mat two more times, eventually fighting for and winning the bronze medal. It was one of the worst tournaments I've had, but I proved to myself that I'm tougher than I thought and got a bronze medal out of the deal. I can't be too disappointed. It's time to rest, feel better, then get back at it to prepare for Australia. I'm just hopping this bug or whatever I have goes away soon... :/ Here's a sneak peak at my competition for this weekend in Montreal. Wish me luck! Click on the image to see the rest of the weight classes and competitors. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has donated! I am humbled by and so truly appreciative of every single one of you. Friends, family, extended family, friends of family...I'm blown away by your generosity. James Hejlik, Ralph & Carolyn Hejlik, Stacey & Chad Baker, Denny & Sandy Hejlik, and Robert Sayre--I am so thankful for your donation. I'll do my best to reach the podium in Australia. (And if I get a chance to ride a kangaroo, I'll take a picture and send it to you). :P A very special "thank you" to the colleagues, consultants, and friends of my dad and the Harley-Davidson family for your support. Ryan Polkowski, Skip Eubanks, and you-who-shall-not-be-named (you know who you are)...I can't thank you enough. And you are all correct--I do have a fabulous dad. :) Everyone that has donated so far...thank you. You are helping me get one step closer to achieving my short-term goals: 1) Winning a medal at a world cup 2) Making the 2015 Pan Am Team But I still have a ways to go. If you know anyone who might be interested in supporting my efforts or are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please either direct them to my GoFundMe Page or to my contact page. You'll find all of my information there. If you are unable to donate but would still like to help me on this journey, please share my fundraising page and/or my website on social media sites. Tell your friends, co-workers, your neighbors, bartenders, pets...I don't care...tell everyone! :) Anything and everything helps--a kind word, a "like", a donation, good vibes--it helps. Thanks for everything you do and I'll keep you posted on my progress. Next stop--I leave next Saturday for the frozen tundra of Montreal in Canada. Brrrr! Wish me luck! San Salvador, El Salvador - Ashley Hejlik, from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) fared very well in El Salvador over the weekend, taking a silver medal and a 7th place finish. Hejlik participated in the San Salvador World Judo Cup--placing 7th--earning her valuable points towards Olympic qualifying. Hejlik won her first match against a hometown favorite from El Salvador by ippon (a full point) by pinning her with about 3 minutes left in the match. Hejlik lost a heartbreaker in the quarter finals against Mexico, the number one seed in the tournament and eventual gold medalist. This was only Hejlik's second world cup in her young judo career and debuts on the world ranking list at #123. Hejlik also participated in The International Cup “Juan Carlos Vargas and Yanira Vigil", placing 2nd against some of the best athletes in South and Central America. Hejlik won 2 matches by ippon (a full point) and lost to the eventual gold medalist from Ecudor, who is currently ranked 45th in the world. Hejlik will continue her journey towards the Olympics by competing in upcoming tournaments around the world, including Australia, Canada (Montreal & Ontario), Africa (Port Louis), Chile (Santiago), and Taiwan (Taipei). To stay updated on Hejlik's progress, follow her blog at http://aehejlik.weebly.com/. San Salvador, El Salvador - Athletes from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) fared very well at the San Salvador World Judo Cup in El Salvador over the weekend as three were in the medal rounds and two placed seventh. Burnt Hills High School graduate, Nick Kossor (28) placed fifth in 60kg earning more valuable points toward the Olympic qualifying. Among Kossor's wins was one over Juan Perez (Chile) who eliminated him last week in Cuba. Brad Bolen (25) also placed fifth at 66kg to raise his world ranking to #33. Burnt Hills graduate, Hannah Martin was the third JMJC athlete to place fifth as she did so in 63kg. Martin lost a heartbreaker in the semis to long time nemesis and eventual champ Hilde Drexler (Austria) in an overtime thriller. SCCC student, Alex Turner (21) continued to improve as he placed seventh in 73kg and bumped his ranking 25 slots from #180 to #155 in the world. Ashley Hejlik (28) placed seventh at only her second world cup and debuts on the world ranking list at #123. SCCC student, Maria Dhami (18) was ousted in the first round in 52kg by veteran Lisa Kearny (Ireland) and eliminated. See more about JMJC here. I'm not quite sure if I think of this as a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm now in the testing pool of athletes that can be randomly drug tested by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It's not that I take random drugs, but now I have to very closely watch everything that I put in my body. A lot of cold medicines and supplements are said to have items that are included on the banned substance list. That's a little scary... I guess I'll just have to be vigilant about what I consume. No poppy seed muffins or "everything" bagels for me! ;) So, what this means, in a nutshell, is that because I'm a certain rank in the U.S. and I'm competing internationally, the US Olympic Committee and/or USA Judo take precautions to make sure all their athletes are "clean". I'll have to fill out quarterly reports, letting them know my whereabouts. Any day, at any point in time, they can randomly show up to test me for banned substances. I'm in a meeting a work?--doesn't matter, I have to be tested. It's kind of crazy, when I think about it. The other thing is, there is no warning...they just show up. I guess that's why they call it "random" drug testing, huh? :)
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! |
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