My First Competition

The thing you realize at your first competition, in house or otherwise, is that there is nowhere to hide.  

If you like to hang out in the back of class, only doing proper form when you know the coach is looking, and never really pushing yourself, you are going to be in for a surprise.  At least I was, because I am describing myself.

It is loud and crowded.  If it is your first competition, you will recognize only a handful of people.  You will cling to them for dear life as you see the first competitors drag themselves off the mat.  They will have enormous grins on their face.  They are smiling because they know they are done.  

You will have to pee.  If you are anything like me, this will happen multiple times.   You may even be self-conscious about it.  Don’t be.  People have much more to worry about than how many times they see you go to the bathroom.  You also have much more to worry about.  Because your heat has just been called.  You go pee one more time, just in case.

You line up with a group of people you vaguely recognize from class. You think to yourself that you are definitely in the wrong category as these people are much fitter than you.  Several of them may be shirtless. You wonder if it is too late to take up a different hobby, like bowling.  Your children and/or partner may watch from the crowd.  You give them a small wave and hope you don’t throw up in front of them.  You smile through clenched teeth at the judge who has been assigned to you.  They may even say some things.  You will not hear them.  

What happens next confounds your perception of time as it happens both extremely quickly and seems to take forever.  You will want to stop.  You may even stop.  There will be lots of yelling, some of it at you.  You will hear the supportive voices in the cacophony.  They are for you.  If you have stopped, you will start again.  If you are still going, you will go further.

When your time is up, you will be exhausted.  The mat will become your new best friend.  You love your new best friend.  People are telling you to make room for the next heat, but you don’t want to leave your new friend.  Eventually, you will get up.

When you walk away from the mat, you will see the panic in the eyes of those lining up for the next heat.  You will have an enormous grin on your face and may attempt to give them some words of encouragement.  They will not hear you.  You get it. 

Joel Miller is a stay at home dad and volunteer for numerous organizations who writes whenever he gets the chance.  He is generally very friendly unless he has to do wall balls.  He gets very nervous at competitions.