taraje.com

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Pan Ams
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I didn’t want to leave you hanging too long. I felt great yesterday. I got my weight down good and rehydrated well before my matches. I won all my matches by Ippon, and lost one match by Ippon also. The match I lost to Venezuela was very similar to how I lost at Nationals.

I took it in stride. It ruined my Gold medal run, but I placed high enough to secure my division in the last spot for Olympic qualification. This year I have not been able to finish a day perfectly yet, but it will happen right on time when it does.

This is my first Senior Pan Am medal and it felt good to do it in such a high pressure situation. I have the Zone Cup today and although it will not affect anything. It is a good opportunity to get some high level matches in, especially with the Cuban who I am sure will be gunning for me after our match yesterday.

It is time to go, so look forward to a video post in the next 24 to summarize the weekend.

Help support taraje’s Olympic Dream!

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Pan Ams
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It is five days until I fight in my second Pan American Championships. My division is in a good position to qualify, although I am in a tight point race with Peru. After I medal at the Pan Ams and he does not, it will only be necessary to medal at the Zone Cup.

I have done the scenarios and I feel very good about where I am. I am in Florida now doing some last minute preparation with Rhadi.

I got in last night and have done a few runs. The weather down here is so beautiful I feel like I can run forever. Running in Massachusetts, in the cold, is debilitating. It makes getting up in the morning and walking out the door difficult. This is a pleasant change.

I am finally in a good groove as far as training goes. I have finally internalized the idea that my success is tied to my mindset and not the past. It has eliminated any pressure and I am excited at the thought of how well I will perform.

For those of you who do not know, the Pan Am Championships will take place in Miami this Thursday and Friday, with the Team competition on Saturday and the Zone Cup on Sunday. I will not be fighting in the Team competition, since the Zone Cup is infinitely more important.

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Training Life
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This is the most important competition of the year up until now and training and practice have been geared up accordingly. I leave all of the periodization to my trainers and coaches, but it is amazing to think that I have not peaked yet this year.

I have been extremely busy lately and I have neglected taraje.com. Training has been more than tough. I find myself falling asleep whenever I am not in the gym, until it is actually time to fall asleep. Things eased up towards the middles of last week and my sleeping patterns responded.

I haven’t been back to NY in a couple weeks now. Luckily my little sister lives down here in Miami, and my older sister will be coming down to support me this weekend. It wasn’t hard to convince her to take a couple days off work to go to Miami. It is always good to have the fam’ around.

That is all for now. I will keep posting throughout the week to keep up to date on the happenings around the mat.

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Judo
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After Nationals, I figured practice would ease back into high gear. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as I got back we were right back in the mix of things. Taking line ups and long practices have been the tone.

Tonight was especially tough. I am very focused before practice and the intensity is there. Taking line ups is draining and it gets frustrating pretty quickly when I am not able to get off my throws the way I want. I am familiar with this feeling through the tough training for big events in the past, but it never gets easier.

I just stay calm and take it one practice at a time. This one is over, and tomorrows practice will be better.

On a good note, my buddy Gerhardt is back in town from Germany. He is tough as nails and makes for a good training partner. Having him around makes it a lot easier to get some technical sessions in. He is always up for some extra work.

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Training
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I have a heavy training session in the morning. I will be up at the crack of dawn, drinking my black coffee and heading to the gym.

Rhadi has made my training challenging, but incredibly comfortable for me this cycle. We didn’t have much time in between competitions and the gravity of the next few tournaments had the potential to be stressful. Both Rhadi and Jimmy have and continue to do a great job keeping me calm and confident.

I feel like Neo after speaking to the Oracle in the Matrix.

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Personal
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Because of the high turnover in the judo house here we are currently in between Internet providers. I am using my cell phone for Internet access until I can get a month to month service installed. It makes it rather difficult to stay up to date with my e-mails and blog posts, and impossible to post any video.

A lot of things are changing in my personal life right now. Things couldn’t be clearer in my judo life. It has definitely taken a toll on my personal life though. I started reading a new book this week that quoted a phrase by Nietzsche that totally encapsulates the Olympic struggle:

“The value of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it, but in what one pays for it-what it costs us.”

I am one of the unfunded athletes to the Pan Am Games. The NYAC will help with the expenses, but right now I have to front the cash. The credit cards are still over the max, and I am already short on this coming months rent. The specifics may be too much to explain but what it boils down to is, I need help… again.

Please, do what you can. There is no minimum and all donations are greatly appreciated.

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Nationals
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It has been nearly two weeks since my last post. I came back to MA to a house with no internet service so I have to make due. The Nationals are over, and I was unable to put a cap on a perfect day. I had some good matches early in the day and was feeling very good going into the finals. I fought Nick Kossor from Jason Morris’ Club whom I had beat in the Finals last year.

After being up most of a long tough match, there was about ten second left and I made an unnecessary attack which was essentially reversed for Ippon. The 4.50 seconds of controlling the match was gone and I had lost. It was an unfortunate end to my day, but I am happy that if it had to happen, it happened now.

My coaches and I have considered the cause of this incident and we have made the adjustments so that it will not happen again. I have had some good talks with Jimmy and Rhadi and I am feeling great about my progress. They both understand that things like this happen and the most important thing is to learn from it and use it. We are right where we need to be at this point.

When I get access to broadband I will throw up a quick clip of me thinking over my life right after the match.

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Personal
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If you take a look to the right you will notice I added a new widget by ChipIn. You can use this button to make donations now. It has the added ability to display the total of all of my contributions.

The first of the month is approaching quickly. Before I turn around, rent will be due. There are five months of rent to take care of, plus utilities etc. I will really need your help and support through the next few months while I am fighting in the Pan Ams and Trials. I have to take care of home.

These are the two most important events of the year and I am looking forward to peaking for them both. I am in a good position going into Pan Ams tied for the last position for the Olympics in the Pan Am Judo Union. I am extremely comfortable and confident with how I will finish this Olympic run.

This post is short, but I have lots to talk about training for Pan Ams and how I am feeling. I probably won’t be able to post as often or put up many videos in the next few months, but when I do they will be loaded.

Until then…

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from an old friend that I hadn’t spoken to in a while. Unfortunately, it contained some heart wrenching news. Krzysztof Wiłkomirski, Polish 2004 Olympian, three time World Cup Medalist and World Championships Bronze medalist is in dire need.

Wilkomirski’s son Frank was born with a very rare heart condition. Despite astronomical odds, several surgeries and being pronounced dead twice, Frank is still pushing on. Frank needs two more surgeries for a chance at a long life.

With the help of the European Courier and a few other individuals, the Wilkormirski’s are raising money to help pay for the surgeries that Frank needs.

Please visit their site and do what you can.

http://www.europeancourier.org/FranekWilkomirski.htm

http://www.franekwilkomirski.pl/en/

Here are some clips of me practicing my ground work both while in Florida at American Top Team, and some technical sessions here in Wakefield, MA. I have come a long way from about a year ago. This is the main reason my ear looks like it does!

More video is on the way!

I recently received this letter from one of my readers.

I am 41 and I have been training judo for about 2 years. I was hit by a drunk driver and have lost about 95% flexion in my right foot and have lost about 40% of the feeling in my right leg as a result of 3 back operation. This happened when I was 21 so I have learned to get by for the most part. I am only a green belt at this time because it takes me a bit longer to get my foot work down. I love judo a wish I could perform at 100% but I can’t. I don’t have a lot of money but I do feel that we as Americans need to help any one trying to make the Olympics to represent our great country. As I said I don’t have a lot of money, but after the holidays I will make a PayPal donation to help your cause. All I ask in return is you work you a$$ off, like you have been, and do your best. I have a 13 year old son who trains as well and I think it would be good for him to track how you do. This way he can see that the US team is not paid and you often go in debt to follow a dream, but you did follow a dream. That is very important for him to learn in my book.

I don’t know about you, but this gave me some objectivity when it comes to training. He was right on target about the debt part. I think we all take what we have for granted at times and don’t take much time to be thankful. I have been doing a lot of introspective thinking lately and I am learning to find enjoyment in everything I do.

I think we all spend a lot of time trying to balance the different parts of our life, but I don’t think balance is the solution. Enjoyment is. If you learn to find pleasure in your daily activities, they become fulfilling rather than daunting. This means approaching school as an opportunity to grow, time with those I love as needed leisure time, judo as a chance to fulfill my Olympic dreams, and training/dieting as a pathway to that dream and an exercise in discipline. I have minimized a lot of the stress in my life by doing this.

This story is just another reason to do just that. Enjoy every minute of every day, and be thankful for what you have. It is also humbling to have someone sacrifice for me, if not only to aid in me reaching my goals. Somewhere during all of my trials and tribulations, I have been granted everything I need to make the most of the next few months.

This is a change of tone from a lot of my posts. We will call it a moment of clarity.

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Judo
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Unfortunately, I have been bed ridden for the past 24 hours. I am sick once again. I have never been sick this often in my life. I missed practice last night. I will probably go through a light technical practice today. Tomorrow will be a tough practice and I need to have it together by then.

I didn’t do my circuit on Monday, so I will have to talk to Rhadi about rearranging my workouts this week to fit them all in. Luckily my weight has been relatively good. Because I have been out there isn’t much to talk about training wise.

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Life
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I have free time on my hands now and I am trying to make good use of it. Getting a 9-5 is unrealistic and really undervalues my time. I have my portfolio and sponsorship request letter updated and ready to go out. I am at the bottom of the barrel and I am getting a little antsy about where the funds are going to come from.

My sponsors have been helping with my expenses here in Wakefield, but I still have bills in NY to pay. I received $410 this month in gifts and donations from supporters and family. Thankfully, that has allowed me to stay afloat. A new month is approaching.

It seems I am constantly asking for donations despite how much I am given. That is because I am. I have received a lot of support and I am not sure where I would be without it. Unfortunately, the closer we get to the endgame, the more help I will need.

I have yet to get my ear drained. It hasn’t hardened yet, but I fear it will soon. I started wearing headgear, care of Hatashita Sports. It has helped a ton. It hasn’t gotten any bigger, but since I do not have any insurance, if/when I see a doctor it will have to come out of pocket so I have been putting it off. I am in the process of getting the Elite Athlete Insurance and I was hopeful it would cover it, but it doesn’t cover any sports related injuries.

Whatever the case is, I remain optimistic. Something will give sooner rather than later.

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