Check out No Holds Barred!!!

Eddie Goldman and No Holds Barred interviews Felicia at the FILA Grappling World Championships

Click HERE

Wow....

2 Gold Medals at the FILA World Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida!!!
Meeting so many great, wonderful, amazing, (insert many more "good" adjectives here) people over the last two weeks!!! (The list of adjectives AND of people are far too long....)
My 42nd birthday!!!!
Empty seat next to me on the plane ride home!!!!!
Guy in the next seat over offering me some chocolate (it was well intentioned and I declined...already had way too many sweets and it ain't even 8am PST!)...

I believe!!! I believe....if ever there was a doubt...this weekend must always be remembered...

Life...

Well, I guess it's safe to say that whenever you get too comfy or you progress in some way, life is always right there to bring you new challenges. The idea is that as you get better, you are better able to handle more and more difficult things. Well, that's great! That's just great. Cause sometimes, I just want to take a break! But it's not my choice now, is it?

www.themat.com

Check out the article on Felicia HERE!

It's out!

Check out Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine. The September/October issue!!! :P

Women's Summer Grappling Camp 2009

It's over. It's ov-ah!!!!!!!!
Sadly it's come to an end again.
So, every six months we'll do a Women's Grappling Camp and I'll just post when it's over ;)

Hellllooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

I've stepped over into Narnia!!! (just kidding, it's not that cold at all.)
Greetings from the Women's Summer Grappling Camp in Toronto, Canada!!!
(and Narnia is just the metaphor for the strange bathroom entrance at the venue for the Grapple Girls Women's Open Tournament. One of the entrances into the restroom took you into an empty stall! Interesting architectural/construction decision.
Just finished with the first day of camp!!!
Emily and Val did a great job teaching the sessions today!
The rest of the week lies ahead....

What lies before you

Most days I love life and all of it's unknown possibilities waiting to unfold before me. Anything can happen at any moment and a life can be changed forever. Almost anything is possible. There is hope. There is future. There is so much to be done and it's exciting...even I'm waiting to see what happens next.
Some days it can also be a source of overwhelming anxiety and frustration and I look around and see myself sitting in a bathtub full of tears.

Little Reminders

Sometimes they are really subtle. Sometimes I can't even identify what is a little reminder. Searching in the dark trying to understand or make sense. Trying to figure out the message, the course of events...the idea that whatever it is, whatever this is...is the next step on the road, good or bad. But the question rises up...how can this bad thing be good? What is it here that I'm supposed to be getting? Or is it just me trying to make sense out of something that doesn't make sense. Is this making sense?
Does everything that happens REALLY happen for a reason (as we all like to say)? Or is it like history...where it's really HOW you see things or interpret things or define things? Is "making sense" of life really just packaging events into a coherent, manageable and understandable sequence of related events? Is it really just about interpretation?

Honesty

Be honest with yourself.
Don't keep saying you're going to do something but deep inside you know you're never going to do it. Why the lip service? Don't keep lying to yourself. Be honest about who you are. All this does is waste your time and energy.
Don't be the guy (who we all know) who says he wants to train BJJ but you never see him take a class or step on the mat. What are you waiting for? Do it or let it go.
Don't be the guy that always says he's going to compete but he NEVER does because he's never "ready". What does it mean to be "ready"? If you are going to do it, then do it. There ARE belt/skill levels for a reason. Don't waste your life away dreaming about a day that never comes. Make that day today.

One moment, this moment.
One day, this day.
One life, this life.


*Disclaimer: Please act responsibly.

Reminders Are Always Around

It is easy to get caught up in our lives. It can be a great thing!
Living your life.
Being present.
Making conscious choices.
All things we strive to do...but every once in a while, little reminders are thrown in our face.
Maybe you haven't had a break in quite sometime and someone mentions taking a vacation, but you think there's no need...you don't have time. Then a couple of days later, you end up sick in bed.
DING DING DING...You WIN!!! ENFORCED VACATION at your own lovely casa for an undetermined number of days and nights!

Maybe you get a call with news that someone died. DING DING DING! You get reminded about life and how tenuous it can be.

Each of these are just more signs along the pathway of our journey. When driving, you always have to make those constant little re-adjustments of the wheel to keep you centered on the road...

Improvement and Competition

One of the fastest ways to improve your grappling or BJJ game is to compete. Competition is a great way to learn about your game. You get to go with people you don't know...people outside of your academy or gym that don't know you or your game and you don't know them or their game. You get to find out what is working and what isn't working, It's like a quick little road map to guide you in what you need to work on. It's a whole different experience from training at the academy and I recommend everyone do it at least once. Maybe you'll hate it and never do it again. Maybe you'll benefit from the experience and continue to do it. You also get to see other gyms, meet other people that share your same interest, make new friends and become a part of the larger BJJ/Grappling community!

Oh, and how convenient (shameless plug...but it doesn't change what I just said about competition) ...March 7 and 8, 2009 is the BJMUTA Classic Tournament in Valencia, CA.
No-Gi on Saturday, Gi on Sunday.
Double elimination for a great price.
Check the website and call the gym to register!
www.bjmuta.com
661-775-0365

Women's Grappling Camp 2009

has now come to it's conclusion :(
I think (and hope that) everyone that attended got what they needed from it. It was an amazing experience for me and (I hope) for everyone that attended. Sounds like I'm "hopeful"....lol.
What does this mean now? I suppose it's time to decompress, think a bit about the future (or at least some future plans) and the beginning of a new journey...another mountain to climb...here we go...

Being "ready" for life...

Work hard, work hard at what you love, and more hard work...opportunity comes. Be ready and willing to take it when it does. "Ready" is a result of hard work.

Search

Do we ever know what it is we are looking for? Do we ever find it? Does the search ever end? Always something new...
How could life ever get boring? Maybe exhausting, stressful, challenging, demanding...perhaps EVERCHANGING...but boring?!?!? Boring...OHMYGOD, that's like soooooooo high school.