The Runcible Blog

I competed in the NE Grappling Challenge today and took home a silver "metal" after beating this girl in the beginner 145lbs division. Here's the exciting fight in its entirety:

The second fight (that I lost) and the rest of the fights from my fellow Redline Fight Sports teammates are already on youtube.

My first tournament was a great experience. I'm looking forward to the next one in June and improving my stand-up skills in the meantime.

Thank you to everyone who made the hike to Bridgewater to sit in a smelly gym for hours and cheer me on!

I'm planning on competing in two upcoming grappling tournaments:

• NE Grappling Challenge at Bridgewater State on May 30.  The rules and weight divisions seem favorable for a beginner like me.  It could be interesting.
• NAGA East Coast Championship in Providence on June 27.  This will be a much bigger event.  I'll probably have no chance.

I didn't think I'd be ready for a tournament, but my instructor, Mark, convinced me by saying, "nobody is ever ready for a tournament."  It didn't take much convincing.  My game plan is to distract my opponents with my vale tudo shorts and then try for o soto gari or maybe even seoi nage.  Once on the ground, I'll rely on my excessive sweatiness to evade submission...

In other news, Tabblo passed the 2 year anniversary of the official acquisition date (and our time in Marlborough).  I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it's a notable event.

It's also getting close to the time when I have to decide whether to renew my lease here or move somewhere else.  Since I just applied for a passport, my options will be more open!  Got any wild suggestions?