Day 2
I was awake at 8:30 AM. Day 2 began with a trek to find Corner Bakery for breakfast. After eating an Anaheim Scrambler and some tea, I was ready for action. We took a cab over to Walmart and purchased snacks and water for the next day. I spent the majority of the day hanging out in the hotel room. At around 3:45 PM, I walked to the convention center and explored the venue. We unfortunately had to walk back in the rain. That part really sucked… Our coach held a meeting at 9:15 PM. We discussed strategy and then he dismissed us. I returned to my room for the night, ate Panang curry that was WAYYY too salty, and tried to go to bed. I ended up falling asleep around 2 AM.
I was thankful for the full day of rest before the actual competition.
Day 3
I tossed and turned all night long. Randomly waking up at 3:33 AM because I felt nauseous was not an ideal way to start day 3, but I tried to go back to sleep. Fortunately, I was successful.
We were up before the sun was in the sky. It was just getting light outside. After packing up my gis (judo uniform) and gathering up supplies, I made it to the hotel lobby, dropped my stuff on a chair, and took my dog outside. After waiting a few minutes, my coach joined us and we walked over to the convention center.
I watched my teammates fight. Then it was my turn. Overall, I learned that my attacks were cleaner and I was a much better fighter. Our team results were: 2 gold, 3 silver. All in all, we did an excellent job. I was able to purchase my first gi/gear bag at this venue. All of my judo gear finally has a home.
We left the venue and got back to the hotel. I showered and packed the rest of my belongings. After thoroughly checking the room, I said goodbye to my bed and went downstairs to the lobby. The rest of my teammates arrived with their belongings. We hung out, ate pizza, and just talked until we had to leave for the airport around 7 PM. Our flight was delayed. We didn’t take off till 10:20 PM. I listened to my book the entire way back to Chicago. Luckily, there were not that many people on board, so I got to sit in my own row.
We arrived at O’Hare just past 12:45 PM. I bid farewell to my teammates and left the airport. Once I got home, I finished my book and passed out.
