pattern recognition

I was in another competition this morning - my home club, at 9:30 am. This, I am aware, does not sound hellaciously early, but then, you're not counting in the getting up early enough to eat something and drink a couple of glasses of water so I can be fueled enough to hit the strip but not get a stitch in my side, plus helping set up before hand as well.

I.... did not suck. For the last couple of tournaments my pool results were extreme - either winning or losing 5 to nothing. Today I lost them all, but there were a couple of 5 to 3s, 5 to 2s. That I could get more than one point against the people in question suggests I've learned something, so I went into direct elimination feeling optimistic.

I disappointed myself in the DE. As L. (the other coach from my club, who reffed the bout) pointed out, my opponent was doing the same thing over and over again and and I kept freezing up when she did it. I could have, should have won. It stung to hear because he was right - she kept getting me the same way and for one reason or another, I just couldn't see it well enough to formulate a defense.

I suspect there are several reasons for this: I didn't eat enough before or during, and may have been hungrier than I realized because once my adrenalin gets pumping, my stomach doesn't growl to be filled even when it needs it. I'm still new to this whole "athlete" thing and am still figuring out the right preloading for me. Clearly half a plate of leftover vindaloo and a couple of bites of blueberry muffin aren't it :P

Also, I feel rushed on the strip during competition in a way that I don't at practice. I end up making offensive moves I'm not good at and falling on my opponent's sword. Granted today the repeated exhortations of the refs that we needed to be out of the space by 2 didn't help, but this is something I need to get over.

I also need to develop enough stamina to keep "dancing" with my opponent while I think. I'm not completely stupid but I am slow on the uptake and until I grok all the strategic stuff I've been learning I need to do something to buy myself some time on the strip.

note to self: Browncoat buckles

Mostly for me but shared for those who might want it:

Buckles for Firefly browncoat; found through this guy who includes this contact info.

'Cos one never knows when one might need a brown coat.

Why yes, I am procrastinating on the vest :P

addendum re: pregame food

Yep, I definitely didn't have a good breakfast plan this morning....

I clearly have some sort of habit of eating too much when I don't need to and not enough (or the wrong things) when I do.

I think part of this has been subliminal disbelief that I might actually be some sort of athlete, and I'd better start eating like one :P

Found here, though the writer's suggestion of oatmeal might not be enough for me - I have a bowl on the average workday and the desk job still has me feeling scrawny by noon.

pushing multiple fan buttons at once

captains_jack, for all your "Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Jack Harkness, Captain Jack Aubrey, Captain Jack Absolute, Doctor Who, Pirates of the Caribbean, Master and Commander, scurvy, slash, time travel, or any combinations thereof" needs.

The creators point out, "Hey, it's funnier than "Curse of the Black Tardis."