I have been absent. I'm sorry... it's not that I wasn't doing anything or that I was brooding in a dark place. I kind of was I suppose. I know writing can indeed be cathartic but I am also conscious of the public domain of the internet and it can be concerning just how personal and intimate typing away your thoughts can become...
This past November I travelled to Brazil with a large crew of the Canadian Women's National team. It was my second time competing in Rio de Janiero. Last time I went it was in November 2012. I had just returned to competing after taking on the role of training partner for the Canadian Olympic Team that summer. I was still so young and the Games had been amazing, awe-inspiring but also scary. I had snuck up onto the Olympic mats one day during weigh-ins and to step up into that arena, there certainly enters some doubt into the mind. You dream as a kid so whole heartedly about that moment and when it is right there, when you can now add all five senses into the mix, new emotions pop up. Fast Forward two years later, I have returned to Brazil. I have beaten the Olympic champion from London as well as a whole whack of other people. I'm now pretty good at this sport and had been undefeated my entire 2014 season until the World Championships where things just didn't go according to plan. Returning to competition a couple months after that, I was still reeling. I was still unsure of myself. It has been a battle. I think three times will be the charm and I will be ready when I return to rio next... I wrestled at the Nordhagen Classic on January 3rd in Calgary and then this past weekend in Guelph,ON. What I consider two home-town tournaments to ease me back into things. I am slowly re-gaining the swagger that I think is a requirement of true champions on the mat. If you are a fan of the wrestling or athlete, or fan of sports in general you know. Today, I will head off to Russia. To fly to the middle of nowhere and compete in the Ivan Yariguin tournament. It is part of our team's quest to seek out physically uncomfortable conditions so that when things become psychologically uncomfortable, we will be at ease. Or at least comfortable with being uncomfortable. This post is for Dr. Lawrence whom I met briefly on the weekend. Turns out someone other than my immediate family reads these posts... who knew!
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AuthorErica Wiebe is a Canadian freestyle wrestler and Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Calgary. Her passion for wrestling and writing combine in the words of this blog, sprinkled with a strong opinion on certain matters and a hint of feminist thrown in for good measure. Archives
August 2017
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