Sparring Tournaments Can Be Visits, Too. Part Two.
In the previous post, Sparring Tournaments Can Be Visits, Too, I’d planned to write about how we met in Florida for a sparring tournament and all the quality time we spent together during the trip. But once I started writing about our adventures on the first day there (weigh-in day), I just couldn’t stop! So much happened that day. I need to start a blog dedicated to taekwondo, otherwise it will take over this site which is supposed to be dedicated to our long distance family (LDF)!
At the end of the last post, Jack made his weight goal for the AAU National Championships after a grueling workout that allowed him to drop 5 pounds that morning. Then, we grabbed a late lunch, and Dennis and Ben made it to our hotel after a two day drive. Success!
Dennis and Ben settled in, we all caught up and the kids and Miranda (my BFF/Jack’s training partner) went for a swim in the hotel pool. Even though the next day was fight day (on the 4th of July!), his fight time wasn’t until the afternoon. That allowed us to get a good night’s sleep, and eat a relaxed breakfast in the morning.
Since Dennis drove his car to Florida, we didn’t have to Uber anymore! It was a little cramped for five people plus sparring gear and a cooler for snacks, but we made the most of it.
The Tournament
The tournament was running like a well-oiled machine. Everyone we talked to fought on time. That is practically unheard of at martial arts tournaments! And it’s so much better for the fighters who usually have to wait around in a holding area without access to their families who aren’t allowed back unless they are also competing or coaching.
We met up with Jack’s coach (shout out to Coach Angel Aranzamendi from A-Team Taekwondo!), and soon it was time for him to start warming up for his first fight. The stress and anxiety from yesterday’s issues with the weigh in and ATMs are nothing compared to watching these sparring matches. They’re only three one-and-a-half minute rounds, but they are intense. His first fight was even longer than usual because his opponent’s sensored sparring sock came apart during the match and had to be repaired, so that took extra time. The referee also had to pause for a couple of standing eight counts with Jack’s opponent as well.
Since this is technically a family blog and not a sports blog, I’ll explain a standing eight count. A standing eight is when the athlete is still on his feet, but the ref counts to eight to ensure that it’s safe for the athlete to continue. If the athlete seems unsteady or is unable to focus on the ref, it could result in a technical knock-out, or TKO. Fortunately, Jack’s opponent was well enough to continue.
Jack fought so well, though, that the fight ended after only two rounds, since he was ahead by 20 points. Woo-hoo! He didn’t get much of a break, though, since he had to fight his next match immediately.
Jack didn’t fare so well in his next fight. He was paid back for winning the first match by 20 points, by getting beaten by 20 points in this fight. He did fight strongly, though, and made it to the third round before the fight ended due to the 20 point gap. Jack’s performance earned him a silver medal at the tournament, and we couldn’t have been more proud! This win advances him to the AAU National Team Trials at the Junior Olympics in North Carolina next month.
Miranda weighed in without issue, and her fights were the next day.
So we had the rest of the day to celebrate and chill!
Since Dennis and Ben missed out on Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill the day before, we decided to take them there. One of the other taekwondo schools had the same idea, and arrived at Gilbert’s just ahead of us. There were about 20 of them though, so we had a bit of a wait. Coincidentally, it was another Colorado school and one that Jack and Miranda have trained with. We’ve also traveled with them. Because we were friends with them, most of us didn’t mind, but Ben had hit his “travel wall” and was ready to be back home in Colorado. At the very least, he wanted to be back in the hotel room away from other people. So he was having a really rough time. We knew that a little food would help him feel better, but the food was taking a while, and there was not much we could do to appease him in the meantime.
Eventually, the food arrived, and was just as delicious as the day before. We finished eating, and headed back to the hotel. Feeling rejuvenated after eating, this time all five of us went to the pool. We stayed and played until we were prunes, and this is just what Ben needed. Handstand contests, who could hold their breath the longest, who could shoot water the farthest by squeezing their hands together. Everyone had a blast!
We went back to the room to rest, and discussed plans to watch fireworks. It was hard to believe that, at the end of this extremely long day, it was still 4th of July! But once we had all showered and changed, everyone was too exhausted to go anywhere. Luckily, we were able to see multiple fireworks shows from our hotel room window! It was the perfect ending to the day.
Miranda's Fight
The next day, we returned to the events center to watch Miranda’s fights. She only had one match to fight and she lost, but because she had a bye, she tied for bronze. Congratulations, Miranda! The early fight time meant we were finished by noon, so we were free to go to the beach!
We found a spot on the beach with just enough shade for us and our things, and we celebrated the end of the tournament with some fun and refreshing ocean time! Afterwards, we found Quarterdeck, another highly rated restaurant (thank goodness for Google reviews, amiright?). They didn’t even mind seating us even though we were still wet. We had an amazing meal of seafood, salad and subs (all the important S foods), tasted some local beer and strawberry mojito, and headed back to the hotel to pack all of our gross, smelly clothes.
Goodbyes
The next morning, Jack, Ben, Miranda and I left for the airport, while Dennis left in his car for the 15 hour drive back to Washington, DC.
We felt pretty satisfied about the quality family time we were able to spend together, and the awesome memories we created on this trip. But we did discuss how much we prefer the togetherness of time at home where we don’t have much planned.
Our last three family visits have been meet-ups. We’ve met in Puerto Rico for the San Juan Open Tournament; in Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas for sparring camp plus vacation; and now Ft. Lauderdale for Nationals. Dennis hadn’t even been to his home in Colorado for three months.
In the last couple few blogs, I’ve hinted that we’re about to be apart for the longest time ever. Since we started our long distance family’s journey, the longest time we’ve been apart has been for a month. One time, we had to wait five weeks between seeing each other. And as strange as it sounds, all four of us felt the weight of that extra week.
But once we left each other in Florida, we knew we were leaving Dennis
for six and a half weeks
After Florida, he returned to DC to work for two weeks, before flying to New Delhi in India for work for a month. So not only will we not see each other for six and a half weeks, we’ll be on completely opposite time zones.
The kids and I are so excited for him to get this opportunity to experience India in a way that allows him to immerse himself into the country and its culture. And once he’s back in the States, he’s finally coming home to Colorado for at least ten days. If you’ve read my post titled How to Keep from Missing Your Long Distance Love, you know that I recommend planning your next trip so you have something to look forward to, and also staying busy.
Not only do we have at least ten days with him to look forward to, but we’ve got the staying busy part down, too. We have two more trips planned (one to St. Louis to visit family, and one to North Carolina for AAU National Team Trials at Jr. Olympics). We’re also training for our next belt levels in taekwondo; first degree black belt for me, and second degree for the boys. On top of all that, school starts back! So here’s hoping that these next few weeks fly by.
Since my last two posts were so taekwondo heavy, yet we have more taekwondo training and events coming up, this may also be the jump start I need to start a dedicated taekwondo blog as well. Stay tuned for news about that, and as always, leave comments or suggestions and subscribe so that you don’t miss any updates!
Dennis, don’t forget to blog about your trip in India!!