Stretching out the Knots

Its been a tough few days! Walking, standing, sitting, jumping.......I cant feel all the muscles in my legs since taking on a new gym program. Everything right now is hurting!.....BUT a good "hurt" so to speak. I know that by doing this, things can improve so Im happy to push through the pain. ...I just hope that by next week my body is used to all the new training and will settle back into feeling fresh.

and....IT WAS FUN!

Perthing it!

Well back at training in Perth for a bit. Amy and I are striking a pretty "pathetic" pose in this picture, after our hard work. I have just officialy figured out what Im doing with uni this year, and that is....going back!!! OMG! As if 6 years of study isnt enough!

Dr Amr, the new appointed head manager/coach (I really have no idea what the name of his position is called, he is coming to Australia this week so we will have plans of future international comps very soon!

I have managed to get a few fill in the time jobs here in WA. One is working with a hospitality recruitment company, and the other is driving around smart cars with advertising billboard trailers on the back! Thats going to be so cool! Amy and I have both joined up and are taking them for a cruise around Subiaco, the city and Claremont tomorrow! SHOULD BE ALOT OF FUN IN THE SUN:)

MY week OFF

I spent a week extra in Melbourne, just sorting my belongings out and having fun with friends. We managed to have a great time at the Australian Open. I got to see Roger Federer again..Can you believe it! Just take a look......

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyys, other than that we shopped, saw the Lion King musical, Memoirs of Geisha, Munich and checked out my gym facilities. All in all--I enjoyed the week off and the slight tan I got from walking around so much!.

Welter Weight AUSSIE Champ (57-67kgs)

It’s now a few days past the competition I just competed in. It was the first of the BBAP Olympic Squad Selections for my sport and I won the welter weight category. This is the first major step towards being on the Aussie Team for Beijing and one step closer towards my goal of gold at an Olympic Games. My game results are as follows:

FIRST FIGHT
VS Dounia Larhouile :15:6

SECOND FIGHT
VS Christine Balmer 7: (minus) -1

SEMI FINAL
VS Skye Scibberas:10:4

FINAL
VS Stephanie NG: 9:3

I did most of the things I wanted to in the ring. I enjoyed the game, I felt in control at all times and I was mentally a lot stronger than I have been in the past. I took note of a few comments made this week before my fight. One is, “Taekwondo is a sport about kicking and scoring points and being kicked and scored against.” I know this sounds quite basic but at the end of the day my blondeness actually understood what it meant!!! OMG! So instead of stressing when ever someone got a point on me, I took it all in my stride and scored 2 more back. No rushing, just patience, perseverance and control…just like my sporting hero, Roger Federer (I’M HIS BIGGEST FAN).

One other thing that I always do for comp is take a small book my mother gave me for my first nationals. Each comp I open the book to any page and read the tips it has to offer me. The other day my books message for success read: "Mind the store. No one cares about your business the way you do" and "Every now and then, bite off more than you can chew". I dont know if I bit off more than I could have chewed but I did mind my store and kept others scores quite low.

So where to from here? We will have to see what unfolds within the next few weeks to see whether I am still in Melbourne or Perth and which competitions I will target.

Turkey

Well its almost been a month I think since I last wrote. I am now in Turkey preparing for the upcoming competition and everything has been going fairly well. Im happy, Im healthy and getting fit to fight in just under two weeks. The time has gone by so quickly it felt like only yesterday I was back in Perth. Over here in Turkey, my boyfriend, Bahri Tanrikulu (2004 Olympic silver medallist)is getting me fit and ready to fight. We train each night between 1.5 and 2 hours and morning fitness sessions. My main female training partner is Azize who is his sister (European Champion) and there are plenty of others around who are willing to have a brawl with me. The aggressive nature of training is something I am enjoying and adding it to my game plan. Tough mind, tough heart and no tears! Hopefully you will see something new and exciting at the next competition from me. Look forward to giving you more positive updates! Above is a picture of Bahri and I and then his sister. I have had such a wonderful time here with him and his family. I love them so much! I've experienced many things here other than training and just to name a few I would say: living in trees houses on the mountain tops for a few days, Bayram (which is an islamic holiday where you basically eat alot of sweets, some sheep and also visit people), and I learnt how to play Tavla and Chess properly! ...oh and just to let you all know......I am yet to find someone here who likes my vegetmite as much as I do!!! How can someone not LOVE vegemite!

MERRY XMAS....CHEERS TO THE FAMILY!

Merry XMAS everyone and a Happy New Year!!!! The last week I have had an absolute ball, individual training with the ATI gang, meeting up with friends, going out for coffees, looking after my little sis and neice and SHOPPING!!! This morning I was woken up at about 6am to open pressies and I think this year was the best ever! This year was full of hope, happiness, a few tears, few injuries, but most importantly it was a year in which my life turned around for the good of my sport and my health. I went from the idea of quitting taekwondo early in the year, to going to the world championships in Spain, then winning the Korean Open, visiting Turkey for the Universiade Champs, winning nationals...and now with a new focus and new goals I feel its all steam ahead to January and 2008!

To next year! I cant wait to see what it holds!! May it be filled with happiness, love, health, and success! The journey may have already been written, but its up to me to find the right destination!

1 Sleep to Go

Today was my last training session in Melbourne for one week. I will be heading back to Perth tomorrow to see my family and enjoy the Christmas period. Whilst home, Kristy and I will still be hard at training (at least til the 24th) because of the upcoming competition. I'll be heading on down to WAIS to visit the psychologist, Athlete Education Officer and also our program manager, I don't get to see them much so it will be good to catch up and let them know whats been happening! As for me now I have a massive task ahead of me in deciding what to pack...oh i love dresses and its all so difficult to decide which ones to take back....I want to wear everything at once!....