ST PATRICK'S DAY GOLD

I did it.Fought again. While every Irish person I knew in Vancouver was out boozing for Paddys Weekend I was in the hairdressers getting my fight hair done. Even though I was going to be wearing headgear I just didn't want to worry about pony tails falling out. One less thing to worry about. Early start that morning to go and get weighed in. I even ate a breakfast because I knew it was going to be a long day. Weighed in at 160lbs at around 9.30am. Didn't fight until about 4.30pm.

Women's kickboxing were the last to fight in the whole tournament. I ate about 3 snickers that day. I was so sick with nerves. Then I'd sit there enjoy watching some fights, forget about my fight and then remember and get nervous all over again. What I was getting worked up about was so stupid too. One thing for instance was if my opponent wanted to touch gloves and then I'd touch them and she's hit me straight away. Then I was getting worried about not touching gloves and looking like a bitch. The fights were also on mats was well not a ring so I was wondering about running off the mat and what would happen then. I really tortured myself to the point where I was starting to thing maybe I should just run out the door and forget about it all. 

There was me and two other women in my gym in the same weight category, there was 7 in our division in total. Both girls from my gym fought first and I weirdly relaxed as I watched them. All of a sudden it was my turn and I was putting on the shitty pair of 14oz gloves that they gave us to wear I instantly felt panicy. The gloves were cheap and shit. Flashback of my first taste of getting boxed to death at a demo with cheap gloves. No time to reminisce of the past though as it was time to fight. No bell no frills at this show, the ref tells you to fight and you shuffle to the centre of the mat and bang.

Off I went and my thought were "Oh my God this is really happening" and she hit me and I didn't feel a thing and I hit her back as hard as I could. I never stopped going for her for the whole round. I also never heard a damn thing I was in my own world. My eyes were on her and my mind was on hitting non-stop. Each fight is 90seconds so there was no time for hanging around. At the end of the fight they throw a towel onto the mat instead of ringing a bell. My hand was raised. Best feeling in the world.

I had one round out and in I was again to fight a girl who got a free pass into the semi final over the odd number. She was tall and lean and I did feel a bit intimated because she was fresh and had just watched me but as soon as that "bell" went I was in my own world again. She hit me first which really annoyed me as I wanted to be the first to hit but I instantly jabbed her back and ended up chasing her around for the whole fight. I was much stronger than she was. I had no fear whatsoever of her. When my hand was raised again I was so happy. I never imagined I'd win two in a row.