I wanted to prove to myself I was good enough.
For this qualifier I had the pleasure of staying with my long-time friends DJ Crykit and Bboy Smurf (Mighty Zulu Kings). Because of their hospitality I was able to get into and stay in a relaxed state and hours before the battle I felt somewhat calm, relaxed, loved, and supported. To top it all off, my crew mate from EOR and childhood friend Bboy Jermz (Rockforce) was at the competition as well and was behind me every step of the way.
Despite all of this, I was still very nervous and anxious for the battle, as this was going to be my first battle since leaving for deployment. This meant I had not battled or attended a jam in person in over a year. I had some dust to kick off to say the least. My goal for this jam was simply to 'get back in the saddle' and execute some of the new material I had come up with over the past year. But most importantly, I wanted to prove to myself I was good enough. Because over the past year while I was deployed, as I watched the rest of the world compete, I constantly doubted myself and wondered if I was good enough. This is because I was practicing and training alone, meanwhile everyone else back stateside was getting opportunities that I was missing out on.
As I moved from top 16, into top 8, then through top 4 and into the final battle, I accomplished these goals. By the time the finals came I felt accomplished and had finally proved to myself that I am good enough ... I now didn't care if I won or lose because in my mind, I had already won. My opponent was Bgirl La Vix, someone that I really respect and I envy her style. La vix is very detail orientated, has amazing flow, and her thread combinations are immaculate. Needless to say I was intimidated. When the battle was over, I actually was not 100% confident I had won. To be honest, depending on the judges opinion, the battle could have gone either way. And then it was announced that I won in a 2/3 judges vote!
I had just returned from a year long deployment, trained my butt off, and came back to my first competition and won! Thus securing 35 points and locking in a spot at the Breaking for Gold USA Nationals! I wish the world could have heard the excitement in my husband and parents cheers. To my husband, you're my greatest supporter. This man sacrifices so much so that I may be able to train every single day. From taking care of our family and home to allowing me to practice and workout for several hours in a day (not to mention the 4 am wake ups hearing me practice), Sean Pritchard you are just as much of a winner as I am.
What's next? Well Austin, Texas regionals are next weekend. I have little to no time to train. But now that I have the confidence in myself, I intend on now executing even more material that I was before uneasy about doing. But most importantly, I want to continue as if I haven't won anything, because I am being truthful when I say my final battle against La Vix really could have gone either way. I need to stay ready and prepared to face off against that high of a skill level.
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