In which I attend yet another karate tournament
I'd better watch out. This could be addicting.
You might remember my lackluster performance at the St. Paul Tournament. As I mentioned then, I am state champion (for my age group [40s], gender [male], and rank [color belt]) for weapons, and possibly for sparring. I goofed on my form and didn't get state champion for that.
exwxgirl mentioned before the St. Paul tournament that there was one the following weekend in Quincy, IL. I dismissed the suggestion, and I was down about my performance at St. Paul that I didn't really consider it. But about Tuesday, I started. I looked at the point situation and possibilities, and the more I did, the more I realized that my going to the Quincy tourney just might, if things fall right (mainly with my performance and the number of people in the ring, which determines how many points each place is worth), I might have a shot. Percentages for my attending were slowly rising through the week. They took a big jump after I spoke with one of the instructors and told me that I had basically nothing to lose and a lot to gain. So I went.
I left home at about 5:40 a.m. yesterday, drove for 6 hours and 11 minutes straight (no stops, one tank of gas) to the tournament. I had some time to kill, so I kept score and time for a ring of other competitors. More time passed, and it was time for my group's staging. We split up us adult men color belts by age. That put me (red) against three green belts and a camouflage belt. "Wow, how fortunate was that!" I thought, but I didn't want to psych up myself. I needed the points in forms, and it was quite possible anyone could have their form down cold, but I liked my chances. It looked for a minute they'd put me in the 30s men group because I was more "like" them (they were mainly red belts, like me), but they stuck with the age thing. Let the competition begin!
To keep things short (ha!), I took second in form, which is what I needed to do. First would've been nice for my own feeling good and for the points, but second was fine. In weapons, I took first with a kind-of-botched form. But, as a nice bonus, I won sparring! I hoped I would; I was up against a bunch of much-lower-ranked, but again, sometimes there's just one guy who's got his stuff down. But with the five of us, someone had to possibly spar three times, and that person was me. I won decisively with five points in each match. So that sewed up my state championship in sparring. I already had won state champ in weapons. So now, if everything fell like I thought it would, and despite a slow start in the tourney year last July, I would be a triple-crown state champion for 2009.
Off my post-competition high, I changed into my civvies and headed back home. After gassing up, another 6 hours in the car (straight), and I was back home about 10:50 p.m. I was still in pretty good condition, not too tired mentally nor physically, but I was glad to get home.
So, to sum up (I suppose it's too late for that now, but anyway):
A timeline if you're really bored:
0408 - Wake up
0526 - Depart. Mileage 0. On the radio is Dire Straits "Walk of Life." GPS indicates an arrival time of 1124.
0558 - On I-35, south of CR 60. Sky is noticeably lighter. See 2 linear antenna arrays to east
0610 - Grass near the freeway greening up nicely
0615 - GPS sunrise
0631 - Crossing I-90
0633 - $1.89 gas north of Albert Lea
0635 - Moderate rain crossing Albert Lea Lake
0642 - Iowa! and Mountain Dew
0650 - Wind farms to west and east near Joice
0702 - Clearview font on signs!
0703 - Maybe not?
0709 - Looks like frontal surface ahead. Still cool outside.
0723 - Heavy rain
0727 - More heavy rain
0729 - Passed semi with trailer full of bee hive boxes
0735 - Crossing Iowa River
0738 - Wind farm to west
0741 - Heavy rain
0743 - Rain ended. See waves in clouds to east
0747 - Turned on to US 20 east to Waterloo
0801 - Sign: "Hell was made for deadbeat moms"
0808 - Crossed Iowa River through a deep valley
0833 - More rain
0835 - Passing Cedar Falls
0836 - Heavy rain
0838 - Very heavy rain
0839 - Lightning
0841 - Heavy rainfall. Lots of Clearview signs.
0908 - Heavy rain
0917 - Smell grass fire, but it's sprinkling
0920 - Cedar Rapids. In-pavement reflectors. Clearview font on new signs.
0925 - Most traffic so far of the trip
0941 - Exit 0A and 0B on I-380
0943 - "Emergency" detour of I-80?
0957 - Terrain similar to that south of Des Moines on I-35
1000 - 327 miles
1027 - Approaching cold front? Humidity increasing
1029 - "St. Louis 227"
1035 - Wind from south. Warmer, and more humid. Clouds thinning.
1055 - Missouri!
1100 - 400 miles
1102 - Jct US 61
1105 - Missouri bear trap
1127 - Exit to Quincy US 24
1134 - Mississippi River and Illinois!
1137 - Here (at the tourney)! 6 hours, 11 minutes
Tournament - Form: 2nd, Weapon: 1st, Sparring: 1st
1635 - Depart tournament
1655 - Missouri!
1656 - Stop for gas, pop
1704 - Leave gas station
1741 - Iowa!
1900 - Dark to north
1903 - Rain
1909 - Cedar Rapids
1919 - Lightning to northwest
1921 - Heavy rain. Lightning ahead.
1929 - Thunderstorm with decreasing rain
1935 - Light rain
1957 - Waterloo
1958 - End of I-380. Stoplights?!
2041 - Wind farm at night on both sides. Lots of red blinkies at Charles City.
2117 - I-35
2131 - Minnesota!
2248 - Home!
You might remember my lackluster performance at the St. Paul Tournament. As I mentioned then, I am state champion (for my age group [40s], gender [male], and rank [color belt]) for weapons, and possibly for sparring. I goofed on my form and didn't get state champion for that.
exwxgirl mentioned before the St. Paul tournament that there was one the following weekend in Quincy, IL. I dismissed the suggestion, and I was down about my performance at St. Paul that I didn't really consider it. But about Tuesday, I started. I looked at the point situation and possibilities, and the more I did, the more I realized that my going to the Quincy tourney just might, if things fall right (mainly with my performance and the number of people in the ring, which determines how many points each place is worth), I might have a shot. Percentages for my attending were slowly rising through the week. They took a big jump after I spoke with one of the instructors and told me that I had basically nothing to lose and a lot to gain. So I went.
I left home at about 5:40 a.m. yesterday, drove for 6 hours and 11 minutes straight (no stops, one tank of gas) to the tournament. I had some time to kill, so I kept score and time for a ring of other competitors. More time passed, and it was time for my group's staging. We split up us adult men color belts by age. That put me (red) against three green belts and a camouflage belt. "Wow, how fortunate was that!" I thought, but I didn't want to psych up myself. I needed the points in forms, and it was quite possible anyone could have their form down cold, but I liked my chances. It looked for a minute they'd put me in the 30s men group because I was more "like" them (they were mainly red belts, like me), but they stuck with the age thing. Let the competition begin!
To keep things short (ha!), I took second in form, which is what I needed to do. First would've been nice for my own feeling good and for the points, but second was fine. In weapons, I took first with a kind-of-botched form. But, as a nice bonus, I won sparring! I hoped I would; I was up against a bunch of much-lower-ranked, but again, sometimes there's just one guy who's got his stuff down. But with the five of us, someone had to possibly spar three times, and that person was me. I won decisively with five points in each match. So that sewed up my state championship in sparring. I already had won state champ in weapons. So now, if everything fell like I thought it would, and despite a slow start in the tourney year last July, I would be a triple-crown state champion for 2009.
Off my post-competition high, I changed into my civvies and headed back home. After gassing up, another 6 hours in the car (straight), and I was back home about 10:50 p.m. I was still in pretty good condition, not too tired mentally nor physically, but I was glad to get home.
So, to sum up (I suppose it's too late for that now, but anyway):
- Miles driven: 850.3 (1,368 km)
- Stops: 3 (at the tourney, to gas up, home)
- Time away from home: 5:26 a.m. to 10:48 p.m., 17 hours 22 minutes
- Driving time: 12 hours 14 minutes
- States driven in: 4 (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois)
- Tournament medals won: 3 (forms: 2nd, weapons: 1st, sparring: 1st)
- State championships earned: 3
A timeline if you're really bored:
0408 - Wake up
0526 - Depart. Mileage 0. On the radio is Dire Straits "Walk of Life." GPS indicates an arrival time of 1124.
0558 - On I-35, south of CR 60. Sky is noticeably lighter. See 2 linear antenna arrays to east
0610 - Grass near the freeway greening up nicely
0615 - GPS sunrise
0631 - Crossing I-90
0633 - $1.89 gas north of Albert Lea
0635 - Moderate rain crossing Albert Lea Lake
0642 - Iowa! and Mountain Dew
0650 - Wind farms to west and east near Joice
0702 - Clearview font on signs!
0703 - Maybe not?
0709 - Looks like frontal surface ahead. Still cool outside.
0723 - Heavy rain
0727 - More heavy rain
0729 - Passed semi with trailer full of bee hive boxes
0735 - Crossing Iowa River
0738 - Wind farm to west
0741 - Heavy rain
0743 - Rain ended. See waves in clouds to east
0747 - Turned on to US 20 east to Waterloo
0801 - Sign: "Hell was made for deadbeat moms"
0808 - Crossed Iowa River through a deep valley
0833 - More rain
0835 - Passing Cedar Falls
0836 - Heavy rain
0838 - Very heavy rain
0839 - Lightning
0841 - Heavy rainfall. Lots of Clearview signs.
0908 - Heavy rain
0917 - Smell grass fire, but it's sprinkling
0920 - Cedar Rapids. In-pavement reflectors. Clearview font on new signs.
0925 - Most traffic so far of the trip
0941 - Exit 0A and 0B on I-380
0943 - "Emergency" detour of I-80?
0957 - Terrain similar to that south of Des Moines on I-35
1000 - 327 miles
1027 - Approaching cold front? Humidity increasing
1029 - "St. Louis 227"
1035 - Wind from south. Warmer, and more humid. Clouds thinning.
1055 - Missouri!
1100 - 400 miles
1102 - Jct US 61
1105 - Missouri bear trap
1127 - Exit to Quincy US 24
1134 - Mississippi River and Illinois!
1137 - Here (at the tourney)! 6 hours, 11 minutes
Tournament - Form: 2nd, Weapon: 1st, Sparring: 1st
1635 - Depart tournament
1655 - Missouri!
1656 - Stop for gas, pop
1704 - Leave gas station
1741 - Iowa!
1900 - Dark to north
1903 - Rain
1909 - Cedar Rapids
1919 - Lightning to northwest
1921 - Heavy rain. Lightning ahead.
1929 - Thunderstorm with decreasing rain
1935 - Light rain
1957 - Waterloo
1958 - End of I-380. Stoplights?!
2041 - Wind farm at night on both sides. Lots of red blinkies at Charles City.
2117 - I-35
2131 - Minnesota!
2248 - Home!