A Future Champ

Tomorrow I have fourteen students going to their first competition of the season! They are very excited. Besides it being THEIR first competition, it is MY first competition in several years. I am afraid that because I haven't sparred the way I used to, nor done the level of training for competition in years, I fear I will be holding back a lot or may be sloppy. But I shouldn't be focusing on that. I need to focus on just having fun and doing my best, and accomplish that alone. The medals are bonus.

On the eve of the competition, I saw in the Bergen Record Newspaper a featured article on a martial artist who has been training for many yuears and has her sights on going to the Olympics. Then I looked a little closer to thew photo on the first page and saw that I KNOW that person!

Merissa Pico was 12 years old when I met her. She is now 16 years old. But the last time I saw her she must have been 13, and already a well known, world junior champion. She now trains in Fort Lee with a master who I used to see at all the copmpetitions when I was a kid. She has a great talent and she actually came to my martial arts school when I was training for competition for a seminar. We sparred each other many times and we really enjoyed the sparring. We also both pulled our hamstring muslces in that same seminar. Funny the things you remember!

It was great seeing this article, knowing she continued to train and train hard and she is following her dream. I was very proud of her, and I hope to see her again at some of our local competitions again soon. It motivates me to do well tomorrow, and as a coach for my kids to feel confident and that maybe one day they too may want to get to the level Merissa is at. It also brings a spark of good emotions from the past about on the eve of a new season. Well, good luck to TMAFC competition team tomorrow!

Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO