Every Ending is a New Beginning

An update to cover the last two months…

I had an unlucky draw at USA Nationals; I faced Dorian Anthony from California who won the Police Athletic League Championship last year and beat me in the first round of USA Nationals. He ended up winning the entire tournament which brought my streak in National Tournaments to 0-5. It was the third time that I have faced someone in the first round that ended up fighting in the championship bout…talk about bad luck!

I didn’t want to end my boxing career with a loss so I competed in the Wyoming State Golden Gloves and won the state title for the 3rd consecutive year. I won’t be able to compete at Regionals or Nationals so it was a good time to bow out of amateur competition. I’m still going to coach and practice, but I think the time for me to move on has come.

One of the things I will be moving on to will be my career. I think it’s about time for me to get more serious and dedicate myself to what could and should be a very rewarding career. I hope I haven’t damaged my chances to be successful with all of my boxing, but time will tell. I have earned quite a few accolades in the past few months so hopefully that will help put me on the right track and get my career jump started. I’m excited about the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead wish me luck and keep me in your prayers.

Armed Forces Championships

I just got back from Camp Lejuene, North Carolina last night after attending the Armed Forces Championships. The competition started Monday night for the 132, 152, 138 (women's), 178, and 201+ lbs weight classes. The All-Air Force team and participants in all categories but the 201+ class and all four were victorious and moved onto the Championships. This included my third bout of the year which was against a guy from Navy. I put him down in the first 20 seconds but got over anxious and almost got put down myself. I ended up winning a decision, but it was much closer than it should've been.

Tuesday night the bouts continued for the other weight classes. We had participants in the 125, 141, 138 (women's), 165, and 201lbs weight classes. Unfortunately we were only able to get victories in the 141 and 138 weight classes and had two more people qualify for the Championship round. Losing the 125 lbs weight class was a shock as the guy that was in that weight class was the defending champ and went to the Olympic Trials last year.

Wednesday night was the "ice breaker "and dinner. The food was great, but I got food poisoning earlier in the day and wasn't able to fully enjoy the meal. After the ice breaker I went back to my room and assumed the fetal position as the food poisoning got worse. It was a horrible night and I went from the chills to a fever repeatedly through the night.

Thursday was the Championship round and had 5 members of the All-Air Force team boxing for the title of Armed Forces Champion. The night didn't start off as we had hoped as our 132 lbs champ lost a decision to the Marine Corps Champ. The disappointment continued as we lost our next three bouts earning only silver medals. I was our last hope as I entered the ring for the 178 lbs championship. I was going up against the All-Army Champion and a 2008 Olympic Trial participant. The bout started off well, but unfortunately I had a mental lapse at the end of the third round. This lapse proved to be the difference in the bout as I lost a 10-6 decision.
I'm now back in Wyoming working out and getting ready for the 2008 USA National Tournament in Colorado Springs. It's going to be the 8th-15th of March. The prelims will be at the Olympic Training center but the venue for the finals hasn't been set yet. I'll keep you all posted as I find out more info.

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to train and strive towards earning a National Championship.

2008 AF Championships

I got back from Texas last Monday, but I went straight out to the field so this is my first opportunity to update everyone on my latest adventures. I was down in Texas to help with the Air Force Boxing Championships. Originally I was planning on going down there to help coach and corner for some of the guys from my base. Unfortunately at the last minute the guys who were supposed to go were prevented from going due to manning issues at our base. I decided I would still go since I had the time already scheduled, plus my parents live down there so it would be nice to visit with them as well. I talked with the coach and he told me that I could work out with the team, and that he might even have a bout for me during the championships. I really wanted to work in the corners for some of the boxers so that I can get certified as a level 2 boxing coach, long story I can tell you the different levels later if you really want to know. Long story short…I ended up winning the Air Force Championship and now I’m going to the Armed Forces Championships at Camp Lejeune NC the 3-8 of February. I’m really excited, I think I have a good chance of winning the tournament and going to Azerbaijan for the International Military Championships in November. Don’t worry; there will be a blog about how I do in NC as soon as I get back!

A very long update

I know it has been forever since I posted a blog, so here's the latest…

The divorce has been final for a while now and we are both moving on. I'm doing well, it still hurts from time to time, but that will all heal with time. I would like to thank all of you that have helped me through these trying times. Your support, friendship, thoughts and prayers have made this all bearable.

On a lighter note, I've been in contact with the AF Boxing coach and he wants me to come down and help out with the AF Championships. I'll be working in the corners and possibly boxing one of the nights. I'm really excited, but out of shape. The box-offs are the 18-19 of Jan so I have 2 and a half weeks to get back in shape and ready to go. I haven't boxed since the beginning of October so I have a lot of ring rust to shake off. My boxing career is still in limbo, as I'm weighing my desire to box with my hope for a productive AF career. Unfortunately, right now they seem mutually exclusive, but I'm hoping I can indulge my desire to box, while not jeopardizing my career. I know that seems like a common thread through most of my blogs, but unfortunately, I still haven't found the proper balance.

Finally, I wanted to talk about Christmas. This was probably one of the best holidays I've had in the recent past. My parents came up with my sister Sylvia and her kids Jasmine and Thomas. It was a great time spent with family and friends! Christmas Day, Sylvia and I cooked a huge dinner; I still have turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and yams in my refrigerator. Not only did we have family, but some boxers from the base team and some of my close friends were able to make it and just help make the dinner a great experience. I would like to thank all of you who were able to make it for helping this to be a great Christmas!

To everyone who took time to read this, thank you, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I know God has a plan for my life, I just don't know what it is yet and I need to rely on him for strength and guidance.

A Great Weekend!

WOW!!! This weekend was AWESOME. It started off on Saturday with a bout in Denver. Actually it started off on the wrong foot. I drove down to Denver, hoping to get matched up since I haven’t been in the ring since June when I lost at USA Nationals. I went down without a coach and forgot to bring competition gloves and gauze and tape to wrap my hands in case I did get matched. Honestly, I didn’t expect to get matched because the last two times I went down to this show, there wasn’t anyone for me. This time was different! There was a guy there that I could match up with, he just so happened to be the #8 ranked boxer at 178 lbs, Mike Montoya. I weighed in at 179.5 and he weighed in at 193.5…According to USA Boxing rules you can match up with someone up to 15lbs heavier than you (if you are over 178lbs), so we fit into that category. I wasn’t excited about boxing someone that has beaten me before and outweighed me by 14lbs. I decided since I had driven that far, I might as well get a bout of it, even if he has a lot of weight on me. I took the bout and then went out to get gauze and tape. I called Dave and asked him to meet me somewhere with some competition gloves so that I could compete, I had my 18 oz sparring gloves, but that wouldn’t cut it for an actual boxing show. Dave told me that his training had moved from 3 to 1:30 so he might be able to make it down and bring the gloves with him, but if not Cici could bring them. All this time, I was still without a coach, luckily I befriended a couple of guys from the local area who told me that they would work my corner if I didn’t have anyone, this was huge because I didn’t have anyone to work my corner at the time, so I would’ve been flying completely solo if it weren’t for them. A couple of friends from Cheyenne made it in time for my bout and brought me the gloves that I needed. I was also pleasantly surprised that an old friend was able to make it to the fight as well. I hadn’t seen her in 2 years until my friend's wedding last month, but when I told her I was boxing in Denver she came out to support me.

Now for the bout; Long story short ( I know too late already) He put me on the canvas in the first round with a lucky left hook, but I battled back to score the winning decision and build my confidence in the Amateur ranks. I haven’t been very lucky against boxers ranked in the top 10 over the past two years, I’m now 2-6 (one loss to Mike Montoya last year and two against Chris Downs the US Olympic representative), but I’m learning and I think I can put together a good run if I face any of the top boxers in the next year. I don’t know what my plans are anymore, but I know that I can hold my own.

Next I got my new furniture delivered Sunday morning. I moved all of her old stuff out and started making this house look like it belongs to me. I got a new couch and love seat along with a coffee table. I also got to bring back some of my old furniture that she had banished to the basement. It is nice to have MY stuff back in sight. She made me get rid of or move a lot of my stuff because she didn’t like it. Now MY house looks like I live in it and once again I have a say in what surrounds me on a daily basis. It feels good to be in control again!

The weekend ended with a great dinner at my place (I can be conceited about my own cooking can’t I?). I made Chicken Alfredo with some vegetables and French bread to go with it. There was great conversation and just a totally positive attitude. It was a great way to end a great weekend!