This post is long over due. I’ve been meaning to post this  the past couple days now but been kind of busy. This is about my  experience in London at the

Paralympic games. I was not expected to  medal at the games. However, as my coach Scott Moore has told me  before I have a funny way of doing things I’m not supposed to be  doing. I had so much support going into London it was almost  overwhelming. The months leading up to the games were exciting,  difficult and frustrating at the same time. By the time we had  gotten to London I was nearly sick of judo and was just ready to  fight already.

The first day of competition had my adrenaline off  the charts and I wasn’t even fighting yet.  It was the energy of all  the other competitors, especially the crowd. Seats were sold out  I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life. My day of  competition comes and I am more than ready.

On my way to my first  match, which was against France, I had no idea how it would turn  out but win, loose, or draw I was going to give it everything I  had. Once I stepped on the mat, as far as I was concerned it was  just me and the French man in the whole arena. “HAJIME!” The ref  yelled, and we went at each other like titans. Neither one of us  giving up anything. The match went on and on, Scott was on edge  screaming his head off my body felt like it was breaking down. We  go in to golden score and I’m down by a shido. Before the ref yells  Hajime, I tell myself “You will not die here!” “FIGHT!” “HAJIME!”  Again we go at it like titans, this time I score! I scored a yuko  off of O-Uchi. Its over, I’ve finally won- WRONG! Refs decide  otherwise. They talk amongst themselves in their little referee  huddle. Its decided the score was taken away. The match was not  over I was still on this freaking mat. This match was going on  longer than the sum of all of my other matches in the past. We are  back at the center of the mat. “HAJIME!” I was  determined to make  this the last Hajime I hear of this match.  I attack with everything  I have left. I score again yuko with another O-uchi, but this time  its not taken away. FANILLY, this match is over. The ref announces  me the winner I snap back into reality and the crowd is going  crazy. I come off the mat and I hug Scott and he’s basically  carrying me back to the warm-up area. Ed Liddie another one of my  coaches meets us there. He tells me that this is it. IT can be  done, I can take home one of two medals a sympathy medal or an  actual medal. My mind was made up I wanted to leave with some hard  wear. Scott and Ed and all of my team mates believed in me and  that’s all I needed…

First post and wont be the last.