KEEPING MY DREAMS ALIVE

Hello everyone. I´m writing in English because I think it captures much better the essence of what I feel right now. I realized thanks to my coach something that I didn´t give much tougth but it actually affected me deeply. Don´t get me wrong. I´m not using it as an excuse but rather as an issue that I have to work on in order to improve. I did my effort in the Nationals but there were things that hold me back. And one of them was that I didn’t believe in me.

Well the National didn’t turn out the way I expected but I learned many things about myself and what was holding me back.

Most of you know that last year the Federation didn’t let me race at the Pan-American. That was a really tough issue to me because it was my last chance to be a junior World Champion. I knew that my chances were really high and the opportunity was taken away from me. I felt so powerless. I was almost sure that eventually they would give me my spot. I mean I prove everyone that I was the best. I won 3 races in a row (including the selective race and the Nationals) and even though they didn’t choose me. I even planned my moves to win the Pan-American and also the World Championship. I remember that one night I told my father about how I was going to beat one junior in particular that ended up winning the Worlds that year. All my hopes and dreams went down when they didn’t let me race.

Well it was my fault to let somebody else kill my dreams. But I know that real champions know how to bounce back from big mistakes and I am one of them. I should always keep my dreams high and alive no matter what. Now I realize looking backwards that much of the problems that I had at the end of the year were a result of having my dreams crushed. It affected my confidence and I started to have doubts about myself.

I know that the guys that finished in front of me at the Nationals are just “paper heroes” as my coaches would say because they cannot win in the real world. They are so inconsistent and this time they were up. But “paper heroes” don´t last much.

I´ve been working on this and also on my technique to get back up. Because the only way to win is believing in myself and improving my technique. It’s a daily thing that I´m doing.  I have to repair the damage from all those months of struggle and I will do it. It´s like the quote from Lombardi that says:

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”

Thank you for all of your support. Specially Edna´s and Gloria’s families, Pan&Co, Gugar, Frutas Finas Paty and my whole team.

Thank you Corinne and Sergio for always supporting me.