Shelby Competes

This had to be tough for Shelby. Her first judo competition in about 3 years....and it was in a foreign language! As you can imagine, she was a little nervous. We didn't know how we would know which mat to be on and when. She was unfamiliar with the venue, the fighting style and the refereeing style. She lost her match, but it was hard fought. Shelby did not look nervous or timid. She attacked well and confidently. Shelby used some of the techniques she has been working on for use against taller competitors with longer arms (which is most of her opponents). In today's match, even the winning throw, both Carl and I thought Shelby was going to be able to reverse it and win as they were going down. I'm sure Shelby's opponent would never have guessed that it has been so long since Shelby's last competition.