Coach Kirstin

To say I am a daddy's girl is putting it mildly. I am just like my dad in so many ways. I often describe myself as the female version of him. I adore him and he is my sounding board. He taught me to think through things logically and how to make the best choice for me. Though I still call him to confirm that I am making the right choice. Unfortunately we have the same sense of humor, which means we can entertain each other with our jokes on our Sunday night phone call. His opinion of everything I do matters. So tonight at dinner when we were discussing my fighting, my parents said they wish i didn't do it but am happy to see me doing something I love. Later my dad pulled me aside to tell me that he doesn't like it but will always support me. It was the best and worst thing he could have said all in one sentence.

I try not to watch my fights. Watching them, even the wins, makes me mad at all the things I did wrong. It's all I can see. I hate everything I see. I watch them with my coach the week after, I get his feedback and try and let it go. But yesterday I was written up in an article and they had the video of my second fight in it. So I watched it. And for the first time, I was proud of some of the things I did. And then I watched my third fight. And I watched my takedowns and was happy with what I saw. I still saw everything that was wrong but for the first time I saw something's that I was proud of.