Rolling with the Punches

Martial artist David Loiseau (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For those of you who are following my trip, you could probably tell I was pretty excited about going to Tristar. Georges St. Pierre, who is one of my favorite athletes, trains out of there and the gym is considered one of the top gyms around. On Friday I was allowed to train in a class taught by David Loiseau, a talented UFC vet who has been through many battles. David was very friendly and a patient teacher who made the class enjoyable. We talked a bit about my project and scheduled to do an interview the next day when the rest of the pro team would be in for sparring.

I showed up early on Saturday, anxious to get in some interviews and check out the training. I thought I had cleared it with the right people and wasn’t too concerned at that point because I’d only been to gyms that had been very welcoming. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

They politely explained why I couldn’t be there for the pro sparring or interviews and I completely understand their position. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thoroughly pissed off and mumbling Fuck Canada the whole way back to the hotel. My anger was misplaced though because I was really just upset at myself for not planning better, for deciding to alter my plans and leave the U.S. in the first place. These guys have a lot to lose and not much to gain by having a stranger in their gym. And like they said, I could be a spy.

When I got back to the hotel, I wasn’t sure what I should do. I had plans to travel to Ottawa but decided the five hours of added driving time wasn’t worth it. Truth is, I get pretty burned out on these trips, the positive interactions with the fighters the only thing keeping me going. I even considered just flying home early. My wife had just told me earlier that day that my daughter asked her when I was coming home. She wants me to hurry up and this time to stay home forever. My wife misses me too, but I think that’s mostly because there’s no clean laundry.

I spent the night in Montreal trying to figure out how I could salvage the rest of this trip, frustrated because every gym would be closed Sunday and by the time I got in touch with anyone on Monday, the day would be shot. I finally decided to head back to the Boston area where I’ve already interviewed over a dozen fighters. I figured even if I couldn’t line up any interviews, I could get some quality training in.

The seven hour drive gave me plenty of time to think and some good conversations with friends got me refocused. My new kick in life is getting others to realize their potential and focus on the positive, something I was failing to do myself. It made no sense to dwell on Montreal being a waste of time and money, especially when I had so many other incredible experiences on this trip. I’ve met some great people and I’m such a better person because of the conversations I’ve had. I’m not going to let one little blow to the ego ruin any of that. Like my friend reminded me, “Tough days make us tough.”

Now that I’ve been toughened up a bit on the inside, I feel like I’m ready to push myself a little more physically. Although my sorry attempts at working out at The Shop and Team Irish should have been enough to teach me I’m nowhere near ready to get in any real sparring, I’ll see if I can squeeze in some light work tonight. I’ve got rid of most of my anger, but I’d be bullshitting both you and me if I said it was gone. That’s the great thing about MMA. By the time you’re done with a hard workout there’s no energy to be angry.