I thought I was going to Austin to compete. I left remembering everything except the competition. I won my first match. Lost my second to one of my friends. And somehow… this still became my favorite tournament I’ve ever done. Not because of the medal. Not because of the matches. Because of everything in between. Running around with my teammates. Laughing until my stomach hurt making a complete fool of myself in front of one of the greats in our sport it all happened so quickly I didn’t realize who it was until I walked away and I feel so stupid. OSS @helenajiujitsugirl Meeting so many of you. Getting distracted every five minutes. Turns out those are the moments that stay with you the longest. I realized something on the drive home. Years from now, I probably won’t remember every bracket. But I’ll remember how people made me feel. The laughs. The friendships. The memories we made outside the mats. Sometimes the best part of a tournament isn’t standing on the podium. ...