Canadian Cup
August 07 2000

The Canada Cup of wrestling has come and gone with winners and losers going separate ways. About 10 countries attended with about 100 competitors in both the male and female categories. For a bit more of a challenge, I moved up a weight class to 76 kilograms. I had a few good matches, but in the finals against Ozoline of Australia, I won by injury default which did not please me in anyway. I had mentally prepared myself for the finals, so it was a big let down warming up without a match in the finals. However, I had fun. The guys at 76 were bigger, but not necessarily stronger.

Getting ready for the Canada Cup was challenging. The minor injury which was a minor impediment all week long was discouraging. But when I warmed up for my matches there was no trace of the injury. I could not feel a thing; I was in another zone completely. I am glad I'm getting to the stage where I can completely block out distractions and take care of more important things when I am on the mat. The adrenaline that pumps through one's system when the whistle blows is amazing. I credit that part of my mental preparation to my coaches (Mike Jones and Dave Mckay). Over the years, I have grown to understand that at crunch time less important distractions have to take the back seat. The mental surgery I have undergone over the last couple of years has helped me tremendously.

This week, we will have a seven-day camp in Calgary before heading off to Vancouver. There are a lot of different training partners here, which should be good for me. The structure of the camp is also very conducive. The female team practices at a different time from the male team, which gives us plenty of room to scramble on the mat. Laundry services are available as well. Best of all, I only have to go to the cafeteria to eat whenever I want. Back in Vancouver, I cook for myself. The consolation here in camp is that I will have the luxury of not having to cook for another week. I am not the best cook in the world. Anyway, keep sweating until we communicate again next week.

Daniel (Dynamite) Igali.