I started my journey in judo at the young age of seven, back in the early 80s.
I joined a free after-school judo program in Miami and discovered that I truly loved it.
I kept at it and found myself becoming more and more confident. That is until my parents decided to move to another city when I turned eleven.
Unfortunately, there were no decent judo programs in my area, and my parents couldn’t afford private lessons, so my judo career was essentially over before it really got started.
Oddly enough, I didn’t get back into judo until I graduated from college in the late-90s. Though I totally enjoyed getting back into it and found myself intrigued by competition-level judo, I also realized something…
I knew absolutely NOTHING about competition-level judo.
I didn’t even have any clue of where to start!
My knowledge, tools, resources, and budget were all incredibly limited. But even worse, I didn't even know what I didn't know…. If that makes any sense at all.
I was literally walking in the dark when it came to becoming familiar with the world of competitive judo.
Then I watched Jimmy Pedro win the Olympic bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996.
That moment changed everything for me.
EVERYTHING.
I realized right then that I truly wanted to represent my country in the Olympics. It was actually the first time I ever found myself inspired to do anything in my life