CCVI teacher brings lessons from World Judo Championship back to the classroom
October 13, 2017
GUELPH, Ontario – A teacher from Centennial CVI recently returned from an incredible experience at the Veterans’ World Judo Championships – and the lessons she learned at the tournament will carry on into the classroom in Guelph.
CCVI’s Amanda McAlpine competed in the World Championships from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 in Sardinia, Italy.
After a tremendous amount of dedication and training, McAlpine made it all the way through the tournament to the bronze medal final against Annika Krus of Sweden. McAlpine finished fifth in her category overall.
When asked about her experience in Italy, McAlpine said it was thrilling and that it was an honour to be there representing Canada. The energy in the competition hall was amazing, with stands full of fans, and more than 1,100 competitors from all over the world going head-to-head on six competition mats.
“It’s an incredible experience to be able to connect with other competitors and, despite potential language barriers, share a respect for the experience and what it took to get there,” she said.
Getting to the World Championships was no easy feat.
McAlpine has been training in martial arts for around 12 years, after playing competitive rugby for years. She described the training ahead of the tournament as physically and mentally challenging. She trained in various capacities six days a week, usually twice per day. In some ways, showing up for practice felt tougher than actually competing – because you know you’re in for a long and grueling day. But, the more you put aside the excuses and show up, the better you get.
Coming back from Italy, McAlpine is taking lessons learned on the competition mat to her students in the classroom.
“At the end of the day it’s not about the score on the board as much as it is about the person who keeps getting up after being thrown…to try again,” she said. It’s the same in life – when you face setbacks, the important thing is to keep going, to learn from your mistakes and to grow.
The reason why we respect the black belt, she said, is not because it holds some sort of magic – it’s because it represents a lot of time and effort put in. When you take chances and push yourself through challenges, the payoff will happen.
McAlpine said she is truly grateful for being able to train and compete in martial arts, and is so thankful for the support she’s received from CCVI, her training partner and coaches, community and family.
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