World Team Trials - Thursday, June 9th

My second day in Oklahoma City is in the books. Helen made weight, the Victory boys arrived and now I'm watching the NBA Finals Game 5 in my hotel room. LeBron tweeted "Now or Never!!" earlier today so I tuned in for the potential to see greatness...I haven't yet.

This morning started out very well. Helen and Vicki had a nice mat workout. Helen was in weight cut mode, so we didn't have a lot of mat time scheduled for her. On the other hand, Vicki isn't competing until Saturday so we did more with her. She experienced our "100 shots" workout. It isn't her favorite. She was moving very well, though. Both commented on how good their bodies feel. They're definitely peaking and it's evident in their on and off mat activity. They both seem to have a little more bounce in their step, which is good.

I also had time to catch up with Barry Davis for a few hours throughout the day. I always enjoy talking wrestling with him. He's like the Yoda of wrestling. I appreciate him very much.

For lunch, I crushed the lunch buffet at Abuelo's. I have a keen eye for small Mexican restaurants. I can spot them in the most obscure locations. I judge the authenticity of Mexican restaurants on if they offer beef tongue on the menu. Abuelo's certainly doesn't, but the buffet was decent. Unfortunately, it gave me a small stomach ache that I had to endure the rest of the day. I still haven't decided if it was worth it (it usually is with good Mexican food).

Helen made one more short weight cut before we headed to the venue for weigh-ins. There are only four women's weight classes contested this year at the World Team Trials - 48, 55, 63, 72 KG. Helen competes at 55 KG (approximately 121 pounds). 72 KG also weighed in. Helen placed first at the US Open so she has a bye to the best 2-out-of-3 finals beginning at 7:00 PM tomorrow. Vicki will weigh-in tomorrow and compete on Saturday.

We're all getting very excited. Our biggest task right away tomorrow is to get both girls on the mat for a workout. For Helen, it will be a simulated warm-up with matches. For Vicki, it will begin her weight cut for the day. Then we need to keep Helen occupied throughout the day so she doesn't get worked up while waiting. It will be very delicate and probably the most important part of the day. We need to keep her emotions in check. If we can do it successfully, the wrestling should take care of itself.