Heart pounding, adrenaline surging, butterflies in my stomach, cold sweat, discomfort and fear were just some of the crazy things I felt at that moment. I was getting ready on the side of the mat. There was a lot going on, people running back and forth to get equipment, some kids had nervous breakdowns. I remember seeing a little boy crying and screaming at his mother that he couldn't do it, he ran out of the gym. All this confusion made me nervous. I had no idea how to prepare for a fight. I was ten years old and my first karate match would soon begin. I was afraid of losing. It was difficult to think about victory. I can honestly say that this experience made me stop giving up. Before a fight, I usually do nothing but wait in the corner and stay silent. I'm always nervous about entering a competition because I'm afraid of losing. I was thinking to myself that I didn't want to get all the way to Rochester, which is in upstate New York, just to lose. Thinking about this made me even more afraid to step into the ring. The fear I had before this encounter is difficult to reproduce, it won't happen twice in my life. My legs were shaking so much that I couldn't stand up straight, which is why I think about leaning against the wall whenever I'm nervous. My arms felt ice cold, I felt like I was at the North Pole with my two arms submerged in freezing water. The air was different; there was a mixture of hell and heaven in the same contained area. Sadness, happiness and anger were all in the same place. I finally took a breath and told myself not to think negatively before a fight. A friend of mine approached me, I knew him because he was from the same organization as me. He was about sixteen years old. His name was Yoshiyagi but everyone called him h......middle of paper......ses. I feel like when I win, I now feel as much happiness as sadness. When I lift that trophy, I think of them too. My first Karate match also turned out to be my first victory and I learned some new things that day. The guy I argued with became a good friend of mine. In fact, to this day we are sparring partners. This experience helped my motivation to do things, to not give up and to understand that in Martial Arts you have to get hurt. The amount you take is the amount you earn. It's better to get hurt sometimes and feel pain than to be someone who avoids getting hurt and thinks it's okay. There is no easy way to improve, there is no shortcut. I have fought so many battles, I have lost and I have won, I have cried and laughed, I have smiled and I have frowned, I have hurt and I have been hurt, I have disappointed and impressed. But I haven't gone to college yet.