Amateurism

Really I don't like amateurism.

That has cause a lot of problems over the years because I lot of people just can't understand it.  They think I don't like amateurs.

Look, I love amateurs.  I am one, and it's unlikely I'll ever be anything else.  Now that I am wholly into Brailian jiu jitsu again, I sometimes try to remember my record from my previous attempt at competition some years ago.  I can never quite do it.  I remember that I won two, but I can never remember if I lost 8, or 10, or 12, or 14.

So I'm an amateur.  If I knew now at the start of my second attempt that I would eventually finish with a career record of 2 - 138, I'd still pursue this path.  I love training; I love my training partners; I love the process.  If nothing else I have a reason to wake up every day, and I'm not getting fat and diabetic.  I also think that someday I'll get it figured out and start winning, but whatever.

So I love amateurs.

But I hate amateurism.

That's why this morning when my pseudo random work out generator served up a five minute burpee test, I got it done without either my regular partner or the reserve partner I lined up who cancelled at the last minute.  I won't report my score. I'm embarrassed that I didn't do as well as I did the last time I tried a couple months ago.

The important thing is just that I'm an amateur who avoided amateurism.  I looked around an empty room, tuned out the bad music, started the timer, and hit the floor.



Today was doughnut Friday at work.  I had just finished my burpees 15 minutes before I walked in.  I was in a good mood, and I knew that tomorrow would be 90 minutes of competition team training at Dark Horse BJJ, so I decided to be a pro doughnut eater.

And all of this left me appalled to see the work of probably amateur and definitely amateurish dieters.

Half Doughnuts Scream Amateur

So being the guy I am, I said to those assembled in the break room, "you'll never get fat on half doughnuts."

I then took that beautiful, chocolate, unmolested doughnut, and since I work in a commercial kitchen, I took about a quarter pound of bacon out of the refrigerator and added it on top.

Pro

I ate that.

And I'm pretty sure that before I quit or get fired there, I'm going to have to walk into work with a box of a dozen doughnuts and ask, "would anyone like to split one of these with me?"

When an amateur says, "yes," I'll set the box down in front of him or her, take six doughnuts out and walk away.

I just don't see the point of amateurism.

Squat, leave, eat, and above all remember to be polite.