Cindy's Amazon Diary: Part 5 
by M.C. 
The Tournament

November 12th

Since it's late at night and I know what happened earlier today but you don't
(wink), I'm going to try and describe the day's events as if they were
occurring in the present as best I can. I'll try to interpose some of the
thoughts and feelings I had while these things were taking place to give you
an idea of what was going on in my mind during this most interesting of days.

I arrived early at the large gym where the tournament would be taking place
and put on my gi. I then went through my warm-up exercises. As this was
a major event, there would be people from dojos all across the city, in
various forms of martial arts, competing. Anyone holding a brown belt or
higher was allowed to participate.

The rules are simple: you meet your opponent inside a circle with a judge
and bow to each other. When the judge tells you it's O.K. to begin, you fight
it out until, 1) one of the competitors reaches 3 points

three good strikes, 2) the judge deems one of the competitors so outclassed
that a serious injury becomes a possiblity, 3) a foul - illegal strike - is
committed which results in immediate disqualification, and 4) one either
knocks out his/her opponent or pops him good enough that he's unable to
continue.

Last year most of my victories came as a result of outpointing my opponents.
Ironically, the only opponent I actually did knock out was the defending
champion in the final round. He, like most of the males I fought, assumed he
could overpower me with brute strength. This, despite the fact I somehow
managed to reach the finals. After he missed badly with a hard punch - leaving
himself wide open for my counterattack - I nailed him with a beautiful
roundhouse kick to the side of his face. Down he went and the title was mine.

Understand that with rare exceptions (like when Rick Davis used me to make his
girlfriend jealous or at the camp last summer) I'm pretty responsible
regarding how I use my fighting skills. I don't go around beating people up
just for the hell of it (again, what we Amazons did to the boys at their
campsite was the exception). I won't deny that being a girl black belt in Tae
Kwon Do gives me a great sense of pride in myself; it does. When I walk
through the halls in school I feel good inside, knowing that I can kick ass on
*everyone* I see. But, as Dr. Walker told me not too long ago,"with your power
also comes the responsibility to use it wisely."

I see many of the other competitors are beginning to arrive now as well as the
spectators. No sign of Bob yet - nor the Amazons for that matter - but I'm
sure they'll all be here. I try to avoid, as much as possible, contact with
the other competitors before a big meet. It's not that I'm a snob (or at least
I hope I'm not), it's just that I feel a little bit awkward associating with
people that I may have to fight soon afterwards. When the competition is over,
then, if they want to, I'll be more than happy to discuss with them
the tournament, the last good  movie they saw, where you can get a good
steak dinner or even the weather in Japan; but not before.

I'm not one of these 'win at all costs' type of people. I am very athletic and
competitive though. When I play tennis, go bowling or compete in other sports,
I do try my hardest to win; that's the way I am. But, after the competition is
over, it's over as far as I'm concerned. You'll never see me walking around
with a long face after I lose at something; just as long as I did my best.

This place is really filling up now. The organizers said they were expecting
a very large crowd - something to do with a female champion trying to defend
her title (wink). Well, I hope I give them their money's worth. They're
putting up the match list now. Dare I look to see where Bob's name is? To see
if/when we may possibly meet? Hmmm...

There are 64 competitors listed in the open competition. Because I'm the
defending champion I get a bye in the first round and only have to fight in
the second when there are 32 (to keep the numbers even one lucky person in my
group also gets to sit out the first round; he's chosen by a lottery). That
means I have to win five matches in order to retain my title. My name appears
on the top half of the list and I see Bob's on lower half...good. "Hello
Cindy. It looks like I lucked out today. I only have to see you in the finals;
providing we both make it that is."

"Hello Bob, it's good to see you." Actually it was.Though I am somewhat
apprehensive about fighting against him, that would only occur in the finals
and a lot could happen before then - there are some excellent martial artists
here. The irony is that I really don't want him to lose too early either
- that would probably only make him depressed and jealous of me if I won. So,
while I don't want him to win, I don't want him to lose either...go figure.

The judges are calling all the competitors together to explain the rules.The
tournament is about to begin. "Well, good luck to you Cindy, and hopefully
we'll see each other in the finals."

"Good luck to you too Bob,"...(but not too much).

We split up into two groups of 32; me on the West side of the gym, Bob on the
East. The groups will be seperated until the quarterfinals when only eight
competitors are left. Then the competition will move to the center for the
final battles. I'll try to put Bob out of my mind and consentrate on my
matches or else even I might not be here too long. As I mentally prepared
myself for my first opponent I heard a cheer go up from the large crowd. I
looked around and nearly began to cry.

My parents, my school friends, Master Ruth Walker and 'my girls' (along with
most of our dojo) and...The Amazons! All here to cheer me on. "You go girl!" I
heard Jennifer's voice shout out above the crowd. It took me nearly a minute
to compose myself. Then I turned around and looked up at the steely glare of
my first challenger. It's time to go to work girl.

It never ceases to amaze me. Here I am, the defending champion of the city
martial arts tournament, and this guy thinks he's fighting against his kid
sister (provided, that is, she's not a karate expert). He throws a few thrusts
my way and expects me to knuckle under. I have been training seriously for
more than six years; it's almost insulting. Hell, it is insulting! I should
really flatten this guy. But I don't. I do beat him 3-0 though. We bow to each
other afterwards but curiously, he can't look me straight in the eye. Gotta
love that masculine pride.

My next opponent was a little better, but not much. I beat him 3-1. He did
look me straight in the eye afterwards though and said in a loud, firm voice,
"well done Cindy, you really are terrific. It was an honor to fight you."
(Well, I suppose not every guy has an ego problem).

"Thank you Richard," I replied,"and I hope you remember that little side wager
of ours?"

"Yes," he said with a sigh,"I'll do your geometry homework assignment for
you."

"Just make sure you bring it by my home early enough on Sunday so I can copy
it over in my own handwriting." (Hey, this is one of the few perks I get).

Two down, three to go. Curiosity pulls me over to the winner's board to see
how Bob is doing. Uh oh...he's also won his first two matches. As we're now
down to just eight competitors, there's a short break in the competition so
the officials can move the mats to the center of the gym for the final
matches.  Crunch time coming up. I glance over to where Bob is sitting. He
gives me the thumbs up; I nod back.

"Atta girl Cindy," I hear Robin's voice cry out," smash'em!" I look over in
her direction and can't help but smile when I see, sitting next to her on the
other side of Jennifer, Crystal and Ray; with their arms around each other.
She kicked his ass twice last summer and humiliated him. And yet here they
are, together, arm-in-arm. Maybe there's hope for Bob and me after all. The
mats are ready, the competition is about to resume...time to focus girl.

My quarterfinal match was tough. My opponent was fast and experienced. Also,
for a change, he was about my size - which made him a more difficult target
for me. He knew what I could do and respected it. Our battle went to 2-2. I
did have one advantage over him however which now began to tell. I was
in superb physical condition, much better than he was. After a few minutes his
strength (will?) gave out. I won a relatively easy third point to advance into
the semi-finals.

Bob's semi-final match was before mine so I sat down with the Amazons to
watch. "Who are are you rooting for babe? " Crystal asked.

"I honestly don't know Chris, I honestly don't know." Bob had done very well
in the tournament so far, much better than I expected. He could lose now and
still be proud of himself. But he could also win. And if he did, and I
did....well, I think I'll just sit back and watch.

Their match was long and hard. I found my ambivalence growing as it wore on.
Bob was giving it everything he had and as I watched him battle against an
opponent who was at least his equal, my respect for him grew. At 2-2, I
actually found myself pulling for him. So what if he meets me in the final?
We'll just fight it out and that's that. He won! Bob won! Now it was my turn.
"Good luck kiddo,"my Amazon friends said as I got to my feet and began to
approach the mats.

My semi-final opponent must have stood a good six-feet three inches tall and
weighed at least 225 pounds. That meant I was giving up some ten inches in
height and around 100 pounds in weight. I've fought large foes before but this
guy was a 2nd degree black belt in Kung-Fu. I clearly had my work cut out for
me. If I thought my quarter-final match was difficult, this one had every
indication of being even tougher. I'd have been intimidated were I not on a
*mission*.

So, how can a five foot-five inch, 125 pound girl face off against much
larger, stronger and more experienced fighters than herself and hope to
prevail against them? A very good question. I believe the answer lies in the
psychological differences between men and women. Men, being the more powerful
of the genders, are programmed (either by nature or nurture) to use strength
and power to get their way. Women, in most cases, have to use guile to get
what they want. If I go and just try to slug it out with this guy I probably
wouldn't stand much of a chance. So I have to be clever and try to outmaneuver
him; or outlast him. I must be patient and wait for openings or mistakes,
eventually we all make them. I can hit fast and surprisingly hard, but so can
he. My task therefore, is to position myself where I can do it first. I guess
that's why it's called a martial *art*.

We faced off and bowed - I was under no illusion that this was going to be
easy. From somewhere in the audience I heard a man's voice call out,"c'mon
Cindy, you can do it!"  My father? No, the tone was too deep. Ray? No, it came
from a different direction. Could it be...Bob? I didn't have time to look
around for immediately afterward the signal was given and our match began.

I decided to change my tactics for this guy. I almost always begin fighting on
the defensive, allowing my opponents to be the aggressors. I'm an excellent
defensive fighter - very good at blocking punches or kicks and very quick to
take advantage of any openings my rival gives me. I believe that's one of the
keys to my surprising success. I assumed this guy, having watched me fight
several times already today, was familiar with my strategy and expected me to
employ it against him. Therefore, I surprised him.

As soon as the signal was given I charged forward and caught him off guard. He
managed to block or deflect a few of my blows but then I nailed him with a
solid kick to the head; one point for me. I reverted to my defensive tactics
after that but, after a long exchange, he caught me with a good punch to the
shoulder. Boy, can this guy hit!  Although we do wear head protectors and it's
illegal to strike the neck or below the waist, everything from below the neck
to the waist is fair game. I just took a good shot, but I shook it off and
prepared for the next point.

Another long, hard battle followed with him throwing fast punches and kicks
and me trying to block or avoid them. Finally, I anticipated a kick coming and
positioned myself perfectly. I ducked under it and slammed my fist into his
unprotected mid-section; 2-1 for the girl!  My victory was short-lived however
as he pressed me hard and nailed down the equalizer when his right foot got
through my defences and I caught a glancing blow on the side of my face. All
knotted up at 2-2. We stared firmly into each other's eyes as we readied
ourselves for the decisive final point. My friends told me later that they
were all screaming loudly for me now, but I swear I couldn't hear a sound; so
focused was I.

The signal was given, the battle was joined. He attacked, I defended. I
attacked, he defended. Kicks and thrusts, back and forth; sooner or later 
something has to give. Come on girl, fight! fight! In the midst of all this I
suddenly noticed he had lowered his guard. Not much...but enough. "WHAM!"
quick as a wink my right foot found the side of his face...and then I heard
it, a sound I'll never forget -"CRACK!" - and he collapsed like a house of
cards.

There was some cheering, but it quickly died down when everybody realized what
had happened; that he wasn't getting up. "Oh God, No!" I cried out. The
medical team that's always on hand rushed to the scene immediately. I just
stood there in shock - remembering that horrible sound, "CRACK!" I bent down
next to him and started to scream,"get up!, get up!" But he didn't move, he
just lay there. I felt Master Walker's hand on my shoulder,"I think he'll be
all right Cindy."

"No he won't!" I yelled at her,"didn't you hear that sound? You know what my
feet are capable of. Look at him, he's just lying there. Get up, please GET
UP!" He didn't; he just lay still. I watched as the paramedics brought over a
stretcher and put his limp body onto it. That did it. I broke away from Dr.
Walker and ran into the women's locker room; crying. I huddled myself into one
of the corners, burried my head in my hands and cried.

It must have been several minutes before I looked up. Ruth, along with my
Amazon friends, stood near me; but none of them spoke. They must have known
that there was nothing they could say to me at this point. "Damn it!" I
screamed," this is just a sport. People aren't supposed to get killed. It's
just a damn sport! Shit, I didn't even know his name. What the hell was his
name?"

"Kenny," a voice near the entrance softly said,"my name is Kenny."

There was a surreal moment of silence that seemed to go on forever. The
Amazons that were standing in front of me parted to the side so I could see
for myself who had spoken. After wiping the tears away from my eyes, I gazed
at what was a most wonderful sight - my large opponent standing there, in one
piece."Kenny," I said," you...you're all right? But what about that 'crack' I
heard? I - I thought I'd killed you."

"I'm all right...but I'm afraid this head protector has had it."

He held up his head protector which was made of a hard plastic; built to
withstand a 95 mile-an-hour fastball. It was cracked completely in two.
"That's quite a kick you've got there girl. You're one person I definiately
don't want to meet in a dark alley."

I leaped to my feet, ran over to him and threw my arms around his large frame.
"Thank God," I said," I really thought I'd killed you."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm still a little groggy but I think I'll
live; at least until we meet in the tournament next year."

It was then that I saw Bob, standing behind Kenny. I walked over to him and
held out my hand.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"I want to congratulate the new city martial arts champion. There's no way I
can fight you now, not after what just happened. My heart's not in it.
Congratulations Bob, you deserve it anyway."

There was a long pause before he said,"not until I beat you Cindy; fair and
square. Until then the title's yours. I'll inform the officials of my
forfeit."

"But Bob..."

"Ah Cindy, Bob," Ruth Walker's voice chimed in,"allow me to make a suggestion
as to what you might do to solve this dilemma of yours..."

November 13th

Well, for those of you who don't subscribe to our local paper, let me tell you
what's in the headlines this morning. Not the sports page mind you, but
the *main* page. There's a large photograph of Bob and I (smiling this time)
as we pose in front of the trophy that we - as co-champions - will share.
Since I already have one from last year I offered to let Bob keep it; but he
refused. So I'll keep it until mid-May whereupon Bob will take it.

Last night the Amazons along with Bob and Ray - who were both made honorary
Amazons although they don't know it yet (wink) - went out to dinner to
celebrate our victory. We all had a wonderful time. Then we went to my home
and partied all night long with many of my school friends. I even invited
Kenny and was very happy when he showed up; that guy's a class act. I also
couldn't help but notice that he spent a considerable amount of time talking
to Jennifer. Jennifer and Kenny? Stay tuned.

I was very sad to see my friends leave this afternoon; but they do have quite
a drive ahead of them. We made tentative plans to get together over the
Christmas break at Robin's home. I hope it comes off; that'll be great. While
I wouldn't go so far as to call Bob my boyfriend (yet), there are signs that
we're heading in that direction. Will update you when updates become
available. All in all, it's been a rather successful weekend. Catch ya later.

November 15th

Well, there was one thing that marred that near-perfect weekend of mine, the
lousy "C" I recieved on my geometry assignment. I swear by all that is holy:
if Richard and I meet in the tournament next year - I'll kill him!"