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Fitness

I Found My True Passion (Athlete Journal 41)

My training this week was pretty much the same as last week, but I had some new insights about my future career.

Jess Papi

Written by Jess Papi Last updated on July 12, 2014

Training this week was pretty much the same as last week. I got in a lot of good drilling and rounds. My cardio felt good during hard rounds. The only thing I regret is eating so much on Fourth of July weekend.

The food was amazing, but I could have toned it down a little bit. I’ve just been trying so hard to eat right that I needed a little relief from it all. Two weeks before the New York Open probably wasn’t my best choice, but I don’t need to cut weight. All that food was just extra fuel for Monday!

I can joke about it being extra fuel, but honestly, I felt really sluggish on Monday morning while I was lifting. Last week I was able to deadlift 185lbs (my old one-rep-max) for 3×3, easy peasy. When I tried it again on Monday, it was definitely harder. The rest of my workout was tough, too. My chin ups were slow and I only got one decent set of kettlebell swings, which are still my enemy. It didn’t help that my boyfriend couldn’t make it that morning to motivate me, either. I got through it, though. I think I needed to jump that initial hurdle to get into gear for the rest of the week.

Since training was pretty much the same as last week, I would like to talk about my job at Scranton MMA. I think I’ve been working there for a year and a half now, and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. Not only do I get to do what I love every day, but it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I get to see new people walk in the door every day and try something that could change their lives. I get to see kids learn and grow during the kids’ classes. And I found a family there that I know will always have my back and support my jiu jitsu career.

When I first began college, I thought I would emerge as a physical therapist. I really did. But as I continued taking exercise science classes and learning more about what a physical therapist does, I decided that that’s not what I want to do with my life. Of course, I can appreciate and better understand what they do. And who knows? I may actually need one someday. It’s just not what I’m passionate about. My true passion is jiu jitsu, and working in that field is a dream come true.

Even though I basically have my dream job, I’m still going to school to better myself. I switched to communications so I can be a better instructor and public speaker, improve my interpersonal skills, and learn how to be a better writer. It seems counterintuitive, but I believe the skills I will learn with a communications degree will help me more in my jiu jitsu career than what I would learn with an exercise science degree. I’m actually really excited to go back to school in the fall. No more grumpy Jess!

Okay, that’s all I have. I hope you all enjoy my ramblings. See you next week!

Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.

Jess Papi

About Jess Papi

Jess Papi got her start in the martial arts world by joining a women’s only muay Thai class when she was fifteen years old. After about a year of striking classes, she started taking sporadic jiu jitsu classes, but mostly focused on her muay Thai training. A handsome young man by the name of Frank always attended the classes even though he did not like striking very much. They ended up training together a lot and he suggested to her that she train jiu jitsu more often. Jess took his advice and started going to three jiu jitsu classes per week. Jess Papi officially started her jiu jitsu career in 2011. Not long after, she started her relationship with Frank Alogna, one of the jiu jitsu instructors at Scranton MMA.

Jess is a blue belt from Scranton MMA, a Royce Gracie affiliate in Pennsylvania. As a white belt she competed in a few tournaments, but her real love for competing did not come about until a year after getting her blue belt. She has earned medals at small scale local tournaments and international IBJJF competitions. She is proudly sponsored by Girl-Jitsu.

Jess is currently enrolled at the University of Scranton and is studying exercise science. She aspires to become a physical therapist and use her skills to help understand and treat injuries that occur frequently on the grappling mats.

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