Michael Strong talks with Alana about reading The Odyssey and competing in a tournament where she placed second several times. She's enjoying competitions more but feels terror facing unknown opponents, though repeated encounters with peers like Olivia reduce her anxiety.
Hey, how are you doing, Alana?
Good, how are you doing?
I'm well. I hear a baby crying. Is there a baby crying?
Yes, my auntie was pretty emotional.
Okay, can you speak loudly then? Because it's a little bit hard to see you, I mean to hear you with the baby in the background.
Okay.
Perfect, thank you. I understand that you got a new book?
I have— Mommy! Mommy!
You did get a new book?
I did.
What is it?
It's The Odyssey.
And what's it about?
It's about this man who ended the Trojan War and then tried to get home to his family and had all his adventures going back.
Did you read the whole book or did you just start it?
I just started, so I didn't read the whole thing.
So what, what has happened so far?
So after the Trojan War, his son started to go looking for him, and then Athena disguised herself as a human, helped him build a raft, and then an old person came to join, then the islanders of the island were like, well, we're not letting that little tiny boy get into our trouble.
Got it. Um, do you enjoy the book so far?
I did.
Okay, well, we'll talk about it more later. Tell me about your tournament yesterday.
Tournament?
Did you have a tournament yesterday or competition?
Yes, I did.
How was that?
It was really good, actually. I felt good when I won some second places.
Wow. Was, uh, was it hard?
It was hard because they kept getting in good positions and I kept doing good too.
What was the best part of it?
The best part of it is that I You can get better because not only just in the class you can get better, in competition you can get better.
You actually got better during the competition?
Yes.
Good for you. Do you think you're enjoying competitions more and more and more?
I am, but I'm getting more and more terrified.
And tell me about the terrified. What makes you more terrified about them?
Because when, when you know you're doing a tournament, you don't know who you're fighting. You didn't know who's the same weight as you.
And, and do you know these, you know, some of the kids or not really?
I remember some of the kids.
Is it more terrifying if you already know them or more terrifying if you don't know them?
To me, I'm more terrified if I don't know them.
That's interesting. So have you had people who beat you in the past, but you have no fear about fighting them again?
Yes, sir. In the recent tournament yesterday, this girl named Olivia beat me one time, another boy beat her, then I beat her. So I made the same— I made progress even though I made a mistake.
Excellent. And so then you're not afraid of fighting with Olivia anymore?
Nope.
Okay, so would you say it's just the uncertainty with kids you don't know? It's just you have no idea what to expect with them? Is that why it's terrifying?
Yeah, and you don't know what their skill is. That's why. Because if you don't know—
you blanked out a little bit. You said you don't know what their what is?
Skill. And if you don't know what their skill is, that means you don't know what they're gonna do.
I see. So they might be much better than you think, or, or not, but you just don't know.
I just don't know what their skill and how good they are.
Okay, that makes sense. Um, and then if you fought them once, then you kind of know what to expect and know how to, how to handle them, huh?
Yes.
Okay, well, because it's kind of loud tonight, I'm going to keep it short, but congratulations on your tournament, and I hope you enjoy the Odyssey. Okay.
Okay.
Oh, bye-bye.
