Kristen Judge: A Bigger Game to Win
June 24, 2018
Kristen Judge of Twitter is the defending D10 Houston Women's Individual Champion. A version of this piece originally ran in 2016.
Sports and family are the pillars of my life. They've been the constant outlets through which I've developed my experiences, skills, and self-assessments. Hindsight has provided the benefit of realizing that these two things have also taught me the most lessons in dedication, humility, and how to find success.
After signing up for my first D10 this fall, I dedicated myself to finding success in the competition. I started preparing a training regime, enforced a strict diet, and thought about the competition constantly. How would I train over the course of twelve months to ensure I had the physical endurance to last the entire day? How would I rack up as many points as possible? How would I prepare my mind to not give up when I got tired? How would I strategize to beat the clock and push out an extra rep when needed? As any true athlete would, you lace up your shoes on Game Day to win.
Then, I was humbled. About a year ago, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. An accomplished athlete, my mother was my inspiration for getting into sports at a young age. She has always been the healthiest, most active person in my life. I was blessed that she was not only my mom, but my multi-sport and life coach, my physical therapist through injuries, and my #1 fan through the highs and lows. Watching her maintain poise and dedication exemplified true strength - she had to stop doing activities she loved, and she worked to find and maintain a new normal. As I was doing repeat 200M sprints on the track, she was stuck at a hospital getting treatments. Once again, it was the combination of sports and family helping me to find a deeper meaning in what I was doing.
Success is looking beyond the expectations on Game Day and seeing what the bigger picture is. There are children who are working hard, day in and out, to find their sense of normal, find activities they love, all while fighting to beat cancer. I want to do anything I can do to help them win that battle. That’s why I am so proud to be competing in The D10.
We’ve got a bigger game to win here, and I can’t wait to be part of it.
2018 Update:
Kristen writes, "Mom is continually on the up...she's incredible!"
Donate to Kristen's fundraising for The D10 2018, which benefits Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, here. Make it interesting by placing a performance-based donation on her Marquee event - 30 reps in the Bench Press.