Jill McCabe

“Match 1-34, John Conyers vs Jill McCabe”

Remember when I didn’t want to come up against a gym freak first round? Well, here we are. I first met Jill during my undergraduate period when I had to take a physical education course. She had been the youngest PE teacher in our university’s history, starting work at age 25. She was an absolute beast when it came to fitness and health, now 29 years old. Still, she was quite small for someone with as much training as she did, standing at 5’10 and 145 pounds, but you shouldn’t let that fool you, she was as strong as the biggest guy you could imagine. I was not making it out of the first round as a winner.

It was a relatively short wait, even though there were only 4 wrestling mats in the gym, which meant there were 8 rounds of matches before my turn. But since the first round was males vs females, most matches went by quickly. It was a bit of a bummer, seeing these young college women, walking up to the mat excitedly, thinking that maybe if they try hard enough they can win, only to be battered by an early 20s jock who wanted to get the match over with so they could advance straight to the final. Unfortunately for me, my road won’t be so easy.

I walked over to the mat and saw my opponent already there stretching. She was wearing a purple sports bra and matching purple athletic pants, and was standing barefoot, having taken her Nike shoes and white ankle socks off before stepping on the mat. I also took off my shoes and walked up to start my stretches. After a few seconds, Jill started tying her long blonde hair into a ponytail with her back to me. I got to appreciate just how toned her calf muscles, as well as her biceps which were now bulging even as she tied her hair. I knew I was in for trouble.

After finishing up, she turned around and started eying me, probably fancying her chances of going through. I was stuck in thought for a second while staring at her abs, before catching myself. “Good luck, Jill.” I said in a sportsman-like fashion. “Oh, I won’t need any luck, I was state champion back in my high school wrestling days in Oregon. But thanks anyways!” I was taken aback by her confidence, but I couldn’t really disagree.

Round 1, Match 34: John Conyers, 23 Male 5’11 165 vs Jill McCabe, 29 Female 5’10 145

The ref motioned for both of us to start, and it was time for my first match. I took a deep breath as we approached each other. She raised her hands for a test of strength, and I cautiously accepted her challenge. We were more even than I had imagined. I guess my 20-pound weight advantage would have to carry me through this. Shockingly, within a few seconds I felt myself pushing further forwards, as Jill moved back. I got a surge of confidence as I felt myself winning. Unfortunately, that only lasted a split second. As I started pushing harder, I felt my opponent lean back, twist her body around while keeping hold of my hands, and tossing me over her hip to the ground. I was stunned before turning around and looking at her.

“Did I also mention I’m a black belt in Judo?” She said with a light laugh. “That info might’ve come in handy before.” This girl was going to be a handful.

I got up quickly and tried to shake off the cobwebs. Jill was standing there just waiting for my move, so I obliged and made the first attack. Unfortunately for me, my short-term memory seemed to have taken a hit during the fall, and as I approached her, she grabbed me by the arm, adjusted her stance, and threw me to the ground. This time however, she kept a hold of my hand and went down to the ground next to me while attempting to put me in an armbar.

As soon as I noticed what was happening, I put all my action movie knowledge to good use and interlaced my arms together before she could pull them apart. For a few seconds we were in a near stalemate on the ground. This situation, although precarious, gave me some hope that I still had a shot in this match. I quickly started formulating an escape strategy, along with a plan for what to do after I got out. It was meticulous, going through every possible attack, every possible counter. I was ready to make my move.