DAY JOBS
When you're young you don't fully understand
but, when you're older
you realise the effort that is required.
Then you embrace everything
and you feel proud when you represent your country.
My name is Paula Rodriguez. I come from Madrid, Spain.
I am a military firefighter.
Karate will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020.
As European Champion, it is my goal to be there.
(MADRID, SPAIN)
I started karate when I was ten years old.
My friends were doing it, so I joined them.
Before karate, I tried other sports,
but I wasn't good enough in any of them.
I remember karate was becoming more professional
when I was 17 years old.
Before that, for me it was a hobby,
but the moment I entered the national team,
I realised things were becoming more serious.
Here is my very first medal from a European Championship.
I was the European Champion in 2003.
I was my first time in the national team.
The next two years were also very good;
I won medals in the European and World Championships.
I am very proud of everything I can see here.
Karate is becoming an Olympic sport.
It is a dream come true for any karateka.
When the Spanish team came second
in the World Championships,
I was already over the moon.
So, when you know you could win an Olympic medal,
you feel like the happiest girl ever.
I think that sports helps my job and vice versa.
They balance each other perfectly.
My colleagues help me a lot,
so I never miss a training session or competition.
I didn't dream of becoming a firefighter.
My best friend works here,
he is also my karate instructor.
Seeing him working and doing things here inspired me.
So, I tried and I have been here for ten years
and I have never looked back.
We worked 24 hours straight on one day
and we have the following four days off.
This facilitates my sport and training commitments.
The first thing I do is check the trucks.
I make sure the equipment is stowed correctly
and is in a good condition.
If there is any anomaly or something is out of place,
I have to log it for the Duty Chief to rectify.
I am the Duty Chief today
and Tejedor will be my deputy,
heading the fire and rescue team.
I will be using truck number one, the dragon.
Sandra on number two for refuelling.
Paula, you will be assistant fire and rescue chief officer
and Alberto is on communications today,
so if you need anything, he will sort it out.
Teamwork is essential.
If an emergency comes up,
your life depends on your colleagues.
I have been stationed here for ten years.
Some of the firefighters were here before me,
so I have known them for a long time.
Others started later, so I don't know them as well,
but, in the end, they are like my second family.
Since we can spend 24 hours a day here,
we end up getting on very well.
What do you think about Paula?
Paula? Paula is a great person.
She's a good worker, well behaved.
I agree, I'm happy with her.
Obviously if we don't say that,
she'll give us a couple of karate kicks.
Does she help you out as a colleague?
She does, here, Paula, wash these.
Hey, hey, no more.
I've known Paula since she first started here.
She's an excellent work colleague.
She makes a huge sacrifice
combining this job with her karate training
at the highest level.
She is always available when we need her.
She is exceptional at her job.
There are never any problems.
She is up for anything and prepared
for any eventuality.
The biggest problem is you can't make a living
out of karate at the moment.
It's hard because I have to split my time between
work and training.
In other countries, they practise karate full time.
They wake up, they train, then eat and so on.
They just train Monday to Sunday.
For me, it's unfeasible to do that,
I have to work harder,
but when you love what you do then it's not that bad.
Hello!
Hi.
Hi, how are you? Long time no see.
My family and friends have helped me
by being on my side.
In order to have good times,
you need to go through some tough ones
and they have always been there for me.
They always respect that I have to dedicate most of my time
to training and competition.
This year, there has been a lot of travelling.
It has been hard and long.
You haven't stopped, you've always been on the move.
I know, it has been good.
The first year we did really well.
They built the new team and a month and a half later
we were in the European Championships.
Yes, that was incredible.
That was beginner's luck.
Now that we are training more the results have been OK,
but not as good as the beginning.
Because when you start from scratch
it is easier to make improvements.
(19:48)
I always have positive things on my mind;
you always have to focus in what you do well.
There are good days where everything runs smoothly
and it's easier to think more positively,
but there are also times when
it is more difficult to get going
and on those days you focus on the objectives
and the feeling of winning a medal.
Kata is like imaginary fight against imaginary opponents.
You are hitting the air.
You have to try to break down kata into small parts
and keep repeating until you make improvements.
Every Kata practitioner has their own identity.
Paula has to develop the characteristics
that she conveys.
Her power, her way of feeling karate.
Part of being a good competitor is athletic capability,
which is what the judges look for in Olympic karate.
Physical conditional is increasingly important.
Our new team coach has recently given us more gym routines.
So, we train at the gym as much as we do on the tatami mat.
The referees focus on different things.
When I compete in a team,
the first thing they focus on is synchronisation
between the three athletes.
Their movements have to be identical.
So, that three people appear to be one.
They give points for speed and strength.
Karate is a martial art; you learn to defend yourself
and attack back.
So the action must be fast, explosive and strong.
Karate is a martial art founded on discipline.
It has made me the person I am today,
both personally and professionally.
Discipline helps you with everything.
It helps with work, while training and fighting
without losing your focus.
Going to the Olympics is not something
I have thought about just yet.
I want to take it slowly, step by step
always training, fighting and trying to get a place,
but even if they are challenging,
dreams are worth fighting for.
So, we will try and get there,
if we win a medal then that will be perfect.