The US Open is Big. Like, really big. They seemed to have rented out the entire Coranado Plaza Hotel at Disney. Everywhere I walked, there were martial artists huddled in corners sleeping on bags, and meandering around with preocupied expressions on their faces. But, no one is running through form in the middle of the …
Continue reading U.S. Open Adventures: Disappointments and Realizations
For the last several years I've been on Team Revolution. It's been a great ride so far, and I just got done with the U.S. Open (more on that later!) And during the inevitable hurry up and wait for a really long time that seems to characterize all major events. I had some realizations about …
Continue reading 3 Things No-One Tells You About Being on A Karate Team
I have one week until the US Open. And it's pretty terrifying. I've been working, training, and generally trying to push myself into something resembling comeptition ready. But, there are still times where I'm absolutely convinced that what I'm doing is a bad idea, and that I'll have no idea what to do. But, past …
Just last night I was at the dojo wrapping up an adult class. One of the members came up to me and jokingly accused me of only talking about the karate kids. Every one was getting shoes on and wrangling the last few children who always seemed to be wandering around. "We aren't all kids!" …
I have discovered a new wonder formula of incredible awesome-ness and joy. Basically, it's a liquid anti-inflammatory which works a lot like Ibuprofen. Except you smear it onto the area you want the most goodness to happen in. It's completely awesome (Obviously, use this responsibly and not like a complete idiot. Read the directions, and …
Once I answered that phone call, things started happening really fast. That weekend I went down for an interview. While I was there I met the woman who would eventually become the girlfriend. Two weeks after that, I had dug my last hole, packed everything up and moved. It was a hot, irritating, and slammed …
Continue reading Step 2: Realize Goals and Dreams Don’t Always Match
The day after I got back from my drive to Gary, Indiana I managed to throw my back out while putting my shoes on. After pulling myself into the standing position using the assistance of a table and a fair amount of swearing. I hobbled to work and got to tell my story of …
In our last installment we learned our dashing hero had foolishly planned to be in two places at opposite ends of the country AT THE SAME TIME. Since he doesn’t happen to know any magicians with the magical saw-you-in-half-table. He has to make a decision: Go to Nationals with the goal of earning a place …
Tournament day! I was up at 4:50am and on the road by 5:15. There was an early morning drama of spilling a cup of water all over my laptop, followed by a very quiet, very intense, 8 minutes of hitting the power button and wishing REALLY hard. It did eventually boot up, and everything seems …
Coming up is the WKC Nationals in Dearborn, Michigan. It’s a pretty exciting deal that draws some great competitors from all over the United States. It also happens to be the National Qualifiers for the 8th WKC World Championships in Dublin, Ireland. Meaning, if I finish in the top 4 in my division, I’m qualified …
Kata Nerd 