Phoenix trip

The trip was way fun!! It took awhile to get started because after we had been driving in the bus for awhile Rob decided to turn it around and drive the Yukons. but after that we drove to St. George for 8 hours. When we got there the girls were making some amazing burgers and hot dogs, they were great. Christine decided she wanted to spin poi, which is basicly spinning maces around and looking cool. So being the competitve person that I am, I decided to do some spinning of my own. When I was at home I spun rifles for a drill team. So I grabbed a digging tool and started spinning that it was pretty fun. We played pool and hung out after that. Rob watched baseball. The next day we had another 8 hour drive to Pheonix and that was pretty fun. That night we went swimming and hung out at the pool. on our first whole day at Pheonix we hiked sqwa peak. I worked out in the morning with Sensi and then we went and hiked. The hike wasn't that hard but it was fun. I got to get close to some of the girls. The next day we went to the tournament. We sat around and watched a bunch of people compete. Then it was our turn, I didn't do to well, but it was still fun. we hung out for the next day and drove back to St. George. We were all pretty tired but I was the only one to do school. The funnest part of the trip was hanging out and getting close to the girls I haven't gotten to hang out with before.
- Alexander the Great

Bling

We went to Phoenix and came back with a little bling!

Kung Fu karate Trip

For the last three days I have been on a karate trip in Phoenix, AZ. Fun stuff. on Wednesday last week we started our drive to Phoenix. It was a six hour drive to St. George where we stayed at Rob and Pam's house. The house was awesome, we stayed the night there and had a BBQ. played some pool, hung out, socialized with the other boys and girls on the trip. It was nice to just get to relax for the day. The next morning we packed up and left for another six or seven hour drive to Phoenix. On the way we passed through Las Vegas and went over the Hoover Dam. They are building a new bridge across the canyon so people aren't driving across the dam and it was about half way finished. That was an amazing sight to see. We also stopped outside of Phoenix and got to hike around which was pretty cool. We found a lot of quartz crystals just lying around.
On Friday we hiked up Squaw Peak. That's the biggest peak in the area I think, but that was a sweet hike and a few of us wore ourselves out trying to run up the last steepest leg of the trail. After that we went to One's house for another BBQ.
Saturday was the tournament. I did alright personally, didn't place or anything but most of the other students all took home a sweet medal for their division. We were there most of the day and we watched the black belt divisions compete, which was awesome to watch. Those guys were crazy good. After the tournament we just kicked back the rest of the day and went swimming at the hotel.
The whole trip overall was awesome. I think it was the best Cedar Ridge trip I have been on so far and I have been on quite a few. The part that I think I liked the best was just time out in the "Real World" I guess you could say and getting to know some of the girls that I see on a daily basis here but never really get to talk to to find out who they really are.
i'm really anticipating the next karate trip and planning to do better in the next competition but I'm really glad I got to go on this one.
-

Yes, The training pays off.

So, today was the day of the tournament, both excitment and anxiety were in the air...but mostly anxiety. It started off slow. We got there and waited forever for our groups to get called, but when they where, boy did time fly. It was amazing.
I went to this same tournament last October, and this time it felt completely different, I was much more aware, and everything seemed so much more important, especially representing our Dojo and our senseis.

The Western Karate Championships

Hey Everybody,
Today we went and did the tournament. We all did well. The girls were all against each other except for one other girl who was from Phoenix, she only did Kata. Then in Kumite all five of the girls sparred against one another. I know that for myself I was so nervous for the Kata and ended up not doing as well as I'd hope for. In sparring though I did well I got third place. Which meant that I got a medal!!! YAY! Then after we got to watch the adult black belt finals. The Katas that they did were beautiful. There aren't many words I use to describe what I saw today. After we got to eat some grub at the World Buffet. Man I definitely ate too much. Swimming for the last time was awesome but hard. Knowing the fact that this is my last night in Phoenix is definitely a hard concept for me to grasp. The relationships that I made with each one of the people whom I went with is something that I don't want to lose. This trip was a once in the lifetime opportunity with Cedar Ridge. I hope that people who get this opportunity next year will take this in a positive direction and follow on the tradition of Cedar Ridge Shotokan.
-Blick

Cedar Ridge Shotokan--Phoenix Trip--DAY 3

Oi!
Today started out bombdiggity. Some of us,(Madlove, Contrary and Moi) slept in, cleaned up, and began the embarkment on hiking Squat (Squaw) Peak. All of us BMWs, or BMMs (burly mountain women or men) made haste to this seemingly impossible hike. Unfortunately my legs weren't long enough and the steps were taller than I am, so I had some help from the gentlemen. :)
As us beasts hiked the peak, Princess Madlove and Page walked up the first little leg, and then went back to the Yukon and the Denali to sun bathe. What precious water nymphs. Speaking of water nymphs, we headed to the crib of One and family. Of course, Drama Queen and I were the first ones in! Unforunately no one told me that I might have to know the warning signs of hypothermia.
After One's house, we packed in the car and went back to the hotel, in which my baby sister and daddy were there waiting for me. My dad is the cutest little thing, and my sister.... well let's just say she grew up.


more in the a.m!


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Cedar Ridge Shotokan--Phoenix Trip--DAY 2

Hello again, all!

So today we made our travels through Las Vegas, on to Phoenix, Arizona! We eat, we drink, and get back to some good conversation. On our way through Arizona, we stop to do some sight-seeing through the cacti-filled desert. We take pictures and find ourselves making way to step on some new turf. After a few more hours of Fleetwood Mac and a 20oz. Diet Pepsi, WE FINALLY ARRIVE! All us kids' get some scrumptious free-hotel food and jump straight on into the pool where we did our katas and water-ballet in front of other foriegners. I can safely say that today was one of the best days I've had in a long time.

DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S BLOG--THE GANG CLIMBS THE EPIC SQUAW PEAK!

Love,

MadLove

Cedar Ridge Shotokan--Phoenix Trip

Hello, dear friends!

So this morning I woke up, totally stoked for the ride to Phoenix. With no more than a few hours of sleep, I pack up the car with my things, along with a few other of my fellow housemates, and get ready to enjoy the ride! Yeah! The first night, all 13 of us kids pack into Rob and Pam's BEAUTIFUL St. George house and chill. I made dinner; for the first time might I add, as well as grocery shopping for our group. After barbequing the delish dinner, we all just relaxed and got ready for the rest of our exciting trip. CAN'T WAIT TO CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY!

STAY POSTED.

--MadLove

Phoenix Tournament Trip

Well, we've geared up and the Western States Karate Championships are just around the corner in Phoenix, Arizona. The group has been trimmed to a lucky thirteen students who have put in hours of additional training to be ready for the ring.
Today we practiced kata on the carpet in the big dome so that everybody would be used to it. Rob worked with the group on kata, sharing with them some of the 'secrets' of Shotokan. He has an amazing wealth of knowledge that he is beginning to focus on sharing with the Cedar Ridge karateka.
Of course, gearing up for the trip means much more than just the few minutes of fame that each student will have in the ring. They are all extremely excited to hang out with each other and barbecue and swim in the warm Arizona weather.
Stay posted for details from them during the trip (including pictures). And I pinky swear in blood that I will have a post every day from one of the students starting on Wednesday.

'Camping'

Osss! When you come back from three days of karate, karate, and more karate, you start responding with Oss! to every question and bowing in and out of every room--even the bathroom!

I, Sensei Christine, went with two of the girls to the 15th Annual Gasshuku Karate Camp hosted by the IMA Karate Association out of Louisville, Colorado. The camp was held in the Rockies west of Denver in beautiful Keystone, Colorado. We trained--HARD. It's a solid sense of accomplishment to actually do karate for eight hours all in one day. Bess and Alex did a good job of representing Cedar Ridge Shotokan in both their work ethic their social behavior.

This camp is a great example of how students can find a very healthy and supportive 'family' for socializing when they leave Cedar Ridge Academy. Dojos--good dojos--create a family atmosphere centered around the healthy lifestyle, work ethic, and commitment inherent in traditional karate training. Bess and Alex trained hard, but they also enjoyed time with peers in a healthy, productive way and spent the weekend being confident teenage girls.

Alex's Blog:
Sept. 25--Today we were off to Keystone and it was a really fun trip in the car. I got to play with Dylan (Christine's little girl) for a little bit and then we were off. We listened to music for the most part. I was surprised when I got to see snow when we got to Keystone. Our first training was fun. We did ladder drills and kicking. I'm tired from the trip. Tomorrow is going to be hard and fun.
Sept. 26--Wow, let me tell you, I'm very tired and getting sore. We did a lot of karate today. I learned how to use a bow staff and a sword. Then we worked on self-defnese. We got a three hour break to go swimming and Bess and I hung out with a girl from the karate camp and went swimming. It's cool being a teenager again. I'm going to come to this camp again. After we did fun drills and more traning. Then we got ready for the banquet. I got to learn how to belly dance and that was fun! This trip was awesome. I'm sad that it's over tomorrow.

Sept. 27--We had our last classes and we were off. I really wish we didn't have to leave. I got a lot out of this and I hope to go next time and we are on our way back to Cedar Ridge.

Bess's Blog:

Sept. 25-- We hit the road at 8:30. Christine's playlist guideds tthe whole way there. We took a few pitstops and saw some amazing scenery. Around 4:00 p.m. we got to our amazing hotel. After being checked in we set out for some fun shopping and eating. At 7:30 our training began. The groups here split depending on belt. Blacks and browns were together while the rest were in another room. Our group did drills and some killer workouts that left us feeling great.

The training ended at 9:00, but that didn't stop anyone from socializing. I got to meet different senseis and fellow trainers from different parts of the country. I can't wait 'til tomorrow.

Sept. 26--Our training began around 8:30. The first class was on weapons. Don't worry--they were padded. My partner taught me how to use a bow staff. Next we dueled each other. I lost but learned a lot. If I'm ever in a dark alley, I'll break out my bow staff. The next part of our training was spent practicing kicks and how to defend ourselves against an attacker. At 11:30 we got a three hour break. Christine, Alex and I went to a great pizza place. Christine had to go to sensei training directly after, so Alex and I met up with some junior black belt friends from training. We went to the pool and got to be normal teenagers for the first time in forever. We went straight back to training at 3:30. After two hours of drills we were allowed to go back to our hotels to take showers and get ready for the banquet. At 7:00 we walkzed into the dining hall. The night was full of dancing, eating cake, and me learning how to play hackey sack from a really hot guy. By the time we returned to the hotel we were passout out!

Sept. 27--It was the last day of the camp. We rushed to get to the 8:00 training. Most people were late. AFter some fun games to test our reaction time we were done. Every one said goodbye and hoped to see each other next year. I got a picture with a hot sixteen year old black belt and memories that will stay forever.