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!
%%^^&W@$@#$^$@^%@$@#lettuce#$%^&&(()*&)_+(*&^%$
October 23, 2009
October 22, 2009
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
October 21, 2009
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
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
October 18, 2009
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.
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.
October 4, 2009
'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.
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.
July 7, 2009
June 11, 2009
Our Deepest Fear
There are a lot of things that I like about teaching karate. Giving out the kyu certificates and belts is one of them. It's the concrete piece of seeing the students achieve the next level of training.
This is Mary with me. She is one of my strongest students, but she is also a good example of a student working through some of her issues in karate. Mary is naturally good at sports--she has a long history of competitive softball--but she holds back in karate because she is afraid to be better than her peers. It's a fear of success born of a fear of peer rejection. She doesn't want the other girls (or boys, probably) to reject her out of their own insecurities because she is better than they are at karate. This is a small piece of a larger issue, obviously, but Mary has to start approaching it somewhere.
We have several students with a fear of success, all with their subtle differences. Some of them are afraid to be capable and independent because they believe that their family system requires them to be incapable and dependent. Some of them are afraid to no longer need their parents (or a parent) because their parent has some emotional need that they want their child to fill. For many of them, success means losing some relationship dynamic that they might not necessarily want, but the unknown that a change in the relationship would bring is frightening.
Some students are simply afraid of being better than their peers at something and being rejected for it. It can be hard to be brilliant, beautiful, and talented--or at least it appears that way to someone who has spent a good portion of their energy ensuring that they aren' too beautiful, too brilliant, or too talented.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actaully, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won't feel so insecure around you. We are born to manifest God's glory within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And, as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Nelson Mandella, 1994 Inauguration Speech
This is Mary with me. She is one of my strongest students, but she is also a good example of a student working through some of her issues in karate. Mary is naturally good at sports--she has a long history of competitive softball--but she holds back in karate because she is afraid to be better than her peers. It's a fear of success born of a fear of peer rejection. She doesn't want the other girls (or boys, probably) to reject her out of their own insecurities because she is better than they are at karate. This is a small piece of a larger issue, obviously, but Mary has to start approaching it somewhere.
We have several students with a fear of success, all with their subtle differences. Some of them are afraid to be capable and independent because they believe that their family system requires them to be incapable and dependent. Some of them are afraid to no longer need their parents (or a parent) because their parent has some emotional need that they want their child to fill. For many of them, success means losing some relationship dynamic that they might not necessarily want, but the unknown that a change in the relationship would bring is frightening.
Some students are simply afraid of being better than their peers at something and being rejected for it. It can be hard to be brilliant, beautiful, and talented--or at least it appears that way to someone who has spent a good portion of their energy ensuring that they aren' too beautiful, too brilliant, or too talented.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actaully, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won't feel so insecure around you. We are born to manifest God's glory within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And, as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Nelson Mandella, 1994 Inauguration Speech
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