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ZUMBA - Ditch the workout, join the PARTY!

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:12:00 +0000

WOW! We had our first ever ZUMBA Fitness Class at the studio today, and boy did it ROCK! We PACKED the house. Easily about 50 people showed up and were dancing their butts off right when 8pm hit. It was a BLAST!!! Zumba Rocks!!!

We brought on an amazing instructor named Cassaundra Harris (Miss Cassaundra)! She's got a ton of dance experience and carries a lot of energy in her Zumba classes! She was a great fit for our Team Family! We are also proud to announce that she will be on the next Zumba DVD!!! Miss Cassaundra ROCKS!!!

If you're interested in getting your ZUMBA on, and you're in the OC Area, come on down to our place and party!! We've got the best atmosphere, and a HUGE place for you just dance!!!

Team Intense Martial Arts
3150 W. Lincoln Avenue, #160
Anaheim, CA 92801
714-220-1552

ZUMBA Fitness Classes are on Tuesday Nights from 8-9pm!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.5

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:41:00 +0000

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.5

Saturday, July 3, 2010. It’s almost 12:00pm Pacific Time and I’m on the final leg of our journey home cruising at 35,000 feet. I apologize for not updating everyone sooner, but yesterday was our busiest day by far. Of the 11 fighters we brought to Orlando, 8 fought yesterday.

It was hectic, chaotic, exhausting, exciting and memorable all at once. By now many of you already know the outcome of each individual’s matches via phone calls or Facebook. I’ll summarize here for the record just the same. We arrived at the Convention Center for our 10:15am check in time. At least that’s what our paperwork led us to believe. As it turned out we were late, very late. Every one of our matches had already gone through the holding area, staging area and was now ringside waiting go time. To say we were panicked at the thought that after years of preparation everyone was going to be disqualified would be a colossal understatement.

Guro and we coaches were running around getting each of our fighters to their respective rings. Fifteen minutes after arriving we had 8 kids situated around the convention center at 7 different rings. Three of our fighters, who needed to find opponents, were also squared away with exhibition matches. I had 3 fighters to coach this day, Coach Kaihewalu had four and Guro had one. I’m going to tell you readers right now, some of my information regarding each fight might be a bit off or not as accurate as I would like. But we were so spread out it was difficult to document each event as they occurred.

Thanks to Ivan, my wife Debra and Ryan, we were able to capture most of the fights on videotape. I understand the Kaihewalu and Mertz families also recorded some of the fights. I have to give props to the rest of the team and family members in the stands who helped us get through the chaos. The little things like buying tape for the pads, informing everyone which fighter was where and when they were fighting, bringing us water bottles and helping with every other little thing really saved the day. I’m not surprised. It’s become SOP for this team (family), but I want them to know we don’t take it for granted and it was very much appreciated by those of us on the floor.

So, to the best of my recollection, here’s how the day’s events unfolded. Our first fighter of the day was Sarina Oropeza. I was coaching her. She had an exhibition match with a girl from Pennsylvania. She was the same age and rank as Sarina, but she was quite a bit taller. Sarina didn’t allow that to get in her way. She put aside her fear, unlike previous fights, and went to work right from the bell. She won her match 9-0 with a textbook display of counter fighting, using speed, angles and power. Given how hard it was to get her to this point from where we started 2 years ago, I'm so proud of what she accomplished.

The next fight, as I remember it was Nathan with Coach K in the chair. I saw most of this one from the floor. Unfortunately, with 2 other fighters sitting ringside my attention was divided to say the least. I saw Nathan land some headshots and a Nautobon. He won this fight, but it was tough. His next fight was for the gold medal. It was a great fight with each fighter landing head shots and extremely powerful kicks. Nathan took some damage, getting kicked in the shin twice, the groin and a solid shot to his chin. He kept coming after his opponent though. At the end of the fight Nathan need a headshot to win. He just missed as time expired, giving him second place and a silver medal. Unfortunately for us and Nathan, the excitement wasn’t over. This fight was a war and it took everything Nathan had. He literally left it all on the floor, where he lay hyperventilating. The medical staff treated him and he’s fine now (as fine as he was before anyway).

Concurrently Brooke was fighting and I was bouncing back and forth between these two rings. Her first fight ended as they usually do, with Brooke winning. However, this one ended strangely and prematurely. Brooke was having her way with her opponent and had built up an 8-1 lead (or somewhere in that neighborhood). It was clear to anyone watching that this fight was in the bag. Apparently her opponents coach had better things to do. He raised his hand, got the referee’s attention and ended the fight in the middle of round two. I’m going to opine a moment here. Nobody likes to see their fighter lose or be outclassed, but quitting doesn’t help these kids grow. The only reason I would even consider this is if my fighters’ safety were in question. In this case it was not. I guess that’s one of the differences that make this team so special. We do not abide quitters. Brooke’s second fight was against a worthy opponent. She was similar to Brooke physically and her skills were solid. At the beginning of the 3rd round Brooke was ahead 6-5. She landed a couple of solid kicks early, building an 8-5 lead. That’s when she was the victim of an excellent head shot by her opponent, knotting the score at 8-8 with less than 30 seconds left in the fight. Brooke kept her cool, while pouring it on. She landed a headshot (3pts each if you’re wondering) followed by another then a roundhouse to build a 15-8 lead. The fight ended with Brooke taking home the gold medal.

I believe our next fighter was Ismael. He had a buy into the gold medal round. When I got to his ring the fight was already raging. I thought I was looking at a repeat of Jakes fight at first. Ish’s opponent towered over him. The heavyweight divisions really make for some interesting match ups. With Ish giving up several inches he was fighting an uphill battle the entire way. He came up short in the end, settling for second place and a silver medal. I want to add something here though. Ismael has been frustrating his coaches, Mr. Garcia and Guro for months now. We’ve been trying to get him to think a little less and kick a lot more. I want to give him huge props for stepping up. This was the busiest fight I’ve seen him have in a long time. If he keeps up this intensity he’ll be successful in this sport. Guro, Coach K and I were all sharing with each other how impressed we were with him. When you watch the kids train for so long you pray they’ll perform when the time comes. Ismael did and we’re very proud of him.

The next fight as I remember it was Chad. Chad is one of our least experience competition fighters with some of the most potential. Again, I only saw bits and pieces of his match due to all that was going on, but what I saw was what I’ve been hoping to see from him for a long time. Chad has very long legs and excellent power. However, he’s yet to use them as well as I thought he could. On Friday he showed me something. On the biggest stage this sport offers for him at this level he performed like an old pro. He came up a bit short on the scoreboard, but the fight was a huge step for him towards future success in Tae Kwon Do. I told him so right after his match and I sensed he was proud of his effort too. I hope he was, because I know everyone else on the team who saw him was. I’m very excited to see what he does at the next Jr. Olympics, when he’ll fight people his own rank instead of 2 ranks above him.

Our next fight was Daphne and I was coaching her. This fight was an exhibition as no one came to Orlando to challenge her, making her the automatic gold medal winner of her division. The girl who stepped up to fight Daphne is the same girl that gave Brooke fits in her gold medal match. Daphne had to step onto the mats with a taller, heavier blue belt, which she had just watch battle one of our best fighters. Daphne was nervous to be sure, but she had a smile on her face the entire time we were on the floor. It’s a thrill as a coach to see kids in a stressful situation, filled with fear and doubt, pushing it aside and moving forward anyway. Daphne did a great job in her fight. She listened to me and followed my directions. She banged her thigh early in the fight leaving her with a dead leg, but she battled through it. She lost, but all things considered she performed admirably. Now that I think about it, Sara actually fought before Daphne. Sorry ‘Pound cake’ (inside joke).

Sara, like Daphne, was already gold medal champion of her division. She fought an exhibition match against a very skilled blue belt (Sara’s only a green belt). Sara was on fire from the outset. She worked this girl’s tail off and at the end Sara took the victory 5-0. It might’ve been 6-0. Regardless, it was a great performance from Sara. She too had been giving us coaches some concern. Her recent headaches had cut into her training, but she showed no ill effect whatsoever. She was mean, fast, powerful and aggressive. It was a great fight.

Our last fight of the day was my son Austin. He had a division of 7 and as usual, he drew the toughest competitor in the first round. If he could get by this guy it was a clear shot to gold. The fight started and all hell broke loose. Austin and his opponent were throwing kicks like crazy. Austin took a back kick to the chin that probably should’ve been a 1 point deduction for his opponent but was scored a 3 point head shot. Austin also landed a headshot in this fight that wasn’t scored but that’s Tae Kwon Do and we don’t make excuses or worry about that stuff. We had a fight to deal with. Austin fell behind 9-0 in the first round. But Austin was dictating the action and totally controlling the ring. Due to constant pressure put on him by Austin, his opponent went out of bounds a second time, awarding Austin 1 point. In fact, Austin caused his opponent to lose 3 points during this contest. It was something we’ve never seen from him before. Instead of sitting back and countering, he was pressing the attack and it was very effective. In between rounds Austin and I had a calm discussion. In spite of being 8 points down, Austin was clearly the stronger fighter and I had every confidence we could climb back into this fight. I’ll tell you one thing for certain, neither one of us was going to quit like the first girl Brooke fought. Austin continued to pressure his opponent causing him to constantly fall to the floor or retreat out of bounds. At the end of round 2 the score was now 9-5. In between rounds we talked about how his opponent was completely out of gas and all we needed was two headshots to win. The bell rang and Austin went back to work. He landed the first headshot we needed, then a solid roundhouse. His opponent then went down with an alleged ankle injury, which we believe was designed to buy time. This kid was completely exhausted and Austin had barely broken a sweat. When the fight restarted Austin picked up where he left off. He pressed the fight, missing an axe kick by less than an inch. He continued forward. Unfortunately, the clock ran out before he could complete the comeback. It was an amazing fight, but sometimes they just don’t go your way. Guro relayed to me a comment she heard from a coach of another competitor in this division. Having just watched Austin’s fight he turned to his kid and said, “You have a lot of work to do.” That’s high praise and kind of funny.

All of our fighters were done at this point, though Chad stepped up for a blue belt that’d missed his call, to fight an exhibition. In case it’s escaped you, blue belt is 4 ranks above Chad, who’s a true yellow belt fighting as a green belt and now taking on blue belts. Like I said, this kid has much potential.

We concluded our Jr. Olympics with 7 of our 11 fighters taking home medals, including 4 gold and 3 silver. All came home with memories that will last a lifetime. Before leaving the venue the kids all went on the ‘bungee trampoline’ ride. Sara and Austin also took on the rock climbing wall. We headed back to the resort for a poolside celebration party with pizza and hot wings. Most of us stayed up most of the evening chatting and packing. You never want Nationals to end. It’s such an amazing experience for the fighters and their families. This one was no exception.

The Kaihewalu’s and Mertz’s are staying on in Orlando for a few more days. The rest of us headed out at 5:30am for the airport. After turning in our rental cars we shared hugs and good byes. You’d think we were never going to see each other again. That’s how close this team is and how powerful these trips are.

I hope you enjoyed following along on our journey. Jr. Olympics is only 2 short years away, perhaps sooner. I thank everyone for supporting the team and encouraging us these long months. Make sure you congratulate everyone of the Elite Fighters. They represented your school in such a way as they deserve your respect. Be sure to check out our website, http://www.teamintense.ning.com/ during the next several days as I post pictures of our adventure. Until next year, thanks to our team for everything.

From High Above California, For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.12

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:17:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.12, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we have touched down, and are now fighting at the Jr. Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

Now that we’re here in sunny, sticky Florida, it’s time to show Orlando what TIMA is made of. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement. As I write this particular blog I’m sitting in the dark in Guro’s room with most of the Elite team as they watch a ‘Chick Flick’. The subject of this blog is wisely next door asleep. Like this one, all of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we conclude our journey which has taken us one by one into the lives of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Austin Jacob Woodward. *Disclaimer: This kid is especially close to my heart as he’s my son. If it seems like I’m taking special liberties with him or his story it’s because I am. But he’s mine so I’ll do whatever I want with him. Which is pretty much what he’s been doing since the little terd became a teenager.

Austin is 14 years old and will be a freshman at Kennedy High School. He has been with TIMA for six years. This is his 4th year on the E.F.T. He is a blue belt (4th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. Some of his teammates, Sarina in particular, have informed him his days at Kennedy might not always be as enjoyable as he hopes. For those of you who know Austin, you know that he’s prone to pranks and practical jokes (I have no idea where he learned this). I guess she’s looking forward to evening the score on her home court. Time will tell.

Austin is a peculiar kid. He tends to be quiet and self entertaining. Getting him to talk is like pulling teeth. So, even though he’s my son, his interview went quickly as he just doesn’t like to waste energy and time talking that could be spent sleeping.

Besides training in Tae Kwon Do, Austin also does Muay Thai. He said it’s harder than Tae Kwon Do because, “There are less breaks.” If you’re keeping score, he’s the third of our twelve interviewees to mention this. Now, as someone who also trains in Muay Thai with TIMA, I don’t want to look like I’m taking sides. But three is too many to be a coincidence. I’m just saying. In addition to being Austin’s dad, I often times am honored with coaching him at tournaments. As a coach I was always on him to put a little more power into his kicks. Now that he’s taking Muay Thai that’s no longer an issue. He kicks hard.

Austin has fought in dozens of tournaments. His wall is covered in medals to attest to it. However, when I asked him his favorite memory from a tournament he said he didn’t really have one. He did mention the fights he has with a particular opponent from ‘Hahn’s Tae Kwon Do’. We faced this kid 3 times and it’s always a great fight. The thing is, I really don’t think he has a memory that stands out because he doesn’t get all ‘Geeked’ up for tournaments like most fighters and coaches do.

If you’ve ever seen him fight you know his expression rarely changes. He almost looks bored at times. However, he’s not. Since he was 6 and started playing baseball he’s never been one to let circumstances or pressure get to him. He goes in, does the work that needs to be done and lets the chips fall where they may. It’s a gift for an athlete and sometimes frustrating for a coach when you feel like your fighter doesn’t care as much as you do. But then you realize, he’s just a whole lot calmer inside than you are, or ever will be. What I used to interpret as indifference was just an uncanny ability to focus and find peace in the midst of the chaos of competitive Tae Kwon Do.

Austin listed his friends on TIMA as “Marisa, Chad, Sarina, Nathan, Nicolette, Brooke, basically the whole elite team.” His least favorite punishment is “either the wall or burpies.”
I asked Austin his favorite memory related to TIMA. In a testament to the team building skills of Guro, Austin also named this past summers’ ‘Boost’ camp for teens. When I asked him to be more specific he said, “Just everything was good.” I sensed he was being lazy just a bit so I reminded him of something that happened at Boost that made number one on Guro’s memory list.

Guro said, “I don't know if it's the best or if it's just the one I will never forget. It was when I almost went to jail for teaching him a lesson at BOOST. You gotta love it. It's not a TIMA experience without someone getting in trouble. I just didn't think that person was going to be me! Hahaha.” The event she referenced involved Austin being ejected from a boat and making his way to shore.

So, when I tried to get more out of Austin I simply asked him about, “The Boat.” He laughed a bit and said, “No, I didn’t like that part.” At least he had a sense of humor about it. His answer was also illustrative of the calm and focus I spoke of earlier. Guro’s worst memory was Austin’s best because he focused on the good memories and put aside the bad.

Austin’s worst TIMA related injury happened years ago when he was still just a yellow stripe. It also didn’t happen to him. He was sparring at the end of class with a teammate. Austin executed a roundhouse kick just as Guro called time. His opponent blocked the kick with his left arm and it broke. Funny thing is, nobody knew. Tyler was much bigger than Austin. He was also a pretty tough kid. The team bowed out and he left with his parents without saying a word. I remember the following Wednesday we were in class. I was talking with a mother during class whom I’d never met. She was telling me how much her son was enjoying TKD but that he’d suffered a broken arm and had to take time off. I asked her how he broke his arm. She told me the story I just told you, except she didn’t know the name of the student who’d broken her sons arm. I asked her to point him out to me. She said, “That skinny blonde boy right there” as she pointed at Austin. I was immediately overcome with pride that my ‘skinny blonde boy’ had the power to snap this kid’s forearm. Then I realized I was going to have to admit who I was and apologize. That was awkward I can tell you that.

Here are some fun facts about Austin you may not have known:

Favorite Fighter: ”Willie. He’s fast, strong and he has a funny yell.” (Austin then Imitated it…”husss!”

Favorite Movie: Jack Ass The Movie (To be sure, he likes this movie. However, this answer was designed to get a rise out of his mother who was in the room and a laugh out of you readers. Please don’t laugh. It only encourages this behavior.

Favorite Toy: ”If skateboard counts then that.”

Favorite Sparring Partner:”Probably Nathan cuz if I work him hard enough he’ll do the gorilla yell.”

Favorite Game: Modern Warfare 2 (Which of course is ‘Call of Duty’ but he didn’t want to say ‘duty’.

Favorite TV Show: ”Family Guy and Southpark."

Favorite Food: “Pumpkin Pie”

Biggest fear: “Drunk people and hobos.”

I asked him to share something nobody knows about him. He’s a pretty private kid so I didn’t really expect him to give me something here and he didn’t disappoint. “I don’t think there’s anything they don’t know.” I asked if it’s because he has no secrets or shame and will talk about anything and he said “pretty much.”

Knowing I wasn’t going to get what I was looking for, I pressed ahead anyway wondering who he’d come up with for a hero. “None that stand out. Everyone’s pretty much the same to me.” Along the same line of questioning Austin had this to say about who the three most influential people in his life are. “Let’s see. Um, uh, oh crap hold on. Are you writing that down? This is the part where he realized I was typing every little thing he said. His response? Awww. Ok, Steve-O, Rodney Mullen (pro skater) and Napoleon Dynamite.”

Austin’s favorite thing about TIMA is “Probably going to places with everyone.” Austin is the last of the 12 fighters I’ve interviewed. They’ve all been asked this same question and they’ve all answered in a similar manner. However, none have mentioned training, fighting, sparring or competing. They’ve mentioned the stuff that occurs outside the studio. I just wanted to point that out in case it had escaped you.

I asked Austin about any scars he might have that have a good story attached. I already knew he had many but I wanted to hear his favorite. He immediately answered, “The one on my right eye from when I ran into a weight bench when I was 3 or 4. It was Thanksgiving.” My wife and I remember that one too. She had spent over 12 hours preparing a family dinner for us and some of our extended family. She literally had to leave to take him to the emergency room 15 minutes before dinner was served.

If Austin had three wishes he said, “I’d wish for more wishes. Then anything that comes to mind after that.” I have to admit, I like that answer.

I asked him, “What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?” He said, “Got my skateboard taken away.” Mom, who was standing nearby wasn’t thrilled with his response and jumped in. “That’s the worst thing? Not Brittany?” For those who don’t know we lost our daughter Brittany, Austin’s older sister, to leukemia last year. However, being the private person he is Austin responded to his mom, “I don’t want to put that in there.” Honestly, I agree with both of them.

On a side note here, Brittany loved TIMA. She loved watching her brother’s train and she rarely missed a competition. She would always help me videotape or take pictures. Because of that when I watch back some of the boys’ competitions on video I’m treated to her voice as she cheers them on. I remember Ryan’s (Austin’s younger brother) first class. He joined TIMA a couple months before Austin because Austin wasn’t interested in martial arts. We all sat there watching Ryan. It was Debra, Austin, Brittany and I. Guro started the class with her list of rules. “Always say yes ma’am or no ma’am. No talking when I’m talking, etc.” Brittany turned to me and said, “Dad, you have to put him in this class. Please.” My wife and I actually decided that night he was going to join TIMA. Whether he wanted to or not. Initially, he did not want to do it. However, after a couple of weeks of watching Ryan he started begging us to join. As soon as the next session started we signed him up and he’s been there ever since.

I asked Austin a series of rapid fire questions which he actually gave me an answer too. Here’s Austin’s opinion about some of his teammates. Funniest is “Chad”. The one most likely to become a millionaire is Sara. The teammate most likely to be incarcerated; “Chad, Hands down.” Why is it I think if the day ever comes that Chad get’s arrested I’ll be seeing his parents at the jail bailing out there son TOO? What’s the scariest thing about Guro? “Making her mad.”

At this time I turned to Austin’s family, friends and coaches to learn a little bit more about one of TIMA’s most humorous and talented members.

I asked his mom, my wife, Debra to give us some of her stories about Austin. I asked her what was the best thing about him. She said Tae Kwon Do. After that she was at a loss. So I asked her what was the worst thing about him. Austin, listening in, said, “pushing him out.” Then he laughed at his joke. Mom, however, shot back with, “I didn’t push you out.” Austin was born via C-Section. Austin said, “I’m sorry, Yanked out.” Just a typical conversation in the Woodward household.

When I asked my wife about the impact of TIMA on her son she said, “I think it’s strengthened him as a young man.” Austin, unable to resist himself, muttered “oh ya” in the deepest voice he could muster.

I gave mom a chance to get even with Austin by recounting some of her favorite stories from his childhood. She said, “there’s too many.” But she managed to share a couple. “Oh ya, one that he won’t like. One that’s going to embarrass him. Wait, no it won’t. He doesn’t get embarrassed. I think he was around 4. I was coming home from work and all of a sudden I see a little boy running as fast as he could in his Underoo’s. Austin immediately tried to defend himself here by explaining that, “Jennifer (his oldest sister) was chasing me trying to hug me.” Mom continued,” Then I realized it was our daughter Jennifer. All he had on was his underwear.” In fact, that boy was always in his underwear.

Another story she recalled, “When he used to play baseball with anything. A paper towel roll for a bat and a cotton ball. Or a tree branch and paper wad, in his underwear. He was always just in his underwear. He’d come home from anywhere and immediately strip down to his underwear.”
Mom got back to my original question about the worst thing about Austin and the exchange was hilarious. Before she could even get out an answer Austin began laughing knowing something fun was about to happen. Mom said, “He has a bad attitude, he doesn’t listen and he has a potty mouth.” I asked Austin if he cared to defend himself to which he said, “Nah.” Mom, taking this as a sign of victory stated,”He pretty much agrees.” Austin, who will never let anyone get the last word in said, “I blame the economy.” I laughed out loud at that one. Which I’m sure is what he was going for. That’s one thing about Austin. He doesn’t talk as much as some kids, but when he does it usually leaves you laughing.

Guro said, “As a fighter, Austin is unpredictable, intelligent and daring. He'll throw shots most blue belts would be too scared to throw.” As a person Guro described him as, “random, funny and himself. He doesn't fit society's mold. He is who he is no matter who likes it or not. I respect that.” Your dad respects that too.

Speaking as Austin’s coach he can be frustrating at times. He’s so unconventional that it’s often difficult to get him to deploy simple techniques that will work. However, he usually finds a way to score. His own way. As his dad and coach there’s nothing I can really compare the feeling to. Being in the chair working together with him is an amazing gift TIMA has afforded me. I don’t think he gets it yet. But one day if he has the chance with his son he’ll understand how much it means to me.

Sara said he’s, “Peculiar, peculiar and peculiar. He’s weird, he’s really, really weird. He’s nice sometimes. Oh my God, his hair is so soft. I totally love his hair. I could totally squeal over it.” As a fighter, “He’s smart surprisingly enough. He does high kicks. He has very turny high kicks. He’s very fast.” ”One time at Sarina’s house I tried to push him into the pool but we both ended up in the pool.”

Daphne and Brooke both described him as funny and a smart, fast fighter. Sarina, relishing her chance to get even with Austin for his comments on her blog, had this to say about him. ”He’s cocky, violent, aggressive, and sassy.” As a fighter she said he’s quick and throws a lot of headshots. She was impressed with his angles, but hates his cut kick. “He’s always throwing that stupid cut kick. I hate it. Sarina’s favorite memory of Austin was just weeks ago when, “He kept on hitting me and I kept on hitting him and I got the last hit and he was a failure and I was hiding in the bathroom and he was getting all violent. Then Liz (Sarina’s roommate) was sleeping and I got in trouble. Then he stole my sandals and thought it was revenge but I still got the last hit.”

Marisa said,”He’s really good at cut kicks and his angles are good and his kicks are strong. He has really nice hair.” Seth said, “He’s funny and good at skateboarding. He has hair like a girl.” Nathan heard Seth, then laughed and said, “That’s a good one Seth.” Nicolette said, “He’s funny. He’s the one that makes me smile.”

I heard that a lot from Austin’s friends, that he makes them laugh. He did the same thing with me during the interview. It’s something he does on purpose. Sometimes it makes him come off like a goofball or a smart aleck. But at the end of the day, people usually feel better after an encounter with him. That’s a gift he gives to the world.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Austin Jacob Woodward. In fact, I hope you’ve enjoyed all our kids’ stories as much as I enjoyed bringing them to you. It was truly an eye opening experience. As impressed as I’ve been over the years with these athletes, I now have a whole new appreciation having gotten to know them better as people. I look forward to the next batch of Elite fighters. May they uphold the legacy these kids have established and carried all these years. Perhaps, one day, you or your child will be featured, ‘In the Clinch’.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.4

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:13:00 +0000

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.4

Thursday, July 1, 2010. It’s a little after 10:00pm our time and I’m in the clubhouse (where we have to go to get internet access) taking care of a bit of business before heading back to the room for a movie. Today was awesome in so many ways. Let’s get the simple stuff out of the way. Our remaining 8 fighters had weigh in. All made it without issue, though Austin came within .10lbs of being too heavy.

Our fighters for the day, Marisa and Jake, were on adjacent rings fighting one after the other. It was very convenient as moving in the bleachers here is a pain. The team was sooooo up for Marisa’s first fight. As this would be her first fight in competition ever. If you read her blog interview, as you should have, you know she didn’t have an opponent at states so this would be her first. Her division was 4 tough, skilled fighters, each a bit bigger than Marisa. Marisa wasted little time in her first match. Less than 5 seconds into the match she landed a headshot for 3 points. Within 10 seconds the score was 6-0 as she landed a second head shot. Marisa lead the fight throughout at one point by a score of 12-1. The final score was 13-9. Marisa had won her first ever competition fight and advanced to a spot that guaranteed her a medal. Her second fight didn’t go as we would have hoped, but she battled the entire way. Marisa earned a silver medal at her first ever competition, the biggest stage there is for a fighter her age and rank.

Jakes fight was something out of a horror movie. Since Jake is in the heavyweight division there’s no upward weight limit. His opponent, as pictured above was literally man-sized. He had at least 12 inches on Jake and probably 75-85lbs. It was unreal. Shortly after the fight began Jake was kicked in the face with a vicious roundhouse. It spun him around pretty good. It was such a hard kick the referee asked Jake if he wanted him to DQ (disqualify) his opponent. Jake said he wanted to continue the fight. It was pretty close for awhile. In fact, Jake knocked him down twice during the fight with kicks. Jake stalked this guy all over the ring. It was amazing. In the end he came up a little short and his run at Nationals came to a close. That being said, we will talk about this fight within TIMA for as long as we compete. Jakes, courage, guts, attitude and bravery were a joy to watch and something none of us will ever forget.

Tonight will be an early night as we have 8 fighters going off tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers and stay tuned for updates.

From Orlando, For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.11

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:06:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.11, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we have touched down, and are now fighting at the Jr. Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

Now that we’re here in sunny, sticky Florida, it’s time to show Orlando what TIMA is made of. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement. As I write this particular blog I’m sitting ringside in the Orange County Convention Center. Marisa and Jake are in the holding area with Guro and Coach K. Like this one, all of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 11th of 12 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Sarina Marie Oropeza.

Sarina is 16 years old and a junior at Kennedy High School. She has been with TIMA for three and a half years. This is her 2nd year on the E.F.T. She is a green stripe (7th gup) in Tae Kwon Do.

Though she’s only been the Elite team for two years, they’ve been a long two years. In the beginning she couldn’t seem to do anything right or really anything at all. Every drill, every exercise, every new technique was just too difficult for her. Well, in her mind that is. Sarina was one of the strongest females on the team from the waist down. Unfortunately, she was also one of the weakest from the neck up. Everything we asked her to do was met with “I can’t.” So much so we nicknamed her ‘No Puedo’. For our non-Spanish speaking readers please allow me to translate. Sarina ‘No Puedo’ (I can’t) Oropeza. She hated the nickname, but, on TIMA you get the nickname you earn.

I’m happy to report that nickname is no longer in use today, but we definitely got some mileage out of it. So much so that now if anyone on the Elite team, Coaches included, ever utter the phrase ‘I can’t’, the rest of us immediately jump on them. *(Side Note: We’re back at the resort now. Guro and the kids are doing their best British accent, saying ‘Hello Guvnor’. My British accent sucks. Guro said, “Try it Sir”. I said, “I can’t”. Guro responds, “Sir. You said can’t”. See how that works? Thanks Mija.)The attitude that accompanied the ‘I can’t’ is not one that goes away easily, and it was something that permeated more than just her Tae Kwon Do. Seeing her work her way out of that mentality has been a long, but very rewarding process. Sarina’s default response to adversity used to be searching for excuses before even trying. Now she seeks out answers to a situation first.

I asked her what has been the biggest change she’s experienced while training with TIMA. Without hesitation she simply said, “No Puedo!” You can tell she recognizes how that attitude had handcuffed her in other areas of her life.

It reminds me of the look of accomplishment and pride you see in every TIMA member after they complete their first belt test. They just know they can do anything they set their minds too and now so does Sarina.

As Sarina was trying to shake off her unwanted moniker, she earned yet another. Crutches! Sarina suffered a continuous rash of injuries. Some were legitimate; others were questionable and perhaps related to the ongoing ‘No Puedo’ battle raging in her head. That nickname didn’t go away so quickly. One day we just looked up and realized she wasn’t missing practice or making excuses for injuries. In fact, she’s not making excuses nearly as often as she used to for anything.
In addition to Tae Kwon Do, Sarina also trains in Muay Thai and Kali with TIMA. “I do Muay Thai more than Kali though. Muay Thai is the hardest you have to have a lot of endurance.”
Sarina’s favorite tournament memory was a no brainer for her. “States! I was 6 points down after the 1st round. Then I came back and won by one point. I was so scared. Then she head kicked me and I fell to the ground. When I got up I was mad. I totally thought I was going to lose but it was the greatest comeback.” I was in the chair for that fight. We had actually seen her opponent the evening before at weigh in. I told Sarina we had it in the bag. The girl was kind of clumsy and not very athletic. All Sarina noticed was the fact that the girl was 3 inches taller and Way bigger. When the fight started Sarina fell behind largely because she didn’t do anything. She was frozen with fear. In between rounds I asked her if she was done being scared. She said, “No!” So I smacked her upside her helmet to get her attention. I gave her some simple directions and sent her back in there wondering if No Puedo was going to reemerge and ruin this fight. That didn’t happen. Sarina went off on this girl, tying the score with 10 seconds left in the fight and taking the lead with 3 seconds to go. Like she said, ‘It was the greatest comeback.’

I asked Sarina to tell me who her friends were on the team. She responded, “Oh God! The elite team, Berenice, Ivan, Ryan, there’s a lot. I can’t name everybody. It’s everyone.” Congratulations reader, whoever you are. You made the list.

Sarina’s least favorite punishment is “The plank and plank push-ups. I hate core. I suck at it.” Not exactly what you want to hear from an elite athlete, but it sure beats, ‘I can’t do the plank.’
Sarina’s most memorable moment with TIMA was, “Boost. I think everyone connected more and understood each other more.” An answer you’d expect from someone who claims to be friends with everyone on the team. Then again, she really is.

I asked Sarina about her worst injury with TIMA, “Does my hyperventilation count?” Sarina suffers from ‘Bronchial Spasms’ which she sometimes needs an inhaler to treat. One night during Elite training at Peak Park she suffered an attack that required a trip to the hospital. I asked about her treatment and she told me, “They gave me an oxygen mask and they gave me volume. It made me feel really happy.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of a drug named ‘Volume’. I asked her to clarify, she said, ‘Valume. That’s what it was. Not volume.” I teased her about her pronunciation of ‘Valium’. She shot back with,” They gave me a small, little white pill.

Here are some fun facts about Sarina you may not have known:

Favorite Fighter: ”Seth. Cuz he’s fast and he’s strong and mighty. He has amazing angles too. I always strive to be like Seth.”

Favorite Movie: ”I think about this a lot. I can name you a bunch of movies that I really extremely like. A Walk to Remember, Valentine’s Day, The Last Song and my favorite comedy would have to be Zoolander.”

Favorite Sparring Partner:”Brooke, cuz she’s awesome. Brooke! Has nice butt.” This last statement confused me so I asked her to explain her comment about Brooke and her backside. Sarina told me,” You know how we say Team Intense at the end of class?” Whenever someone say’s Brooke, I say ‘Has nice butt’. And she likes it too.” Then Sarina realized her answer was getting away from her. So she tried to clear things up with, “Wait, but that’s not why I like sparring her.” I gave her one last try to straighten out the mess she made of this question so this is how she explained it. ”Because she’s really good, with great power and has good angles. But I think she could be faster.” Nice save Sarina. Why not just make fun of her hair. Sarina concluded what was supposed to be a simple question with this. “She kicks like a mule. I can’t even reach her for a headshot.” Why not? I asked. “Because I’m poquito. My legs are too short.”

Favorite Game: ”I love Monopoly. I’m very competitive when it comes to board games. I’ll act like I don’t care, but I really do. I want to win.”

Favorite TV Show: ”16 and Pregnant, That 70’s Show, My Name is Earl, Ghost Whisperer and Pretty Little Liars. “Oh no Tyra! I forgot Tyra. I knew I forgot somebody. Tyra’s my idol.”

Favorite Food: “Snickers”

Biggest fear: “My biggest fear is being alone, being abandoned.”

I asked Sarina to tell me something about herself that most people don’t know. “I played the piano for 7 years.” She added, “Everyone knows I have pimple popping fetishes right?” She concluded with, “I don’t think anyone knows I like to read. I like to read a lot.”

When asked who her hero was she said, “My mommy. Did you put a heart at the end?” Sarina said the three most influential people in her life are “You, Guro, my mom.” Score! I got first place. Alas, my celebration was premature. She revised her answer to, “My Mom, You and Guro.” Second place is respectable. I’m just glad to make the list.

I wondered what her favorite thing was about Team Intense. She responded with a one word answer, “Family.” A great answer to be sure, but I just couldn’t help myself so I asked her, “Don’t you already have a family?” She said, “Not that I like.” She laughed jokingly but then noticed I was writing down her response word for word. Again she tried to cover herself but it only got worse. ”I can’t say that about my family. No! Stop typing. Stop talking. My Facebook status is ‘I love my family’. I’m doing that right now.” If you’re wondering if she really did update her Facebook status in anticipation of this blog, she did.

I asked her when was the last time she was suspended from school. She said, “I got in a fight with this girl during P.E. in 7th grade. We were playing basketball and she pushed me down and I fell on my face. I let it go and then she did it again. Then she pulled my hair. So I pulled her hair and threw her on the ground.” I guess the moral of this story is don’t mess with Sarina’s hair.

I asked Sarina what is the worst thing she’s ever done that she got away with. “I broke one of my mom’s plates she bought in another country. I glued it back together and she’s never known about it.” Um, I hope mom doesn’t read this.

Here’s Sarina’s list if she had three wishes. “I wish I had a gajillion dollars. I wish I had naturally straight teeth so I wouldn’t have to get braces and I wish my mom liked to shop as much as I do.”

At this time I turned to Sarina’s family, friends and coaches to learn a little bit more about one of TIMA’s most stubborn and definitely girliest members.

I started with Sarina’s mom. She said TIMA “has been a positive influence as far as discipline, mind control, consideration and support of others.” Ms. Oropeza’s best memory of Sarina and TIMA came at, “Her first fight she had at Cal State University Dominquez Hills and she was sick and she wasn’t going to fight. First it was her foot, (This was in her ‘No Puedo/Crutches phase) and then she was sick. So she just went to support her teammates then she called me to bring her gear. Sarina wrote an essay for school about the experience. She closed it with this line, “I went in as an observer and came out a fighter.”

Ms. Oropeza gave me this cute little story that is sure to haunt Sarina the rest of her day’s with TIMA. “She was being potty trained and I used to fly a lot of trips so my mom (grandma) used to help train her. Sarina’s favorite movie was Lion King. Mom bought her Simba underwear and told Sarina don’t pee in your chonies or Simba will drown. It worked cuz she didn’t want to drown Simba with her pee.” Ms. Oropeza used to tell Sarina “Yay, good job” when she went pee in the toilet. She continued, “One time me and Sarina were running at the Cypress College track. The bathrooms are really bad there, so I raced home in the car to use our restroom. I ran in to go to the bathroom. Sarina said “Yay mom, good job. You didn’t pee in your chonies.”

She concluded with these words, “She was a blessing in disguise. I’m so blessed to have a daughter who’s so caring compassionate and so much fun to around.”

Guro said Sarina is “powerful and quick” in the ring. Sarina the person is “Super girly, funny and sweet. One of Guro’s fondest memories involving Sarina came very recently. She said, “Just a few weeks ago she invited me to do the ‘American Cancer Society's Relay for Life’ event. It was a great time for a good cause and I felt like that experience made us a little closer. You can't get any better than that!”

Sara Lee said,”I actually think she’s a pretty decent person but she makes it so easy to tease her. I can’t help but tease her. She’s actually a good person though. I like teasing her because she makes it so fun.” As a fighter Sara said,”She’s strong, she’s real strong and she listens to her coach.” I’ll have more to say about that later. Sara’s favorite memory of Sarina,”Was that time I said she was my ‘Frenemy’ and she got all sad and depressed.”

Daphne said she’s caring and funny and “she kicks hard.” Brooke said, “She’s hyper, funny and girly.” In the ring she described her as, “Fast and powerful.” I concur.

Austin and Sarina have a special relationship. Sarina sort of adopted me and I her, so she’s with our family quite a bit. Therefore, they’ve built a solid brother/sister type relationship that sometimes drives us crazy. That being said, there was no way he was going to miss this opportunity to get in some shots on her. He said, “She’s cocky, a smart aleck and girly.” Sarina who was sitting nearby, shot back, “Cocky? How am I cocky?” Just another typical day with these two. Oh, one last zinger. As a fighter Austin said, “She’s strong and she has a very convincing yell, that’s all I got.” That’s quite enough son.

Marisa said,”She’s really girly. She’s a great friend and a great husband and she has strong kicks.” Seth said, “She has an imaginary friend named Jasper.” I asked Seth about all her friends saying she was girly. He agreed declaring, “She’s girly. A lot.” Seth also agreed with all those who said she is a powerful fighter, “She can kick pretty hard.”

Nathan said she’s ”loud, very talkative, caring, loving” and yes, Girly.” Regarding her fighting he said, “She’s a powerful kicker, but thinks too much sometimes. She is not slow. She kicked me once and knocked the air out of me just like Mr. Garcia.” Nathans favorite memory of Sarina came at Boost. “She helped me recite my eulogy at camp. It was hard. I was crying. I was busting tears.”

Nicolette said, “She’s not even close to a tomboy. She’s the most girliest girl ever.” Nicolette had praise and advice for Sarina and her fighting. ”She’s too nice as a fighter. You here her say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’.” Nicolette continued, “She’s not the same fighter she used to be. She learns. She’s improved a lot.”

Speaking as her coach and adopted dad I couldn’t have put it better. She’s improved a lot, as a fighter, leader, teammate, friend, daughter and person. A lot of credit goes to her mom. A lot of it goes to Guro. A lot goes to her teammates, friends and TIMA as a whole. We accept people for who they are and work them as hard as we can or as hard as they are willing to, to help them become better than when they walked in. Sarina personifies this. When I first started working with her she frustrated me to no end. It was a constant parade of excuses mixed in with the stubbornness of a mule. Now she’s taken that stubbornness and she uses it to slay her demons and shortcomings. No Puedo is long gone, replaced by confidence and commitment to growth. I’m proud of you Sarina. You be proud of you too.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Sarina Mija Oropeza. Please check back in very soon when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Austin Jacob Woodward.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.3

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:12:00 +0000

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.3

Thursday, July 1, 2010. It’s a little after 9:00am our time and I’m in the clubhouse (where we have to go to get internet access) taking care of a bit of business before heading back for breakfast.

Yesterday was fairly uneventful as far as competition goes. The kids had their lone east coast training session yesterday. It wasn’t brutal by TIMA standards, but in this heat and humidity they definitely got some work in. We went to the convention center to weigh in Jake and Marisa.

After getting that out of the way we headed back to the resort for a nice spaghetti dinner compliments of Mrs. Woodward, Mrs. Mertz, Mrs. Okerlund and Mrs. Kaihewalu. After dinner my wife and I, accompanied by several members of the team took a late night walk on the nature trail.

Then we went to the dock around 11:00pm to look for some gators. Before I set one foot beyond the gate which controls access to the dock I heard a gator. I nearly jumped out of my flip flops. We loitered around the dock for nearly an hour trying to spy one out. Chad was able to get his flashlight on one way out in the lake. We could see the reflection in its eyes. We also heard at least 6 different ones all around us and under the dock. We all plan to go back tonight with the hopes of capturing one on video.

Jake and Marisa fight today. Speaking of Jake, he launched a new company while in Florida yesterday. As you should know from reading his blog, Jake is an avid collector of duct tape. He also makes killer wallets made out of duct tape. Yesterday the team got together and formed his company, “Kaihewallets”. The website is under construction and I understand he’s already received orders for at least 9 wallets.

I took Coach Okerlund to the airport early Wednesday as he had to return for work. We’ll miss him the rest of the trip and his cooking.

Probably THE most typical TIMA thing that happened yesterday occurred during a heavy rainstorm accompanied by tons of lightning. Guro and most of the Elite team ran into the street in the rain and played for a half hour. Nathan, who was in his clothes just couldn’t be bothered with going to the room to change so he stripped to his boxers and raced through the resort. It was hilarious. Guro and Sarina made snow, er…water angels in the parking lot. We also played football catch in the rain. Yes, I said we. I couldn’t stand to watch them have all that fun. After getting a few pictures and video I had to jump in. What a great time we all had.

It’s time to head back to the room for breakfast, cooked today by Sarina and Brooke. I’ll try to post tonight with updates from Marisa and Jakes fights.

From Orlando, For the Team,

Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.10

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:04:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.10, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we have touched down, and are now fighting at the Jr. Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

Now that we’re here in sunny, sticky Florida, it’s time to show Orlando what TIMA is made of. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement.

As I write this particular blog I’m sitting in my room. The kids are having a training session and everyone else is asleep. As I wish I was. Like this one, all of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 10th of 12 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Ismael Aguilar.

Ismael is 17 years old and a senior at Magnolia High School. According to Ish (as his teammates like to call him) it’s “The ghetto school of the district, along with Katella and Savanna.” An interesting side note here, teammate Nathan Suvannakul attends Savanna.

This is his 4th year with TIMA and his 2nd on the E.F.T. He is a red belt in Tae Kwon Do. He’s been training overall for over 6 years in Tae Kwon Do. He is currently the highest ranked non-black belt on the team.

Ismael is the last remaining student from his prior school, Big Sky Tae Kwon Do. Several years back TIMA merged with BSTKD, with Guro taking control of their roster. The union was short lived and TIMA returned to our then home at The Rec. In a testament to Ish’s commitment and love of Tae Kwon Do, he is the only member of BSTKD who was able to live up to our standards. The road was not easy for him either. Ismael told me, “At Big Sky I was one year from being a black belt. I would’ve been a black belt 3 years ago.” Does Ismael have any regrets? Not in the least, “I’m so glad I didn’t stick with Big Sky.”

On his first day under Guro he was late because of a schedule change at the studio. Ismael sent his mom into the studio because he was afraid he would get in trouble with the new master. However, his mom remained inside the studio so Ish called her on her cell phone. His mom came out of the studio and drug Ish in.

Guro was talking to Ian (Ish’s Big Sky friend) and showing him the new schedule. The next day was his first class under Guro. ”I remember it was hard, really hard; especially when compared to Big Sky.” Ismael said, “During announcements I wasn’t paying attention cuz I was thinking ‘this is gonna be hard’. But I don’t like quitting so I stayed. With Big Sky I hated Tae Kwon Do and always made up excuses. With Guro it’s fun and I wanted to stay.”

In addition to Tae Kwon Do, Ish also studies Muay Thai and Kali. He enjoys all of them. “I like all three equally. They’re all equally difficult for me. Kali is easiest for me.”

Ismael said his least favorite punishment is burpies. “I don’t mind burpies, but when we do burpies with our gear on, that sucks. They really suck.”

Ismael had a little trouble nailing down his favorite TIMA memory so I let him pick a few. “In December of 2008 we had the hardest elite training at Peak Park. It was raining. Guro got mad and we had to do 200 concrete push-ups and we kept dropping so it ended up being 740 concrete pushups. I still have scars from that. The fireworks booth and Boost were both really, really awesome.”

Ismael probably holds the record for worst injuries resulting from training with Team Intense. He’s kicked a hole in his lip and dislocated his shoulder. The lip injury occurred while sparring a couple years back with Travis Martindil. Travis dropped an axe kick on Ish’s face causing him to bite through his bottom lip. It was truly gruesome. His dislocated shoulder came more recently at our new studio. He was dropping down to do army crawls and it just popped out. “The lip hurt more at the moment when he kicked me than the shoulder. The shoulder didn’t hurt when I landed. But at the emergency room it really hurt.”

Here are some fun facts about Ismael you may not have known:

Favorite Fighters: “Brooke, Seth and Willie. Seth cuz he’s like a bullet. Brooke, when she bounces, her knees bow inward and she does her little arm thing like she’s flying. She doesn’t back down to anyone. She’s like a second Chewie. When she get’s pissed she gets fireballs in her eyes. “Willie cuz he’s just Willie.”

Favorite Movie: “I have six Sir. Coach Carter, Remember the Titans, Never Back Down, Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift, Longest Yard and National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets because I like history.”

Favorite Sparring Partner:”I have like five; Willie, Brooke, Austin, Justin Bardales and Nathan. Ish said he used to like sparring with Travis Martindil, “But he wimped out and quit. He keeps saying that he’ll come back but he’s too much of a chicken.”

Favorite TV Show: “I have like eight; Southpark, Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Bizarre Foods, Human Weapon and Fight Quest.”

Favorite Movie Star: Will Smith and Adam Sandler

Biggest fear: “I’m embarrassed to put that one. That sucks. Spiders.”

I asked Ish to tell me something about himself people might not know. Ish told me, “My first fight wasn’t against a human. It was against a puppy. I was one and a half years old. I won. I bit him on the ear.”

Ismael listed his parents and Guro as the most influential people in his life. When it came to identifying what he likes most about TIMA he simply responded, “Everything.”

Ismael said his best scar is the one on his lip referenced earlier. I remember the day that happened. Ish was bleeding all over the floor at the ‘Rec’. He was also a bit woozy.
His tooth had cut a hole through his chin just beneath his bottom lip. Blood was leaking from both the inside and outside of his mouth. I had my camera with me that day as always. I tried to get a picture of his injury as his dad was walking him out to take him to the hospital. Ismael asked me not to take any pictures. He was getting nauseous and just wanted to get to the doctor. I convinced him to take few seconds so I could memorialize the ventilated lip. Ismael is very proud of this injury and is now glad we documented his injury. It’s still posted on Ning.

At this time I turned to Ish’s family, friends and Coaches to learn a little bit more about one of TIMA’s most persistent students and future leaders.

Ismael’s dads most vivid memories are of the aforementioned injuries as you might expect. He also had this to say. ”His tournaments he always gives everything he has. I’m really happy. I’m really proud. He just needs to break through to be the real fighter he is. In tournaments he’s a little stiff. He just needs to break past that line.”

As for the affect of TIMA on Ismael his dad said,”It’s making him way better. It’s affirming his character. More discipline, focus on the future. He’s not in gangs or with bad company. It’s a great sport and a great team to be into. I’m really happy. He’s a very good student a very good boy. A little bit lazy but I can deal with that sometimes.”

Mr. Aguilar told me about his wife’s feelings regarding Ish and Tae Kwon Do. “She’s a little scared. She’s always checking him for injuries. But in the end she’s very happy because it’s leading Ismael to become a better person.”

Mr. Aguilar gave me this great story about Ish. “Six months ago when we went to Yosemite Valley he threw up in the truck all over his mom and cousin.” Ismael, who was sitting nearby during my conversation with his dad, chimed in. “First thing dad said was ‘clean my truck’”. Mr. Aguilar shot back with, “I was barely able to handle the smell.” Classic.

Sara Lee said, “He’s funny, he’s sweet and he’s like an older brother. He’s smart in math.” As a fighter she said of Ish, “he’s strong and he’s smart. He doesn’t’ give up.”

Daphne described Ismael as nice, smart and caring. She also said he’s a smart fighter and “he kicks hard.” One of Daphne’s favorite memories of Ismael was when, “This onetime Ish, Sarina and me saw a movie. I remember after the movie we snuck into another one. It was Sarina’s idea though.” Then she added, “Mom snuck in too”. For some unknown reason, Daphne would not say which movie they snuck into.

Austin said Ish is funny, random and ‘superfluffy’. He’s also an aggressive and powerful fighter.
Sarina described Ismael as caring and considerate. Her favorite Ismael memory came, “When we were practicing (dancing) for my quincenera. He spun me out and he let go cuz his hands were all clammy and I ran into the window. I got a big bruise on my head.”

Ismael was Sarina’s escort for her 15th birthday. After the ceremony was over and the party began, Ish danced with pretty much every girl he could find, earning himself the nickname, Rico Suave. A name he wears proudly.

Seth said,”Ismael is very good at math, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai and Kali.” Seth said one time Ish hit him in the lip during practice and, “it hurt.” Seth’s favorite memory of Ismael is a classic. “I was doing elite team homework and we got bored and he taught me the quadratic formula.” It looks like they’re both good at math.

Viktorya’s favorite memory of Ish came a few years back when both of them attended Dale Jr. High. “I was TA (teacher’s aide) for Ish’s PE class and they were jumping rope. The kids decided to tie me to a pole with jump ropes. Ismael just stood there and laughed.”

Brooke said Ish is “Funny, sentimental and protective. He came to my school one time and we were hanging out in the library and the boy I used to like was there and Ismael accidentally hit him in the face with a penny.”

Coach Kaihewalu said, when asked what Ish needs to do in Florida to be successful, “He needs to be attentive in the ring. Stay focused. He’s got the tools.”

Guro’s best memory of Ismael takes us back to one of his grotesque injuries and brings to a close our look behind the scenes of the one TIMA kids no one will ever accuse of quitting, giving up or giving in. “The day he thought it was a good idea to jump into an army crawl. He got up and said, ‘Guro, I can't move my arm.’ I told him to shake it off, but he really couldn't! Then, I looked at his shoulders, and one was higher than the other. It was disgusting! He handled it like a champ, even though he was in excruciating pain. It's something to laugh about now, but, I gotta admit, I was pretty freaked out when it happened.”

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Ismael Aguilar. Please check back in very soon when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Sarina Marie Oropeza.
For the Team,

Coach Woodward “In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.2

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:19:00 +0000

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.2
Tuesday, June 29, 2010. It’s a little after 11:30pm on Tuesday evening and it’s been a long day. I’ll get the inconsequential’s out of the way before we get to what everyone is really interested in, Seth’s fight.

We started the day with waffles. They were awesome and quick. I have a new appreciation for toasters. As you saw from last night’s blog, we were up very late and were all working on very little sleep. But, we had to get to the venue by 9:00am for check-in.

The event is being held at the Orange County Convention Center. It’s a huge complex and the hall we’re using is massive. It’s not as awe inspiring as Detroit, but it’ll do. I’d like to report that USAT is running the event smoothly. Unfortunately, they’re a few levels below retarded. Seth literally sat in the staging area from 9:00am until 2:00pm. It was a joke. They had about 19 rings and most of them sat idle throughout the day. The electronic hogu’s were as troublesome as we had feared. Action was constantly being stopped so the officials could test them to insure they were working. No match could start until the equipment was checked. It was time consuming and it definitely changed the game. In over 6 years of watching, attending and coaching competitive TKD I cannot remember a single match that ended 0-0 after regulation and sudden death, requiring the scorekeepers to determine the winner. I saw that 4 times today, with three of them in Seth’s ring and one in Seth’s fight.

Some good news to report was Coach Kaihewalu, Jake and Chad finally made it into Orlando. Even better, they made it in time to see Seth’s fight. The venue has a couple of attractions that we’ll surely check out before we leave, including a rock climbing wall and a bungee trampoline ride.

Seth’s fight finally started late in the afternoon. There were 19 fighters in his division. We saw both of Seth’s opponents from the State Championships here and they were in his division. Seth’s first fight was as close as they get, though to be honest; Seth appeared to be the more aggressive fighter. With the electronic gear the scores of the matches were typically pretty close. And much like soccer, once you had a one or two point lead the chances you were going to lose were pretty slim. The first round ended with neither fighter registering a point. The second round ended the same as the first. Seth was definitely the aggressor, launching a couple of tornado kicks, barely missing. The third round ended and the scoreboard still read 0-0. Sudden death overtime started. The first fighter to score would win and go on to the next round. I’ll tell you right now I was as calm during a sudden death as I can remember ever being. I just knew that kid wasn’t going to come close to scoring on Comet. His footwork, angles and speed were untouchable. However, as the previous three rounds went, so went sudden death. With the match knotted at 0-0 the decision was left to the judges. I was certain Seth had done more than enough to garner the decision. But everyone in this sport knows you can never predict what the judges will do. I’m happy to report the judges were able to accomplish accurately what the electronic hogu’s could not. Seth was the winner.

Seth then had another marathon wait until his next fight. In that time we saw his toughest opponent from states go down in defeat. We then saw his least skilled opponent eke out a 1-0 victory to advance to the next round. Some of you may remember ‘Billy’ from states.
He’s the kid Seth destroyed like 12-2 or something. Billy repeatedly fell on the matt, accused Seth of cheating, screamed, cried and chucked his helmet to the ground after the fight. As luck would have it, Seth and Billy were destined to meet up again in Orlando. We were more than excited as we knew this match was in the bag. However, nothing in TKD is ever certain and Seth had to do the work.

The first round ended 0-0. Billy was vastly improved from States, but Seth clearly had him outclassed. Seth executed turning kicks repeatedly to Billy’s roundhouses. Round two came and went with neither fighter lighting up the scoreboard. Heading into round three the score was 0-0. The majority of the round was a strategic battle with a surprising amount of offense. With half the round gone Billy fell face down on the mat for the umpteenth time. This kid flopped on the ground more than a forward for the Ghana National Soccer team. As the round neared its end Seth let loose with a Nautobon, just missing. Billy attacked simultaneously and scored the first point of the match. With less than 10 seconds to go Seth scrambled to get the match even, but time ran out, as did Seth’s run at this year’s Nationals.

We don’t want to sound like sour grapes, because Seth was awesome. But the new electronic gear leaves much to be desired. Seth repeatedly landed kicks that could be heard in the stands, but they didn’t register points. All the coaches and masters at ringside told Guro they were shocked Seth didn’t receive a single point as were we all. That being said, Seth handled himself like a champion. Not that anyone would expect anything less from him.

After the fight we were all treated to “Cici’s” all you can eat Pizza Buffet by the Okerlunds. It was sort of an early birthday celebration for Comet who turns 11 next week. The Mertz’s arrived in Orlando and joined us for dinner. They’re staying in the room directly below me. Sucks for them.

Once we got back to the resort we all went for an evening swim. Unfortunately they kicked us out of the pool at 11:00pm. Guro and the kids are back at the rooms changing into dry clothes. I suspect they’ll be back here in the clubhouse shortly and we’ll all stay up way to late again. That’s it for today. I’ll post again tomorrow. Until then, please keep us in your prayers and sending out support to the team.

From Orland, For the Team,
Coach Woodward

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.1

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:41:00 +0000

TIMA Nationals 2010 Vol.1

Tuesday, June 29, 2010. It’s a little after 1:00am on Tuesday morning and this is my first chance to bring you all up to speed on what’s been going on with the Elite Fighting Team of Team Intense Martial Arts.

Most of us departed Orange County, CA on Sunday, June 27, 2010. The travel thus far has had its ups and downs. My family was presently surprised when we arrived at John Wayne Airport and discovered we were on the same flight as the Okerlunds and the Tobers for our trip to Dallas/Ft.Worth. We departed just past noon. Guro, along with most of the teens would follow a couple hours later. Sarina, on stand-by at John Wayne also got on a flight as well. Things were looking good. We all arrived in Orlando, Florida within an hour of each other.

We picked up our rental cars and made it to the ‘Bahama Bay Resort. Our rooms are very nice. Our family is next door to Guro and the teens. The Okerlunds and Tobers are across the parking lot. The time change had us up late since our bodies weren’t ready to sleep. Many of us didn’t go to sleep until 5:00am or even 7:00am Monday morning.

The weather is oppressive. It barely gets below 80 degrees at night and hovers in the 90’s most of the day. As bad as that is, it’s the constant 90% - 95% humidity that really makes us prisoners in our rooms.

Monday was mostly a day of settling in, picking up groceries and trying to adjust to the Eastern Time Zone. Some of the kids went swimming in one of the 4 pools at the resort. I had a chance to get caught up on 3 of the fighter blogs, leaving just 3 more to go.

The only official business on Monday was getting Seth weighed in. He made weight. Also, Guro, me and Coach Kaihewalu had to attend a mandatory Coaching seminar in order to receive our coaching pass which is required to be on the floor coaching the kids. I wish I could report the seminar was informational, but mostly it was just long, very long. Two and a half hours. It was scheduled to last just 90 minutes. The room was hot and the information was stale. However, that was not the worst of it.

Coach Kaihewalu wasn’t present at the seminar. Why? Apparently the airline his family, as well as the Mertz family is flying on had some issues. Both families got stranded overnight in Cincinnati, Ohio. We had hoped he would make it into Orlando in time for the seminar. But it looks like they won’t be here until later this morning.

We had tacos for dinner. They were awesome. Brooke made her mom’s famous 7 layer dip. It too was very tasty.

Today is a big day for us. Seth is our first fighter and his division is expected to be the toughest of all our fighters. We ask that you pray for him as well as the entire team. Tomorrow I will update you on our first day of fighting.

From Orlando, for the team,
Coach Woodward.

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:06:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.9, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin, now literally, our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics upon us and the training complete, it’s now time to show Orlando what TIMA is made of. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement. As I write this particular blog I’m cruising at 39,000 feet above Texas. Our subject for this story is on a plane as we speak making her way to Florida. Like this one, all of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 9th of 12 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Brooke Alexandra ‘Gumby’ Barth.

Brooke is 15 years old and she’s been with TIMA for 6 years. This is her 4th year on the E.F.T. She is a blue belt (4th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. Brooke is a founding member of ‘Team Stacy’ named for her mom. At one time in TIMA history we had three of her kids on the team, Brooke, Darby and Hayle. Brooke said in all she has 10 sibling and step siblings. I don’t have the time to name them all here, but I will say that Hayle is my least favorite.

In addition to Tae Kwon Do Brooke also trains in Muay Thai and Kali. When I asked her to rank them in order of her preference Brooke said, “I don’t not like the least any of them.” Huh? “In Tae Kwon Do I like the footwork and speed and multiple kicks. “In Kali I like the thinking and frustration. In Muay Thai I like the power and I love the kicks. They’re just fun to do.” Brooke also said Muay Thai is the most strenuous but Kali is the hardest on the mind.

Brooke is a fun interview. She answers a lot of questions with a hint of attitude (bathed in a liberal amount of respect) as if I should know the answers. It makes for some entertaining responses. For example, I asked Brooke which tournament memory stood out most in her mind. She said, “Well Detroit obviously. It was the most amazing thing ever.” I asked her to be more specific to which she responded, “Everything. The fight cuz she was a beast.” Brooke paused momentarily, and then proclaimed, “I was a beast!” I concur.

Another example of Brooke’s “You should know this” attitude was found in my very next question when I asked her to name her friends on the team. She said, “Well the whole team is my friend.” As before, I asked her to be more specific. She said, “Ish, Austin, Sara, Seth, Jake (Interestingly she listed Jake twice), and Guro.”

Brooke told me her least favorite punishment was plank push-ups. This was at the beginning of Muay Thai class the evening of our interview. At the conclusion of Muay Thai class she came to me and said, “Coach can I change my answer? My least favorite punishment is ‘partner plank push-ups.” I told her she could not change her answer so please disregard this last sentence. I asked Brooke which punishment was the easiest. She might only be 15 but she’s no fool, “Punishment is punishment. I don’t want to pick a favorite.”

One of her favorite memories during her 6 years with TIMA came last year at the TIMA fireworks booth. “One of them from the fireworks booth when you (Meaning me your humble author) were making fun of me at the cotton candy machine and it nearly chopped my thumb off.” Another came in Detroit, ”When we all had the 4th of July party after I made weight and Guro gave me two pieces of cake.” Interesting isn’t it? I remember a kid with zero percent body fat dropping 10lbs to make weight. She remembers the cake she enjoyed afterward.

Would you like to hear what a future TIMA black belt sounds like? Check this out. I asked Brooke about her worst injury in Tae Kwon Do ever and I ended up with a ‘John Wooden’ moment. The injury in question took place at the Jimmy Kim Invitational. “I fractured my toe when I lost at the JKI tournament.” This was only Brooke’s 3rd loss ever. Brace yourself for some wisdom and maturity you don’t usually see in a 15 year old. Brooke said, “It’s ok. Everyone has to lose sometime. It keeps you humble.”

Here are some fun facts about Brooke you may not have known:

Favorite Fighter: “Mr. Garcia because he’s fast and strategic and powerful.”

Favorite Movie: “Alice in Wonderland and all the Rush Hours.”

Favorite Sparring Partner: “Mr. Garcia because he doesn’t go easy on me and he always does headshots and knocks me to the ground. It’s fun to get beat up. It’s the only way you can learn. Well, it’s A way to learn.”

Favorite Food: ”I have a great appreciation for food. My favorite would have to be artichokes, lumpia and rare steak, like just seared on both sides and cold in the middle.”

Favorite TV Show: ”House, Leverage, and NCIS in that order.”

Biggest Fear: “Losing family or friends.” Everyone say it with me…Awwww!

Favorite Band/Singer: “Green Day”

Favorite Movie Star: “Sandra Bullock”

I asked Brooke to tell me something about herself people might not know. “I was supposed to have my braces on for 3 years but my stupid orthodontist made me have them on for 5 years and now my mouthpiece doesn’t fit. I love my mouthpiece, it’s my baby. It was made for braces.”

I asked Brooke to identify her hero if she had one. Without hesitation she responded, “Guro and my mom and dad.” I reminded Brooke how she had just listed her favorite TV shows in a particular order and I informed her people might assume the same thing regarding her hero. She immediately realized she might be in a bit of a jam and she quickly blurted out, “Put mom, dad and Guro. No, wait. Put them all up on the same pedestal.” If Brooke wants to, I believe she has a future in politics. Way to straddle three sides of the fence Gumby.

I then asked Brooke to list the 3 most influential people in her life. She replied, “Mom, dad, Cerritos grandparents and Guro.” I asked her if she was sure this was the order she wanted to list them in. She shot back at me, “Stop putting me under the bus.” Have I mentioned how much I love this kid?

Brooke’s favorite thing about TIMA was a no brainer for her to answer. “I love the people and the atmosphere and I love that I can hang out with everybody. There’s no tension. It’s not awkward. I just love everything about it. I love how I can walk into the studio having the worst time ever and walk out feeling like I had the best day ever.”

At this time I turned to Brooke’s family, friends and Coaches to learn a little bit more about one of TIMA’s future black belts and one of our best present day leaders.

According to Brooke’s dad, because of her time with TIMA, “Her work ethic has improved at home. Her respect for her parents has improved as well.” And “She can kick her sisters’ butt now.” He continued,”I don’t know that without it she’d be as good of a kid.”

When you want a great story about someone I’ve found the best source is always a parent. Brooke is no exception. Check out this beauty her dad gave me. It put Brooke in a whole new light for me, as I’m sure it will for you too. “She had sliced her toe open stepping on dirt clod, requiring 7 stitches. They had to papoose her (restrain her) because she wouldn’t sit still.” Apparently our future black belt was prone to outbursts of anger as a child. “She would throw temper tantrums. Once she was pounding on the door and she dislocated her elbow.” Wow! Are you kidding me? Brooke? The queen of tantrums? I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears.

After gutting Brooke like a fish in front of her family and friends dad needed to end on a high note. I believe his parting words to his daughter as she heads to Orlando certainly qualify. “Whatever she does she’s going to make us proud. We’re already proud of her.” Amen.

Team Stacy matriarch (Stacy, referred to as mom from here on out) captured a parents apprehensions regarding children who fight competitively better than I could have ever written. I asked mom about her most vivid memory from one of Brooke’s tournaments. What followed will stir something familiar in the hearts and minds of all of us parents who’ve watched our kids compete.

Which tournament stands out in your mind? She said, “Her first tournament.“ I asked if she (mom) was nervous. “Nervous? Are you kidding? I still get nervous.”

To put this in context, Brookes first tournament did not have the electronic scoreboard so you never knew the score of the fight or who won until after it was over. “I saw the girl she had to fight in an earlier bout and she was not a nice fighter. Then Brooke got punched in the throat. It scared me but she sucked it up and she won. After she walked off she admitted it hurt so bad she wanted to cry. I’ll never forget that. It was intense.”

She also recalled a tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center. Once again she saw Brooke’s opponent fight again. “I freaked out and I was calling Guro saying she can’t fight that girl she’s a beast.” Unfortunately for that girl, Brooke did fight her.

Perhaps the reason Stacy still gets nervous is because Brooke doesn’t do anything to ease her fears. For instance, “She brought home a DVD of her sparring Justin Bardales where he kicked her in the head and knocked her to the ground. When she stood up she stumbled around. She thought it was awesome. She rewound it and watched it 15 times. ‘Brooke, turn it off. I do not need to see that’.” “At tournaments she told me I wish I could fight a boy just once. All she ever wants to do is Tae Kwon Do. I had to make her go on vacation. I had to force her.”

Coach Kaihewalu had this to say. ”She’s our next female black belt. She wants it. She uses her physical attributes to the fullest. Out of everyone in a tournament she’s the one I’ve actually seen try to kick as hard as she can.” As for what she needs to do to be successful in Florida coach said,”Trust her axe kicks. She’ll go in nervous, but she knows what she needs to do.”

Guro said as a person Brooke is loyal, thoughtful and has integrity. As a fighter she’s extremely intelligent, powerful and fierce. Guro's favorite memory about Brooke came when Guro was forced to remove someone from the team for gross disrespect. Brooke, who was close friends with this person at the time, stayed loyal to Guro and the team. Guro was moved by her respect, integrity and loyalty. All are necessary attributes of a great leader.

Sara said Brooke is,”Sweet, funny and kind. I love Bronzie.” Her favorite memory of Brooke is, “When she had to lose all the weight for nationals.” Daphne said, “She’s nice and funny and she’s happy all the time. She’s a smart fighter and she has some powerful kicks.” Austin described her as random, funny and “cheeseball”. As a fighter she’s fast, tall and powerful according to Austin. His favorite Brooke memory came last summer. ”We were at camp. Guro walks by the bathroom and say’s ‘It’s really smelly.’ Someone blamed Brooke. She admitted it.” Marisa gushed, “Oh my God, she has such a positive attitude. She has amazing hair. It’s very pretty.” Additionally, “She has really good head shots.” Seth said Brooke has “curly hair”. I hadn’t noticed.

I was asking Seth about Brooke and Nathan was also sitting in. This next exchange is hilarious. I’ll do my best to recreate it as it happened. I was asking Seth for a good Brooke story.
Out of nowhere he blurts out, “She runs funny, like her feet go to the side when she runs.” Nathan starts laughing out loud, “Oh my God, I just realized that.” Then he continued to laugh, as I did, for the next several minutes. Good one Comet. Funny thing is Brooke asked me specifically to interview Seth for her blog. I wonder if she regrets that now.

Nicolette said of Brooke in the ring, “She keeps her fighter outside of the ring and she looks like she’s going to headshot you.” She’s also, “Scary, violent and I’m really in shock when she throws a really good head shot and hits like woah!” Nicolette said, “One time I was talking to Jakey about how Brooke was fighting and how she hurt me. Right then she walked up and said, ‘I took it easy on you.’ But it was like a major headshot and it hurt a lot.”

I’m going to close this one out with a very recent story about Brooke. So recent it actually happened an hour before I interviewed her. I arrived at the studio early to work on the blogs. Guro was locked in her office with a parent and a student to be named later, maybe. Mr. Garcia was not present. I began examining the Tae Kwon Do class which was going on in front of me wondering who was in charge. As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, Brooke was at the front of the studio putting the students through their paces. I remember being impressed that a girl, barely 15 was already confident enough to run a class by herself. Had I known the entire story I would’ve been Way more than just impressed as I’m sure you will be too.

I was talking with Guro about this the next evening after everyone had left the studio. I told her how impressed I was that Brooke had conducted that class and how I could see her sporting a TIMA black belt in no time. That’s when Guro hit me with another bit of information that really shined a light on this accomplished fighter, current leader and future black belt of TIMA. She took it upon herself to run the class. Guro was in a meeting that required her immediate attention. She couldn’t take the time to ask Brooke to lead the class. Then again, she didn’t need to. She just did it. As a coach, parent and grown up, I applaud you Brooke. I think the rest of your friends, family and teammates should too.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Brooke ‘Gumby’ Barth. Please check back in very soon when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Ismael ‘Rico Suave’ Aguilar.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.8

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:59:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.8, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin, now literally, our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics upon us and the training complete, it’s now time to show Orlando what TIMA is made of. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement. As I write this particular blog I’m cruising at 39,000 feet above California. Our subject for this story sits just two rows in front of me holding her mother’s hand for comfort, her mom’s comfort, not her own. Like this one, all of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 8th of 12 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Daphne Rose Tober.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Daphne and getting to know her a little better. She was charming and sweet and she has really shiny hair. Unlike me, in all three respects.

Daphne is 14 years old and she’s been with TIMA for 5 years. This is her second year on the E.F.T. She is a green belt (6th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. I asked her how she came to join TIMA. ”Me and Nicolette went to same elementary school and she showed me a paper with Team Intense and said I should join so I did.” Daphne expressed ZERO regrets about this decision.

In addition to Tae Kwon Do Daphne also trains in Muay Thai. ”I did Kali before but I kind of stopped.” Her reason? “Homework.” However, with summer vacation her she said she plans on taking up Kali once again. Daphne said Muay Thai is the most difficult “Because we don’t have many breaks.” If I recall Seth had the same complaint. I sense a conspiracy.

Daphne said Tae Kwon Do is her favorite of the three disciplines, “cuz I’ve been doing it for so long and I just enjoy doing it.” Her least favorite? “I don’t want to answer that question.” I have to admit that throughout our discussion I found it difficult to get Daphne to fall for any of my trick questions. She might look sweet and innocent, which she is. But she’s no fool.

Daphne’s favorite tournament was, “My first tournament. I threw up on the way there” I wondered if she was sick or nervous. “Both and I beat the girl. Before the fight I didn’t know who I was fighting and I was talking to her. Guro pulled me aside and said don’t talk to her she’s your opponent. I felt so embarrassed.”

When it comes to punishment Daphne is old school. Her least favorite is Guro’s famous “Burpies”.

Daphne’s favorite thing about TIMA testifies to our family atmosphere. It wasn’t a particular tournament, or test or training session. She most appreciates “all the parties we’ve had.”

Daphne’s worst injury in the last 5 years is a sprained foot. Daphne is definitely one of our more durable fighters. She rarely misses training due to injuries. Heck, even puking didn’t keep her from winning her first tournament.

Daphne listed a ‘few’ of her friends on TIMA as being Marisa, Erica, Emily, Jake, Sara, Ismael, Nathan, Brooke, Jopa, Sarina and ‘Chewie too’.

Here are some fun facts about Daphne you may not have known:

Favorite Fighters: Brooke and Austin “cuz they do multiple kicks. They do different kicks.”

Favorite Movie: ”New moon. That’s one of my favorites.”

Favorite Sparring Partner: ”Jake because he challenges me. He counters a lot.”

Favorite Food: Spaghetti. (Seeing as I’m helping prepare dinner in Orlando and Spaghetti is on the menu I hope I don’t change her mind. Can you say ‘SPAMghetti’? She also enjoys chocolate and tamales.

Favorite TV Show: ”The Vampire Diaries, American Idol and America’s Got Talent.”

Biggest Fear: “Bugs and like really high roller coasters.”

Favorite Band/Singer: ”I kind of like Linkin Park and Green Day and Justin Beiber”

Favorite Movie Star: “Julia Roberts and that one girl, I forgot her name. She played in the Princess Diaries…umm…could I get back to you on that one?” (Daphne never did get back to me on this one. However, since she’s sitting across the aisle from me I’m going to go visit her and see how her recollection is at nearly 40,000 feet above sea level. Brb. Score! The actress in question is ‘Anne Hathaway’.

I asked Daphne to tell me something about herself people might not know. “When I was in 4th grade I went to the mall. I interviewed with a talent agent and they wanted me to be in a commercial. It was a Hershey commercial (probably what started her love of chocolate). We got pretty far and they were going to get me an agent, but my parents decided against it.”

Daphne identified, “Mom, dad and Guro” as the most influential people in her life. Her favorite thing about TIMA is, “Just how everyone’s just so loving. When new people come we just welcome them. I always have a good time with everyone.”

Apparently Daphne has a nice little scar on her right arm near her elbow. She said she got it “At the Rec center during adult class. We had to wait outside. Ryan (My son. Apology to come later) was chasing me and I had a balloon in my hand and Ryan popped it and it scared me. I jumped and fell on something on the hill. I don’t know why I got a big cut cuz it wasn’t even concrete or anything. Sorry Daphne.

If Daphne could have 3 wishes what would they be? “My 1st wish would be that my whole family would always be healthy and not have like cancer.” “I wish that I could meet Justin Beiber and when I meet him that I could hang out with him.” At least JB came in second place to No Tumors.

Daphne’s favorite website is ‘YouTube’. She says she likes to watch music videos. She told me, “I just learned how to jerk. I found it on YouTube.” For you more seasoned readers ‘jerking’ is a form of dance.

Daphne would also like to see Italy someday. After my SPAMghetti I’m thinking Italy won’t seem like such a big deal.

I asked Daphne if she ever got away with something she shouldn’t have done. “Do I have to answer that?” I told her of course not. “Ok I’m not going to answer.” In the court of law Daphne may have the right to remain silent. However, in the court of Mr. & Mrs. Tober I suspect she does not. This question and answer should make for some interesting table talk around dinner tonight don’t you think? I’m just teasing. Knowing Daphne she probably feels guilty for taking extra napkins from Burger King or some other heinous crime.

Now that we’re digging deep into Daphne’s criminal history I thought it appropriate to ask her to share with me the worst thing she’s ever done. Surprisingly she answered this willingly. “I think I was six and my dad was sleeping. I used to hang out with my neighbors next door but my dad was asleep. So I just left the house and went over there.” Parents are funny that way. We actually want to know where our 6 year old kids are.

I sensed Daphne was beginning to open up a bit so I went in for the kill. A question I knew she’d never answer. Once again, she surprised me with a quick and extremely cute response. After giggling for a few seconds she proclaimed, “Justin Beiber” would make the perfect husband. ‘Daphne Rose Beiber’. Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?

I had Daphne on the ropes so I continued to pound away with penetrating questions she would usually avoid. Her defenses were down, but not out. Who’s the prettiest person on TIMA I queried. “Seth is the cutest. Pretty? I don’t want to answer.” I’ll call that round a tie. The onslaught continued. Who’s the nicest person on TIMA? “Can I name a couple? Jake, Marisa, Erica and Emily.”

Clearly the tide had turned in our interrogation. I mean interview. Daphne had me back on my heels. Slipping my questions left and right. I decided to throw caution to the wind and launch a haymaker for her dome. “Who is your boyfriend?” Daphne deftly avoided trouble, “I don’t have one.” I had almost given up hope when the voice of the Lord gave me the question that would get me back into this fight.

“Daphne, who is your ex-boyfriend?” I asked. This one caught her clean on the chin. “I don’t want to answer that one Coach.” I sense I’ve provided fodder for yet another dinner table conversation.

In all seriousness, Daphne is a wonderful young lady that any parent, especially a father, would be proud to have.

Daphne’s career aspirations include being an “Actress. I was kind of thinking about being a singer but I’m not sure.” I asked Daphne is she ever met anyone famous. She replied, “I met Selena Gomez at the mall and got her autograph.”

Daphne’s biggest concern heading to Orlando is, “Who I’m going to fight.” Having coached Daphne many times I can tell you unequivocally, I am not in the least concerned about who she fights. I’ll expand on why shortly.

At this time I’d like to turn to Daphne’s family, friends and Coaches to learn a little bit more about the young lady with the shiny brown hair and terminal case of ‘Beiber Fever’ sitting before me.

Her friends described her as, kind, sweet, caring, kind of shy, quiet and hyper at times. Descriptions of her fighting ranged from strong kicks and smart to great angles and terrific checks.

According to Erika and Emily, “You can make her laugh easily and she likes Justin Beiber.” Marisa had nothing but good things to say about Daphne,”Where do I begin? She’s an awesome friend. She’s like my sister. She’s very loyal and I can count on her anytime.” One last thing from Marisa about Daphne, “She has Beiber Fever.” Seth said, “She’s skinny and smart. She looks like the Daphne from Scooby Doo.” Seth added this gem, “For doing Tae Kwon D she’s really, really girly. Like scary girly.” When it came to describing Daphne the fighter Seth said it best. “Ya, her angles are frustrating.” Nathan concurred with Seth, “I try to roundhouse and oh…miss!” High praise from two very skilled fighters.

Mrs. Tober had this to say about the impact of TIMA on Daphne. ”It’s been nothing but good.” Her confidence has gone up.” Mrs. Tober said the influence of Daphne and her father (Damion Tober. TIMA’s current All Star of the month) training together has been great. “It’s taken their relationship to another level. It brings tears to my eyes seeing the relationship they have. ” Mrs. Tober also likes how Mr. Tober and Daphne play ‘Call of Duty’ together. I know, I said duty. Mrs. Tober had this to say regarding Orlando. “She’s put a lot of sweat and tears in the last two years. Pushed herself further than I thought she could. She inspires me so much. I have complete confidence she’ll do exceptionally well at the tournament.” As do I ma’am.

I asked Mr. Tober about the Call of Duty story. “She’s a COD artist. She loves to knife. There’s something about watching the blood come out.” Apparently video games aren’t the only place Daphne gets the best of her dad. “She’s got a heck of a check. She gets me every time.” Mr. Tober’s strongest memory of a Daphne fight took him back to the ‘Jimmy Kim Invitational’. In a fight we call, ‘The comeback’.

I was coaching Daphne at this tournament. We were waiting ringside for our turn. Fighting on the same ring right before us was a TIMA teammate. In fact, the winner of this fight would face Daphne. I’m sorry to say the other girl dispatched our TIMA colleague in less than 30 seconds via a 7 point gap. She was big, strong, fast and mean. Daphne was clearly rattled. I did my best to settle her nerves, but there was little I could do. The fight started for Daphne pretty much the way it went during the prior match. However, with the benefit of seeing her opponent fight first we had the advantage of preparing for her. Therefore, Daphne was able to keep the difference in the score less than the 7 points which would’ve automatically ended the fight. That being said, she was losing by 6 points after round 1. I took an unusual tact as a coach that I’ll never use again. I too had resigned myself to the fact that we were going to lose this fight. So in between rounds I told Daphne that all I wanted her to do was to kick this girl as hard as she possibly could. Not to injure her, but to make sure she remembered her the next day when she was nursing aches and pains inflicted by TIMA. Well, Daphne listened, and then some. She went out there and punished this girl. Powerful roundhouse, angle out, and repeat. Again and again. Her opponent became frustrated and exhausted. Daphne continued her assault. It was epic. One of the best fights I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching from the chair. I hate to say her opponent was saved by the bell. Ten more seconds and Daphne would’ve won the fight. But she won much more than that. She won the respect of her parents, coaches, master and friends.

Daphne taught me something that day. One, never underestimate her and two, never give up. So, like I said at the beginning of our story, I’m not concerned about who Daphne fights in Orlando, but I’m concerned for ‘Who’ she fights in Orlando.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Daphne Tober. Please check back in very soon when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Brooke ‘Gumby’ Barth.

For the Team,

Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.7

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:44:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.7, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics just days away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. For those who’ve been following along thus far we thank you for your encouragement. If you have any math ability whatsoever you can see I ran out of days before I ran out of fighters. However, we will complete the blog for every fighter going to Orlando. In fact, most of the remaining interviews will be posted from Florida, mixed in with our daily updates.

We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 7th of 12 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Nathan ‘I keep farting to a minimum’ Suvannakul.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Nathan and getting to know him a little better. I walked away from this conversation with a side ache and sore smiling muscles. This kid had me in stitches. Funny doesn’t begin to describe him.

Nathan is 14 years old and he’s been with TIMA for 5 years. This is his first year on the E.F.T. Nathan is a green belt (6th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. He finished 2nd at this year’s State Championship in a fight few will forget. We’ll reference it throughout our story.

Nathan also trains in Muay Thai and Kali with TIMA. He said Kali is the most difficult because there’s a “whole bunch of steps and stuff to remember.” Nathan said TKD is his favorite of the 3 disciplines, “because it’s how I started.” I asked him his least favorite, “Can you say none?” Good answer Nathan.

Nathan’s favorite tournament was, “Where I fought Justin Bardales. This was actually my first tournament too.” It’s interesting to me that his favorite tournament was one where he lost to a friend. However, Nate is that kind of a guy and his many friends appreciate it. I asked him to name a few friends. He answered me like this, “Sarina, Ismael and can I say the entire elite team?” Yes Nathan. You can and did. Why does he feel close to them? “Because I’ve been training with them hard and have been through a lot with them.” Another great answer.

Nathan isn’t one to cause the team to have to do discipline often, but I asked him what punishments he dislikes the most anyway. ”There’s a whole bunch, but plank push-ups and the mountain climbers. I hate those.” You know who else hates mountain climbers? The poor soul right behind Nathan when he’s doing them.

For those who aren’t familiar with Nathan, you might’ve been asking yourself since the beginning of this blog, ‘Why did Coach say Nathan keeps farting to a minimum?’ Well, here’s a little back story to get you up to speed. Nathan’s teammates all know of his propensity for dispelling air on a frequent basis from his backside. How it all started however is a great story. “I keep farting to a minimum.” “When I fart I say I do cuz I’m proud of it.” How did Nathan get to this place of serenity in the midst of methane? “I farted in science class in 4th grade. Everyone was laughing. That’s how I got proud of it.” There you have it. Nathan Suvannakul, TIMA’s own chemical weapon.

Nathan’s most memorable moment with TIMA came at this past summer’s Boost camp. ”It opened me up to the team.” I asked Nathan who he thinks is the funniest person on the team. After thinking long and hard he mumbled, “Ish (Ismael Aguilar) because he’s kinda humorous and…” So you know, the “…” is my way of communicating that Nathan’s sentence just kind of drifted off into nothingness. I can’t explain it any better than that. It’s one of the charming things about him.

When you talk to Nathan the best part of the conversation comes when no one is talking and he just kind of mumbles random stuff. Try it sometime. I promise you a laugh. I found myself asking ridiculous questions just so I could hear him ramble on in his mumbling voice. I mean no disrespect, it’s endearing beyond description and Nathan is the most respectful of all the fighter’s I’ve interviewed. I got more ‘Yes Sir’s’ from Nathan than all the other’s combined. In fact, here’s one I particularly enjoyed.

I asked Nathan who the prettiest girl on the team was and for once he was able to answer a question without careful consideration. His response, “Marisa”. I asked him if he wanted me to publish that. His answer? You guessed it, “Yes Sir!”

Hoping to capitalize on Nathan’s temporary courage I asked him who his best friend on the team was. He fell for it. “Sarina is because she helps me with all my problems and she helped me read my eulogy and because she’s my wife.”

Nathan hasn’t suffered any gory injuries with TIMA yet, although members of the Elite team remember his frequent bouts with cramps (see his picture above taken in the midst of cramping). Primarily in his legs, which are 110% muscle. However, he hasn’t suffered from them in quite some time, knock on wood.

Apparently Nathan has never suffered an ‘F’ on his report card either. When asked if he had his response was immediate, “No. Never!”

Here are some fun facts about Nathan you may not have known:
Favorite Fighters: ”Of course Mr. Garcia, Ish and Justin” Because Justin fights like you? “Yes sir!”

Favorite Female Fighters: “Brooke and Sarina. She kicks hard.”

Favorite Food: ”Pad Thai” (noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, lime and some kind of sauce, beef or shrimp) Asked what breed they use for beef Nathan said, “We don’t eat dog.” Then he laughed.

Favorite TV Show: Without hesitation he said “Sponge Bob” also “King of Queens” “My Name is Earl”, “Yes Dear”, “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Family Matters”

Biggest Fear: “Heights Sir”

Favorite Movie Star: “Can it be a model sir?” “Kim Kardashian. Have you seen the Carl’s Jr. commercial?”

Taking a huge journalistic risk I asked Nathan to tell me something about himself people might not know. I’m sure to no one’s surprise he informed me that, “Pad Thai sometimes gives me gas.” He also shared this tidbit, “I didn’t learn to tie my shoes until 5th grade.”

Nathan is our lone representative from Thailand, though he was born in the United States. He admits to speaking some Thai, but he farts in English. By the way, Nathan’s other nickname is rabbit. This arose out of his confession that his movements resemble the pellets left behind by your typical hare.

Nathan identified, “Guro, my dad and my uncle” as the most influential people in his life. He said his favorite thing about TIMA is, “Everything”, though he specifically mentioned “the workout and the family”.

To understand the context of this next question it would help if you had been sitting in on the interview. Since you weren’t let me clue you in. Nathan is not in a hurry to answer questions. He ponders each one at length. I really should’ve considered that before asking him this next one. If Nathan had three wishes what would they be?

“That I could get a girlfriend, a nice one, my type.” Of course, I asked him what his type was. “Smart, well kinda smart, but knows what she’s doing and cares about the future and is pretty looking.” Ok, that clears things up.

Nathan literally took 5 minutes to give me his second wish and this is what he said. ”World peace, I’m a hippy.” Then he said,”Can you scratch that world peace out. I don’t want that.” You heard it here first; Nathan does not want world peace. His second second wish was for,”A clean environment. I don’t like dirt. I mean don’t like trash dirt.”

When we got to Nathan’s third wish I was wondering how long it would take to get an answer. Sarina Oropeza, who had suffered through the last two questions, was apparently sharing my same concern. She prompted Nathan with what most would consider a reasonable use of a wish. She suggested he ask for $1,000,000. Nathan said, “No cuz I’m Asian.” What? You’re Asian? What does that have to do with anything I wondered? I took a wild guess and asked him, “Because you’re Asian you know you’re going to be rich?” Nathan replied simply, “Yes Sir!”

I asked Nathan to describe his perfect wife. Finally he answered a question without thinking, “Sarina”. Sarina, still sitting nearby, chimed in sounding surprised, “Really?”

When Nathan grows up he wants to be either a “software designer”, “game designer”, “or a marine.”

Nathan’s most embarrassing moment came when he was 8 years old. “I used to like this ugly chick when I was in 3rd grade.” Ladies, please address all your hate mail to Nathan Suvannakul.

At this time I turned my attention to Nathan’s teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the chronically farting young man sitting before me.

Nicolette said, “Nathan is nice overall. He’s never made me mad.” As a fighter she said he’s, “scary, strong and scary.” Austin was impressed with Nathan’s “mustache” and the fact that he’s “Thai”. He also described him as “loud” both in and out of the ring. Sarina described Nathan as; “funny, gentle, kind and stinky. He farts a lot!”

Sara said,” He’s peculiar, funny and he’s sweet. He’s actually quite sweet.” Sara laughed as she recalled a time when, “He bowed to Sarina.” Brooke said, “He’s spaztastic, funny and surprisingly outgoing.” Mr. Garcia said Nathan is, “Eccentric”.

When it came to their opinion of Nathan the fighter his teammates were almost universal in describing him. Sarina said, “He’s super powerful.” Sarina also noted that, “if you don’t attack him he’ll beat his chest like King Kong.” Jake said, “He’s naturally Muay Thai fighterish. He’s very, very powerful.” He doesn’t even have to try.” Sara was even more forthcoming,”He’s really strong. I usually try to avoid fighting him. He’s really strong. His kicks are really hard. He’s pretty unpredictable.”

Coach Kaihewalu said his favorite Nathan moment came at this year’s State Championship. Nathan let out what Coach K described as a, “crazy scream. Like the hulk!” Those of us who were there will never forget it. As for what Nathan needs to do in Orlando Coach said,”He got a little bit too up (at States). He’s an intense fighter.” “He needs to control emotions and find serenity in the ring.” Lastly, “He needs to come in with confidence right off the get go.”

Guro described the Nathan in the ring as, “pure power, lightning fast kicks, dangerous and savage.” However, Nathan outside the ring is, “Spazzy (in a good way), caring and generous.” Guro’s favorite memory of Nathan came at ‘Boost Camp’ this year. “We went to the store to buy some food and stuff. Nate came along to help out and I noticed that he bought 2 Chapsticks. So naturally I asked him why he needed two. He said, ‘Well, Justin (Bardales) said his lips were chapped, so I just wanted to buy him one.’ I thought it was the nicest thing for him to do for his buddy. “

Such a sweet story, If I had even the tiniest sliver of humanity I would end our story right here. But, you and I both know better. I’m going to close this one out the way we started it…in the gutter. Here are some wonderful quotes from Nathan’s friends regarding his special talent.

Austin: “We were at a teen meeting and Nathan farted and then he said, ‘I farted’”.

Daphne: “During a teen meeting we had to say something about ourselves and he said he farts.”

Ok, I can’t end it this way. I’ve come to respect Nathan and I want to send him out on a better note. Sarina recounted this tale. “Me, Ryan Woodward, my brother James and Nathan were at Knott’s Berry Farm and I wanted to get in a photo booth. But Nathan wouldn’t do it so I promised him a kiss on the cheek. He immediately changed his mind and took the picture.” If you’re wondering, there was no kiss for Nathan. On a positive note he didn’t fart in the photo booth.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Nathan Suvannakul. Please check back in very soon when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Daphne Tober.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.6

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:07:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.6, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics just 2 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 6th of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Chad Mertz.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Chad and getting to know him a little better. Chad is 14 years old and he’s been with TIMA for 2.5 years. This is his first year on the E.F.T. Chad is a yellow belt (8th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. He will be fighting as a green belt at Nationals, two levels above his rank.

Chad trains in Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do with TIMA. He doesn’t take advantage of the Kali instruction offered. When asked why his answer was blunt and honest, “Too confusing. Too much brain work.”

Chad listed his closer friends on TIMA as Austin, Brooke, Jake, Seth and Chewie (Jenalyn) “maybe”. Yes, he did say ‘Maybe’. I don’t know why and he wouldn’t tell me. Perhaps you should ask him the next time you see him. ‘Maybe’ Jenalyn knows.

Chad’s family consists of mom (Carolyn), dad (Dave) and older sister (Kailey). If you know Chad at all you know he can be, well, rambunctious at times. I asked him if he ever picks on or beats up his sister. His response caught me a bit off guard. “No. She’s a buff softball player. Her arms are like two of my arms.” A funny response coming from a 14 year old boy who already stands 5’10” tall. To get the whole story I informed Kailey of Chad's claims. She confirmed she can kick his butt, but also defended herself against his claims that her arms are abnormally large. She placed it side by side with Chad's "twigs" (her words). I have to admit, though they're a bit bigger than Chad's, they don't really look like they were raised on steroids.

One of the things I learned about Chad is he tends to be regularly random, if that’s even possible. He’s also brutally honest. His teammates listed random more than anything else in describing him. As our conversation proceeded I began to see why. We would be chatting about a particular subject or person and out of nowhere he’d toss out a statement that didn’t seem to fit our topic. In keeping with Chad’s randomness I will now plug in a quote he threw out in the middle of our talk. See if you can recognize his brutal honesty and randomness.

“In all of my family I was first one to ever get suspended.” I asked him why. “I got in a fight”. Did you start it I asked, “No, but I finished it.” I can’t go into all the details as this is a family oriented blog, suffice to say, he confirmed deploying at least one of the kicks he learned while training with TIMA. For the rest of the gore hit Chad up for the entire story.

Back to our conversation. Chad identified the ‘Plank’ as his least favorite punishment, mostly because it’s hard on his back. Chad has back and knee problems (arthritis) which often interfere with his training. However, he never gives up and has overcome them to make his way to Nationals.

Chad’s most memorable moment isn’t what you’d expect to hear, but it’s entertaining none the less. Chad brought me back to this past summer’s TIMA teen camping trip titled ‘Boost’. “Me and Joseph got in trouble at boost and we all had to run. We were talking during laser tag.” Now, I have to give Chad credit for his honesty in admitting to talking during laser tag. However, he was a little weak in the details department. Fortunately, Guro was able to fill in the cracks. “Oh and just to clear up the little ’we got in trouble because we were talking’ incident at BOOST.” “If you call SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS ‘talking’, then I guess he's right. Ha-ha. “My one rule during midnight laser tag was ‘No yelling’ and sure enough, Joseph and Chad got so into it, they started screaming in the middle of the night, in the most quiet place I've ever been!” “But, the one thing that made me respect Chad more that night was the fact that he took it upon himself to apologize to each and every one of his teammates for making them all run.”

Chad said his worst injury from training was a broken toe. ”I kicked Sara and my toe got stuck in her hogu. I pulled it out and it went the wrong way.” Awesome.

Here are some fun facts about Chad you may not have known:

Favorite Fighters: Brooke and Austin. “They’re really good.”
Favorite Food: ”Spaghetti just cuz I don’t want to say pizza.”
Favorite Movie: “Dust to Glory” (It’s about the Baja 1000 race). “Cuz I ride” (A 2009 Yamaha YZ450)”One of my dad’s friends rode it and said I don’t know how your son handles this. It’s fast.”
Favorite Game: Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland:”On the game I can skate, but in real life I can’t skate. I almost broke my wrist.” (Random Chad quote alert) ”I broke my nose twice riding my bike.”
Biggest Fear: “I’m afraid of wasps. I hate em. Once I got stung on the bottom of my foot when I was 4 years old.”
Perfect Wife: “Megan Fox. She’s hot.”

One of my favorite questions to ask the kids is to tell me something about themselves that few others know. Chad’s response was funny, interesting and again…random. Here goes. “I was on tv during a nascar race in the background during an interview.” Apparently he was on television on another occasion. Check this one out. “I was on tv once cuz I got knocked out cuz a guy kicked me in the ankle and I fell and hit my head. The guy was drunk and hitting women so tv cameras shot it.” “I had to go to the hospital and wear a neck brace.” Chad was 10 years old at the time. I asked him if he suffered any brain damage. His response was classic Chad, “I don’t know”. Last bit of random unknown knowledge about Chad. “I’m allergic to cockroaches.” Huh? Apparently he’s not joking. He said he learned in an allergy test. Awesome!

I learned that Chad isn’t one to elaborate on anything without significant prompting. Although he occasionally say’s things he should probably keep to himself, typically he gets straight to the point and stops. I asked Chad if he had a hero. “My dad.” NO hesitation, no explanation. We were on to the next question. ‘Chad who are the 3 most influential people in your life?’ Chad replied, “Negative influence, Austin.” He continued, “Guro and I would have to say my sister on this one. She keeps me on the right path.”

Chad’s favorite thing about TIMA, “The atmosphere. It’s so kind and everything.” ”Everyone walks by when we’re in trouble and thinks I don’t want to do this. She’s (Guro) mean. But it’s the opposite.” Another taste of Chad’s brutal honesty.

Chad has some nice scars on his shoulder and hip from a recent bicycle accident. “I was riding on the handle bars of a bicycle with my sisters’ friend while holding Starbucks in my hand. She slammed into a speed bump and threw me off the bike. A prostitute, who happened to be standing nearby, asked, ‘Are you ok honey?’” I asked Chad how he knew this ladies profession. He said,”You could tell.” According to Chad the area this happened wasn’t the best of neighborhoods. He told me it was on Lincoln Avenue “near All In Martial Arts.” To be clear, TIMA does not offer this particular service in our neighborhood.

If Chad had 3 wishes he’d ask for, “A million dollars, a whole bunch of tools and whole bunch of money for my family.” Tools? Chad would like to be a motorcycle mechanic one day. That’s a great goal and a practical use of a wish.

Finally, I asked Chad about his thoughts on Florida. Keeping with our theme of unadulterated honesty Chad closed with these words. “Intimidating. The whole thing. The tournament.” You know what I find intimidating? A 5’10” 14 year old. Somehow, I believe that whoever Chad’s opponents are will feel the same way, as they should!

At this time I turned my attention to Chad’s teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the brutally honest, random young man sitting before me.

Mr. Mertz recalled a recent event that literally had us all on the floor in tears. He and Chad were in the garage. Mr. Mertz was passing the time snapping Chad with a towel. Apparently Chad had had enough. He turned towards his dad and launched a front snap kick. Mind you, he was only defending himself. Mr. Mertz assured me Chad's not into elder abuse. Unfortunately for Mr. Mertz, who stands at least 6'3" tall by my estimation, he is quite a bit taller than Chad's typical sparring partner. Chad's kick landed right where it would normally find the sweet spot on Ismaels hogu. Too bad for Mr. Mertz that placed the kick squarely in his "clackers"(Mr. Mertz's word). Hilarious as that is, it isn't the end of the story. As Mr. Mertz crumbled to the ground, Chad's base leg slipped from underneath him on the slick garage floor. They both crashed to the floor writhing in pain. What I wouldn't give to have seen that.

Nicolette Beltran, as usual, was not at a loss for words. “He’s crazy and funny. He’s a new species for humans.” Though I’ve been touting Chad’s brutal honesty, Nicolette had a different opinion. ”He beats me at connect four a lot. He cheats. Secretly he cheats.” She said he like to tease a bit as well, “He calls me tall cuz I’m not.”

I spoke with several of Chad’s teammates. The descriptions ranged from funny to random, to funny, back to random, to random, well you get the idea.

Viktoriya said, “He’s really tall for an 8th grader.” “He’s a good training partner cuz he pushes me to the limits” and “he always makes me laugh.” Jake said, “He makes weird random noises.” There’s that word again. Jake recalled this Chad story. “One time in his uncle’s pool they had a human hamster ball. We were both in it in the water. Chad fell on me and I almost drowned cuz I was in the opening and he was on top of me. He landed on me and didn’t know.”

Sarina had these memories of Chad. ”One time in Muay Thai he did a good imitation of Ismael’s kihap. It was hilarious.” Also, “He pretended to be an axe murderer at camp.”
Jake said as a fighter Chad,”Knows how to get out of way, he has good angles, and he does a lot of axe kicks cuz he’s humongo tall.”

Brooke described Chad as, “Hyper, cool and a smart aleck”. As a fighter she said he’s, “Angular, long legged and powerful.” She continued, “He chased me through dead trees at boost camp and gave me a scar on my shin. He was chucking rocks over our heads while on a hike.”

Coach Kaihewalu has been a close friends’ with Chad’s family for years. As you’d expect, he had much to say about him. Coach Kaihewalu said, “He keeps to himself, loves to ride (dirt bikes) and loves to ride.” Regarding Chad the fighter coach said, “He’s long and lanky, has power he doesn’t know, and advantages he doesn’t know or understand YET!” Coach continued, “I’m pleased to see him get into a team sport that challenged him. Riding comes naturally. This takes work. It’s what made me proud of him to see him stick to something that didn’t come naturally.” One of Coach K’s favorite memories of Chad was, “Watching him wipe out on his motorcycle. He went full bore A**hole over elbows in Joshua tree.” Coach talked about how Chad jumped from his old Yz80 (very small) motorbike up to a Yz450 (very large and powerful) motorbike. He compared the guts and courage to Chad jumping up from yellow stripe at States to fight green belts. “It’s his fearless attitude from riding that helps him here.” As for Nationals, “He needs to trust what he can do. Be as confident as confident can be and know that Uncle Jeff is in his corner.”

Guro said Chad has, “The best at angles on the team. He’s also very powerful with an intimidating stature.” She described him as, “A jokester, thoughtful and respectful (even though most people think he's not).” Guro said, “At Boost I got to know him a little better and I saw a different side of him. He's thoughtful and very caring. He OFFERS to help, which is something most teenage boys don't do. He's not lazy and he's always looking out for his teammates.”

I’m definitely looking forward to enjoying some of Chad’s randomness next week in Florida. I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Chad Mertz. Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Nathan Suvannakul.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.5

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.5, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics just 3 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 5th of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Sara ‘Google’ Lee.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Sara and getting to know her a little better. Sara just turned 14 years old and she’s been with TIMA for 6 years. This is her third year on the E.F.T. Florida will mark her second Jr. Olympics representing TIMA. Sara is a blue stripe (5th gup) in Tae Kwon Do.

Sara, whose nickname is ‘Google’, is respected among her teammates for her black belt brain. That being said, her brain always seems to be one step behind her mouth. Also known for being one of the louder members of TIMA (2 years ago she won Queen of Kihap for her vocal abilities), Sara is not what you’d call the most politically correct member of the team. This makes her very fun to talk to. I present my first supporting fact for Sara’s lack of political correctness and her brain lagging behind her tongue.

Sara studies Tae Kwon Do and Kali. Due to headaches she’s been suffering lately she has been unable to train in Muay Thai due to its extremely rigorous physical demands. I asked Sara which style she prefers. Her response was classic Sara. With her arms raised triumphantly she shouted, “Tae Kwon Do because it’s Asian.” For those who’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Sara face to face she hails from Seoul, South Korea. Her birthplace plays into a larger part of an inspiring story yet to unfold.

Sara identified plank push-ups as her least favorite discipline. “I did the wall like once with the whole team for a few seconds, but I don’t know much about the wall.” It’s rare you’ll see Sara in trouble of her own accord.

Sara listed two tournaments among her most memorable. She said her first tournament was unforgettable as she completed her fight before Guro or a substitute coach could get to her ring. Many of you can remember a few years back when TIMA routinely had 15 fighters at a tournament with only 1 Guro to go around. Often times Willie (Mr. Garcia) or Kim Kaneshiro would fill in if there were more than one of our kids fighting at the same time. This happened more often than you know. Guro has since remedied that situation, but not before it was cemented in Sara’s mind as one of her favorite tournament memories.

The second memory she noted came at the 2008 Jr. Olympics in Detroit, Michigan. This was the tournament where Sara earned her other nickname, ‘The Head Hunter’. This was one of her first tournaments where she was eligible to launch kicks to her opponents dome and she did not hold back. Sara unleashed her own version of Tae Kwon Do’s ‘Heaven 6’. When recalling this match Sara said, “I got to kick the girls head.” She didn’t say ‘kick the girl IN the head’, but simply ‘Head’. Again, Sara manages to steer clear of any hint of diplomacy.

Sara said some of her closer friends on the team are Brooke, Daphne and Marisa. She also identified ‘Blondie’. I asked who that was. She pointed to my son, Austin Woodward, who happened to be sitting nearby and said “The idiot over there who’s failing Korean.” Did I mention that in addition to speaking Korean and English she’s studying Japanese? I hear she also can do some sign language in English and Korean. Sara also singled out Seth Okerlund among her closest friends on TIMA “Cuz he’s my little brother and I adore him”.

Seeking to take advantage of my most brutally honest interviewee yet I decided to pose a question as to date unasked. I wondered if Sara would identify anyone on the team she didn’t like. I told her a smart person would never answer such a question. Sara informed me in spite of her Asian heritage she considered herself only “moderately intelligent”. She then proceeded to answer my question. “I don’t like Rina (Sarina Oropeza) cuz she primps her hair.” She continued, “We’re frenemies.” Did I mention Sarina was sitting three feet from Sara? Sara then turned to Sarina and said, “I think you ok as long as you’re not trying to make me look pretty.” At this point I could swear I saw a glimpse of humanity sweep over Sara. She reached out to Sarina in a heartfelt attempt to assuage the pain she had just inflicted and she uttered this beautiful sentiment, “I don’t abhor you.” Lest you think Sarina didn’t grasp the nature of this conversation she meekly uttered these insightful words,”I think I like Sara more than she likes me”

If you got the sense from the previous exchange that Sara isn’t a big fan of playing dress up you’re right on the money. She’s well known for her lack of interest in ‘Girly’ things. This makes the next tidbit of information so much funnier than it already is. While interviewing Sara’s sister, Esther (a former TIMA member) I learned that Esther loves to play ‘Dress up’…with Sara. Esther said, “She’s my Barbie. I put make-up on her when I’m bored and she hates it.” One of those times Esther was bored came last year at Sarina’s Quincenera. “I liked at my quincenera when she wore the pretty black dress” Sarina said. Esther took credit for that.

Sara had little problem coming up with her favorite memory with TIMA. Not surprisingly it came in Detroit at the Jr. Olympics. “Brooke stole my towel and then I threw her in the pool and jumped in after her.” For those of you who’ve been patient enough to read through our previous features on these amazing kids I’m sure you’re starting to notice a pattern in regards to Nationals. It is an experience that sticks with these kids for a long time. That’s why your support and encouragement are so important.

Here are some fun facts about Sara you may not have known:
Favorite Fighter: Seth. ”He’s fast. He’s half our size and faster than us.”
Favorite Book: Bible, Specifically “Job and Hosea.” “Those two are the most ‘Emo’ stories ever. One guy gets married to a prostitute. The other guy loses his family and wealth and his wife dumps him.”
Favorite Sparring Partner: Brooke or Austin, “Cuz they both challenge me without giving me an inferiority complex.”
Favorite Food: “Kimchi, it’s so fricking good.”
Favorite Movie: (Definitely NOT Twilight) “Ewww. They’re sooo pathetic. The girl’s pathetic and the guy’s pathetic.”
Biggest Fear: “Clowns”

I asked Sara to share something about herself that few people know. “I like making jewelry.” “I take jewelry making classes on Sunday.” Sensing she might have more to hide I asked the question on everyone’s mind. Have you ever received a B in school? ”I got one in 4th grade once in science. That was the first and last B I am ever going to get.” I believe her. Now you know why they call her ‘Google’.

Sara can be a bit guarded at times. I learned a few other things about her I didn’t know from her family and friends. Apparently Sara is an aspiring drummer. She also plays piano, but according to Esther, “She hates it.” Something that came to light which I’m sure Sara prefers would remain in the shadows is her affinity for food. According to Esther, Sara likes food, “A lot. She’s a glutton.”

I asked Sara to name the most influential people in her life. She listed her parents, Guro and Bethany Hamilton. Um, Bethany who you ask? So did I. Sara informed, “She’s that girl that got her arm bitten off by a tiger shark, that surfer.” Not sure what else there is to say about this. Sara included older sister Esther among those people she most looks up to. Esther said she's at the top of this list. Regardless, these two are very close.

Sara said her favorite thing about TIMA is “The family feeling in it cuz it gives me a warm fluffy feeling. But seriously, it’s the place I can go to where people accept me for what I am. It’s really nice.” This statement is all the more amazing when you consider her response to the next question. I asked Sara if she had any scars with an interesting back story behind it. She showed me a scar on one of her left knuckles. She earned this one doing push-ups on the concrete, in the rain at Peak Park during Elite training about a year ago.

At this time I turned my attention to Sara’s teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the sarcastic, politically incorrect, multilingual young lady sitting before me.

The descriptions of Sara from her friends were as varied and contrasting as Sara herself. She was said to be loud, violent, feisty, scary and sarcastic. Yet she was also said to be lovable and sweet. The truth is she’s all of these and then some. Daphne Tober said Sara is, “Nice, very sarcastic, caring and smart.”

Nicolette Beltran was not at a loss for words when it came to Sara. “She’s my best friend.” She’s a “masochist in a good way.” Nicolette also had quite a few stories involving Sara that she was more than willing to share. “When Guro announced she was leaving and Sara saw me cry she said, ‘it might hurt now, but imagine if I punched you’ and then she punched me.” Nicolette continued, “One time we were walking to the Rec and Sara fell straight on her face. She got up and said only God saw that.” Another story went like this. One time Nicolette was eating a lot of candy at a ‘Flick’ and Sara said, “You’re a masochist and you’re going to get diabetes.” Nicolette then told me, “What kind of person says that?” Um, Sara?

Nicolette was on a roll and not about to let up. “She (Sara) called me a crazy dumb blonde.” Then Sara began walking away. She paused, turned back toward Nicolette and said, “I’m kidding Nico, I love you.” Nicolette opined, “She’s secretly bipolar, but I love her anyway. She’s a sister to me. We’re sisters; we were just separated at birth. She’s Asian so something went wrong there. But besides that I love her.” I guess they really are sisters and political Incorrectness runs in the family.

Her teammates used similar language to describe Sara the fighter. Words like, strategic, strong, fast, serious, powerful and quick. Daphne said,”She’s kind of a monster with those headshots. One time a year ago she was fighting me and she threw like 5 head shots in a row.”

Guro had only good things to say about Sara. In and out of the ring she’s very smart. However, in the ring she’s solid and mean with raw power. Outside the ring she’s multilingual, “She never speaks English.” Lastly, Guro is especially impressed with her character describing Sara as one of the teens, “who never gives in to peer pressure.” Guro’s advice for Sara heading into Nationals, “listen to your coach and commit. Be confident.”

Coach Kaihewalu described Sara as cerebral and fearless in the ring. He also said she has the “loudest and most annoying voice on the team, in a good way.” Coaches advice for Sara for nationals, “Stop having headaches.” He said she understands instruction and actually listens to coaches. He said she’s been, “pushing the envelope regarding creativity in the ring and is getting more unpredictable. If she continues to improve in this area she’ll become even more dangerous.”

Finally, it was time to talk to Sara’s family to get the rest of the story. This, however, presented a new challenge to me. Her parents speak limited English, and I have to confess, my Korean isn’t what it used to be. Unfortunately for Sara, this left her older sister Esther as my only family source. To put it nicely, Esther relished the chance to dish on her little sister.

“She’s whipped by me. I think she knows she’s whipped.” Esther was just getting started. “She exists because I wanted her to exist.” Esther was referring to her demands for a sibling prior to Sara’s birth. Apparently she had second thoughts upon Sara’s arrival, “When she was born I ran away because I decided it would be fun to go to a park.” Esther said, “When Sara was younger she used to steal my food.” Esther concluded this hilarious rant by telling me, “Sara gets in the most trouble when she’s disrespectful to me.” After this brilliant diatribe you’d think there were some serious sibling rivalry issues going on here. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In between the funny comments Esther couldn’t help but let her true feelings for Sara come out.

Esther said Sara is, “smart and sweet.” Continuing, “A lot of her friends don’t know how sweet she is cuz she has this tough exterior. All her friends are afraid she’ll kill them.” I guess Esther couldn’t resist one more dig. When it comes right down to it, these sisters are very close. Esther attributes this to their early years in Korea. Sara was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the United States when she was five years old. Over the years, English, her primary language has pushed some of her Korean to the side. Because of this, Esther said, the sisters can communicate more effectively with each other than they can their parents. For those of you who like to do math, Sara had been in the U.S. for just 3 years when she joined TIMA. She’s now been with us longer than she was in her homeland. Legally, that makes her ours.

Esther closed with this gem. “Team Intense is one of the best things that’s happened to Sara. Except for me wishing her into existence and coming to America.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Sara Lee. By the way, Sara likes to write poetry and short stories. Her work can be viewed online at http://www.inkpop.com/. Type xwannaflyx in the search box. Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Chad Mertz.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.4

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:23:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.4, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics just 4 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 4th of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Marisa Espinoza.

On May 24, 2010 I had the privilege of sitting down with Marisa and getting to know her a little better. Marisa is 12 years old and she’s been with TIMA for 2 years. This is her first year on the E.F.T. Marisa recently earned her green stripe (7th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. Although, she qualified at States and will be fighting at Nationals as a green belt (6th gup). She also studies Muay Thai kickboxing with TIMA. I asked Marisa why she didn’t study Kali to which she responded, “I don’t really know about kali. I like it but I just don’t think I’ll be very good at it. It’s difficult because of the swinging of the sticks.” I have a sneaking suspicion she’d be great at it.

One of the blessings I’ve enjoyed during these first few blogs is learning something new, or reinforcing things I already knew about each fighter. If you’ve had the opportunity to follow along with us so far you may have picked up on the fact that Seth is one smart kid. Nicholas is random and hilarious as the day is long and Jake is loved by all. The thing is, until all the interviews are completed and I begin to assemble the stories, the unique trait or attribute of each fighter doesn’t come into focus. Well, the picture just became clear regarding Marisa. If I had to describe her in one word it could be ‘Courageous’. As usual I’m going to save my strongest argument to support this opinion for the end of the blog just to make you read the entire thing. However, I offer this teaser story to give you an idea of her bravery and character.

Marisa attends Imperial Middle School where she’s in 7th grade. Marisa lives out of the area compared to many on the team so you might not be familiar with this school. However, I’m sure many of you are familiar with Mrs. Alma Corral. Her daughter Berenice and son Tony have been training with TIMA for years. Mrs. Corral is employed at Imperial Middle School. She also happened to be present in the ‘Homework Hangout’ when I was interviewing Marisa. Mrs. Corral, not one to keep her stories to herself chimed in. She told me she works with ‘Special Education’ so, “I’m familiar with Marisa.” Marisa, ever the good sport laughed off the joke and followed up with, “I ignore Mrs. Corral at school cuz she gets me in trouble.” Like you the reader are right now, I too was curious as to the bad blood between these two so I probed further. Marisa recounted this story.

“I was eating on the field with my friend Kenia cuz I was really hungry one day. Then Mrs. Corral saw us eating.” Apparently eating your lunch on the field is forbidden. Mrs. Corral, seeing her opportunity, distributed discipline Imperial Middle School style. Marisa said, “I got to pick up trash. When I got home I told my parents because she (Mrs. Corral) was going to tell them.” “But I didn’t want to tell my dad cuz it was his birthday.” “But I told him anyway cuz it was the right thing to do.” In my book, at 12 years old that was a pretty courageous act. More will follow.
Marisa said she enjoys Tae Kwon Do. “I’ve never done a sport except for this one.” “I started because of Mrs. Corral.” Mrs. Corral took this opportunity to jump into the conversation. “One day she shows up at my door asking if we’re going to Tae Kwon Do, ‘I want to try it’. “Since then I haven’t been able to get rid of her.”

I asked Marisa to recount her favorite tournament. Her response caught me off guard, as it will you too I’m sure. However, as this tidbit of information ties into our ‘Courage Thread’, you’re going to have to wait for her response. In the meantime, here are some fun facts about Marisa you may not have known:

Favorite Toy: “Battleship is fun, Wii too.”
Favorite TV Show: ”I love iCarly. “I Carly’s awesome, but I don’t talk about iCarly.” “I don’t talk about TV.”
Favorite Food: ”Chow Mein and I also like ribs.” “The ribs that my dad makes are awesome.”
Favorite Fighters: Manny Pacquiao and Brooke Barth (“She spars really really good.”) Looks to me like Manny’s in pretty good company don’t you think?
Favorite Sparring Partner: Daphne Tober (“I like how she fights.” “It makes me try a lot harder.”)
Favorite Movie: “The Notebook. It made me cry.”
Biggest Fear: “Heights and spiders are kinda scary.”
Perfect Husband: Justin Bieber. “I got way less obsessed with him lately.”

I asked Marisa to share something about herself that few people know. She responded, “I write poems.” I asked her what she writes about. She said, “How I feel.” I thought an example of her writing would make an excellent addition to our story. However, Marisa had a different opinion when I brought it up, “I don’t share my poems with anyone.” I guess that’s why few people know about it. Something I uncovered that she didn’t bring up is the fact that Marisa is a straight A student. Why am I not surprised?

Marisa said her favorite memory with TIMA so far was our recent trip to Malibu for training and a relaxing 4.2 mile hike to the waterfalls. When asked about her least favorite punishment Marisa opined about our most beloved of disciplines, burpies. “Burpies are kinda OK.”

I asked Marisa to name the 3 most influential people in her life. “Well, my mom, dad and Guro.” I’m sensing a common theme throughout these interviews as it pertains to this question. Marisa’s favorite thing about TIMA, “The teamwork.”

Marisa’s dream job, “I want to be a sheriff.” Talk about a career that requires courage. Knowing Marisa, one can’t be surprised. According to Marisa, “Google” a.k.a. Sara Lee is the smartest person on the team. High praise from a straight A student. I sought Marisa’s input on who she thinks is the cutest person on TIMA. Marisa quickly answered, “Well we all know that’s me.” She recovered quickly saying, “I’m just kidding. It’s Seth, he’s the cutest.”

At this time I turned my attention to Marisa’s teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the courageous poet sitting before me.

Her dad was at the studio this evening, as usual, so I decided to start there. Mr. Espinoza said of Marisa, “She wants to hang out with team intense.” I’m starting to get the impression we’re not your typical martial arts school. How about you? Mr. Espinoza told me something I wasn’t aware of. Apparently, Marisa has a bit of a temper. Mr. Espinoza said, “Well she had a temper. When she was two years old she’d get mad and go under the bed or zip herself up in a suitcase.” He continued, “Grandma would call her and she’d say I’m mad. I don’t want to talk to anybody. She’d throw all the clothes on top of her because she didn’t want to see anybody.”

Mr. Espinoza also offered up this interesting tidbit. “Marisa has a pet iguana.” That’s right, a lizard. We’re not talking about some cute little reptile you’d hold in your hand. Her iguana is a 5 footer named Lizzy. That’s right, FIVE feet long. Mr. Espinoza continued, “She puts the iguana in the shower.” Apparently Marisa likes to accessorize her pet dinosaur. According to her dad, “She puts sunglasses on the iguana.” Never saw that one coming did you? Me either.

Regarding the upcoming Jr. Nationals, Mr. Espinoza had this to say about his daughter, “I think she’s prepared for the competition.” In light of what we will soon learn about Marisa, these words carry much weight.

I spoke with several teammates and none were at a loss for words when it comes to Marisa. Sara ‘Google’ Lee said she’s funny, sweet and determined. “She’s very cute.” Jake, Chad and Tony all described her as “very girly”. They said she “Loves Justin Bieber”. Tony informed me Marisa missed this year’s teen camp in Big Bear Lake to attend a ‘Jonas Brothers’ concert. Clearly, he didn’t think this was the best use of her time. Chad shared a recent conversation he had with Marisa during training. Apparently she told him,” I get wedgies during Muay Thai class.” Chad obviously began laughing as you’d expect a teenage boy to do. Marisa didn’t share his sense of humor responding, “Don’t laugh at me.” Marisa ran out of the studio and zipped herself into a suitcase. OK, she didn’t really, but that would’ve been great for our storyline don’t you think? I’m happy to report that since this interview took place Marisa has cured her, um, wedgie issues. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for her obsession with Justin Bieber and the Jonas Bros.

When it came to describing her as a fighter the conversation moved in an entirely different direction. Gone were adjectives like, funny, random and girly. They were replaced with, and I quote, “powerful, aggressive, merciless, dangerous, vicious, determined, scary, fierce and predatory.” Clearly Marisa is a different person once she steps into the ring, though she doesn’t lose all her humanity according to Jake. “One time I kicked her in the jaw and I felt bad. She said, ‘it’s ok Jake.’ She didn’t even get mad at me. I was pretty surprised.”

I’ve always maintained that Marisa is one of the top 5 most athletic fighters on TIMA. To support my contention I give you this quote from Ismael describing Marisa in training. ”She would always kick our butts when running miles during Elite training. The only time she’d see my backside is when she was lapping me.”

Guro had high praise for Marisa. She described her as the next generation Jake on the Elite Team. Meaning she is the most improved member of the E.F.T. this year. “Marisa is the kid who came from knowing nothing to being one of our top fighters.” “She understands the game and has power and speed.” “I have no doubt that Marisa is going to do amazing at the tournament.” “The leaps and bounds she’s made give me the confidence to know she’ll do well.”

If you’ve been following along that past couple of weeks you know I like to include a coach’s perspective in these stories for each fighter. However, in the case of Marisa, I was unable to find a coach able to go on record regarding Marisa. Why you ask? I bring you back to the beginning of our story when I promised more evidence of Marisa’s courage.

When I asked the coaches to share what it’s like to guide Marisa through a tournament, none could help me. I went to Guro. She too could not provide any firsthand accounts of a time when she coached Marisa in a tournament. The reason is obvious I’m sure by now. Near the beginning of our conversation I asked Marisa to share with me her most memorable moment from a tournament. I was floored when she told me, “I’ve never fought in a tournament coach.” I sat there momentarily wondering if she’d just forgotten, but as I soon realized she’s not a straight A student for nothing. She was right. She conveyed how her first tournament would’ve been this year’s State Championship. However, they did not have an opponent in her division.

Marisa joined the Elite team with ZERO competition experience and never mentioned it to anyone. She went to States with NO competition experience whatsoever and never said a word. She’s now headed to Orlando Florida for the Jr. Nationals. If not for this article, I doubt anyone would’ve known this would be her first competition ever.

When I brought this to Guro’s attention she had the same astonished look on her face I had. The realization set in, Marisa is going to fight her first tournament on the biggest stage this sport has to offer a fighter her age and skill level. In light of that I would like to remind you of the comments of Mr. Espinoza (“I think she’s prepared for the competition.”) and Guro (“I have no doubt that Marisa is going to do amazing at the tournament.”) That being said, I challenge anyone to tell me Marisa isn’t one of the most courageous 12 year olds you’ve ever known. Lastly, I’m not at all concerned about Marisa being ready for Florida. I am concerned that Florida isn’t ready for Marisa.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Marisa Espinoza. Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Sara ‘Google’ Lee.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.3

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:30:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.3, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics less than 6 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 3rd of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Jake ‘lil kahuna’ Kaihewalu.
On May 14, 2010 I had the privilege of sitting down with Jake and getting to know him a little better. When we started our interview teammate Sarina Oropeza was sitting with Jake. I offered her $25 if she could correctly spell his last name without assistance on the first try. I’m happy to report MY $25 dollars will be making an appearance at the upcoming TIMA Poker Tournament.

Jake is 12 years old and he’s been with TIMA for 4 years. This is his third year on the E.F.T. Jake is green belt (6th gup) in Tae Kwon Do. He also studies Muay Thai kickboxing with TIMA. I asked Jake why he didn’t study Kali to which he responded, “It doesn’t interest me. It’s too much thinking”. You have to give him credit for honesty, a trait that many of his teammates listed among his best.

I asked Jake which punishment he dreads the most. He responded, “I’d have to say burpies because they tire me the most and you can’t stop. It’s like nonstop.” Thinking back to our previous interview with Nicholas ‘The Wall’ Beltran, I asked Jake his feeling about the punishment known as The Wall. Jake’s response didn’t surprise me in the least when he said, “I’ve never been on it.” For family, friends and teammates hearing Jake has never been on the wall doesn’t come as much of a surprise. He’s uncommonly well-behaved for a boy his age.

Following this train of thought I’m reminded of something one of Jake’s teammates told me during our background investigation into Jake’s life. Brooke Barth (subject of an upcoming blog) shared one of her most memorable ‘Jakey’ moments with me. Brooke recounted an event that occurred in Detroit that most of the E.F.T. of 2008 would prefer to forget. The kids got a bit rambunctious and wound up on Guro’s bad side. What followed was an extended session of lecture and punishment that will go down in TIMA history. I said ‘Most’ of the E.F.T. because only Jake and Brooke escaped the wrath of a disappointed Guro. However, they were present for the entire episode. Brooke said even though they weren’t the one’s in trouble, they were on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by sympathy for their teammates.

To people not familiar with our unique family this may not sound like much fun. Admittedly, at the time it wasn’t. However, look how it impacts these kids long term for the better. It also show’s you Jake’s heart, another trait that came up over and over again during my look into his life.

Jake has many, many friends on the team. Just some of them he listed were: Brooke, Chad (his God brother and close family friend), Austin and Sarina. I noticed that Austin and Sarina were sitting next to Jake at this time. I asked him if he listed them among his friend just because they were sitting there. Jake replied, “Well, Ya.” He continued, “I’m closer to the Elite Team because I spend more time with them.” Jake also listed Seth and the ‘Kicking Guy’ as friends. Confused, I asked him who the kicking guy was. He informed me he meant the symbol on the Team Intense wall of a guy kicking. This only confused me further. Jake, sensing my frustration clarified his statement somewhat, “I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen him before.” Of course, I asked where? Jake looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “on the wall”. Finally, Jake listed Sara as a friend. Jake said, “I’m afraid if I don’t list her she’ll chop my head off.”

Jakes most memorable moment with TIMA occurred in Detroit, Michigan at Junior Nationals in 2008. It took Jake all of 2 seconds to come up with this one. “Oh that one’s easy. It was when we were in Detroit and I was sitting by the pool in a chair and I didn’t want to swim. Brooke, Guro and Brianna took my shoes and socks off and dumped me in the pool.” Asked if the water was cold he replied, “Yes Sir, it was freezing.”

Here are some fun facts about Jake you may not have known:
Favorite Toy: “I like Facebook.”
Favorite TV Show: I asked Jake, “16 and pregnant?” Jakes response, “No, I’ve never seen that show in my life.” “I like the Discovery Channel.”
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Fighters: Mr. Garcia. “I like how Willie fights because he doesn’t do just one kick.” “I also like Austin and Brooke because they both do fancy kicks.”
Favorite Band: Paramore
Favorite Sparring Partner: Daphne Tober. “She’s not my weight, but she’s my height and she challenges me.”
Favorite Thing about TIMA: “It’s like that it’s not just tae kwon do. It’s a family, a home away from home.”
Biggest Fear: “I’m not a big fan of sharks. It’s because of ‘Jaws’.” “I stepped on a
sand shark once.”

I asked Jake to share something about himself that few people know. Apparently Jake is a big fan of a toy named ‘K’nex’. He admitted to building a large roller coaster in his bedroom, “and it works.” Jake is also somewhat of a collector. An aficionado if you will of…..drum roll……’Duct Tape’. That’s right, duct tape. The stuff you use to patch a leaky radiator hose in the middle of the desert or replace a broken car window. “I have a lot of duct tape. I have Zebra duct tape. I have like 20 different colors.” How many 12 year olds can say that? Heck, how many plumbers can say that?

I asked Jake to name the 3 most influential people in his life. I can tell you he had a much easier time answering this question than what his favorite TV Show was. With NO hesitation he listed, in no particular order of importance, his mom, dad and Guro. What followed was in my opinion a brilliant quote from someone so young. Jake told me, “They teach me what NOT to do.” Not bad huh?

Jake has a scar on the top of his head. Ask him to show it to you sometime. Better yet, ask his little, sweet innocent looking sister Cassi to point it out. Seeing as she put it there. Jake told a story of a time when he was 6 years old and sitting in a chair. Harmless little Cassi came up on our Jakey and kicked him in the stomach. Any of you who’ve seen Cassi in class already know she’s a natural. With no formal training she was able to knock him backwards out of the chair. Unfortunately for Jake, there was a glass table just waiting for his skull. From there a nice bed of concrete was there to break his fall. As thick and soft as his famous brown locks are, they were no match for Cassi and Concrete. Jake told me he went to the hospital and got staples in his head, but suffered no long term brain damage. He then proceeded to repeat this story to me 6 more times. Can someone set Jake up with an MRI?

At this time I turned my attention to Jakes’ teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the boy behind the boy.

I started off with the man who should and does know Jake better than anyone else, his dad and TIMA coach, Jeff Kaihewalu. Coach K said,”When he first started I wasn’t really sure that he was up to the physical challenge.” At this age he had a “Lack of coordination. What I learned once he started this, by the mere fact that he wanted to keep going, he’s got a willingness to get better at things that don’t come naturally to him.” Coach K said tae kwon do revealed Jakes heart and work ethic,”This was the first sport for him.” “This is his deal.” Coach said he has no interest in other sports. “The atmosphere is what draws him. This feels good to him, the family and friends.”

Coach K’s most memorable moment came in Detroit at the 2008 Jr. Olympics. Coach K said, “When he took silver as a green belt when he wasn’t a green belt.” In fact, Jake was only a yellow stripe. Three ranks below his opponent. Not too shabby. There will be more on Detroit later in our story.

Coach said when Jakes little sister Cassi decided to try tae kwon do she got some brotherly advice from Jake because he was a little skeptical that she’d stick with it. Jake told her, “You’d better do it right if you’re going to try it.” Jakes mother, Lori Kaihewalu, said she thinks TIMA is the best thing that’s happened to him. Coach K closed our conversation by saying TIMA and tae kwon do have taught Jake respect and the benefit of hard work. “This has reinforced what we teach him at home. His message to his son as Orlando quickly approaches, “It’s important to remind him what we expect from him, determination and heart.”

Mr. Garcia described Jake as, “funny and colorful. He’s a cool little kid.” Mr. Garcia also wins the ‘Captain Obvious’ of the year award with this observation of Jake, “he’s got gorgeous hair.” Mr. Garcia described Jake as a smart and aggressive fighter who’s “light on his feet”. If you ever saw Jake lumber through training a few years ago you know what a tremendous compliment that is.

Chad Mertz, a close family friend of Jake as well as a teammate on the Elite Team, described him as funny, athletic and lovable. You’ll have to ask Chad for clarification. Chad recalled a time when he and Jake were kicked off the log ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. Chad for standing up and Jake for getting his beautiful hair wet. I guess it’s a crime in Buena Park for Jake’s hair to be out of place in public. Seriously though, Jake was laying down in the log but I like my version better.

Many of Jakes teammates described him as sweet, trustworthy and caring. Not surprisingly, those were his female teammates. His male teammates described him as a funny, smart person with a great attitude.

One of Jakes teammates gave me a great Jake quote. I promised not to reveal ‘Her’ name, but you can confirm the accuracy of this with Jake himself, as I did. She said,”he said once during poomsae he doesn’t condition his hair unless it’s for testing.”

Ismael had high praise for Jake, describing him as a great leader, hard worker, an awesome teammate with an indomitable spirit. Ismael continued, “When I spar him he doesn’t back down. Even though I’m bigger, he doesn’t give up. He’s strong and fast and works his angles.” I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Jake many times. I don’t think I can add to Ismael’s words. They’re all right on the money.

Little sister Cassi shared a hilarious memory she has involving Jake which happened very recently. Apparently, she had hidden behind his bedroom door. When he walked in, she jumped out. Jake screamed. Jake, following TIMA tradition set out to ‘Return the Favor’. Cassi was looking for Jake everywhere with no luck. She was in her room near her bed when all of a sudden two hands shot out from under her bed and grabbed her by the ankles. I’m sure you guessed it, Jakes hands, Cassi’s scream. Looks like his teammates were right, Jake is smart and funny.

Guro said Jake is one of the smartest fighters she’s ever had, “He was a white belt beating green belts. That says something about his skills.” That being said, Guro’s fondest memory of Jake wasn’t born out of a tournament, training session or TIMA event. “He wrote a paper last year about his favorite American and he wrote it about me. It was the best thing anyone has ever done for me. Out of everyone he could've written about, I was very honored he chose me.”

I like to include a coach’s perspective in these stories for each fighter. I’ve been privileged to coach Jake at several tournaments. Without a doubt he’s the most coachable fighter on the E.F.T. In fact, you get the sense that he actually can’t wait to see what wisdom we have to help him finish off his opponent. That being said, my strongest memory involving Jake does not arise from a time I coached him, but from a tournament where I didn’t coach him. We return one final time to Detroit and the 2008 Jr. Olympics.

Jake was fighting his first Nationals in the green belt division. As you read earlier he was in a division way above his true rank. Those of us who watched him fight years ago remember the slow, plodding flat footed fighter he was. As opposed to the quick angular fighter he is today. Guro was in the chair for this match. Coach Kaihewalu (dad) was in the stands with one foot in a walking cast. Mom had to remain in California to take care of family business and watch over Cassi. Jake won a very competitive first fight. He barely lost the final giving him a silver medal. I remember looking for Coach K at that moment only to see him standing on his one good foot in the aisle welling up with pride and perhaps a tear or two. At that instant, as a father, son, coach and man I was overwhelmed by the moment. However, I was fortunate enough to capture a picture of this incredible event. It’s worth searching http://www.teamintense.ning.com/ for the picture. Coach called his wife shortly thereafter to give her the good news, another amazing moment that as a husband and parent truly touched my heart. However, I chose not to photograph this one as it was theirs alone to enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Jake. Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Marisa Espinoza.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.2

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:22:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.2, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. We invite you to join us in what will most certainly be an exciting and memorable adventure.

With the Junior Olympics just over 6 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 2nd of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Nicholas Beltran.
On May 10, 2010 I had the privilege of sitting down with Nicholas and getting to know him a little better. Nicholas is 10 years old and he’s been with TIMA for 5 years. This is his first year on the E.F.T. Nicholas recently earned his green belt in Tae Kwon Do. Nicholas also studies Muay Thai kickboxing and Kali/Eskrima with TIMA.

Nicholas was unable, or unwilling to specify which of the three martial arts he studies that he likes best. However, he did not hesitate to single out Muay Thai as being the most difficult in his opinion. He said Guro, “usually does something really hard at the end of class.” Nicholas said, though he enjoys all the classes he sometimes can’t make it to all of them. “Sometimes I can’t make it to class because my mom has a lot of stuff to do.” Knowing Mrs. Beltran and how Nicholas feels about his mother I sensed a chance to dig deeper into his relationship with his mom. I asked Nicholas, ‘You love your mom don’t you?”. Nicholas responded immediately, “Ya, I like her”. He paused a few seconds and followed up with, “I really do.” As we’ll learn later in this blog, Nicholas’ feelings towards his mother go way beyond ‘like’.

Nicholas’ family consists of his mother, father, older brother Luis and sister Nicolette. His sister is also a member of TIMA. I asked Nicholas if he likes his sister. In true Nicholas fashion he responded, “sort of” followed up by “I don’t want to talk about it.” You’re going to learn one thing for certain about Nicholas during this article; this young man speaks his mind. In fact, his tongue usually runs a few steps out in front of his brain which makes for some of the most genuine and hilarious quotes you’ll hear from any 10 year old.

I’m going to jump ahead real quick as I feel it’s important to establish a little context regarding Nicholas. When talking with his teammates two common threads kept coming up; His sense of humor and his tendency to be random an unpredictable in his conversations. Please keep this in mind as we continue our journey with him. If you read a quote from Nicholas and you think it’s funny, it is. If he says something that makes you laugh, enjoy it. It’s one of the gifts he brings to the team and his family. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him. I literally had to stop the interview several times to control my own laughter.

Those of you who know Nicholas are aware of the fact that he can become distracted at times which usually lands him in hot water with Guro. With that in mind I asked him what punishment he dreads the most. Nicholas said, “I would have to say the one where you have to lift your leg while holding the shield on the wall.” Members of TIMA know this punishment by its’ formal title, “The Wall”. Interestingly, later on in my background investigation I had the opportunity to speak with TIMA black belt William Garcia. I asked Mr. Garcia to share his most vivid memory of Nicholas. Without hesitation and with an ear to ear grin he said, “The Wall.”

Nicholas was a bit of a handful when he first joined TIMA. Mrs. Beltran said he was having problems in school paying attention and getting into fights. Master Catalasan said, “He was hard to teach. I don’t think he listened to a word I said.” All of this explains why Nicholas became such close friends with ‘The Wall’. However, this story is far from over and I assure you it has a happy ending.

I asked Nicholas to name some of his friends on TIMA. In typical Nicholas style he did not give me an answer I was expecting. Nicholas said, “sometimes Ryan (Ryan is the author’s son).” He continued, “At the end of class we usually wrestle sometimes….but I’m the one who gets hurt all the time.” My apologies to Mrs. Beltran for my sons behavior. Asked if there are any cute girls on TIMA Nicholas emphatically responded, “I am not going to talk about that. I do not wanna talk about that.”

Nicholas lists the summer ending bonfires among his favorite memories with TIMA. He particularly enjoys our version of ‘Fear Factor’ where contestants voluntarily consume disgusting foods. “When they puke it’s kind of funny. It usually grosses me out sometimes.”
Nicholas reports no major injuries during his years of training,”just some bruises but it’s ok, they just come out a little gray that’s all.”

Here are some fun facts about Nicholas you may not have known:

Favorite Movie: Freddy vs. Jason (“it’s my favorite horror movie but some of them
freak me out”)
Favorite Toy: Mindflex
Favorite Food: Tamales (“I love the spiciness)
Favorite Fighter: Mr. Garcia
Favorite Band: Linkin Park
Favorite thing about TIMA: “All the sparring, everything, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Kali, and the bonfires.”

Nicholas listed the three most influential people in his life as his mom, dad and his sister Nicolette. “My sister usually takes care of me when my mother goes to the store to buy groceries.”

I asked Nicholas to share something about himself nobody knows. He immediately responded, “I like to go to the park with my dad to play soccer.” Initially I didn’t really think this was much of a secret as I’m well aware of his love of soccer. However, talking with Nicholas is a gift that keeps on giving. He continued, “Sometimes when we tell my mom we’re going to the park we lie.” Nicholas noticed the shock on my face and realized he may have volunteered more information that he probably should have. He became uncomfortably quiet and refrained from completing his thought. After some prodding he said, “We go to Carl’s Jr.” I spoke with some of my contacts and learned the trips to Carl’s Jr. are sanctioned and approved by mom who recognizes the value of father/son time. Now you see why this family is such an asset to TIMA.

I asked Nicholas about his greatest fear. He gave my question several moments of thought before calmly stating, “I’m not really afraid of anything.” Knowing Nicholas, I believe him. After a few more questions I released Nicholas to go work out with the team. It is noteworthy that during our talk he repeatedly expressed concern he was missing out on training. This kid never gives up.

At this time I turned my attention to Nicholas’ teammates, coaches and family to find out those things he might not have been willing to share. Though I’m not sure what that would be as he was more than forthcoming during our conversation. However, I did uncover some interesting information about Nicholas I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Almost every teammate I spoke with described Nicholas as funny and loud. At the close of this volume we’ll revisit this loud subject as it provides insight into this remarkable young man. Erica Garcia described him as “a crazy energetic kid.” Her sister Emily said, “He’s so random.” To support her assertion Emily shared something that had happened earlier this evening. “Tonight Nicholas was lying on the mats with his feet straight up in the air with a medicine ball on his feet. Erica asked him what he was doing.” Nicholas said, “I’m trying to balance this ball on my feet. Do you have a problem with that?” Apparently she didn’t.

Please allow me to set up the next exchange. I was speaking with Justin Javier and Patrick Magbitang. Justin, describing Nicholas said, “He’s an energetic, loving fighter.” Patrick turned, looked at Justin and said, “Loving?” I fell out of my chair laughing.

Older sister Nicolette shared a favorite Nicholas memory. “At my birthday when I was 8 and Nicholas was 4 he tried to make toaster waffles for me. He broke the toaster by sticking a fork in it.”

Coach Okerlund had this to say about Nicholas. “He’s very determined.” Earlier this evening Nicholas told Coach Okerlund, “I dreamed of wearing this belt.” Nicholas received his green belt four days earlier.

Guro shared, “I didn’t think he’d get far in this sport. Since he joined E.F.T. I’ve seen more growth in him than any person I’ve taught.” She continued, “Every time he’s around me he’s witty. I can’t think of one time he hasn’t entertained me.”

Mom credits TIMA with helping Nicholas develop discipline and learn to focus. Despite problems early on in his academic career Nicholas has not been on the ‘Honor Roll’ for 2 consecutive years. Remember the beginning of our conversation when Nicholas said he really ‘Liked’ his mom? Mrs. Beltran recalled a conversation she had with then 6 year old Nicholas. He told her, “Mom you are the love of my life.”

As our behind the scenes look into Nicholas Beltran draws to a close I wanted to share some information about him that I believe puts into perspective what an amazing kid he is. Most of his teammates are aware of his special talents and unique obstacles. For those who don’t know please allow me to fill you in.

Nicholas is fluent in three languages; English, Spanish and sign language which he uses to communicate with his older brother Luis. Nicholas is currently learning French as well. Not bad for a 10 year old kid who just 5 short years ago couldn’t pay attention in school.

Remember earlier in our journey when I told you Nicholas being “loud” would come into play again? Nicholas is almost completely deaf in his left ear. Now, for us coaches this presents an occasional problem when we forget which ear works and we yell at the wrong side of his head. But Nicholas won’t let it be an excuse in the ring. In light of all the wonderful quotes Nicholas has provided us during our chat I thought I’d let him close this out himself. I asked Nicholas if his hearing disability presents any problems in the ring. The result was another classic quote. “In fighting I can hear everything, but at home when my mom tells me to do chores I can’t hear it.”

Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with ‘Lil Kahuna’.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

In the Clinch Vol.1

noreply@blogger.com (Coach Woodward) — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:59:00 +0000

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts. With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. We invite you to join us in what will most certainly be an exciting and memorable adventure.

With the Junior Olympics a mere seven weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. During the next seven weeks we will be profiling all 11 members of the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

As no one fighter is more important than the other, we will post the profiles in chronological order from youngest future champion to oldest. That being said, please enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Seth ‘Comet’ Okerlund.

On May 6, 2010 I had the privilege of sitting down with Seth and getting to know him a little better. At the time of our chat Seth was currently a 5th gup (blue stripe). I asked Seth what rank he was and he told me he’s a blue stripe, “But I’m gonna be a blue belt” (Note: Belt presentation was less than 24 hours away at the time of our interview). Seth quickly tried to correct himself, realizing his blue belt aspirations rested in the hands of Guro. I laughed as I noticed Seth become a little nervous about his answer. Not because he was afraid he hadn’t passed his test, but because he knew that assuming his blue belt was in the bag might be seen as disrespectful. For those of you who haven’t met Seth, trust me, this kid is anything but disrespectful.

Seth, who is now 10 years old, has been training with TIMA (Team Intense Martial Arts) since he was 4 years old. Seth currently studies Tae Kwon Do, Kali/Eskrima and Muay Thai with TIMA. Seth plans to obtain the rank of black belt in all three martial arts. Asked which discipline he favors Seth demonstrated his intelligence with a very politically correct answer, “I like em all the same.” Seth did say he considered Muay Thai to be the hardest of the three because “Guro doesn’t give us breaks.” Once again, Seth realized he may have committed another verbal blunder and asked that I not include it in the interview. Obviously, he has no editorial powers here. As it turns out, Guro got wind of Seths’ feelings about the difficulty of Muay Thai because the very next day, we all received a water break, courtesy of Seth.

Seth said one of the things he enjoys most about TIMA is all the friends he has made during his time with us. Seth listed a few of his friends as Mr. William Garcia, Patrick, Trinity, Sarina, Justin, Ismael and Sara Lee. Seth told me Sara has adopted him as her little brother.

Those of us who’ve watched Comet train on the E.F.T. for the last four years know his endurance to be unsurpassed. I’ve personally watched him run five miles without breaking a sweat. Actually, he never seems to tire. However, there is a discipline Seth finds objectionable.
His kryptonite is ‘Plank Push-ups’, “I don’t like that one.” According to Seth, his worst injury in TKD was when he was back kicked in the face while fighting in Detroit, Michigan at the 2008 Junior Olympics. Those of us who were present will never forget that moment. Seth lay on the mat letting out a blood curdling scream that made the hair on your neck stand up. As my background investigation of Seth unfolded this event popped up again and again as you will see.

Seth told me his most memorable moment in the ring was this years’ 2010 State Championship. His first fight was a back and forth battle for the ages. Seth won by one point in an incredible match-up of two skilled fighters.

Seth’s favorite fighter is Mr. Garcia. He’s also Seths’ favorite sparring partner, “He challenges me. I like that he doesn’t take it easy on me”. What a testament to Seth’s work ethic and Mr. Garcias’ skill as an instructor. (Note: To those not familiar with Mr. Garcia he’s a 21 year old black belt)

Here are some fun facts about Seth you may not have known:
Favorite Movie: Avatar
Favorite Toy: Legos
Favorite Food: Spaghetti
Hero: Ironman
Seth is also an avid off road motorcycle rider.

Seth shared a few of his opinions (when prompted by the writer) about TIMA.
Smartest member: Sara Lee
Fastest Fighter: Seth Okerlund (“Me”)
Favorite thing about TIMA: “Everything”

Seth listed the three most influential people in his life as his mom, dad and Guro. Though I’m not one to inject my opinion where it hasn’t been sought, I think he said dad because Coach Okerlund was sitting next to him. Guro was a no brainer.

If you want to see a cool scar ask Seth to show you the one on his elbow. Seth was playing kickball and running on the blacktop when he slipped on some sand. Seth said it was bleeding, “but I think paper cuts hurt more.”

In my experience as an investigator I’ve discovered if you really want to learn about someone you have to ask those who know them best. That being said I interviewed several of Seth’s team mates to find out what they thought of Comet. Please enjoy what they had to say about Comet.

Coach Steve Okerlund seemed like a logical place to start seeing as he was seated across from me. Coach O said Seth’s time with TIMA has had a big influence on his confidence level in many aspects of his life. A more telling statement (in my opinion) was Coach O saying, “He’s done it for so long it’s normal. The hard work has become part of who he is.” Coach O said his most memorable moment was the 2008 Junior Olympics in Detroit. Coach said not just when Seth was back kicked in the face, but all the activities and sense of family that was born out of that trip.

Coach O’s message to his son was: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31.

Ismael described Seth the fighter as; awesome angles, comet fast and coachable. He described Seth the person as random, spontaneous and smart. Ismael’s favorite memory of Seth was when he taught Comet the ‘Quadratic Formula’ in less than 2 minutes.

Not surprisingly, Trinity, Patrick and Coach Kaihewalu all described Seth as smart and quick. Coach K said Seth the person is “very respectful”. Coach K’s favorite memory of Seth also came at the 2008 Jr. Olympics in Detroit following his injury from an errant back kick to the face. “When I think of Seth I think of Detroit. There’s no quit in him.”

Seth’s favorite sparring partner and arch rival William Garcia described Seth the person as; “a good goofy”, “he’s not spastic” and “smart”. Not surprisingly Mr. Garcia also described Seth the fighter as both smart and quick. I’m sensing a pattern here. Looks like Comet is an appropriate nickname. Mr. Garcia’s favorite memory of Seth came at this year’s State Championships. He described the first round fight as “a piece of artwork”.

Guro was not at a loss when asked for her thoughts on Seth. She described him as intelligent, fast and powerful in the ring. Guro said, “he’s small but mighty.” Guro’s favorite memory of Seth also came in 2008 in Detroit. Following a vicious back kick to his face and a trip to the medic Guro told Seth it was ok if he didn’t want to complete the tournament. However, quitting isn’t in Seth’s nature. He looked her in the eye and said “I want to finish.” Guro said “there was a determination in his eyes.”

I’ve known Seth for many years now and I don’t think I can add to what has already been said. He’s a phenomenal young man with a tremendous future ahead of him. I hope you have enjoyed being ‘In the Clinch’ with this amazing young man. If so, please give him a call, email or card to let him know you’re behind him as Orlando beckons. In spite of his amazing courage he shared a level of nervousness at what awaits him in Orlando. I know it will serve to keep him sharp. If you would like to partner with Seth and the rest of TIMA please post words of encouragement. If you desire to donate time, talents or treasure we humbly thank you. Please check back in a few days for our next installment. As soon as I figure out who’s the second youngest member of this unique and formidable group of fighters.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward

friday night fright

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

can you believe that today is the first day of october? it seems like just yesterday we were ringin' in the 2009 new year! how fast time flies when we're having fun!!

our big event is coming up this year! we're anticipating hundreds of people in attendance this year at our 2009 friday night fright! this is year #6 for us, and we're excited to see what master catalasan brings to the table this year! it gets better every year!

this is an event for ALL AGES, so invite everyone you know to come and be a part of it! we'll have food, a ton of games, costume contests, and our infamous haunted maze! this year's haunted maze is called "the psych ward"!!! come prepared!!! it's gonna be pretty awesome!

we've got fliers on their way, so, if you want a few to pass out to your friends and family, go to our website @ www.teamintensemartialarts.com and click on the link at the bottom left hand side of the page to request some flyers, and we'll get those to you ASAP! tickets are only a quarter a piece! can't beat that!

goofball games

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:17:00 +0000

our goofball games event last month went off without a hitch! all the kids had a BLAST coming to class with their wacked out hair!! here's some of the madness:

we had such a great time just goofin' off, in good ol' team intense fashion! life's too short to be too serious! :) we'll update again at our goofball games #2 - backwards day!

oh nine.

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:40:00 +0000

wow, has time flown by! the last post was created in september of 2008, and it's now january of 2009! boy oh boy do we have some news for you!!

master catalasan has promised that 2009 will be even bigger and better than the previous years! and she's already started it off with a bang... if you're not doing anything on january 31st, team intense martial arts is holding their very first watergun warfare event at peak park in buena park - just a few blocks away from the dojang! come enjoy this free event with the rest of team intense martial arts. dust off those waterguns and come enjoy the socal winter with us! only in socal would it be 80 degrees in the middle of january! so, master catalasan has decided to take advantage of it!

here's the info:

TEAM INTENSE MARTIAL ARTS
presents
WATERGUN WARFARE

Saturday, January 31st
from 2:00pm - 6:00pm
PEAK PARK
Buena Park

Hotdogs & Punch will be served!

If you're interested in joining us, please bring your waterguns and get ready to go! For those that are anti-artillery, please feel free to bring some water balloons!!

jimmy kim invitational 2008 - results

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:11:00 +0000

we started off our 2008-2009 with 14 fighters fighting it out at the jimmy kim invitational this past weekend (september 27, 2008). all the kids did a great job!

before i continue, team intense would like to personally thank mrs. woodward and sarina oropeza for holdin' it down in the stands while master catalasan and the coaches were down on the floor handling business. a special thank you goes out to all of the families that came out (that didn't have to), to support the team! thanks for taking the time out of your days to come and support your fighters.

here's our standings:

garcia, william, 1st dan - bronze (k)
kaneshiro, brianna, fought as 1st dan - bronze (k)
aguilar, ismael, 3rd gup - silver (k), silver (p)
barth, brooke, 6th gup - gold (k)
woodward, austin, 6th gup - gold (k), bronze (p)
beltran, nicolette, 6th gup - gold (k)
corral, antonio, 6th gup - gold (k)
woodward, ryan, 6th gup - silver (k)
okerlund, seth, 6th gup - gold (k), participation (p)
beltran, nicholas, 7th gup - bronze (k)
javier, justin, 8th gup - bronze (k), bronze (p)
magbitang, patrick, 8th gup - bronze (k), silver (p)
sanchez, trinity, 8th gup - gold (k)
walton, benjamin, 10th gup - gold (k)

keep up the good work, team intense!

new website!

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:18:00 +0000

thanks to those of you who continue to read our team blog! although it's not updated quite as often as we'd like it to be, we hope you still enjoy the reading when we do update! ;)

we've got a new, more-than-half way-functioning website! go check it out and come back so you can leave us a comment telling us what you thought about it!

it's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:05:00 +0000

it's been quite a while since we broke into the blog. here's an update on our team...

we're draggin' along a little heavier since our fighters came back from detroit last month. we now have 8 junior olympic medalists among us. that was a pretty amazing thing for our team! congrats again, fighters!

we just had our annual sizzin' summer bonfire this past weekend (august 9th) at bolsa chica state beach in huntington beach, california! what a blast! a lot of the team came out, we had a lot of fun, a lot of food, and always a ton of laughs watching and participating in our annual "INTENSE FACTOR" (which is our version of Fear Factor). congrats to the winners of Intense Factor this year, mr. benavidez and jesus.

the bonfire is always a ton of fun! can't wait to see how the next one turns out!

master catalasan has been working hard to put together her new elite fighting team. 14 courageous individuals came to tryouts back on the 5th of august. there were some veterans, and some brand, spankin' new kids who wanted to bring their game up to another level. stay tuned for the final cut, and the new 2008-2009 Team Intense Martial Arts Elite Fighting Team! how exciting!

coming up on the 23rd of august is promotion testing #21. who are the lucky individuals testing? master catalasan has yet to put the testing list out, so once the list is public, we'll post!

thanks for checkin' in! don't be shy about leaving comments! the more the merrier!

heading home.

noreply@blogger.com (guro) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:40:00 +0000

master catalasan and the crew will be heading back from detroit tonight. well, technically, by the time they land, it will be around midnight, so... it's more like "tomorrow morning".

anyway, they really enjoyed their time out in detroit, and finished the competition in team intense style - bringin' home the bling. ;)

here are the standings after this week's events:

8 fighters, 8 medals.
luigi munoz: gold
carissa munoz: gold
brooke barth: gold
brianna kaneshiro: silver
jake kaihewalu: silver
austin woodward: bronze
sara lee: bronze
seth okerlund: bronze

the fighters did amazing! everyone listened and did exactly what they went to detroit to do. pictures will be posted a little later, once master catalasan gets a chance to post some!

send 'em some good thoughts and prayers for a safe trip home to cali.

SPECIAL THANKS to instructor willie garcia for holdin' down the fort while master catalasan was in detroit.