ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY

 

MIDDLE TENNESSEE KARATE GAMES 2008
AND
RELATED NEWS

  

   The Lebanon dojo under the leadership of Master Tony Williams, put on another highly successful tournament. With each passing year and growing experience by its directors, this tournament gets better and better. Tony’s hospitality didn’t end at the conclusion of the tournament, as he hosted a cook out at his home. This tournament reminds me of the old days when you got a full day of fighting and socializing. This encourages togetherness and friendship. On behalf of myself and the Red Dragons, thank you for making a long trip, in this time of great travel expense, well worth it.



   The Dragons did a credible job of representing our dojo. Below pictured, is some of the days rewards.

 

 

   As far as the tournament results, several schools did well and the trophy take was pretty much spread around. The judging was very well done as some of the younger judges are fast improving. They are gaining confidence, know better what they are looking for, and the day showed it. I enjoyed watching their progress.



   At one point, I thought we were over all the best fighting school that attended the tournaments in our area. Now I feel it is Kelly’s Hero’s. They dominated the grand finals with the new man to beat now, Brandon Henderson, winning it all. I thought when Tony retired, my Austin or Leon would be the new sheriff in town. With Leon only making one tournament this year and Austin being solved by his opponents, the sheriff’s badge has so far passed on to Brandon. Gotta give my guy Woody some credit as he has one grand and one runner up this year. The Hero’s have three fighters in what I consider the top six or seven that compete and a fourth if Kelly Jr’s back gets well. Add Theresa Barnett to that elite group and you have quite a team of Hero’s.



   With all that said, it should come as no surprise that The Hero’s, took the male and female grand kumite; with Brandon and Theresa taking the honors.



   Marty Robbins had a good day. He was first given the “Tony” award for outstanding contributions to Isshin-ryu. This is a new award given by The Lebanon dojo to recognize people’s outstanding achievements. Marty also won the Kata Grand. Woody who won the Sho-Dan – Ni-Dan kata had to bow out of the grand kata, to prevent further injury to a pulled hamstring he got in the kumite earlier.

 

    Gary Long brought a portion of the Harold Long Foundation display. It gave a lot of people, young and old, an opportunity to view Mr. Longs certificates pictures and memorabilia. The full display is too extensive to travel with and can only be displayed at the Harold Long Memorial Tournament and perhaps the Hall of Fame, since it is so close. What can be displayed, is still a representative sample of our history and linage. I estimated that only about 10% of the people at the tournament had ever seen Mr. Long. I fear that more and more are not totally sure of who he is, or what he did for us. I believe the Foundation will prevent Mr. Long from becoming just a name or random picture to the future generation. Mr. Long has been gone for ten years. In ten more years, the entire senior leadership of Isshin-ryu will probably either be retired, or have passed on themselves. At this point, Mr. Long will be only a memory, if we don’t keep the realities of his life alive. The foundation will do this. Associations, seminars, and tournaments, will not and can not.



   Thank all for the donations. For more information on the Harold Long Foundation and The Isshin-ryu Cross-Trainers Alliance, see the dojo news part of this site.
 

 

   

   Welcome Kelly Markham and Jerry Sullivan to the Isshin-ryu Cross Trainers Alliance. Master Markham and Sullivan are builders of people and their leadership and knowledge, will be invaluable.

 

 

 

   Also, welcome Master Dennis Thomas to the ICA . There is an article on the site about our trip to Master Thomas’s dojo. We are honored to have one of such old values,and new concepts, join our group. Dennis is that rare sensei that is still willing to get down beside his students and learn with them. Student progress before ego. It is no wonder why we found his students attitude so good and their loyalty to him so strong.

 

 

   The Red Dragons finally got together with sensei Jerry Lewis to present him with The Dragon’s Forever “Tab.” Jerry was already voted in and included on our Dragons Forever page, but we had been unable to present him with his certificate, tabs, and words of appreciation for his support of our dojo and friendship. Jerry is another that leads through word and deed. He is old enough to lead and young enough to grow up with my students. As I age, that is a real benefit to them as well as me. We welcome his support to our group of Red Dragons and Dragons forever. Also thanks to Kelly Markham and Jerry Sullivan for coming over and joining our presentation to Sensei Lewis. It was a class thing to do. And…apologies to the ones we didn’t tell that there was going to be a new “Tab” dragon holder. We let the end of the tournament slip up on us.

 
 

   Eli Rhodes was promoted to San-Dan. Here is that blue collar guy in your dojo that is all heart. No one works harder in class or in preparation for a tournament. He does this knowing that his chances of taking it all the way is a real long shot. He doesn’t have the physical skill to win a points championship or even his division. He places almost every time but has been what we call a role player. We put him in a division to soften up someone that Austin or Leon will fight later. He used to try to fight Tony first to take some of the steam out of him if he could. He never objects. He just plugs away. This year I nominated him for the Hall of Fame competitor of the year. I reasoned that a competitor is not always a trophy winner. A true competitor is one who never quits trying. That is Eli. I must say that in the dojo or during our mma nights, Eli stands in with anyone. A very good grappler, he also has a lethal right hand if you get slack in front of him. In Master Joe Laney’s tournament, he finished out of the running in points but second in the full contact. I imagine most of you have had, or known someone like Eli. If you are going to take him on, be sure it is in the point ring and not in the street.

 

 Jason Anzur is my remaining student from the early days when we put the Dragons together. The least likely to stay and the most determined not to go. Jason was an Eli type in the dojo. His has two very bad knees (one recent operation and one that needs one) and his shoulder pops out when you sneeze on it. That has not limited him from training every class night and I don’t now how he does it. He just sucks it up and lives with the pain and post class agony. He has learned and even taught all the grappling and additional striking techniques in Dragon Sen-I, well enough to attain a black belt. Although his shoulders and knees have eliminated him from tournament competition, it has not eliminated him from helping others prepare for it. He is also my tournament coordinator and watch dog. He misses competition but I told him that tournament fighters, even good ones, are a dime a dozen. I had seen so many young flashes come and go that I hardly remember 90% of them. It is the real martial arts people like him that create the culture for the others to thrive in. The ones who finish what they start. He is one of the real future leaders of Isshin-ryu and our own Dragon Sen-I Jutsu. As an example of his dedication to the dojo and the other students; he drove to Pigeon Forge Tn. to pick up Austin Friday, then drove him to Lebanon for the tournament. I told he and Austin later, that had I known how Austin was going to fight, I would have made him kick Austin out of the car in the Smokey Mountains and let the bears eat him. They knew I was only half kidding. He has been doing the same for Rahyel in Atlanta, plus paying his expenses. Try driving into Atlanta at rush hour on Friday night, then to the tournament arriving late at night and back on Saturday night. Stories like these are endless since he has been at the dojo. When I had the Nashville dojo, I saw to it that some of my people got on the IIKA and the Hall OF Fame boards, to help them further their careers. I hope I can do that one day for Jason if he wants that. I now also serve in an Association/Alliance (ICA and HLF) that I hope Jason will want to serve on some day when the time is right. I also look forward to Jason becoming a master, as he surely will. I would put his knowledge and teaching skill up against many of higher rank right now. But he nor I, want him to be promoted just because he has put in the number of years. 

 

 I hope that many of you will also want to assume some kind of positions and task. Maybe some of these relics sitting on their past will start moving over to accommodate the future leaders. As in thanks guys for all you have done, now lets see what I can do. When you do, don’t be a yes man or rubber stamp. I have been to too many meetings where most of the people sat and said nothing and allowed the same people to make all the plans and rules. Real leaders want and need your input. Even if it makes us work harder than we want to. Most of us are at an age where we need to be pushed either up or out. We are nearing turnover time in the upper ranks and it will be good for the system and good for future growth if you think you have the necessary fire in your belly to take our places. So here’s to the future. Yours, mine and anyone else who doesn’t like complacency. As my favorite saying for progress goes: LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!