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ARTICLES
AND COMMENTARY
HERO’S DO IT AGAIN!!!
Saturday April 25, in Rogersville Tennessee, Kelly Markham and Jerry Sullivan’s Hero’s, hosted another in a series of successful annual tournaments. It was our first of the year and one of only three we have voted to attend. We always attend this one as we are very close to all the Hero’s. Four of them (Kelly, Jerry, Ralph Smith, and Theresa Barnett) are Dragon Tab holders and ICA members. We were attending this tournament years before the aforementioned connections were in place. This is because we have found each year, what we found again this year; appreciation for your attendance, hospitality, a great atmosphere, terrific competition and a concerted effort always to provide fair judging. Of all the tournaments I have attended I can’t remember the last time judging of the black belt divisions was so good. This was in the face of some fast a furious action. So it was very challenging to keep up. Tony Williams made a class “A” center ring judge for the preliminaries as David Gabbard did for the finals. Their support crew was; Jim McDonald, Chuck Reynolds, Ron Honeycutt, Joe Laney and myself. As a sum up you would say; good fighting, good sportsmanship, and decisive calls.
At the beginning of the bow-in, Kelly awarded the “Hero of Hero’s” award to Cas Cox and Robert Porterfield. As a past recipient I can tell you that this award is an honor to receive. Cas and Robert were unable to attend but Jason Cox and Joe Laney accepted on their behalf.
Congratulations to the kumite Grand Champions; Austin McAdams (Red Dragons), Lacey Katchmark (Lebanon Dojo) and kata, Marty Robbins (Crossville).
As a group, we took home about seventeen trophies. We had our first father-son first place winners. Darrin Motes won the black belt senior kumite division and his son J.D., won first kumite in the white belt division. I only have two kids. My other little guy, Sims Davenport, won third green, kumite. He is also the cousin of Master Wayne Wayland. Our juniors, Zac and Alicia MacDougal, had their usual star performances, winning places in kumite, kata and weapons. Woody Wood put up a valiant effort, but had a respiratory infection that had him in the bed the day before the tournament. Leon Scott showed what is becoming an ever growing disinterest in point fighting and day dreamed his way to a loss. His heart and training is in continuous contact competition of any kind. He has never come in less that second in any full contact kick boxing I have entered him in. Unless you count his last tough man contest….har har. My new big guy Keenan Adams lost his first match as a yellow belt. He has been training with us in our mma classes and had only three weeks of point training to go on. He was a former defensive end on the Furman football team. At 6’4, 275, it is a good thing it was points. In the dojo he is a load. Eli Rhodes, another of our mma guys, was just pretty much lost in the point game. As we continue in point fighting also, these guys are not looking for an excuse and are going to have to adjust. The game is points!! Play it hard and play it well. My right hand guy Jason Anzur, is catching steady duty now as judge and he is making a good one. Side lined permanently from a bad shoulder and two knees, he has without complaint, made the transition to the tournament worker role. What can I say about Austin McAdams. His training has been limited, as he is an athletic trainer for Clemson University who has been going through their spring football practices. Austin has been putting in some hours with that and being a freshman this year. Yet, his will and ring savvy carried him through some top competition. His temperament is perfect for his skills. He never panics or looses his cool at any time. He is quiet and unassuming but he is much tougher mentally and physically than most people realize. Start trying to play rough with him and he will respond in kind.
I want to congratulate my buddy Joe Laney on his schools showing. At last count I believe they had about 22 trophies with ten people. I know the Honeycutt dojo had a good day also. One of their young female students dislocated her shoulder. It was her first but she was pretty brave about it. She stood there and let me put it back in place. I’m use to Jason crying and falling down on the floor when I put his shoulder back in. However, I usually keep my boxing gloves on when I do it, so I’m never quite sure which direction I’m pulling it. Fun…fun…
Don’t forget the ICA JAM at 12:00 noon, Saturday May 16th, at Joe Laney’s Steel Hand dojo. Lots of good stuff on the agenda. We will also point spar to keep in the swing of things. We have Butch Hill teaching knife offence and defense; James Ogle teaching grappling and submission; William Mason teaching technique selection for street fighting; Theresa Barnett teaching kumite and kata; and I will be teaching take downs and control from the stand up position. There will also be an abundance of qualified masters and sensei’s to assist and embellish. It is all for 25.00 if you are not a member. If you are, then your 25.00 has already bought you roughly $250.00 to $750.00 of what you would pay for comparable seminars elsewhere. And you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are donating every penny of it to the Harold Long Foundation to continue the legacy of Mr. Longs Memory. None of our instructors receive any thing other than the satisfaction of passing on what they know and helping the ICA do its work for the Harold Long Foundation. Our current project is to secure all of Mr. Longs Memorabilia in protective display boxes for protection from the elements and display. The cost of each box is 250.00. We need approximately fifteen to twenty. So far six have been purchased and donated. Those who donate a box will have their name, individual or dojo, placed on an engraved plate attached to the box. Those six to date are; two by the Honeycutt’s, and one each from the Red Dragons, the Long family, The Steel Hand Dojo and Cas Cox.
Also keep Tony Williams Lebanon games tournament June 6th, on your calendar.
There have been some changes in the Hall of Fame rules that will interest you. I believe the IIKA has already sent out some information on most of it but there is a bit more I’d like to throw in. I’ll get that out on sight the next article after Tony’s tournament. The good news for me is, I talked Wayne Wayland into running the HOF tournament this year. HE knows exactly what he is doing, where I was using the power of my splendid personality, which had me yelling at everyone and enjoying a nervous breakdown in the process. I’ll still be selecting and monitoring judges and help keeping the floors clear of spectators. So I’m not completely off the hook.
Lots of work putting together and beginning the student enrollment building process. For two years or more we have not cared if anyone new enrolled and sometimes hoped they wouldn’t. But nothing last forever except your training. To keep the bloodline pumping in our group, we need to find some more believers. If it takes going through a bunch of meatheads to do it so be it. We have an obligation passed on by the ones who taught us. That debt can only be repaid by giving back to others what we were given. I just hope I can financially afford to have a commercial dojo. I know all you hard working Isshin-ryu people know what I am only half joking about. I think I’ll ask one of my more religiously informed friends, if for all the good Isshin-ryu dojo operators, there is a special place in heaven where all Isshin-ryu dojo’s make money and no one quits. Sign me up…..Maybe in Hell we just continue to be treated like most the people who sign up have already treated us. Oh no…Lord give me another chance!!!!!!!!!!
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