Judges @ MindSay 
supreme court
I won't say we did excellent at our first TKD tourny but we did really well for being one of the bigger Regional Tournies in our area!
Hell there were ppl all the way from FL that showed up outside of Omaha to the Tourny! It doesn't suprise any of us that we had ppl down from MN, ND, SD, IA or even up from MO, KS, and AK. But it did shock a lot of folks that we had folks from FL, CA, OR, GA, and a couple from CO! Why the FL one shocked us over the West coasters and the GA folks, is because the person was a lil 7 year old 1st Degree Black Belt! I even talked to his mom (sittin next to each other during the Adult and Tiny Tot's BB competitions before opening ceromonines!). This lil boy's mom flys him all over the states for TKD tournies! This weekend they were of course in NE, last weekend AJ (my assistant instructor) saw him in St. Paul, MN and the weekend before they were in NE again at a smaller state Trouny! Must be nice to be 7 years old and being flown all over creation by parents with money!:P I don't begrudge them doing that but I'll be dayumed I fly anywhere for a tourny unless my kids eventually make it to one of the big ones out in Las Vegas. Even the World Championship ones we won't ever fly too! That is only down in Little Rock!
Anyway, AJ is waiting on BB point standings to be released Monday morning to see if he made it to the World Champinship (Only those in Leadership Status can collect points and go on to World Championship or get any State Championship or REgional Champsionship). Mr. G (his first tourny also) placed in the BB also with forms and got a Victory Medal (basically 4th place -they only place 1-3) on his weapons.
The kids and I weren't up till after opening ceromonies. Which by the way was kick ass KEWL! Master K not only owns the Bellevue NE school (outside of Omaha) but owns 3 other schools in NE also, so they of course always host regionals and he went out of his way this year because they got some High Ranking Masters to help judge this year. A 1979 Triple Crown NE State Championship and World Champioinship Woman (can't remember her name) who is also on the ATA Board of Directors was there, along with the Current 7th to 9th degree Master who is currently the Triple Crown Holder for World Champioinships and one of the retired World Championship Head dudes that helped our Founding TKD Org and TKD Style Master Lee with some of the forms was there. They were all there to help judge! Not to mention a few other high ranking TKD folks who were helping to judge. Then for opening ceromonies after all the chitter that irritates ppl, they had a Korean group come in and did a whole Korean Dragon show with 4 dragons. It was AWESOME!
I managed to watch all of DeLaney's section and she did EXCELLENT for her first tourny! A Victory Medal (again 4th place) for forms and a 1st placing in Weapons out of 5 girls. She was the only ranking in her group. All the rest were higher ranking and a total of 8 girls ages 8-10. Sparring will come as we do more torunies. I didn't get to watch Coltin's because my section was called up and gettin started at the same time Coltin's was. So i relied on DeLaney to take pictures for me. Coltin also did EXCELLENT! He got a Victory Medal for 4th place in forms and got 3rd in Weapons out of 4 or 5 boys. There were three other boys the same ranking as he was and a total of 15 boys ages 8-10 that he had to compete against. Alas though Coltin wasn't able to spar. The ignorance of a Mamma and not knowing that lil boys had to have a cup. First who would have thought at that age group they require a cup. They have really nothing there:D So the judge (4th degree Dan) helped calm him down by letting him be the offical score keeper (usually reserved for BBs) and told him not to get mad at me cause us Mamma's don't always think of those things and just to have Daddy take him cup shopping before our next tourny!
There was about 10 of us women age grouped from 17-39 because there was only 3 girl for the 17-20 age group and the rest of us were the 30-39 age group. So instead of putting those 3 women off by themselves they just lumped them with us. Only two women did weapons (me and a higher ranking woman) and of course there was only 1 other woman at my rank and the rest of the women were either two ranks ahead of us or clear up to the rank below black belt. I did pretty good if I must say so! I got a Victory Medal (4th place) for forms, and the other Blue Belt Rank lady that didn't do weapons and the other Camo Rank (my rank) also got the Victory Medal, so in other words we tied for 4th place and since they only count 1-3 we didn't have to do what is called a Form off:P:D The other blue rank and I were the only ones that did Weapons. She got first and I got second. I didn't get to watch her form beause I was running over to Coltin's matt but EVERYONE said I got jipped out of 1st because I may have had my chucks do something funky twice, she dropper her weapon twice. The other Camo belt ranking goes to the same Academy as the Blue ranking women who took first and said she is either sleeping with the instructor or doing some massive kiss ass because they both started at teh same time and the Camo belt lady is right were she needs to be at and the other lady is two rankings higher then her now. Plus the 2nd Dan judge (Dan is the degree of black belt) is one of their Academies sister school instructors and Camo woman and the other ladies think that is why the lady who got first in weapons got it. I didn't see her weapons form and I dont' care. I placed!:D Again I did good in sparring didn't place but it was our first tourny and the judge even said once I get some things down I am going to be a force to be reckoned with because I don't just do kicks or just punches I do a lot of combos!
They were doing closing ceromonies by the time Coltin and I were done and getting changed and we were getting complements left and right on how well we all three did! The Triple Crown Lady went up to DeLaney and told her she was really impressed with her form and gave her a few tips to clean it up before testing and our in school tourny. Coltin's judge and the Men's Triple Crown Current Champion both told him he did great and the guy took Coltin up to another tourny matt and showed him what he could do to improve both his form and his weapons! I had the head guy that was retired and on board of directors show me a couple of arm and hand positions to help my sparring and complement all three of us and said that he is hoping to see us at some more tournies and asked why we weren't leadership yet. That he was watching all 3 of us all day long because he sat near us, and was really impressed with not only how well we did but how the kids and I were NOT shy and talked to EVERYONE and even helped out others in our postion of being first tourny. And he asked Coltin's judge if she would please find out why we weren't leadership. Coltin's judge is testing at World Championship with our insturctor for their 5th Dan BB and when I explained that I had leadership i just haven't taken it yet cause my kids didn't make it to open try outs and now have a invit try out after our in school tourny, the Host Master popped in and told Coltin's Judge (guess she is going to be at our tourny helping) to tell our instructor to get us in Leadership ASAP so we can start earing points!
Over all we did REALLY good, and I am proud of my kids. They went in to have fun and that is what they did! Sure they placed in weapons but that wasn't the goal. The goal was to get some experenice in and I delibreatly choose a BIG tourny to do it so they would get over the nervousness and here they both placed! We all are on a Marital Arts high today! It was late by the time we got out of Bellevue into Omaha and I decieded NOT to stop anywhere for food and we picked up Micky D's in IA before crossing BACK into NE on our way home, so we are going to the Olive Garden today for a celebration lunch!
I'll post pictures later (sorry none of me cause I was the only parent there to manage my two!) and wish us luck on preparing for our next rank testing this coming Saturday!
All of the articles in the magazine were discouraging in that each addressed an attempt to control Americans' religious beliefs. One article, however, was particularly difficult to set aside or dismiss as "existential what if," the one about Texas minister Rick Scarborough who wants to form powerful religious groups with enough clout override the concept of separation of church and state, enough clout to impeach judges and those in the House and Senate who violate his concept of religious freedom: "Believe as I do."
Sounds really far out, I thought, until I read that Tom Delay (a Bush favorite always in attendance until he broke one too many laws) is one of his principal supporters. Only the funeral of Pope John Paul II prevented Delay's personal appearance at one of his gatherings but "the bulk of his remarks (delivered via a videotape) poured gasoline on the fire." With two Supreme Court Justices about to retire, it is entirely possible that Bush will manage to get on the bench Justices who think like Scalia, Rehnquist, and Thomas, etc., and a majority of extreme right wing justices could and likely would decide that the Establishment Clause does not apply to the states. Ah, each state could decide what a church could do within its borders.
This is where Scarborough enters. The states could decide that daily prayers and bible study were to be a part of each school day, that in order to serve as a public official, one would have to take a religious oath, that the Sabbath was to be strictly enforced as a day of worship, that adultery and homosexuality were capital offenses, that posting on blogs that questioned the state government is a capital offense, etc. In other words, the states, even those with enlightened leadership, could be bullied by powerful manic religious groups like Scarboroughs, could become dangerous places for those of us who do not fit the molds designed by those who oversee the state's religious office.
Scarborough is dangerously demented and like many demented men, he is persistent. He reserves a special hell for gays, which is why I am writing this note here. Gays need to follow this man's movements. Yes, with the Bush faction behind him, Scarborough bears watching. Life in the U.S. is becoming more and more like a chess game - where we have to watch all avenues where we are open to attack and make smart tactical moves if we are to survive.
My friend, Kevin Bonner, before he died of AIDS in 1982, introduced me to many of his gay friends in Pensacola and Atlanda, and this is when I first recognized the clout this group possesses. My secondary purpose in writing this note, recognized only after I actually started writing it, is to enlist your support for Ron Paul, candidate for President. I just want to say there is only one candidate who in my opinion can be trusted to safeguard ALL Americans, forget making a choice based on what political party a candidate belongs to! "Bush Dogs" (Democrats whose votes consistently supported Bush) killed any loyalty owed to the Democrats and turned the Democratic Party's choices into a real crap shoot; and, we all the Republicans sold their souls in supporting Bush on every single issue that violated our Constitutional protections!
Our only protection is the Constitution and Bush and his Republican backers are dismantling it as expeditiously as is humanly possible. While I have been a Democrat all my life, after spending a hundred or so hours investigating who is behind this and that candidate for president, I am convinced that Ron Paul, technically a Republican but in reality a Libertarian, is the ONLY sane, wise choice for President. Obama was my default candidate until I learned that Brezinski (a dangerous globalist you should check out for yourselves) is running his campaign. I urge all of you, while you are checking out Scarborough and Brezinski on the web, to check out Ron Paul. You can feel confidence in his qualifications because both parties have ensured that he receive no media coverage. He is a threat to the Dark Forces - and this is not hyperbole - so they are both trying to pretend he does not exist. Downsizer Dispatch is a group that has enjoyed enormous success in monitoring Congress and Ron Paul is hands down their choice, the only choice for those who do not vote on reflex. This groups endorsement and support says it all. Join me at my blog, www://youshouldknow@blogstream.com, and leave me a note to say hi and give me your ideas of all this. Take care! Love, Tome
Well here are the pictures from our testing on Saturday. I have mentioned my cousin's boy Ryan who is also in the same Taekowndo Academy (now a black belt) and his Uncle and Aunt and all of his 4 cousins are in the same Academy. My cousin Joe and his wife sat out this testing because they are preparing for their Black Belt (you have to skip a testing cycle to get your black belt) but their two older girls and their boy tested this past Saturday only in the afternoon compared to our morning testing time.
Joe my cousin is interested in maybe becoming an instructor also so he helped judge all day. And now the start of the pictures:D
1. Mr. Johnson and Coltin demenstrating weapons.
2. Mr. Johnson and DeLaney demenstrating weapons
3. Mr. Johnson and myself demenstrating weapons.
4. Myself and the kids walking back from form testing. (I still look chubby and sexy to you all but I have actually dropped a size and have toned up:D I am slowly going from chubby and sexy back to just thick and sexy!:D)
5. The Judge Table with two kids in front of them. From Left to Right for the Judges: My Cousin Joe, Mr. Johnson (owner and head instructor of our Academy) and Mr. Jones (Instructor Trainee)
6. Joe belting Coltin and as you see the lil blonde hair peaking out from behind the pole: Mr. Johnson belting DeLaney
7. Our Yellow Belt Achievement Picture. None of us really looked good for that one!
8. A Family Affair! My Cousin Joe, myself and the kids. Can't tell Joe and I are releated can ya!:D Both dark haired, similar facial features, and the same chubby build!:D
For years, communities all around the world have relentlessly focused to resolve the issue of violence against women. Now, women are physically attacking and assaulting their partners.
Some people believe that research into the abuse of male partners by women is in its infancy, and that too many groups of men’s organizations are very hesitant to accept or speak out publicly about the long hidden abuse of males by their female spouses, or partners . . . Others who are aware of the increasing violence against men all around the globe cannot help wondering, are advocates seeking justification for female violence? (Very few advocates and feminist-inclined-experts have grudgingly admitted that abusive women exist.)
Have battered men become society’s invisible victims? Is this reversed abuse? Is society in denial? Do the people in our communities feel uncomfortable or are they embarrassed to admit that females may be as guilty as males of domestic violence? Could the reason for the increase of male victims that goes unnoticed be due to our communities and media having become accustomed to giving men the right to violence, while portraying females as enduring victims, peaceful and passive?
Needless to say, the continued attention given to battered females is absolutely necessary. However, why is so little attention given to men in domestic violence relationships? Why have 40 percent of abused men chosen to remain the invisible victims of domestic violence? (Wendy McElroy, www.ifeminists.com - "Perhaps the law will swing toward justice and equal treatment of battered men . . .)
Once upon a time, a segment on Maury Povich showed a wife who’d thrown a coffee table at her husband. At the time, the police suggested he go outside while they walked to his wife. Hence, the police did not arrest her, not only because she’s female, but because she alleged that he hit her first. The police officers believed her. After the police left, she got three guys to beat him up, in retaliation for his reporting her to the police.
A far more dangerous situation occurred when a female shot her husband. In this case the court system indicted her for attempted murder. During the trial, it was discovered that she was abusive from the beginning of their relationship. And although she pushed and hit him constantly, he stayed in the unhealthy relationship. If there’s violence in the home, it's because she initiated it, and the abused mate refused to strike back. Her abusive behavior escalated, but he never thought that she would shoot him.
The same behavior patterns and justifications battering males have used for decades to justify abuse against their partner, are now being echoed by some females when they say: "He just pushes my buttons. He aggravates me."
It’s been noted that abusive females behave violently because they feel anger and hatred toward their mate. And the same as abused females, the abused males are in denial about the abuse, tolerating the ill-treatment by passively claiming that, "She is loving when she wants to be. When she is on Prozac (or some other type of medication) she is not stressed out, mad or tense." Males may also profess that, "I love her. I believe in my marriage vows. I want to work it out and be a family." He will not leave the violent partner. Some abused (women) men are willing to take the chance because she does not always hate him, and there are times she really loves him. (
http://www.angelfire.com/in3/shatteredmen/)
One of the differences is that when a male victim calls 911 to report that his wife beat him, he is given, not only minimal sympathy, but also the least possible support from the police, lawyers, prosecutors, judges and the media because most people do not take physically abused males seriously. Instead, they heckle the battered men when they confide in accepting and tolerating his wife’s abuse. (There are still jokes about abused men. There is a common stereotype image in our culture of the markedly masculine man who can take care of himself under any circumstances, which makes speaking out and getting the help needed even more difficult or emasculating. (http://www.eposib.com)
If poor, minority men are violated, their only option is to seek treatment at a public hospital where doctors must report suspected domestic violence to the police. However, because of the lack of support they receive from the police and the Courts of Law, legal action against the abusive female is rarely taken. The problem of violence against men is dispassionately and purposefully swept under the rug. Our communities, Courts of Law and police departments need to come to terms with the reality of battered men and take a serious look at females' potential to be dangerous.
In years past it was common for females to turn their anger on themselves, and males to turn their anger on others. Now the tables are turning and the females are turning their anger against their male mates. Yet society seldom discusses the issue of violent females, because people really want to believe that all women are gentle and law-and-order conscious to be qualified as abusive, despite the scientific surveys that have statistically shown that females assault their partners as often as males assault their partners. Furthermore, females are not only capable of violence, but are as actively and physically aggressive as men are. (There are approximately 250,000 battered men in this country, and this is interpreted by society and the media as if abusive females are driven to violence by men and by bad lifestyle choices, whereas men are simply naturally violent.)
There is a lack of equality in the justice system. Female abusers serve half the prison time a man does for the same crime, assuming she serves time in jail at all. And if men flee from the abusive relationship with their child, he’s charged with kidnaping. There are no safe havens for men who run away from abuse with their children, because the playing field is stacked against males. The justice system really needs to change the practices and customs of the courts, keep their minds and doors open to equal legal treatment of battered men. In other words, this whole phenomenon must be re-evaluated top to bottom.
During the last decade, legislation has called home violence the Violence Against Women Act. Unless we realize that home violence is not a gender issue, violence and resentments among the sexes will only intensify. Tragically, some men have delayed getting help and they have not survived. ( http://www.bmw99.ru)
Men are also Human. No one should live life in fear of another person, for any reason. Domestic violence is a two-way street; both genders are equally responsible for domestic violence, and this poor behavior should never be tolerated whichever way it goes. But if men are soon to become the next government-protected group of victims, then victim-ology as a growth industry for lawyers, social workers, experts and bureaucrats will flourish. Will battered men become the next oppressed group?
FURTHER REFERENCES
Violence Against Women Act Ignores Epidemic of Violent Women (Trudy W. Schuett, Publisher, Desert Light Journal/Men’s News Daily
"By ignoring the male victim, the Violence Against Women Act does a gross disservice to men. VAWA also violates one of our most cherished constitutional protections - equal treatment under the law. Has VAWA guided society right back into the Victorian era?" (Mother Jones -
www.motherjones.com)
". . . in no way denying the problem of battered women or trying to downplay their grief. Violence in a relationship is reprehensible." (The Men’s Rights Agency = www.ecn.net.au)
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