The Chronicles of Lil' Tiger ~ Part 1

[Gorilla]

No and No. We live more north

We do have a very very close friend whose DD is on the Oregon 95 ODP squad, but DK was a 94 player. She has not played this year after getting a knee injury in our state cup's semi-finals game... The TKD is actually helping her get stronger and rehab her knee (her words not mine). Her goal when she was 10 was to be a college level soccer player.... funny thing is, now that she is older and an upcoming sophomore is HS, her intrests lay more in Politics then sports ??? Don't know where that passion came from, but she is addicted to politics now more then sports and dreams of an Ivy league school have replaced her dreams of North Carolina and soccer... Weird how kids dreams change. But then again, I support her in whatever she does, it is Her life and dreams Not mine! (course it took me years to learn this :lol


As far as youth soccer in the Northwest I am still very much into them as much as I can be. I am the Sole Moderator on the most popular Youth Soccer Forum in the Nation! Besides a bunch of silly posts for all us CP's, I also put together an occassional newsletter on our site. Here is a link to our lastest "Pulse issue".

http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/forum/index.php/topic,15429.0.html

As you can tell by the avatar, it is I.... Course my handle is "dragon" there

My Daughter is also a 94 they Played The Washington ODP squad in January in Arizona....I was never in the Soccer Crazy Parent Category...I tried to stay away from that...those parents take crazy to a new level...

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

Too true. We have our own section called "Crazy parents" :lol:

What club does your DD play for?

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

The Chronicles of Lil' Tiger ~ Part 5 ~ The bloody lip, the Bully, and Master Po's timeless lesson!


Well I did not plan to write a 'chronicle' today at all, but I feel as a parent I learned a valuable lesson at the hands of my little one that I wanted to share.

Our day started out with me sleeping in very very late. 830am to be exact, which for me is like hibernating all day :lol: I had actually went to bed quite early for a Friday evening, but the 6 'tic tac's' that I had drank early last evening (a shot of mandarin vodka and 8oz of red bull) had put me in the mood to go night night.


Waking when I did it wasn't suprising Lil' Tiger woke seconds after I did. She wanted to know where we were going today... Mrs FFF was still in la-la land after staying up til 330am playing full tilt poker, and big sis and baby sis were still under the spell of the sand man as well.... So, Lil' Tiger and I grabbed a quick bite to eat, got cleaned up, and headed out for our "weekend wagon ride". Of course this consists of me pulling her in her big red wagon while she chills out and sips chilled apple juice... I don't mind it at all though, as this is my form of excerise that I get nowadays. My 6 pack has turned into a one pack over the last 45 years, and I am always looking at ways to excercise and spend time with my family at the same time

After a one hour walk to the local Best Buy, we returned home with nothing to show for it except for a sweaty old man pulling a wagon :lol:

The whole family was up by then and demanded I make them pancakes before we headed out for the day.

After the whole family jumped in the FFF-mobile, we gave in and took DK over to her 'boyfriends' house to eat lunch with his parents after she bugged about it all week. Needing to burn a few hours I decided to take Lil' Tiger to one of her favorite play-places. In our local town there is a park where there are giant sprinklers that shoot into the air and dozens of kids and teenagers run around to get soaked and cool off from the hot July sun.... I had brought LT's wagon with us for ease of transport and after debarking the vehicle I proceeded to take Lil' Tiger over to the shade of a tree while Mrs FFF got the baby ready.

Being the ignorant old man that I can be sometimes I pulled the wagon over a curb a little too fast and Not knowing LT was on her tummy I proceeded to help her bite a chunk off her tounge when the big wagon bumped over the curb. Crying for only a second, she was not pleased to see the blood colored liquid drooling out of her mouth as she kept spitting it into the grass.
Feeling terrible of course I promised to buy her something when we got over to the 'water park'. Of course the hot dog (or the ketchup on it) had a little too much zing and her eyes widened and filled with tears and the pain in her mouth shot up anew! Gosh darn it, she just wasn't having any luck today.


Well a good hour later Lil' Tiger was having a blast as she ran around in the sprinklers soaking wet with several new made friends... (for her, meeting a kid her own age and making eye contact with them makes them her 'friend' :lol
Just when I thought her day was turning into a day of unbridled joy and happiness, a kid at least a head taller then her and 20lbs heavier ran through a blast of water and slammed dead into her, slamming her on her bottom!! I felt my own tale bone cry out as she hit the pavement. She jumped right up and looked at the kid square in the face with her 'serious' look.... for a second I thought she was gonna deck him! Then the kid screamed at her; "get out of my way"!!!! She came over to me as I dried her off with a towl and asked if she was ok. In my anger at the rude little kid and the heat of the moment seeing my Lil' Tiger get slammed to the ground I said to her; "you should of 'hi-yah'ed' him". (that is what we call kicking or punching)........
She looked at me with serious look for a 3 year old and said;
"teacher said we not hi-yah other kids"
Her answer caught me a little off guard, and still in my 'stuborn parent anger' I added;
"well don't play with that kid anymore, he's mean"!
She pushed away the towel I had been drying her off with and said without a second thought;
"but he's my friend"....

.....Well I be darned.....

Here I was judging my own little daughter thinking she would react the same way I might of reacted when I was younger.
I made my way over to the grass area and sat with my wife and watched Lil' Tiger continue to frollick in the water sprinklers... and yes, even with the 'lil' bully'.... A Master Po lesson sprung from the 70's to ring fresh in my mind:


grasshopper: Master, why do we give the beggar rice and water when he betrayed the temple?

Master: How so grasshopper?

grasshopper: He was a former student here in the temple and ran away to teach forbidden secrets to any he could for money and personal gain! Now that he has run out of money he comes to us to beg for food after betraying us!

Master: So should we judge him for that?

grasshopper: Yes master.

Master: When that man leaves the temple will the Sun turn off its light on him and leave him in the dark? Will the sky open up its clouds and pour rain upon him to make him wet? Will the earth crack apart to devour him?

grasshopper: No master.

Master: Well if the sun, sky, and earth will not judge him... who am I to do so?


Alas, another foolish lesson taught to me by my 3 year old and the ghost of a 70s TV master. I will not judge her again

Until next time..............................

 

[ATC]

....A Master Po lesson sprung from the 70's to ring fresh in my mind:


grasshopper: Master, why do we give the beggar rice and water when he betrayed the temple?

Master: How so grasshopper?

grasshopper: He was a former student here in the temple and ran away to teach forbidden secrets to any he could for money and personal gain! Now that he has run out of money he comes to us to beg for food after betraying us!

Master: So should we judge him for that?

grasshopper: Yes master.

Master: When that man leaves the temple will the Sun turn off its light on him and leave him in the dark? Will the sky open up its clouds and pour rain upon him to make him wet? Will the earth crack apart to devour him?

grasshopper: No master.

Master: Well if the sun, sky, and earth will not judge him... who am I to do so?


Alas, another foolish lesson taught to me by my 3 year old and the ghost of a 70s TV master. I will not judge her again

Until next time..............................

Wow!!! You must of watched those Kung Fu episodes quite a few times. I remember them, but could not quote to much from them. Snatch the pebble from my hand is about it. I do remember that episode you quoted though.

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

LOL

Don't give me that much credit. It is only a quote "as far as I remember it", I am pretty sure it is off by quite a bit... But, the main point I do remember

and as far as Master Po, I give him all the credit for anything I remember; but in this case I actually believe it was the "head master" that made those comments.... Trouble is, I also have a hard time remembering his name, so I just give Po the credit

 

[Gorilla]

Too true. We have our own section called "Crazy parents" :lol:

What club does your DD play for?

In California....Camarillo Eagles...Las Vegas Heat and Las Vegas Empire

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

Don't think she ever played against any of those teams... The Teams at regionals the years she attended were usually the So-Cal Blues from So-Cal, and Mustang from Nor-Cal.
The Vegas teams I think were called the Nuesport Tabagators., There was another club recently but don't remember their names.

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

The Chronicles of Lil' Tiger ~ Part 6 ~ The UPS man; "Lil' Tiger's" new Santa, Dad is a Nunchuck Master, and The road to the "Barney Belt"!!!




Well only a week or so has passed since I wrote a "chronicle" and did not plan on writing another one for a week or so...But... Since today is my 'Friday' (off the next four days), and also since I have chugged down four "Tic Tac's" already, I felt the need to spill my guts and let eveyone in on the secrets and mysterys that have happened during the last week here at the Shaolin Temple (aka the Shaolin Shack we call our home)

Last weekend the Omniponent entity Fing Fang Foom (aka dad) was feeling pretty good and started thinking about how DK got sooo good at soccer. Was it because at 7 yrs old she was coached by a Rec-Coach twice a week (a volunteer dad)? NO, it was because FFF took intrest and decided to practice her skills with her on the other 5 days a week for at least an hour a day.....hence, I decided last week to get more involved with Lil' Tiger's progression towards MA's dominence :lol:

Whipped out the ol' Discover card and went on-line to order her some "MA's stuff" to help her reach 'her goals' (or her CP's goals) of her becoming the next Bruce Lee (or Tong Po in her case) ... A mere 72 hours later all the way from the 'least coast' to the 'best coast' (east coast to west coast), the UPS man arrived. No matter what we said to convince her otherwise, Lil' Tiger is now for certain that the UPS man is her "summer time Santa Clause" :lol:

In the giant box arrived her items:
*a little dragon punching stand up punching bag
*two 'punchy practice thingys' attached to sticks
*and two "proforce breaking boards" (one blue and one black).
*and of course a couple of pair of speed chucks for ol' dad

To side track awhile from Lil' Tiger, I must say that my nunchuck skilz from my youth have not left me. I went to YouTube to look up 'free style' nunchucks and after reviewing almost 100 videos, I still could not find anyone as skilled as I am with the nunchucks!!! :lol:
Now where did I get these skilz you ask? Well..... I don't know.... A mixture of re-reading each "Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu" comic a dozen times each as a child, or maybe I am the reincarnation of some nunchuck master from ions gone by.... we shall never know? Let's just say FFF is a 'Badarse' as a nunchuck master..... (of course this could be the "tic tacs" talking... we shall never know)

Lil' Tiger enjoyed her early x-mas presents very much and I didn't regret for a moment the cost of all her 'MA's toys'.... Of course eating ramen the next month may piss off my wife :lol:

As far as Lil' Tiger's classes are going... they are going great!!! She is having a blast still, and seems to be more attenative and more focused with each class. She has now earned a "Green tape" and is one away from her next "Cherry tape" (as she calls it) so she can test for her "Barney belt". Her name for the white belt with the purple stipe. She is very excited with each class and more then loving the instuctor, the class, or what she is learning... she loves the friends she is making the most.

It is very cool and sweet that she loves making new friends, but of course as a "CP" my goal is too make her 'the best of the best'....SOOOO some of my training has included:

Walking on toliet paper! (rice paper is too expensive)

Running around the back yard with a pork chop tied to her backside while the dog chases her! (of course our dog is 17 yrs old and not much of a runner)

To create her "Iron fist" technique I have started her on punching mounds full of air. (I figured the water and sand could wait until she if four).

Kumite practice twice daily (our.....errrr...my...goal is to prove Tez wrong).

And last but not least, we had our first "under ground full contact battle" the other day. We both drapped our hands in cloth, and dipped them in resin! I then suggested dipping them in glass before our battle, but mom made us stick to dipping them in M~n~M's.... Not quite as deadly, but still effective when you think of the green, orange, and blue stains on your face as blood! :lol:....


In all seriousness, LT is still havin' a lot of fun doing TKD, and we are also having fun watching her! In my mind that is All that matters!


Until next time.......................

 

[Gorilla]

I really enjoy the Lil Tiger posts...It gives me a look at what could have been for me...I did not get involved in my son's Martial Arts during that 4-7 year old period... I was a skeptic and very cynical about youth MA training until I really paid attention to what he was doing and found out that he had become quite good. I am glad to see that you are taking an active role early.

I love your posts!!!! Keep them coming!!!!

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

Very glad you enjoy them, I love to Blah blah blah about stuff fo sho!

Several other people have PM'd me saying they like it too, but are a little 'concerned' over my "training methods" ??

Remember folks, most of what I write (specially bout training) is just my twisted since of humor......

FFF would never "ReallY" tie a pork chop to LT's butt...........

....uh least I hope I didn't..........

"Honey, have you seen those pork chops?? (or my bottle for that matter):burp: :lol:

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

The Chronicles of Lil' Tiger ~ Part 7 ~ The Waste of money, the sticker collection, and Dwelling on the Past!

Well, another week has gone by in the life and times of Lil' Tiger. In the last week we have had our share of up's and down's. On Sunday we went to "lakefair", which is an annual event in Washington's capitol city to celebrate...? It has rides, and tons of hippy vendors selling all sorts of 'brick-a-brack', and concerts. We went in the late evening to avoid the heat of the day. We stopped and listened to a "death metal" band that all of a sudden at 9:30pm started playing Niel Diamond music!!! Now don't get me wrong, I love a good Neil Diamond diddy, but it did catch me by suprise to hear them belting out; "...pack up the babies and grab the old ladies...", .......... Brother Love's show never had such heavy guitar riffs :lol: :lol:

Lil' Tiger in the meantime had a blast riding on the carnival rides that she was big enuff to ride on. The small roller coaster was in the form of a little tiger, which she absolutley loved and is still talking about... her fav though was a giant blow up slide... her fear of heights is non-existant as she time after time climbed the 55ft stair case and jumped down the slide... (I would post pix of her, but my account says; 'not allowed to put attachments'). We all enjoyed the fire works at the end of lake fair and that was the start of our week!

During the beginning of the week I tried to get her to play with her MA's stuff I had bought her last week.... But, she did not have the intrest in the things as she does in her TKD class... Oh well, Another 200 bucks down the drain

On the bright side, her TKD class on Tuesday was exceptional! She behaved very well and was the first (and only) kid to recieve a "sticker". In her class they are not always giving out pieces of tape every class (if they did she would be a black belt at 4 :lol.... instead, they give out little "you did a good job stickers". As far as LT is concerned, she likes to show her mommy her sticker she earned and then stick them on the inside of her big red wagon (her sticker wall of fame). :lol: She now has about 9 stickers to brighten the insides of her rollin' four wheel dad pulled caddillac

FFF was very proud of her on Tuesday and expected more good things of her today. Well, she did get another sticker, but she was not focused as she was on Tuesday. One of the new little kids is very very 'out there'. No matter what; he is sticking out his tounge, making weird mongoose sounding noises, or picking his nose during class. This of course is very distracting to the instructor, and most of the kids ignore him..... except for Lil' Tiger; whom of course finds the 'mongoose noises' very facinating indeed :lol: She still got her sticker today, but I was very upset that every single time she starts to become the "prodidgy" I know she will become; Some little booger picker comes along and sweeps her off her feet! :lfao:

I think upon the past today (the past of two days ago) and yearn for the well behaved, well-listening Lil' Tiger that I know and love...but alas, it is not to be. The one thing I would change about her class stucture is to have the new kids in a class of their own...then every 3 months, seperate those kids from the "newer" kids coming in. Golly that would be swell.

After her Mexican donut I drove her home. (after buying an 18 pack of course), and a song drifted into my head:

Based on the song "Jessie Paint your Pictures"; By: Jeffery Caddison​

from a do - jang in Oly,
Lil' Tiger did come out;
To show her pappy she could learn,
and what she's all about​

She said; "lately I've been thinking, bout wearin' a black belt".
Please let me go, to Tae Kwon Do;
You, and Mom, and Me.​

Get my gear together,
jump in the Rover and drive real fast!;
and I listened to her promise;
"I swear to God my attention is gonna last......".​

Oh Lil' Tiger paint your picture,
about how its gonna be.
By now I should of known better,
TKD lessons are never free....
Tell me all about your dobak with the black belt
hanging to your knees..
Lil' Tiger, you could always sell any dream to me....
Lil' Tiger, you could always sell any
dream to me......​

Well, after thinking of this little song from the Chi of Lil' Tiger, I decided Not to dwell upon the past! And; As always, A master Po lesson came to mind:​

Boy: Is it good to seek the past, Master Po? Does it not rob the present?
Po: If a man dwells on the past, then he robs the present. But, if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future. The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past.​

So with those words of wisdom, I leave you until next time.....​

Fight with Heart & Fire always!​

FFF ​

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

The Chronicles of Lil' Tiger ~ Part 8 ~ Dragon Kid the "natural leader", Tear's in Lil' Tiger's eyes and the McDojo Song!


Well it is very strange (you may say) that FFF is writing another Chronicle only 2 days after posting one... well, todays events are sitting heavy on my soul, and plus I am 2 tic-tacs and 4 coors light into the night, so Speak I must

Well Friday went well, with Lil' Tiger off but big sister Dragon Kid attending the adult lessons. Around 25 people attend the adult sessions, including many that are very mature adults and 2nd Dan black belts. There is also a few beginners with white belts (about 5 including DK). The grand master teaches the adult class for the most part and my older DD loves it. The Grand master about in the middle of the class asked for 3 people to demonstrate a "poomse" (sp) and of course asked the more advanced belts to be center stage. To my suprise the only person he asked to demonstrate below a Green belt was DK! She did wonderful and kept up with all the senior belts with great intensity. Later in the class he asked for all the "senior white belts" that would be testing soon to practice a more advanced poomse and wanted the senior belts to "Teach them it" in about a 5-10min period. A black belt (one of the instructors) a red belt, and another advanced belt all grabbed the young white belts. (the youngest being 16). One of the white belts did not have an instructor, and he looked at all the black belts that were still on the sidelines but turned to DK to teach the last one! WOW, what was he doing??

He explained that "leader ship" comes in many shapes and sizes and belt colors, and wanted to show what each "leader" selected could teach in the 10 min period. DK had a young lady that has been in the DoJang about 4 weeks. Given her 10 short mins of teaching I thought she did a good job... ( I was watching her, but not really watching the other "teachers"). After the time was up, he had each of the young white belts demonstrate what they had just learned based up what they were just taught. At the end, around 18 of the students on the sideline voted on the winner.... Dragon Kid's Student had learned the best!!
DK, was very happy as the Grand master pointed out that: leadership comes from 'any color' and is hidden within the student and not the belt! Of course I was proud of DK as well! .........

....... But, I get away from the main part of my yarn.....


Today was a "fun fair" put on by an athletic club (expensive one) one the other side of town. They had little flyers at the DoJang that Lil' Tiger had picked up and she had been excited about it all week. So today, even though we had a 3v3 soccer tournament to take DK to; I made sure to make a break for the fun fair for LT after DK's first game...

We get there at 10 am just when it is starting. They have a petting zoo, 3 giant inflatable rides for the little ones, free italian ice, and a TKD demonstration by LT's Dojang... and lots of other stuff (face painting, balloons, etc). Lil' Tiger was very very very excited to be there, and she had talked about it All week! She saw her 'friends' from her Dojang and her instructor and wanted to say 'hi' before she started jumping from ride to ride. As always, she played the 'shy girl' when she saw her friends, but did give-in to a high five or two

Afterwards she went on ride after ride and finally allowed me to take her over to the petting zoo. She petted baby goats and giants rabbits (hares), and almost got her finger bit off by a silly looking 'fluffy necked' chicken. Having done all that I told her she could go on a ride again before we left (around 11:20) but she spied her instructor teaching/demonstrating TKD to a little kid and his dad (these were people that are not in TKD, but of course they are always looking for new customers...which is understandable). Lil' Tiger saw all the minor things her instructor was trying to teach the little boy and turned to me and said;
"I know how to do that. I want to do it"!
As an adult I understood that the Dojang demo team was there trying to drum up new customers, but a 3 year old does not have that understanding and wanted to prove she could already do what the instructor was asking the possible new students to do. Well after watching for about 8 mins it would of been her turn to go in front of her instructor, but a 'new kid' that wasn't signed up yet got to him first and her instructor started to 'teach' him.... She stood right next to him (the instructor), but he was focused on the 'new kid' and didn't pay her a moments time... I saw that another instuctor from another Dojang (all apart of the same owner) was free so I took her over there... She went through the motions of kick, kick, punch, punch, but I could tell she was upset at not getting to be with "her" teacher.

I asked her if she wanted some free "italian ice" and she thought about it and then said;
"I want to go home".
She didn't say it outright, but I could tell her instructors perceived 'snubb' was bothering her...
I took her to the car and we left back for her big sis' soccer tournament.

Lil' Tiger was very quiet and withdrawn on the 20 min ride back to the soccer field...even putting in a DVD of her favorite 'care bear movie' did not seem to cheer her up... I asked her; "Is anything wrong sweety"?... To which she replied; "Teacher didn't want to talk to me".....(tears were visible in her eyes)....... This whole thing of course made me mad, because as any normal parent; Anything that upsets your "baby" upsets you even more!!!

I started thinking of my DD's Dojang and wondered if they indeed Were a McDojo?...............

On the ride back this song popped into my head:

"MCDOJO"!...Based on the Song "PIANO MAN" by ~ Billy Joel!


It was 10 o'clock on a Saturday, me and LT headed for the fair,
There were many kids who had showed up before;
But Lil' Tiger was happy without any care...

Her instuctor said; "LT, can you show me kicking stance"? He waited to see what she did...
She did it real quick then ran off in a flick, And on the big red slide she did slid...

Oh, la la la, de de la, la la la la, la la....

Oh write up that contract your a McDojo,
Write up the papers tonight;
We are all in the mood to earn a quick black belt,
and youv'e got us feeling we might.....

Now the pets in the cage, they were all there,
and to get in to see them was free;
The kids were quick with a pet, and all the animals I bet;
Did not mind that they weren't charging a fee...
LT said; "I believe that this chicken is biting me", and the smile ran away from her face,
She headed for the line, where the "moon bouncers" kept time, and she said;
"There's no place that I'd rather be"...
Oh, la la la, de de da, La la, de de da da da

Now her instuctor is a super nice college student,
who still hasn't had time for a wife...
And he was talkin' to "noobs" as his words went up like vapor,
trying find a parent that would put 'pen to the paper'...
And the others were practicing their poomse,
as the passerbys slowly watch on;
They were talking to him, like they would show up at the gym;
but we all know 'hot air' is not worth a dime.

The fair had a good crowd for a Saturday,
when the weather was so really nice outside;
But we know I wasn't there for all the free shaved ice,
But instead just to watch LT's feelings.
I took her back to the car,
And I drove away far;
and said, girl; "What were we doing here"?

Oh, la la la, de de da, La la, de de da... da da

Oh write up that contract your a McDojo,
Write up the papers tonight;
We are all in the mood to earn a quick black belt,
and youv'e got us feeling we might.....



Sorry about the subliminal "rant", but I couldn't help myself...
See ya on FullTilt my friends...

Heart & Fire always!!!!

 

[Gorilla]

I really enjoy these posts!

Don't worry about whether your school is a McDojo(just be careful about how much they want to charge you).

This part of your TKD journey is one of the best parts. Just make sure that she is having fun...

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

I truely don't believe they are a Mcdojo...just parts of them. But the more I read and explore about other Dojangs, I think the majority of them (not all of them) have a small touch of Mcdojo in them. Thats how they survive and make money

Glad you like the posts, I enjoy doing them

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

The Chonicles of Lil' Tiger ~ INTERLUDE I ~ Dragon Kid Shines, The Puka Shells and TKD fashion, and what the H#!! is a "Kookywon"?

OMG!!! Arggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!! I just typed this whole freakin' thing and had to hit back space and the whole thing disappeared...Darn I hate when that happens... Oh well, let's see if I can remember what the heck I wrote :lol:

....let's try this one more time.....

Well its Saturday again, and you all know what that means right? It means ol' FFF is gettin' ready to fire up the BBQ, tossin' back a couple ( or is that a dozen LOL ) of his favorite frosty cold cans of 'blue mountain' goodness, and of course I am here, laying down some blah blah blah to thrill, chill, or simpley bore to death my fellow posters :lol:

Well all week long I worried about what to write for this week's chronicles. Lil' Tiger has did fine in her class' but nothing out of the ordinary stood out. There was no 'feel good' stickers given out this week, nor were there any little pieces of colored tape. Her mexican donuts were fresh and ready after every class so I wondered what to write about... well, after endless restless nights of tossing and turning and waking up with cold sweats, and having masive gastrointestinal issues my worrying finally ended.... Heck, I would just do an interlude and write about DK this week!

This week was Dragon Kid's big week! At the end of the week (today) she would be testing for her first belt promotion (yellow of course)! I had no doubt in my mind that she would totally kick A$$ on the test, but as any typical teenager she had a wee bit of self doubt and nervousness The whole past week leading up to today she has did great. She stands out in class among all the other adult white belts for her leadership abilities and quick learning habits. Her confindence was at an all time high after her 5 classes this week ... that is until last night. Last night at the adult class she attends she found out she wouldn't be breaking the small thin board she thought she was gonna break (the 1/4 inch one), but instead she would have to break the 3/4 inch version. This made her a little nervous but I told not to sweat it... "its just wood" I said :lol:

Well the big morning finally arrived today! DK got up bright and early and after jumping in the shower and devouring a couple of dad's world famous flap-jacks, the whole family jumped in the car and headed to the Dojang. While we were on the way I noticed she had put on some kind of white puka shell necklace, I mentioned to her; "you might want to take that off during your testing, it might bother you". She replied; "it will be fine, it won't bother me".... So I left it at that. The funny thing is, once we were at the Dojang and her and the 5 other adult white belts (ranging from 25 to 55 yrs old) were warming up with her; a couple of the old guys mentioned the Puka shells to her. One said; "wow, that necklace looks nice on you". and the other followed with; "yeah, it really compliments your skin and uniform"!
WOW, Really? LOL
I guess the white puka's did stand out on her naturally tanned polynesin skin and of course looking like a younger Jessica Alba never hurts when it comes to getting compliments from Old Farts! (dirty old men) :lol: :lol:

Well before you knew it, it was time to test! DK did awesome an she went through the various forms (don't know all the names) and her Poomse. She didn't seem one bit nervous as the Grand Master (a 9th degree Dan) and the two other graders, (both 5th degree Dans) judged the students. Then came the board breaking time! The female 5th dan was her holder. I watched as time slipped into slow motion and I saw Dragon Kid's hammer fist streak towards the waiting defensless wooden board... Her "I Yah" was so instense that dogs howled for miles around and the Glass rattled in the Dojang. (Paul Mitchell's demo team would of been proud)... Her fist hit the board with such force that not only did it break in half, but it Exploded into 100 perfectly formed #2 pencils!!!!!!!!
(ok, I exaggerate a little LOL) :lol:

Needless to say, she did a great job and did break the board like it wasn't even there

Well it was finally over and she could afford a grin now as she hopped in the car with the family. As we left the higher belts were arriving for their testing. Now we only have to wait a couple days to find out if she passed or not... I am sure she did fine, and either way; it was a good and fun experience for her and for Lil' Tiger who seems to enjoy watching her older sis.


Last but not least with all the talk on the forum this week about ATA and other stuff I was concerned a little and wondered what the heck orginization that our Dojang belonged to, and who (if anybody) sanctioned the BB's there. Well with a little private message back and forth help from the G-man I knew what questions to ask; So, the other day I asked one of the senior instructors what orginization the Dojang belonged to and they said it was the WTF and USAT... whew, that was one releif. Then I asked it their BB's were sanctioned or not. He said they were; and it was by the "kookywon".... (of course my spelling sucks LOL). So they Are a Kukkiwon sanctioned BB place.... double whew, I feel much better now

Well, you know what time it is?? (no its not Adventure Time for all you Finn & Jake fans), its "BBQ Time"!

Hope you all sit back and relaxed with your favorite brew as you read another edition of FFF's blah blah blah.... Until next time rather you are testing for a Yellow Belt, a Black Belt, or just on your way to get a "mexican donut", make sure you do it with Heart & Fire

 

[ATC]

A few on here are Kukkiwon affiliated as well as with USAT as well. WTF is trying to be more than it is suppose to be, as it only should be the governing body to sanction the tournament rules and regulations of the sport. But now they want to certify belts as well.

But welcome to the club. Just don't read all the USAT, WTF, Kukkiwon threads on this site.

 

[Gorilla]

A few on here are Kukkiwon affiliated as well as with USAT as well. WTF is trying to be more than it is suppose to be, as it only should be the governing body to sanction the tournament rules and regulations of the sport. But now they want to certify belts as well.

But welcome to the club. Just don't read all the USAT, WTF, Kukkiwon threads on this site.

Yeah you have a few years before you have to worry about that stuff...FFF another great post

 

[Athelus]

Love reading these so far, keep up the good work

 

[Gorilla]

Love reading these so far, keep up the good work

I love the Scots....What a great people...Can't understand a word they say(Ok A little hyperbole, but I really have to listen though) welcome to the board...

Some day I will get to Scotland....It is on my Bucket List

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

Thanks All

Very cool that one of my homies from Scotland is reading

Gonna have ta take me kilt out the closet and dust it off now before my next post