PICK A YEAR - 1981

1981

I was practicing my art for about 6 years. Sometime during that time I likely reached my 1,000 days training.

I was teaching the youth program at the Scranton Boys Club, and holding an annual youth karate tournament.

I would have just been completing my Yang Tai Chi training after 2 years of instruction by Ernest Rothrock and only had decades of work ahead of me. I was working on the Northern Shaolin form ‘Dune de Kuen’ under Ernest’s instruction (I started studying forms with him to be able to judge kung fu fairly at the tournaments) and actually began preparing that form for competition the next year in a kung fu division.

I was regularly competing in tournaments in the Pennsylvania area to push myself as I no longer had an instructor training me. I’d have to compete against (in on special order) Gary and George Michak, Cindy Rothrock, the guys from Shorin No Tora, Bob Nenow, Tristan Sutrisno, and outsiders like John Chung and others on occasion. Too many to name each of them good.

I was visiting dojo in David Brojack’s Kempo Goju, one of Hidy Ochai’s students, Goshin Jutsu Kyu Juo, Carl Long’s Shorin Ryu and started training with a tournament friend and fellow competitor Tristan Sutrisno. There were many others too.

So in addition to work. I was training/teaching nights a week, on Saturdays I’d train in 2 or 3 schools over 8 hours, and then on Sunday I was lost because I had no where to train. BTW my wife was coaching swim teams and working 6 to 7 days a week, I had infinite free time in those days.

I had my Isshinryu, was trying to understand what that meant, and had the chance to learn, contest and stretch my abilities.

Boy was I just a beginner.