W.Cornell's Blog

Rhode Island Adventure

2009-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Mr. Nicklaus said something in a karate class that's stuck with me.

"A definition of Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results"

Man, easy to understand...but hard to apply sometimes.

For whatever reason, I've been the number two guy in the country the last 2 years. And I hate it. I'm not saying it's a terrible accomplishment. I just have my sights set higher. I want my focus to be on something better. So why number 2? Was the number one guy just that much better?

Truth is, anytime that I've really committed myself to it, I've won. I used to think that meant just really training hard. That's the commitment that I needed. Bologna. Really, THAT was insanity. The tournaments that I've won have been no surprise in hindsight. They are the tournaments I really emotionally and mentally as well as physically invest myself in.

So what's the deal with the other karate tournaments? In hindsight, I can see a number of reasons. Reasons like...being intimidated, not feeling worthy of it, fear of failure. Odd to admit because I've done really well in a lot of other things.

BUT when it comes to it, I'm just a Martial Arts student like the ones I teach. The only difference is that I'm further along in my training. I have to go through the same muck they do to get what I want.

This past weekend in Providence, RI was a breakthrough in a lot of different ways. Mr. Nicklaus has been helping me prepare mentally and physically for this success over the last month and half. My preparation helped me come to grips with my result I want. I didn't train for the sake of training. My training had a purpose....to take the position I wanted.

Even this weekend minutes before competing, I almost fell victim to old thinking....
"I just want this to be over so I can relax" (fear)
"What if I don't win" (fear)
"It's not that big a deal" (rationalizing)

ENOUGH. Everyone has the Battle of Thoughts.

My reply to old, dumb, fearful thoughts:
"I going to face this b/c I know the pain and ache of what happens when I just want to relax"

"Everything I want to feel happens when I win this, so I have to give everything I have. Can't worry about losing. Gotta keep focused on what I DO want to happen."

"This is a big deal b/c this is what I want, and I'm going to make it happen"

"There is no trying...I trust my body to do what it was meant to do"

Result:
I won the Ocean State Grand Nationals traditional division.

Post-plan:
I know that the guy I beat will not take the loss lightly. I will guarantee I will work even harder to make sure I keep earning what I want.

Lesson:
Defeating insanity requires a change in what you've been doing over and over to this point.

To Championship Level Training,

William Cornell

Green Grass, Palm Trees, In & Out Burger

2009-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

I drove through a mini-blizzard to get to the Minneapolis. It wasn't bad...just had to take my time. It was worth it, though. I landed in Ontario, California stepped outside and was treated to green grass, palm trees, and weather in 70's.

No competition last Friday. Just messin' around and relaxing. Watched some good competitors. And turned it in for a good night's rest for the my main competition day the next morning. Saturday morning, I woke up, stepped outside on the balcony and basked in the sun for 20 minutes. It was AMAZING to have a hot sun on my face while I sat in my pajamas outside. No cold breeze, no snow, no hat, no sweater on...that's what I love. My friend said it perfectly, "I expect to brace myself for the wave of coldness, but then it never comes." Back to Wisconsin, but warmer weather's coming.

Competition.

You need stay disciplined when you're excited. In years past, sometimes I would warmed up and pumped up too early. I would peak too soon before showtime. Why? I didn't know to be patient and calmly wait for the right moment to start the engines. Perfect example - competition was supposed to start at 1130 am which meant I would compete around 1215 pm at the earliest. I ended up competing around 230 pm. I had to make sure I picked nutrition that would last and make sure not to prep too early.

I didn't waste energy stretching too easy, practicing moves too soon, goofing around with others too much. When it came time for showtime, I was ready. I was happy that my form felt really good. I had one little slip and, thus, second place. My mindset, however, focused on how good it felt to get the competition blood flowing and getting even more pumped for the next few months of performances. Next 3 leading into summer - Rhode Island, Quebec, Boston.

Bunch of Karate Guys from La Crosse Tearin' it Up at 2009 Minnesota State Championships

2009-02-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Nicklaus' Martial Arts America's Tournament Team was well represented at the MN State Championship. The competition lets each student practice Leadership Skills such as perseverance, accepting challenges, discipline in practice, focus, performing in front of a crowd and many more.

Not everybody does tournaments, but everybody in our karate school in La Crosse gets exposed to what it takes to Be A Champion

Our results:
-Junior Girl's Grand Form Champ & 1st Runner Up
-Junior Boys Form Grand Champ
-Junior Boy's Weapons Grand Champ 1st Runner Up
-16 - 1st places
-5 - 2nd's
-5 - 3rd's
-1 -Finalist

Check out the vids.

-wc3

2008 Diamond Nationals - Night Time Finals

2008-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Diamond Nationals

2008-10-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Preface

You push and you push and YOU PUSH. All the hard work you do sometimes seems to go for not as you fall just short of all you wish to accomplish.

What keeps a person motivated to keep showing up everyday to do the work necessary to bring him/her closer to one's goal? Especially when the goal doesn't come to fruition as quickly as one hopes. Are you even getting closer? Are you even getting better?

(smiles)

Hard to deal with, huh?

The last year and a half has been challenging. My competition goals have been met with adversity, and sometimes I wondered if I what I was doing was worth it and was getting me closer to what I wanted. I've been ranked number 2 in the country for the last 2 years in Traditional Japanese form on the NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) Circuit. Yes, at least, that's an accomplishment in of itself BUT something I didn't want to settle for.

I showed up to every tournament wanting to be recognized as Number 1 -- often times going home disappointed with 2nd place. Going home with number 2 is not ok when all your pushing for is the top. I never let that affect my attitude or how I treat people, but personally, my goal is number 1.

My training this year, however, was reached a new level. Yes, I've worked hard to do it, but I could not have done it without the help and mentorship of my two main mentors/instructors/coaches/senseis -- Mr. Fred Nicklaus & Mrs. Suzann Wancket-Yue. Whatever the title is, they are in my most trusted circle. They've helped me cultivate the winning performance and winning mindset of a champion. When you find someone who helps you do that, it's important to listen and soak up every bit of information and advice that they have to offer. They forever have my gratitude and loyalty. Thank you, Mr. Nicklaus & Sensei Wancket-Yue.

In addition, if I haven't already, I want to pass on my sincerest thanks to all those that have given me their support and energy in helping me achieve my goals. Also, thanks to everyone that cheered and rooted for me at the tournament. It's another challenge for me to really show the level of appreciation I have for all the support and energy that you've given me. In part, I try to say thank you by representing the best professionalism, respect, and humbleness as a competitor that I can. Thank you, again!

Competition

For the last month, I've been obviously training physically for the Diamond Natinoals, but what has made the biggest difference has been the mental preparation that I've done. Again, Mr. Nicklaus and Sensei Wancket-Yue have helped me do that. I've pictured and rehearsed my Diamond Nationals weekend long before it ever happened.

What I mean is that I imagined the feeling, the sights, the sounds, the experiences that I would have even before the weekend happened. I even went to the hotel a week or two before the tournament and scouted out the area to make sure I was going to be as comfortable as possible (since the tournament location moved this year, I wanted familiarize my mind with the new environment).

I imagined and planned how I would prepare for competition, how I would compete, and how I would do things after I competed -- all with the common denominator -- my winning the 2008 Diamond Nationals. I've to come to recognize an important skill in preparation (it's not a secret, it's been around for years). You must prepare as if you've already done it -- makes sense not prepare with anything else but the intent to do what you set out to do.

Steve Meade played a big in helping me as well. He prepared a customized relaxation & visualization CD that helped me to imagine and visualize my success at the Diamond Nationals. I listened to the CD everyday at least twice. Get a hold of Mr. Meade to help you out at SteveMeade.com

Here's my daytime performance. I won 1st place.

In the night time finals, I tied for the Grand Championship and lost in the tie breaker. I'll post the performance when the DVD comes out.

All in all, one of the best weekends I've had in competition. I thank you again for the support and energy. It undoubtedly helped me achieve what I did this weekend. I did everything I set out to do save one little detail, but that's why you keep pushing.

Warmest Regards,

wc3

2008 Southern Wisconsin Open - Verona, WI

2008-10-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Another great tournament by Jeff Christianson - Owner/Master Instructor of Karate America, Verona.

Thanks, Mr. Slaby, for the video footage -- technical difficulties with my camera ;)

THE BIG APPLE

2008-09-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

New York City, New York --

My first time in New York City for anything. In the past, I really didn't try to see much of the surrounding city when I competed at tournaments. Not that I went out of my way to check things out, but I went walking around New York City and even made it Times Square.

(Click to see it Larger)
It was cool to see. I don't think it's an amazing attraction to go see again for the sake of seeing it, but it was cool to see. If I saw some shows, then I think the experience would be a lot cooler.

It's funny the bad reputation that New York City cab drivers get, BUT they DESERVE IT! My first cab ride in the Big Apple, and I had to give the cab driver directions. Luckily my phone has google maps. I was prepared to pay more money, too, for the cab ride, but I figured 8 miles from the airport to the hotel couldn't be TOO bad --- wrong. The total was $105 from the airport to the hotel! Good thing I had someone to split it. The cab had a tv in it to watch certain things like news and updates, but the cab driver doesn't have GPS. When I was in Korea, every cab had GPS -- ah well. When it came time to tip, he pointed at three options 25, 20, or 15% on the touch screen monitor. He explained it like I had to pick one of those, but I figured out his deal. I gave him 0%. I'm one to tip if earned, but if I gotta give you directions in my first visit in the city, you don't get a tip.

(please note, I still have a smile on my face in describing the situation because it's easy to laugh at. I certainly didn't like the bill, but what are you gonna do...OH, by the way, I took a shuttle back to the airport, and the guy was a pro. So I gave him a $15 tip.)

The Tournament Part

I've got my system down now. You want to make sure to get plenty of sleep, eat the right foods, don't warm up too soon, be patient, and ATTACK THE FORM. I tied for 1st place for the second tournament in a row and lost the tie breaker. I'm pressing so hard. What do you have to do? You can't sit on your hands and cry about it.

I received some encouraging words from one of the judges who knows her stuff who said not to worry but to keep pressing. I also spoke to one of the parents that I know whose daughter competes and she asked me what I am going to do to make it different. I told her that I'm going to focus on my performance and energy. The guy that beat me at the tournament has good energy so that's where I get him because I know my technique is great.

Check the form below.

Best,

wc3

U.S. Capitol Classics

2008-08-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'm working my deal before the tournament. I was flying out of Madison, and coincidentally, my friend was staying in Madison for the 2008 National Poetry Slam Competition. I've never been to one of his poetry slams, but he's an awesome poet. Last year he was on the Madison National Team. Since he moved to Minneapolis last fall, he was on the St. Paul National Team.

It was amazing. The competition was similar to Martial Arts competition because of the similar type of judging and various types of competitors which, even though it it's a different competition, are parallel to the type of judging and competitors in Martial Arts -- just a different area.

Anyways, his team won the quarterfinals that night.

I flew out Friday at 1255 pm, landed at 400 pm, got to the hotel and competed at 600 pm which creative weapons. I got 2nd place. I like the competition on Friday because it gets me geared up for Saturday.

Saturday was good. I slept in until 930 am, and then watched Ms. Facchinello tear it up in her divisions. She got 1st place in traditional form out of 4 girls (not as big as U.S. Open, but nevertheless), and she also got 1st in Creative forms against the top 2 seeds in the country. Nice Work! Check her vids.

I went at about 1 pm. I've got it down, now, where I can come out with the same consistent mental energy that I want. Physically, no prob, but you have to have the juice mentally. The form felt pretty good. I tied for first place, and then in the tie breaker where the judges take a look at the scores closer. It's good to keep the pressure coming, and then the pressure will finally break through.

Later that night, Ms. Facchinello won the 14-17 Girl's/Boy's Form Grand Champ against two competitors who were doing all the flips and tricks while she came out and performed a strong traditional form. The judges obviously liked it. I told her beforehand that "you have no choice but to go out and show them how strong you are and how much you want to win...forget all the flips and tricks. That doesn't change what you want and what you're going to do." Afterwards, I got a chance to say "I told you so." Heehee.

I haven't decided what my next tournament will be before the Diamond Nationals in October, but I'll keep you posted.

-wc3

Bittersweet in HOT-lanta

2008-08-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the messages and support!

Nice and short.

Mr. Nicklaus and I have been working on perfecting my system of competing. The system includes all the precedes the tournament competition.

Who do I eat dinner with?
Who do I stay with at the hotel?
What do I eat?
What do I do to stay relaxed before the tournament?
How long do I wait to warm up?
What do I do to warm?

MOST IMPORTANTLY...what thoughts do I put in my head leading up to the competition?

Mr. Nicklaus really helps me to figure out what sort of success thoughts do I put in my head to really get me prepared. One key component is to stay relaxed and not think about the competition the 2 days before the big day. I tend to get really focused and zoned in before the competition and that sometimes tenses me up. You're always performed better from a relaxed state. Think about it from a physical stand point...when you're squeezing or flexing your muscles really hard, can you move fast? No, you're frozen.

So I appreciate the "Good Luck" messages and the supportive energy before I compete, but understand why I won't talk in great detail about my mental or physical readiness before a tournament. Keep the "Good Lucks" coming and keep me in good thoughts in your head, and finally help me relax by not asking to much about the tournament leading up to competition day. Thanks! That's part of my preparation to take my mind off things and relax the 2 days before competition. Try it before your next performance -- business, school, Martial Arts, or otherwise. You'll experience a whole different success and enjoyment. Remember that it doesn't mean don't prepare. Do your best to prepare as much as you can, and then when the time nears and your preparation is complete, sit back and enjoy. Take time away from it, and watch your success really take off.

Back to the tournament. I was really conscious of my preparation before the tournament. I made sure to hang out with my friend in Minneapolis before I flew out, and he's great. We joke and talk about everything non-Martial Arts related. That's the best environment for me before a tournament.

Friday went great. My flight got canceled but for my benefit. I would have flown out at 630 am -- ick. I got rebooked to a flight at 930 am -- beautiful -- and got upgraded to first class. NICE!

I came in and competed in Creative Weapons division Friday. I used a different bo than I have been using b/c it was better balanced. WHOA! A huge difference. I was able to really spin and strike with confidence. The other bo felt like it was gonna slip or fly out my hand. I got second place, which I'm happy with, considering that all of my time is spent really training for Trad'l form.

Friday night, I had a great dinner to go from Hard Rock that I've found to be a good pre-competition meal...Twisted Mac & Cheese with Chicken.

Saturday, for my Traditional Form division. I made sure not warm up too soon before competing. Good call. I felt that if I warmed up too much, I would get worn out for my division. Instead, I had it all for the division. The form felt great. Unfortunately, I didn't have anybody tape it. I had one little balance slip in my form which put me in second place. That's the bitter part. The sweet part, I talked to all three judges afterwards, and they said I would have had first without the slip -- SWEET!

The best part and the thing that tells me if I've done a good performance is that I had two people I don't know come up to me afterwards and say that my performance was great. The reason why that's the best part is because when you perform if the people watching you don't feel your passion and enthusiasm, you're missing something.

When it comes down to it, in order to do anything worth remembering, there has to be an emotional tie to it -- a passion and energy that people feel. That's what'll take you to the top. Give it.

-wc3

p.s. I guess not so short ;)

2008 U.S. Open

2008-07-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's frustrating to not win when you train so hard to be the best. I got 2nd place a this past weekend at the U.S. Open in Orlando, Florida and felt liked I died a little, but really it was just disappointment.

Out of 27 people, I got 2nd. Not the end of the world, but certainly not meeting the expectation that I trained for. I spoke with Mr. Nicklaus, and he reminded me that it's not like I'm getting 15th place. I'm one of the best in the country. Still, I have a burning desire, and I will not relent until I'm where I want to be.

Check out my form.

best,

William Cornell

2008 AKA Grands Bluegrass Nationals

2008-06-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to write this post for quite some time, now. For the past year and a half I've been secretly stewing away in second place at most of the national tournaments that I've gone to. Sure 2nd in the country isn't a bad thing, but I'm definitely not satisfied with being #2.

So what's the deal? What's kept me in that 2 spot? A better question that Mr. Nicklaus has helped come to realize and answer is: What's going to put in the #1 spot?

For about the last 2 - 3 months, Mr. Nicklaus has been working with me once a week for about 45 min to 1 hour. The biggest point that we focus on is what I'm thinking in my head; what kind of energy do I project with my thoughts; what self-fulfilling prophecy do I imagine.

It's made a world of difference. Hard work combined with the right thoughts helps you reach your goals at turbo speed.

This process combined with another important element helped put me in the mindset for my tournament in Louisville, KY this past weekend. The other element...fun. Mr. Nicklaus also made it clear to me that I have a tendency to focus almost too hard on my goal -- putting too much pressure on myself. On the car ride down I tried to goof around with all the other students from our school that competed to relax and enjoy myself.

Then Saturday came, and it was gametime. I watched all our students compete (you can watch videos of the instructors at http://www.youtube.com/user/KarateLaX) and then got myself ready to go. I made sure to relax and not get ready any sooner before I had to so that I could hit my peak during my form.

I had to keep myself from starting too soon because I was raring to go. All that preparation, all that emotion, all that energy. Then I got ready and let it rip.

"You gotta go out here and give what you got to win it"

I went second to last because I'm the number 2 seed in the country. After I went, I left the area because I didn't want to watch the number 1 guy. In the past, I made the mistake of watching and hoping that he makes a mistake. This time I left because my part was done, and the rest was out of my hands.

During the announcements of the places, I was the last person to be called -- making me the winner.

Thanks -- Mr. Nicklaus & Mrs. Suzann Wancket-Yue -- my instructors.

-wc3

P.S. Check the forms below.

Daytime Eliminations (1st Place win)

Night Time Finals

Quebec Open Tournament

2008-04-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

I went up a day early this time to tournament in Quebec because of the number of inbound flights to Quebec were limited to very few choices. Anyways, it was a good choice for me because I got a chance to enjoy and soak in the city which I don't always do when I travel to tournaments. I went to what's called "Old Quebec," and it was like being in Europe. The buildings had very neat architecture and I had a chance to really relax mentally.

At the tournament, I was more relaxed than ever and felt more "in the moment" than I have the first few tournaments of the year. The difference? Just mental. A situation is neither positive or negative. It's the situation and your thoughts about the situation that make it positive or negative. I wasn't concerned with the people competing or the what if's, just focused on the what I wanted and being in the moment.

I think you'll feel the difference when you watch my form.

Thanks so much!

Update (finally!)

2008-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, the last couple of days has been really busy. We celebrated the Lunar New Year. Wednesday, we traveled to my Uncle's house who's about 2 hours away. We took the subway which was cool b/c I got to view the scenary on the way over. One thing about the seats is that during the winter, all the seats are heated, making the trip very comfortable. All the people are very polite and respectfuly on the sub.

Along the way we stopped at a street market in Jongno to do some shopping, and of course, we indulged in some delicious Korean food.

After getting to my Uncle's house, I found that he loves to watch WWE, American entertainment wrestling...haha. My Aunts hid the remote from him so that he couldn't watch it, though. After we ate supper. He prepared mon-dew (spelled phonetically & known as potstickers in the US) for traditional Korean New Year's dish.
Then next day, we rode back and met with my Korean cousin's family for the traditional ceremony where the children dress in traditional clothes and say Happy New Year, and the parents present gifts to the children.

Finally, yesterday, my 3rd Aunt took us to a local outlet mall, and she forced us to get clothes, etc as her New Year's gift. If let her, she would have bought the whole store for me. "Try this...you like this?...get that." I tried to tell her that I didn't need the gifts and that being there was a gift in itself. She succeeded in getting me jacket and some shoes. With mom, she used her sisterly influence to get her an armful of things.

Until the next post!

Tuesday, Feb 5 - Visiting My 3rd Aunt

2008-02-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my mom, my 1st Aunt, and I traveled about an hour to visit my 2nd Aunt and her family who live about an hour away. The trip was well worth it. We took the bus. I don't think any of my family members over here own a car b/c the public transit is so convenient. Buses, taxis, and the subway. The ride was interesting b/c I got to see so much of the country side and also the different makeups of the cities we passed through.

My 2nd Aunt and Uncle own a fresh produce store, so we visited them there and then hung out at their house. Because the Chinese New Year is this Friday, and many Koreans celebrate this as the New Year, the store is busy as can be, and it's hard for my Aunt and Uncle to steal away to visit.

We waited a little while before my 2nd Aunt brought up some fried market delights. I didn't take a picture of it, but they were delicious. Here's the view outside their home.
Then my 2nd Aunt had to go back to the store. We waited for my cousin - Chong-ga-ni (spelled phonetically) - to come home for work. He's autistic, and he's an awesome guy. After only a year of learning how to play the piano from his sister, he played my mom and me about 5 songs. All of them were really good. None of which I could attempt to play.

Before we went out to eat. I snapped a couple pictures of the same view only at night. The 2nd picture has from left to right: Sue-gin - my cousin, Ja-ga-nimo - my 2nd Aunt, Ka-nimo - my 1st Aunt. The last guy is Chong-ga-ni.

We went to local restaurant where you can cook your meal right in the center of the table so that it's as fresh as possible. We had the house specialty which is an octupus dish with other seafood like shrimp.

My family was worried that it would be too spicy for me, but c'mon...who we talkin' bout here...it's me ;)

It was delicious. It was also funny during the meal. My cousin was trying to ask his mom for a Pepsi, but she didn't hear him, so he started to secretly whisper to me to ask me to buy him one, but I didn't hear him until finally someone else noticed him. When we got home, my little cousin and parents were at the house, so we played around for a while...then I crashed quickly after they left and went to bed.

Today, we're off to see a play and take a night cruise. I'll take as many pics as possible.

(signature painted by my uncle)

P.S.Here's a pic of my Uncle's pieces put on plates even though the pictures don't do the beauty justice.

First Few Days in Korea

2008-02-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Feb 3, 1030 am in Korea

The last couple of days, my mom and I have been just hanging out with family and getting settled. Today, I think we're going shopping, so that should be interesting.

I thought I adjusted fairly well to the new time zone, but I think the plane ride over threw me for a loop. From Seatle to Incheon, Korea it was an 11 hour flight, BUT it was one of the best flights that I've ever been on. With all the travel that I do domestically, I know how terrible air travel can be. First of all check out the pics below.

Every person gets his/her own personal LCD screen with remote where you can watch movies, listen to music, play games, or track the flight progress. Pretty cool. I watched a handful of movies. We landed in Incheon, then my Aunt and Cousin picked us up. Then we spent about an hour in traffic getting to my other Aunt's house. My mom has 3 sisters and a brother. We ate and caught up. Also, I met my newest cousin, Di-uhn-ni (spelled phonetically), who's almost 2 years old. My mom and I gave the gifts we brought over.

I made my family a CD with all my tournament pictures and competitions and my little cousin kept saying Sahm-choon (spelled phonetically) which means uncle. Then next day we hung out with my cousin, her husband, and and their daughter at their place.

Later that night, I think the time zone hit me. I was wiped. I think I slept like 10 hours. My mom and family are night owls. They stayed up to 3 am while I slept. My uncle's a famous artist and professor in Korea. Here's a wedding gift that he painted for my cousins.

I'll post when I can.

-wc3

In Korea!

2008-02-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

Real quick...I'm finally in Korea and the long flight over was amazing. Excellent food, service, and everybody gets a personal LCD screen with access to movies, music, mini games, etc.

My Aunt's an amazing cook.

Back to family!

-wc3

Korea a Day Late (keep your fingers crossed)

2008-01-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we waited extra for our plane to arrive in La Crosse b/c of some mechanical whatever. Then when we finally got to Minneapolis, we waited another 15 min waiting to deboard the plane. Our connection to Korea was at a gate on the other side of the terminal. We had 15 to get there and we didn't make it.

Now time for my mom 'The Pitbull' to shine. First of all, after fifteen years from our last visit to Korea, my mom was underatandably not happy about missing a day of visiting our family b/c we were five min late for our connection. Well, she let NWA have it.

The first NWA rep wasn't much of a customer service man. He kept saying "He understood what we were going through, but he sees this everyday." I can understand his POV. Although he didn't show the care of someone who sees this all the time.

My mom wasn't satisfied though. She talked to a NWA supervisor, and she was a pro. Despite my mom's unhappy dilemma to say the least. The supervisor showered us with food vouchers and also two $250 flight vouchers. She also put us up in a hotel for the night. Most of all she really listened to mom.

It was neat to see how the two reps handled my mom and reminded me that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen the situation. What matters most is listening and showing you care rather than saying you care. A good lesson to keep me in line with all the families at the karate schools.

Hopefully, the next time I write, we'll be in Korea.

-wc3

Travel Day to Korea

2008-01-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, last night was a late one. Sometimes those last minute things pop up when you're about to go on a big trip. I stayed at karate studio very late (I won't mention how late, but later than most karate folk).

I'm running on a few hours of sleep, but I'll never complain. My body is a well oiled machine running on high octane & super charged Enegizer batteries ;-)

My flight leaves La Crosse, Wed at 11 am to Minneapolis. Then I fly to Tokyo for 12 hours then finally to Korea.

Surprisingly my packing was fairly easy and quick. I'll try to update you when I land in Korea. I'm sure that my family has internet access. The only issue will be if I can type in english or not. I'll make it work.

I'm pumped! I'll post as soon as I can.

-wc3

P.S. Ms. Dawson never got me the sewing that she wanted me to do during my flight, but I guess I'll have to deal.

2007 Diamond Nationals

2007-10-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry about not posting in a loooong time...here's my performance at the 2007 Diamond Nationals performance.

U.S. Open

2007-07-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Open is quite possibly the largest tournament in North America. The hotel resort was located in Disney World which makes this tournament the best family vacation tournament in the country because it always held around the July 4th and its location lets you really make a vacation of the tournament. I started the tournament on a rushed note. My plan arrived at 100 pm and then I waited for an hour to get my luggage. As I took the shuttle to the tournament I looked at my watch to find that it was 300 pm -- my scheduled competition time. Luckily the tournament hardly runs on time. I took my luggage right into the Grand Ballroom competition area of the hotel and got situated by my competition ring. I didn't compete until about 6 pm.

It was kind of cool to compete with all my weapons divisions on Friday. I don't focus my training on my weapons competition as much as my traditional form competition anymore, but competing Friday was a good warm-up for traditional form on Saturday. It's nice to get in front of the judges and crowd and just do it. I fared well with a 3rd place finish in my Creative Weapons Division (fancy, more contemporary style) and 4th in my Traditional Weapons Division (which earned my top ranking back -- I'm now the 4th ranked competitor in the country with that placing).

The next day was like an endurance wait-a-thon. I was scheduled to compete at 900 am, but I knew full well that I would be competing at that time. Nevertheless, I wanted to be prepared. The Korean Style Forms division went first then the Japanese style form (my division).

SIDENOTE: It's funny that I'm competing in a Japanese Style form when I'm Korean, and my competition buddy is competing in the Korean forms when he's actually Japanese. Well, I thought it was funny.

BACK TO THE ACTION. The Korean division had 31 people in it!!! I don't know how I would judge 31 people in a division. It's pretty hard to win if you're not nationally ranked. That division took 2 hours to finish. So my division started at 11 am. There were 40 PEOPLE in my division. I'm ranked 2nd in the country, so I get to go 2nd to last (pretty awesome privilege). I competed after 1 pm. Phew! I feel bad for the judges. They're volunteer. Many of the judges run their own tournaments, so part of the deal is they come to judge the other tournaments, and then the other promoters return the favor. I ended up in 3rd place. I think I've been putting to much pressure on myself, and I'm trying NOT to make a mistake instead of really cutting loose. I've talked to Mr. Nicklaus and Suzann Wancket, and I figuring out a game plan to get mentally ready. I'm training harder than ever, so it's just a matter of getting my head right.

SIDENOTE: No video this time. Ask Ms. Facchinello about it :)

SIDENOTE2: Also, I had a great time hanging out down there. I've befriended some guys from Chicago who train with John Sharkey (Suzann Wancket's instructor), and we ended up playing volleyball late at night and swimming. If you go to Disney, check out Coranado Springs Resort. Pretty cool area. Unfortunately, I had a 6 am flight back, so I had no sleep that night, but I slept on the plane ride back. I got that down to a science -- SIT DOWN & SLEEP. I usually wake up when people are deboarding (yeah, i know i made up a word, leave me alone). :)

Battle of Atlanta - July 27-28

Bluegrass Nationals 2007

2007-06-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

(check out the video of my form below)
Louisville is a beautiful city. The hotel that the tournament was at is set right on the Ohio river. I got into Kentucky around 1230 pm est, and since I didn't have to compete I hung out with some competitors from the Minneapolis area that I've gotten to know over the years. Ms. Facchinello also made the trip out to tournament this year, too.

Meeting with the Trans

My Friday surprise was running into the Tran family at the tournament. The Tran's is a family that had their kids in our program and then moved to Lexington, KY last June. There two oldest earned their Black Belts and the other earned her senior blue belt. I knew that the Tran's were coming to the tournament, but I thought that they were coming later Friday night. Anyways, I got the call that they were there, and I meet them. We spoke for a few hours catching up on how things are going. The kids--Danh, Thien-Huong, and Kim--are really maturing both in size and personality. It was also really cool seeing their newest baby daughter, Thien-Lan, who smiles and trys to get her way with people. They've finally gotten the kids back into Martial Arts, and not to brag (but kinda-heehee), Mrs. Tran said that she couldn't find a school as good as what she found in LaX (yessss!). The found a pretty good school now. Unfortunately, I didn't compete until Saturday, they weren't able to come and watch, but they'll be more trips to Kentucky to compete and see them.

Competition

Competition started bright and early. First up was my traditional weapons division. I lost my Top 4 ranking because I didn't compete in Traditional Weapons at the last tournament, so I was 2nd up in the order to compete in this division out of 11 which is a hard position to win from because the Top 4 get to last in the order, and the judges expect them to do well which means that they hold the top scores for them. Ah well. I ended up with 6th.

Creative weapons was next where I'm the number 2 ranked competitor in the nation, so I got to perform second to last which is really nice. It's funny to say, but I use this division as a warm up for my Tradtional Form division. I got a 2nd place in this division, so I almost beat the top guy.

Next up, Traditional Form. I've trained so hard for this, going to Chicago to train the two previous weekends, staying up late after hours practicing my form, running at 10 or 11 pm--HARD. Also, I've got my head straight. Some good advice I've gotten from John Sharkey, Jr was that I shouldn't be worried about competing or chasing the #1 guy as much as doing my best for me. This took the tension off my brain so much. I didn't say "oh my god, there he is, I have to beat him" when I ran into him on Friday night, so I was relaxed. I went out and did the best form that I've done in a while. I wasn't tired at all because of my hard training, and I got some good scores -- 9.99, 9.98, 9.99. The #1 guy was up after me, so I knew that he'd have to do really well to beat that. Turned out he only beat me by .01 getting straight 9.99 which is frustrating to see, but I'm just gonna push HARDER, physically and , more importantly, mentally to get the results that I desire.

"Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts
which he permits to occupy his mind"

Best Regards,

P.S. MISS YOU TRANS!!! Until next year - maybe sooner ;)

Bluegrass Nationals 2007 - Traditional Japanese/Okinawan Form

2007-06-17T20:48:00.001-07:00

Sensei Says...

2007-06-06T11:21:00.001-07:00

When your Instructor (Sensei) asks you to do something, you do it.

I went to Chicago this past weekend to train with John Sharkey, Jr who's reveared as one of the top instructors in the country. People from all over come to his school to train for tournaments. I went there because he's Suzann Wancket-Yue's Sensei. During my time there, he asked me to practice my traditional form by running the form over and over and over without trying to put any pauses in there -- just run the form in the fastest, most mechanical way. He said do that for 3 or so days, and then add the timing back in. In theory, it will help fix any problems with my timing that I've had.

So far, day 1, I ran my form 20 times just absolutely running myself into the ground, but after every form I take a one minute break, close my eyes, and think why I'm doing this -- I want to get better. After the minute, I open up my eyes, walk backwards, say aloud, "this is what champions do," and then start another form.

When your Instructor asks you to do something, you do it.

(fist raised in the air),

Next Tournament: Bluegrass Nationals -- Lexington, KY -- June 15-16

New England Open 2007

2007-05-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Results:

Creative Weapons: 2nd Place
Traditional Japanese/Okinawan Form: 4th Place

Review:

Only you know deep down inside if you're truly giving your best effort, and who you are today is a result of the decisions that you made in the previous days. I was not completely happy with the results at the tournamet. I trained for the tournament, but I knew it wasn't the hardest that I could train. The results show. I've come to the conclusion, if I want to be the best, I better be training harder than anyone else.

I heard someone say the competitors at the tournaments are professional athletes. It rang true with me after this competition. I better train like a pro, I better have desire like a pro, I better win like a pro.

Next tournament, Bluegrass Nationals - Louisville, KY. What price am I willing to pay to get better results? I'm training 2 hours a day to prepare. One in the morning, one in the evening. I'm trading two hours of my time that I could use to relax, sleep, be comfortable for something that I really want.

If you're not getting what you want, you have to pay the price to get it. You have to try something different. In my case, train harder and more purposefully. I've made the plan. I'll let you know how it goes.

(fist raised in the air),

Late Night Working Out

2007-05-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

My first workout today was kinda iffy. I did it after morning class, and I didn't eat breakfast. I normally don't eat a big breakfast. The first workout, though, was bad by my standards. I practice with the fire that I normally do, and I just kinda pushed through the workin out for an hour.

It got my juices flowin, though. So I was pumped for teachin some good classes. Afterwards, I spent some time emailin and then off to my 2nd workout -- WHICH WAS A KICK BUTT, SWEATY SHIRT WORKOUT!

I worked out from 930 pm to 1130 pm gettin my new moves in my trad'l form clean and ready to roll. During the workout, I made it a point to draw a

Success Picture

A success picture is an image of yourself doing exactly what you want to do in the future. So really it represents your goal. I figured out that sometimes when I workout, I lose my focus; I lose my motivation; I lose sight of my goal. I plan to use more success pictures to channel my energy towards my goals. Remember, you're either gettin closer to your goals or further away. I was pumped. Plus, I stopped to see my mom for lunch, and she made me a KICK BUTT LUNCH that supercharged my fuel cells.

To Your Improvement,

Preparing for Boston

2007-05-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm getting my body and mind ready for the New England Open on May 18 - 19 in Marlborough, MA.

You cannot place enough value on training with experts for self-improvement. That's why I train my students. That's why I continue to train with experts.

Last Sunday, I trained with Suzann Wancket-Yue in Minneapolis and made some changes to my traditional form. It was a 3 hour workout which blasted my quads especially my right one because I'm working on a new move that's low to the ground. It's a squatty, spinny, turny move -- very cool. I'll show it off to the people who show up at my Secret Moves Workout on Friday, May 11th.

Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to Suzann years ago. She's an 8 time World Champion and just amazing to work with. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to train with her. In the next month, I'm also looking to train with John Sharkey, Jr. (Suzann's Instructor) in Chicago and also Michael Bernardo - another mentor that Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to.

John Sharkey, Jr. has probably trained more champions that anyone else in North America. He always gives great advice. Mr. Bernardo helps with my bo training. Notably, Mr. Bernardo trains Team Canada for World Competitions.

Well, I'll keep you posted.