Best Example of Organized Chaos (aka Karate Tournament)

Imagine around 200 students from 20 different parts of KS & MO, in six different belt classes (24 classes if you count intermediate striped belts!) ranging in age from 4 to adults participating in eight different events over a five hour period.Karate Tournaments should definitely be listed as a perfect example of organized chaos in the dictionary.

Example of how the chaos was controlled.

This was the boys' fourth tournament and they each did three events. We keep telling the boys that one day they will lose and they'll have to get used to that but each tournament they do better than the last one! :)

After taking 1st & 2nd in Escape Drill.

This time, Travis won a 2nd place in Escape Drill, 3rd place in Sparring and a participation medal in Fastest Fist. There was some complications with the meter bag for Fastest Fist and he was really upset about this one (as were we) but we decided to set that aside and be really happy with the two trophies and the knowledge that if he were in a fight or needed to defend himself, he'd be fast!

Travis in sparring gear after winning his first round.

Thomas took home a participation trophy in Sparring, a 2nd place in Strongest Punch and a 1st place in Escape Drill - he edged out Travis by about a quarter of a second! (15:03 vs 14:47). This is the 3rd time he's done escape drill and won a trophy for it!

Thomas ready to hit the bag during Strongest Punch.

It was a really great day of fun and learning and a little drama. Can't wait for class on Tuesday where they get to show off their trophies to the other students and talk about how they won them. I am SO proud of them!

At home with their collection of trophies from THIS tourney!

I'll post some vids of their sparring as soon as I fix them up... :)

Feeling Old? Let me help...

The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1990-1991.

• They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• The CD was introduced two years before they were born.
• They have always had an answering machine.
• They have always had cable…and satellite...and cell phones.
• Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
• Popcorn has always been made in a microwave.
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
• They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
• They’ve never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel ', or 'de plane Boss, de plane'.
• McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.
• They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.

Feeling old now? :-)