To all that participated in our annual “Support our troop’s collection”, I would like to thank you for your donations! I am sure they will be well received.
This year, along with all the dry goods and personal care products and videos, we donated two guitars from all of you, one of them a signed Checkmate Martial Arts limited edition. A special thanks to Dave and Chris for their donations. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Maria who once again put this project in motion and got me to get everything out to the post office on time, wounded flipper an all!
Thanks again to all of you!
Sensei
Dear Checkmate Family,
My work day ended today with a much needed visit to my Chiropractor. While feeling my neck vertebrae and preparing for an adjustment his fingers stopped at the base of my skull, he looked down at me and said very quizzically “What happened to your neck?” It was the way he said it that struck me kind of funny. I knew that my responses of “Brian happened to my neck” or “flying headlock” was not going to be enough to ward off the neck injuries lecture that I’m sure I deserved……
My Black Belt test that was administered by Master Leigh Rossi and Senpai Steve Gilcreast was to date the most physically demanding and punishing experience of my life. After the first 15 minutes I really did not think that finishing it was a possibility. Surprisingly enough I remember it (well most of it anyway). The instruction that I have received over the past 5+ years allowed me to keep my wits and stay in the fight. Jujitsu for me is not a hobby, it is not exercise, it is not personal defense. For me it is a way of life, a habit. The longer I do it, the harder it is to stop my brain from thinking “in Jujitsu,” and I hope as I continue on this journey that it truly will become second nature, instinct. Now that I have achieved rank of Shodan, I already feel like I am taking steps backward (As Senpai said after his black belt test, He felt like a beginner again). I know the mistakes I made during my test, and I know what I will be working on personally over the years to come.
Truly it has one of the greatest honors of my life to achieve the rank of Black Belt in Checkmate Jujitsu under the instruction of Master Leigh (the greatest Martial Artist I have ever met), Senpai Steve (the most dangerous man I have ever met), and Sensei Nate (the most violent man I have ever met). These three have given me (and all the rest here at Checkmate) invaluable life saving information and instruction based in reality, and that is the key, REALITY. There are plenty of schools out there that will take your money and teach you or your children how to disarm a knife attack with an “inside crescent” kick. That is not reality, that is negligent. I will be forever indebted to my instructors for the firm base that they always teach from….. REALITY
I would like to thank all those who took time out of their schedule to help me demonstrate the skills that Master Rossi, Senpai Steve, and Sensei Nate have passed onto me. Without all of you there would be no training, no Black Belt test and no Black Belt. It has been an incredible journey for the past several years. It has been fun to train with all of you and I look forward to your Black Belt tests. It is great to see everyone making there way up the ranks. We are all helping to build a wonderful tribute to the legacy of Checkmate Jujitsu.
Also i would like to second Senpai’s thoughts about family. With the birth of my second child last August my wonderful bride continues to make sacrifices every week that allow me to pursue my passion. I will be forever indebted to her for her support. I know it is not easy for her with young children at home and me working two jobs. My family time is precious, and her sacrifice does not go unappreciated.
Sincerely,
Joe Maguire
My personal favorite part of the test is when I got introduced to the Shock Knife for the first time. SURPRISE!!!!!!! I hope Pat got a picture of my face.
Senpai posted a great re-cap of Joes Black belt test this past Saturday. I will not try to add to his assesmnt of the test! I could not have said it better or as well! Senpai you truly have a gift.
I wanted to take a moment to personally thank everyone for the participation in this event! I am so proud of everyone for their dedication and contribution to this process.
Joe, your performance was outstanding! I’m very proud to have you represent Checkmate as a Black Belt.
A special thank you to Chris Stethem from our youth martial arts program for his participation in the testing process. Chris actually assisted Joe by defending himself from an attempted abduction at knife point. Great job Chris!
Again thank you to everyone! It is at events like this that I am reminded why I started Checkmate!
Sincerly,
Sensei Leigh
Today is Veterans Day! Please take some time out of your day to thank someone that you know that has served in one of our Armed forces. Our Veterans have sacrificed much to keep us, our families and our way of life safe! Also take a moment to reflect on all those that have made the greatest sacrifice and lost their life in the process. My heart goes out to all those families and friends who deal with this every day.
Thank You!
Joe Maguire will be testing for his black belt on 11/20/10 Pease make plans to attend this event!
For the month of November we will be training in street clothes during evening classes!
Available to Members and non-Members, Free fitness class is being hosted on Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM Please check out Hooked fitness for more details!
http://www.hookedfitness.com/
Congratulation to Chris on his promotion to Green Belt! Nice work Chris! The end of the test showcased Chris’s ability to react quickly on his feet move seamlessly between attacks. Nice work Chris!
Sensei
Congratulations to the the Ethridge’s on the birth of Alexander Kevinovitch. Who was born 9/8/10 with a fighting weight of 10 8′lbs 14oz, and stands 22″ tall…
Congrats!!!
Congratulations to Richard Hubbard for his first place finish in the Sport Jujitsu National Championships. Way to go Richard! Stay tuned and we will try to get some video and Pic’s up with this post.
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