Written by This week was my first week of the hardest challenge I will ever face. My Black Belt test. So far I have felt extremely excited for this upcoming year but also a bit nervous too. I know I have so many people by my side and supporting me as much as they can and that […]
Written by Jake Ross
I began my black belt test 12 days ago. It still doesn’t feel real that I have been allowed to begin this test. Over the next 13 months I must do 50,000 pushups and sit ups, complete a 1,000 mile journey, complete 1,000 acts of kindness, read 6 books, post weekly blogs, 12 video blogs, […]
Written by Elan Wilbur
Wow! I am still amazed that I am qualified to be a black belt candidate. I started karate many years ago because my son was doing it. I thought it would be good to have a similar activity that we could share and do together. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be […]
Written by Phillip Debord
It was my pleasure to spar with some of the black belt candidates on Saturday. Elan, Lucas, Jake, and Matt all demonstrated the heart, skill, and willingness that black belt candidates should possess. I enjoy being pushed myself and they did that. As a coach this year, I feel some of the same concerns I […]
Written by Matt Nedresky
Today marks 1 full week completed of the One Heart Challenge black belt test. I am satisfied with my initial commitment to it but still anxious about keeping it up for 13 months. I also completed my 2nd marathon on 12/3. The race for me was also a big mental hurdle as there were several […]
Written by Lucas Grant
Over the weekend I attended our in-school “absolute” tournament! It was a really good experience, and it was a great little test run before my final black belt test. How an “absolute” tournament works is you are put with a partner and you have top perforce kata, who even wins that gets a point, then […]
Written by Phillip Debord
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” ― Charles Darwin A common archetype in myths and fairy tales is the bridge troll. In these stories the troll guarding the bridge demands a toll from the hero before they can cross it. Sometimes it’s a ferry […]
Written by Phillip Debord
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi Hi, I’m Phillip Debord. I’m honored to be your fight […]
Written by Cooper Riegel
This week concluded my trip to Juneau. My dad, aunt, uncle, and I chartered a salmon fishing boat on our last full day up here and spent the first half of the day on the water. It was not what I was expecting at all and it was super fun. The fishing rods were on […]
Written by Cooper Riegel
I spent the last half of this week in Juneau, Alaska with my dad, aunt, and uncle. We had a long day of travel mostly due to a 3 hour layover in Seattle. We are spending 5 days in Juneau along with most of my extended family on my dad’s side for my second cousin’s […]
