Information:

Joined CHKA in August of 1998. Blackbelt as of January 2006.
Also studied Tae Kwon Do under Grandmaster Eugene Humesky of the Universal Taekwondo Brotherhood and Aikido under Mr. Karl Scott, Asian Martial Arts Studio, both in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and later Aikido under Imaizumi Sensei at Shin Budo Kai in New York.

Any tournament wins, or awards you are particularly proud of?

I was offered the chance to compete with the New York team in the Gay Games VI in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. It was my first international competition, and the first time I'd competed in any tournament without fellow CHKA students there. I was especially thrilled that out of the large number of competitors I took bronze medals in both weapon and empty hand kata!

Why did you begin in Martial Arts?

Early on I'd taken some classes at the local "Y" in things like judo and fencing, as that was what they offered, and enjoyed myself. My second or third year in high school I became friends with Gary Humesky, the son of Euguene Humesky, who at that time was, if I remember right, a 6th dan tae kwon do professor, who was teaching classes at a local gym. It seemed a cool thing to do to tag along with Gary and take classes, and I found myself enjoying it more and more. Starting my first year in college I took a job initially working for the campus security force and later with the county emergency medical services, and I got interested in taking an art that was both more self-defense, but also emphasized restraining people without hurting them - aikido seemed like a natural choice, and I started studying at a local school. I continued that on and off when I moved to New York, and then it sort of faded away.

Why did you choose CHKA?

During the summer of 1998 I got extremely ill and lost a huge amount of weight and strength. I couldn't seem to motivate myself to rebuild at the gym, and I remembered how much I'd enjoyed martial arts. The aikido school I'd been studying at had moved and changed its focus, so I checked out local neighborhood schools, figuring that the closer it was to home, the more likely I was to drag myself there. Dennis Gorrez was teaching at the old 1st Avenue location and welcomed me from the moment I walked in, and offered a trial workout on the floor without the usual "sit there and watch" or "you have to sign up first" that I was finding at most schools. I loved the workout, signed up on the spot, and pretty soon was attending 3-4 days a week, and back up to my "fighting weight."

Anything you'd like to say about the Martial Arts?

For me, possibly the most important thing about martial arts is the discipline. And it's a different sort of discipline than having a personal trainer at the gym shout at you and egg you on, there's a level of accomplishment and pride each time you master something new. I also love the sense of history and connection with people all over the world that the martial arts world affords.

Outside of CHKA, what else is happening in your life?

I recently set off on what was to be a sort of round-the-world jaunt. But enroute I fell in love with the city of Buenos Aires and someone here, so, at least for the moment, I've settled in Argentina. I'm having a fantastic time exploring an entirely new culture, learning a new language, and getting a chance to spend a large amount of time writing about my favorite subjects - travel, food, and wine (SaltShaker) - even opened my own small restaurant!