Video of training this morning

Video from Training with Master Wasiu Yesterday

Training with his coach today

So today Mrs. Donna (Christopher’s mom, one of T’s teammates) explained the ”New” USAT rules to me further. And now going to US Open may be something T should still do because win or loose he gets seeding points for just stepping on the mat to fight. Let’s say he goes to US Open and beats someone seeded higher than him then he gets what they call SF (strength factor) points as well. So he gets his points for the event plus those points and that ups his ranking points. This is a big deal because these points roll. What that means is that those points will stay in his ranking points until he does the US Open again next year so he keeps his ranking. Right now he’s 12th in the Nation so getting ranking points to get him ranked higher is a big deal. Now we have to sit down again and discuss whether this is something we can financially do at this time and if we can get a coach for him for this event. Lots to take in and I’m not sure I’m explaining it to where you all can understand but just know ranking points are huge. Here are some pics of T stretching with his coach:

Fun while getting tires rotated

Getting the van ready to hit the road tomorrow for T’s training with his coach. I will be in Charlotte for the next week. This is what we do while waiting...lol. #lifewithaneliteathlete 

Physical and Flu Shot

Crashed out from having his Physical and Flu shot this morning. I know I know I should have had that done by now but life’s been a bit crazy with all T has going on with TKD...LOL! On a good note he’s really healthy. His doctor was glad to see him in such great health. 

A fun picture moment

This boy is ready to drive the Swagger Wagon...LOL!  

Just For Fun 1/3/2019

Took these pics and got this video earlier while we were on a project with Scot. 

Starting off the New Year like last year....

Two days into the New Year and our Jeep starts to overheat.  We figured it was the thermostat and so Scot changed that on the spot but it still wanted to act like it was going to overheat so we had it hauled to the house so Scot could fix it and not cause any damage to the vehicle.  He put a call into our mechanic this morning and he said it sounded like it could be air locked and told Scot what to do and he is currently doing that to see if that fixes the problem.  He started off his day though doing a brake job on our mini van.  With all the driving I've been doing for T's training it actually needed a brake job done on it.

Last year we ended the previous year and started off the new year in the same fashion with having to do work on our vehicles.  We had to put our beloved work van to rest during the year last year because every time we turned around we were having to put it in the shop.  At some point you have to just stop the bleeding.  So we took everything out of the work van and put it into our trailer which Scot has been hauling with the Jeep.  At some point this next year the Jeep will need replacing as well but as long as it's minor stuff that needs repairing we will limp it along for the time being and get as much life out of it as possible.

We still have a water heater problem to deal with at some point too but we are also letting that limp along for the time being and taking quick showers before that water runs cold.

Never a dull moment with us Neals.  Always something going on and a challenge to be conquered.  We take it all in stride and keep plunging forward.  

God is always taking care of us and our needs and we continue to always look to Him.  Our lives are in Him and all we have is ultimately His.  We remain ever thankful and grateful for all God has blessed us with and is blessing us with.  He always makes a way where there seems to be no way.

Let me just end with these positive quotes from a movie we watched recently that we were told every Elite Athlete should see.

As 2018 comes to a close...

As 2018 comes to a close we are preparing for the year ahead. Our calendar is already a maze of training sessions and tournaments and T’s Traditional TKD Training which will also include him testing for his 3rd Dan before the end of 2019. It makes my head spin just looking at it and thinking about it all. 

God has blessed us so much this past year. We’ve all been healthy. T has finally gotten to where he can eat a normal diet again after four long years of dealing with the aftermath of his getting strep throat that went undiagnosed causing a huge upheaval in his GI system. It’s so nice to be over that threshold. 

We’ve been blessed in that God opened doors for T’s training that has resulted in him being on a new sparring team with great team members and their families. We love our Carolina Kicks family. It’s been the absolute best thing that has happened for T and for us as a family. The biggest challenge of him being on this team is all the traveling it entails. I’m on the road weekly to and from Charlotte, NC. The expenses are adding up and going into the new year T’s training is going to intensify. We will be going to one week a month, twice a day, two hour training sessions with his coach. When you add the cost of training with fuel, food, and lodging, our monthly expense for just the training alone is going to be skyrocketing. Please be fervent in believing God with us for His protection as we travel back and forth for the trainings/tournaments, for our overall health as we will be traveling so much, and for His provision for us to be able to do this for our son so that he will be able to live out his dreams of being a TaeKwonDo Sparring Champion and possibly get to go to the Olympics someday. 

Having a kid so focused on what he wants to do at such a young age is a very unique thing indeed. Not too many kids know what they want in life and our kid already knows that he wants to be a competitive TaeKwonDo Fighter. He wants to win Nationals on the AAU level, the ATU level, and the USAT level. He wants to work towards being selected to be on the 2028 Olympic Team. He wants to be able to go and win at US Open in 2020 as well as Pan Am and possibly Canada’s Open Championship as well. He has high goals.  He also wants to open up his own Dojang once he earns his 5th Dan Master stripe. He already has picked out a name and has an idea for the logo that he wants for his Dojang. This kid is about accomplishing goals and making a future for himself. He knows what he wants and he’s going after it with our help and support. 

In the midst of all this we are still homeschooling also. T would not be able to do what he’s doing without homeschooling. Almost every Elite Athlete we’ve met does the same. 

It’s a whirlwind ride with our guy but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Never in a million years would I have expected to be doing this when we first signed him up for TaeKwonDo. We thought it would be good discipline for our strong willed son (I have no idea where he gets that from...LOL!). We never could have imagined all this but here we are living it out with T. To say we are proud is an understatement. What he’s already accomplished in his short life so far with being a competitive TKD sparing athlete is amazing. If he didn’t do anything more in this sport we’d still be crazy proud of him. 

Being able to balance everything has been hard to say the least.  Giving him time to be a kid and stay focused on the goals he has set for himself is a major juggling act. 

We are always making it a point to ask him is this still what he wants to do.  We never want him to ever feel pressured in any way from us that this is something he has to do. As long as it’s his passion and dream and he still wants to do it we will support it as best we can to make sure he accomplishes what he’s set out to do. 

We know that with God all things are possible!!!  God opened the door for T to train and be on the Carolina Kicks Sparring Team. It’s a big sacrifice to be gone so much but Scot and I want to honor what God is doing in T’s life. God is the orchestrator we are just the instruments moving forward with what He is doing. I learned many many years ago not to question what God is doing in someone’s life. T is a gift from God on loan to us for such a short while because T is God’s child!  We trust what God is doing with, in, and through T. We have no idea what God has in store down the road for T but we are going to continue to trust Him. 

God Bless you all and we pray that 2019 is your best year to date!!!!  

2018 Accomplishments

What a Whirlwind Year 2018 Has Been!!!  So incredibly proud of all T has accomplished this past year. It’s been a year of changes for T but he’s taken everything in stride and been better for it. We are seeing so much difference in T’s fighting abilities. He’s getting better with each training session that he has with his coach and team. He is such a much happier kid because of where he is now in comparison to where he was. God is oh so good!!!  He’s blessed us so much during all that has been thrown our way and the changes that have happened. 

In 2018 T competed at: 

• S.E.T. Championship and won Silver. 
• USAT SC State Championships and won Gold. 
• USAT Georgia State Championship and won Gold. 
• USAT North Carolina Championship and won Bronze. 
• BBW Global Open and won 2 Golds and a Silver (Golds in Breaking and Sparring, Silver in Poomsae)
• AAU North Carolina State Qualifier and won Gold. 
• Powerade State Games and won Gold. 
• AAU North Carolina Open Championship and won 3 Golds in Sparring and a Silver in Poomsae. 
• Georgia Southeast Open Championship and won Gold. 

(If I didn’t specify what the Gold was for in the list above then it was for sparring.)