The Gauntlet or Adventures with Code Enforcement

Kitty’s Photos are Posted on MAFH’s Facebook Page.

Wendi’s Photos are Posted on Facebook

The mats are back in storage, the equipment is [mostly] back to its owners and everyone who attended Martial Artists Fighting Hunger’s first Gauntlet© says it was a big success.  Martial artists came from all over Central Florida and at least one from as far away as Chicago, Illinois. Although the final numbers are not in yet, it was a good day for Second Harvest.

The participants enjoyed the gauntlet and many positive comments were made.  Quite a few people wanted to know if this would be an annual event so they can bring others next year. There was a lot of positive energy as shown by the large number of volunteers. Second Harvest sent volunteers as did DC Turnbull TKD, Allen’s Martial Arts, KICK USA, the TaeKwonDo Club at UCF, comBATON, and Sifu Dave Lewis.

Elliot Smithson who trains at Fortress Hill and Elvin Lopez who trains with DC Turnbull, willingly dressed up as a Samurai and a Ninja respectively for photo ops and saved the day by help to promote the event with an ad hoc  battle in front of the school after code enforcement took our signs because they were on the wrong side of the sidewalk. Kitty made nice with code enforcement and got the signs back. Nedra Dietz, Kitty’s friend, took over getting the signs back up, changing some of them to make the directions more clear and hanging the banner up so people could find the entrance.

D’Axel Vargas wore his chicken suit adding to the festival atmosphere and Tommy Robertson did a great rendition of MAFH’s logo in sidewalk chalk near the entrance. Both are students of DC Turnbull. Kitty of comBATON spent most of the day applying temporary tattoos on kids and adults alike. Popular music played in the background.

Ginger Allen of GA & Associates, along with her husband Paul, personally visited the local tv stations and got Channel 6 [WCPX]  to come out, no mean feat on a hot sports news day. The evening local news featured the event showing Ninja Nick of Dragon’s Dojo doing his signature flips and Josh Stetchenfinger of Deep Underground TaeKwonDo tricking as well. Both news anchors on the show earned black belts in their teens and were quite supportive of the event.

Master David Turnbull used his extensive organizational abilitites to set the competition up as Tourament Director. Master Wendi Turnbull took pictures and pitched in wherever help was needed. The event pre-planning was composed of David Turnbull, Wendi Turnbull, Paul Allen, Ginger Allen and Steve Blanton. Kitty Breed took care of social media on the MySpace page, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, YouTube, Openzine, SitePal, the Event Newsletter and Online Registration.

The competition was stiff at times and the finalists ended up competiting for a total of four rounds. The Gauntlet winner was CJ Vickers, a fourth degree blackbelt in Taekwondo and national champion on the AAU Taekwondo circuit.  He received a custom made black belt donated by Eosin Panther, maker of beautiful custom martial arts belts. All of the finalists also received a plaque donated by DC Turnbull TKD and a sling bag containing a hat, water bottle and tee shirt from comBATON. Everyone who participated was given a tee shirt proclaiming “I Faced the Gauntlet” on the front and “and helped fight hunger” on the back and a certificate of completion designed by Master Paul Allen of Allen’s Martial Arts. 

Sasha Hausman of Second Harvest was quite happy with the donations collected and will be sure to put them to good use. If anyone wishes to make an online donation for the event, click here for a link to Second Harvest’s secure website.   Unlike many charities, Second Harvest applies 97.1% of monies collected directly to getting food to people in need.

There were so many people that pulled together to make this work and we did not get the opportunity to thank all of you personally. Thank you to all of you. If you have stories about the event you want to share and/or suggestions for us to take back and use for planning next year’s event, please send them to MartialArtistsFightingHunger@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

In closing, the event was successful. We learned a few lessons along the way, one being about lawn signs, and more about stepping up the pace of the event. All in all, it was a great chance for martial artists of all disciplines to come together and share their love of the art. New relationships were forged and old ones were strengthened. I think a tradition was born…

Just What is the Gauntlet?

Several people I know have asked lately just what the Gauntlet is about. They think it sounds intimidating and difficult. Actually it’s not that at all. Basically, you complete a series of challenges with a couple of others in your weight class and belt level. You get points for each station. The person with the most points wins.

So what are the challenges you ask? The first one tests power by having you kick one of those big black kicking bags you see in every martial arts school. Next, your kicking technique is evaluated by the same people you see at tournaments as officials and coaches. Speed is then tested by having you kick or punch [with no target to hit] and timing it with Master Turnbull’s radar gun. When we tested this one on his class, no one wanted to quit.

Then you stand on a low [3 inches above the ground] balance beam and try to hold a side kick out for 15 seconds. Someone will be there to be sure you don’t fall off. Then you get to throw a target in the air and punch it before it lands. Again, these are fun.

The next part is the self defense component. [If you don’t want to do this part you may skip it. You won’t get points for any part you skip, however.] In this part, you are matched with someone of your size and belt level. You defend yourself against a rubber knife attack, use a padded sword and mock spar with two “attackers.”

The final parts involve running 30 feet while dodging rubber throwing stars and the is a favorite of the kids.  The final part is a short half-court comBATON game. Again, people are there to help you and you can skip any part you aren’t sure about.

Everyone, even if they don’t complete all stations, gets a tee shirt and the feeling of satisfaction of helping others by participating. You get to enjoy the camaraderie of spending time with other martial artists and the possibility of winning the Eosin Panther Black Belt.

So what are you waiting for? You can register online for free and the only cost to participate is a donation of canned goods for Second Harvest Food Bank. All martial artists are welcome from traditional styles to MMA, no one will have an unfair advantage. The kids will can get their picture with the Samurai and get a temporary tattoo. If you still have questions, e-mail me at martialartistsfightinghunger@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer your questions and concerns.

Respectfully,

Kitty Breed >^^<

Easy Online Registration for the Gauntlet

Online registration for the Gauntlet is easy and free. Simply click this link  to go to the registration site, fill out the form, click and you’ll get an e-mail confirming your registration. The cost of participation is a donation of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida or $5.00. This is a totally non-profit activity where you can help those in need of a helping hand and have a good time with fellow martial artists in the process.Please feel free to repost this information. We want to make a difference and you are an important part!

 

July 19th’s Gauntlet Practice

CJ, Julie, George, and Joey helped Steve and Master Turnbull block out the gauntlet.

The Gauntlet consists of 10 stations where martial artists compete with others to earn points in multi-discipline events that collect food donations as registration and spectator fees. Instead of food, a donation of $5.00 or more may be made  at the door for Second Harvest Food Bank .  Anyone who is unable to attend may make a donation online on Second Harvest’s site. Please indicate that any donations are for the Martial Artists Fighting Hunger event if you donate online.

Update: The first Gauntlet is an abbreviated verson to be held August 21, 2009 during the half-time of a comBATON game at Mount Dora Middle School. It will benefit Lake Cares Food Pantry, which has experienced a surge in demand and has had to turn people away due to a lack of food. This was added due to the extreme state of need for donations. Lake Cares will have a represenative to take the food for distribution the following week.

The second event is September 5, 2009 at Lyman High School, 865 Ronald Reagan Blvd, Longwood, Fl, 32760. This event is features the full Gauntlet. A donationof canned food is the cost of admission to compete or be a spectator. The beneficiary of this event is Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

The third event will be on October 3, 2009 at Northwood University at 2600 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, 33409. This event features the full Gauntlet and this events benefits the PBC Community Food Alliance associated with The United Way of Palm Beach County.

Update for Week ending 7/6/09

1. This has been a busy week for Martial Artists Fighting Hunger. In addition to it being a short week due to the holiday, almost everyone was at the AAU TaeKwonDo Nationals or getting ready for the US Open. Nevertheless, a lot was accomplished
2. Kitty Breed consolidated the various e-mail address into an address book on Constant Contact and fleshed out the event blog with additional tabs. She also added new contacts daily to the address book and put links on the event blog
3. Sasha Hausman of Second Harvest Food Bank kept in touch on details of organizing events
4. Steve Blanton refined the scorecard for ease in scoring, worked on the gauntlet station and worked on a sponsorship form
5. Kitty Breed and Steve Blanton had phone discussions and exchanged e-mails with venues off and on all day for several days
6. Master Art Mason continued to be a great internet support
7. Kitty Breed put small budget ad on Facebook for FB page [Shh, Steve doesn’t know yet!] and increased fans on page by 25% in one day.
8. Master Boozer, TanDaoKungFu, Find Fight and HSMA retweeted and posted information on Twitter along with others too numerous to name.
9. Kitty Breed dated Constant Contact and communicated with interested individuals started a press kit
10. Team Apocalypse and BigDaddyJC have started their food collections.
11. Steve Blanton made Martial Artists Fighting Hunger business cards for Master David Turnbull, Master Wendi Turnbull of 2 Dog Photography, Kitty Breed and Megan D. to take to the Martial Arts SuperShow on Monday
12. We’ll be busy next week but not online as we’re not taking our computers to Las Vegas [unless we decide we can’t live withour them], leaving Steve Blanton to hold the fort down