As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to play hockey. I was three
years old the first time I was on skates and as a young kid, aspirations of playing in the
NHL someday seemed not too unrealistic. At ten years old, I felt like I was on top of the
world. I was an integral part of my team’s success and was invited to try out for an elite
Tier 1 AAA Youth Hockey Program partnered with the Eastern Hockey League.
Tragically, my dreams of playing professional hockey came to a screeching halt during
one early morning game. As I was trying to skate the puck out of our defensive zone, I
was tripped by an opposing player. While laying on the ice face down, the opposing
player who had tripped me stood over me and slammed the butt-end of his stick into my
lower back three times. I ended up with three fractured vertebrae and two herniated
discs. Over the course of the next two years; I was unable to attend school, in and out
of body casts and braces, dealing with pain that no kid should have to bear.
After years of physical therapy and rehabilitation, I decided to try skating again in
middle school. By high school, I felt in good enough shape to try out for the hockey
team. I made the cut and played through the duration of my high school career. In
college, at UMass Amherst, I joined an intermural team and continued to play for fun.
As I grew older, however, normal aspects of the game began to become problematic for
my lower back. After playing, I would end up so stiff and sore that I began to question
whether continuing to play was worth it or not. To address the stiffness and soreness, I
decided to give yoga a try. After just my second class, I was attempting the cobra pose
before bed one night. As I began to rise up on my arms, I heard and felt a pop in my
low back. Within a split second I was overcome by excruciating pain and needed
assistance just to get into bed. The next day, my doctor told me I had two herniated
discs. After about two months of suffering and rehabilitation, the pain started to finally
ease. At this point though, I was extremely fearful to take any kind of risk or put any
kind of stress on my low back. Experiencing that kind of pain again was the absolute
last thing I wanted to do. So, for approximately two years, I did nothing physical out of
fear.
In December of 2019, my daughter, Ruby, started as a Panther at The Dojo.
Though everything soon went remote with the onset of Covid, I was experiencing
tremendous joy watching her “in class”. Remote karate continued for quite a while and
finally Covid started to ease up. By this time, I was realizing how detrimental two years
with barely any physical activity really was. I was also often being asked the same
question by Ruby’s instructors, “When are we going to get you out on the mat?”.
One extremely hot afternoon in June of 2021 I took the plunge and had my first
one-on-one with Shihan Kendall. After that brief introduction, I couldn’t wait for more.

From watching Ruby’s classes, I had an idea of what it was all about but didn’t
anticipate the immediate love I would have for the art or for my future instructors. Soon,
I was attending two to three classes per week and working with Ruby to hone our skills.
In the beginning, my low back was often sore and stiff. As time progressed, however, I
noticed some changes. With more time spent on the mat, my body was feeling better
and better. I also adopted a regimen of stretching and mobility work which proved to be
even more helpful. Aside from the physical benefits, my time on the mat was helping in
other ways too. My wife, Meg, soon made an observation that had until then evaded
me – my stress and anxiety were sharply diminished.
Almost three years later, I find myself part of the small group going up for our
black belts on May 11 th . The coolest part is, I’ve had the privilege to go through the
entire process with Ruby. Somehow, along our individual black belt journeys, our
schedules aligned. Sharing such an incredible achievement with my daughter will
surely be memories we’ll have for eternity. As I write this, we have only two bootcamps
left – then the big day. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t at least a little bit nervous about
the test. I got myself this far though and I’m looking at it as one more hill to climb. Just
a bigger, longer hill with a bit more yelling and a lot more hydration ��
The amount of gratitude I have for The Dojo and my instructors is beyond words.
If it weren’t for Ruby starting way back in 2019, who knows where I’d be today, what I’d
be doing, or how I’d be feeling. Considering how I got here, I truly feel that I, myself,
embody our Student Creed. I do grow every day in mind, body, and spirit. I do work to
be my best in every way and help others do the same. I do strive for peace, kindness,
and respect. And I have developed Black Belt Excellence through modesty, courtesy,
integrity, and self-control. That said, I don’t think I’d be here if it were not for the
perseverance and indomitable spirit, I’ve had all my life.
So, yeah…..if you’re curious, I still enjoy watching hockey, but I no longer play. I
guess I’m not a hockey guy anymore. Nowadays, I’m a karate guy. Oshi shinobu!