Bluebelt; thanks...

[rbibbs]

Fellow Knuckledraggers, Las Vegas wouldn't have bet I'd last this long, but yawl did, hearty thanks. Got my bluebelt (BJJ) this afternoon. 8)

Rick

[Jarlo Ilano]

Wonderful! Great perseverance Rick. I know how hard you have worked and I'm sure the satisfaction gained was worth a hundred times the effort.

Great job "Old Man"! I will think of your success, when I'm trying to wiggle out of whatever bad position I've ended up in on the ground, and wondering why I got myself into this!

Jarlo

[Chuck Kechter]

Great job Rick!

Congratulations!

Chuck

[Scott Sonnon]

Congratulations, amigo!

[rbibbs]

Thanks very much Jarlo, Chuck, Coach. Short acceptance speech: Little growth takes place in a vacuum. I "did the work"... the inspiration to embark upon it from a position of relatively-profound unsurety, and the support to stay with it when the road got rocky, came from without. I heartily acknowledge and thank the contributors.

"When the members prosper, the tribe prospers, and the inverse."

Rick

[Cilian McHugh]

Congratulations Rick,

I know virtually nothing about BJJ but I understand that Blue Belt is an achievement to be proud of.

Cilian

[Lee]

Congrats!

I hope CST keeps you on the mats and injury free!

[rbibbs]

Thank you Cilian. BJJ is technical groundfighting; there are only 4 belt-ranks, blue, purple, brown, black... the colors of bruises... coincidence? :twisted:

Thank you Lee. CST has indeed made it possible to recover from/train through injuries, and I haven't been hurt in the past year. Ten years ago, I lost the use of my L shoulder for 18 months from sleeping on it wrong!

Rick

[JasonE]

Congratulations, Rick!

[Dan Chomycia]

Rick,

I'm proud to have trained with you brother!

Congratulations!

If anyone is in the Austin TX area your are missing out by not training with this guy :!:

[rbibbs]

Thank you Jason, and Coach Dan.

Dani'l was a big part of that "inspiration and support from without" I referred to a couple frames back. So was Yasu (Kym) Tachibana, coaching MMA in Dallas now. No exaggeration for me to say, that knowing both of these guys was a life-altering experience and pleasure (even when both of them were stacked on top of me, trying to teach me how to breathe under weight :twisted: ), and both are absolutely top-tier MMA coaches who know the sports, the methodology to convey what they know, and the spirit of the tribe.

Rick