THEME OF THE MONTH

Our theme for this month is, “Positive Attitude.” A positive attitude can get us through just about anything we have to face in life. Please read the article on the flip side about attitude, answer the questions to see how your attitude is. Your attitude has a direct effect on everyone around you as theirs does on you. Try to always find the positive!

STUDENT OF THE

MONTH

Drumroll please! Spencer Bair is our Student of the Month! Spencer works really hard at his karate and attends every extra event that he can. Congrats Spencer!

AMP STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Way to Go Kimber Griffin you are the AMP Student of the Month! Kimber is very polite and helps with the younger students at reading time. Congrats Kimber.

Scholarship

Congrats to Rachael Lappin, the recipient of the Region 21 Scholarship. Rachael was honored n Sunday at Black Belt Camp with the scholarship. Good job!

BREAKING BRING A FRIEND SEMINAR

We will have a special seminar on Saturday, 8/27. You can bring a friend to this breaking seminar. You will both learn breaking tips and get to break a board. Remember, friends need to have a parent present or a signed permission slip.

CLUB THEME

This month Clubs will be doing breaking or staff on Monday and Tuesday and sparring or contact sparring on Wednesday and Thursday. Please note that if you are going to contact spar you will need a chest protector, this can help you get ready for the open tournament. Additionally, Leaders will be doing takedowns with Master Lappin on 8/5 and Masters will be learning escrima on 8/26. Escrima sticks are available in the pro shop for 20% off.

Balck Belt Testing

If you are testing for Black Belt in October please note that paperwork and essays are due to us by September 26^th. Open mat workouts start on Friday, 9/9 and are every Friday from 4PM-6PM until the test.

ANNIVERSARY/OPEN HOUSE

Join us on Saturday, August 13^th for our annual Open House Spectacular. MMA is celebrating 10 years and we are planning a fun filled day. The events start at 12PM with a water slide and FREE hotdogs. We will have a FREE self-defense class at 1PM and a FREE “Earn Your White Belt Class” at 1:45PM. Please tell all your friends as this event is FREE to the public. The festivities end at 3PM but not before we have our WTSDA Building Fund Fundraiser. Buy a “pie” for $1 and you can put in the face of your favorite instructor!

GUP TEST

Please make sure that you are on time for your test and have all of the things that you need. Everyone needs to have their full white dobahk, including jacket with the correct patches. Additionally if you are sparring you will need your sparring gear and cup (for boys). Please make sure you also have your mouth piece. If you have any questions please call.

FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

Tell your friends and neighbors! We will be offering a FREE community workshop, “How to be More Respectful and Get Better Grades.” These workshops will be offered on Friday, 8/19 at 6:30PM and Monday, 8/22 at 6:30PM. Please RSVP to Dot (904)291-1335 as spaces are limited.

UPCOMING EVENTS

8/1 TESTING PAPERWORK DUE!

8/3 Backwards Day

8/5 Leaders/Take Downs 6PM-7PM

8/5 Gold Meeting 7PM-8PM

8/5 EE Meeting 8PM-9PM

8/6 GUP TEST 9AM

8/10 Buddy Day w/Padded Swords

8/11 Buddy Day w/Padded Swords

8/13 OPEN HOUSE 1PM-3PM

8/16 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

8/19 Community Workshop 6:30PM

8/20 PROMOTION PARTY 7PM-9PM

8/22 Community Workshop 6:30PM

8/24 MMA Day wear your t-shirt or polo to work or school and get a raffle ticket for a back to school pack.

8/26 Masters/Escrima 6PM-7PM Escrima currently 20% off in the pro shop

8/27 Breaking Bring a Friend Seminar 11:30AM-1PM

8/31 TT/LD Test 3:30PM

REFERRAL CONTEST

Please check the referral board for the list of people in the running for the year end contest. Remember, someone will win $500 just for sharing the joy of Karate with their friends.

PARENTS CLUB NEWS

Thank you to all who participated in the penny wars.

We will need volunteers to work the food sale for the GUP test and a donation list will go out within the next couple of days.

We have some decal orders but are in need of more to meet the quota for ordering. Please let us know if you are interested in ordering one.

Any questions or suggestions please

e-mail Joanne Manzi at jmmanzi@fdn.com.

PROMOTION PARTY

Our GUP Promotion Party is scheduled for Saturday, August 20^th at 7PM. Please join us for this exciting time for all of the students. We will also be handing out honor roll awards as well as Perfect Attendance for the Summer. We will be announcing that list later this week. There will be a sign-up list located at the front counter for our pot-luck dinner after the belt awards, please plan on staying and sharing a dish with us.

Open Tournament

Open Tournament applications are available for the Tournament on September 24. The event will be at Lakeside Jr. High. This is a great first tournament as well as for seasoned pros. Apps are available on the website or at the front counter.

Do You Have a Positive Attitude?

The word attitude means a state of mind, behavior or conduct. You control your attitudes. You may not be able to control the weather, but you can control how you think or behave. Your attitude has a direct effect on the outcome of your life. Whether it’s a positive or negative effect is your responsibility. A positive attitude is your best choice because it will lead to a more successful and fulfilling life.

The martial arts teaches you to think positively. This does not come naturally for some of us. A positive attitude requires skill, consistency and practice. That is another reason that the distinguished rank of Black Belt is so special. It represents not only excellent martial arts skills and abilities, but also an excellent attitude. Without a positive attitude, you could not reach the level of Black Belt because of the numerous challenges you will face during that journey.

Test yourself for a positive or negative attitude. Answer true or false to the statements below.

1. When I fail a test or challenge, I remain positive, knowing that there is something to be learned from the experience. Thinking negatively will only keep me from growing.

2. When I face a challenging deadline, I roll up my sleeves and rise to the occasion, knowing that I will feel great once I finish. Thinking negatively will keep me from making my deadline.

3. I do not judge my friends by the words or opinions of others. If I judged people based on others’ opinions, then I would not have as many friends.

4. I do not blame others for my misfortunes. Blaming others would only make me more miserable.

5. I do not consider criticism from others to be a personal attack on me when it is meant to be constructive. If I did, then I would not be a great leader.

If you answered true to all of the statements above, then you have a highly positive attitude and most likely take every-day ups and downs in stride. If you answered false to any of the statements above, then you are still learning to develop a consistently positive attitude. You can have a positive attitude by simply telling yourself to think positively and refusing to listen to negative thoughts.

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive outcomes; a negative attitude causes a chain reaction of negative outcomes. It is best for you to have a positive attitude. If you do, you will surely live a happier, healthier life!