SO PROUD OF COLTON!!! Today he competed in the Texas Tough Sport Karate Championship and won 1st place in Creative Kata (attached), Traditional Kata, and the Pinnacle of the day- The Grand Championship!! The reason that’s so important is that he had to compete against all the 1st place competitors between 10-13 years old, including the advanced brown and red belts. He competed against some amazingly talented kids but came out on top!! This was a very different result than his last tournament, where, for the first time, he didn’t place 1st. In one event he even placed 4th. He had never won the Grand Championship against the upper belts until today.

The reason it’s so important, is he didn’t give up. He didn’t allow his last performance to define his future, to steal his passion for the sport. He (we) dug in and worked hard to improve, adding skills that he never performed previously, including a back handspring. We had many late nights, as he always wanted to wait for me to get home to practice. We had many discussions about achieving your goals. He doubled his practice time with his karate instructor, multiple-time world champion, Bear Loebe of #sportkarateamerica, and tumbling coach, world-class gymnast, Javier Sandoval at #Sandovalgymnastics. Special thanks to them for their dedication and patience in training Colton!! They are outstanding people and instructors.

We push our kids to excel, to push themselves, and to attain excellence. It isn’t an easy road to pave. Sometimes it’s lonely. It’s always hard. But so is everything worth attaining. The struggle to improve will continue. I am so proud of his determination, dedication, and passion. His hard work paid off. Hard work usually does, even in the absence of victory. Today was a good day. Thank you to God and to our friends who came to support him today, Mr. Batson, Uncle Scotty, Aunt Tammy, Uncle Rod, Auntie Christina, Trace, Zhuri, Ashley, and Reign.

Love to you all. Keep striving for excellence!