More than half my life has been dedicated to the appreciation for, study and practice of self-defense—specifically Taekwondo. The art chose me in a sense rather than the other way around; actually, my best friend (Aaron) chose (for me) during our high school junior year. At the time, I was obsessed with boxing because of Stallone's Rocky films (IV being my favorite at the time). Had all the garb: headgear, wraps, gloves, mouthpiece, heavy bag. Aaron had other plans for our martial arts journey, however

On North 4th (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) in what was originally a bar turned martial arts studio, Traditional Taekwondo College (TTC), headed by Master Michael Sharrett, brought old school training to North Idaho. Two athletic, somewhat cocky teenagers (Aaron and I) entered the special Black Belt Academy (BBA) class. Closed to the public—even other classes at the school—the BBA, an exclusive club, required referral. Luckily, Aaron had an in; one of the TTC instructor's students lived right across the street from my folk's place. On a brisk February evening, we embarked on our first lesson. With the neon signage turned off, open sign rotated to closed, shades drawn, front door locked...the rest is history.