Summer Time

This summer I realized that love is not what it seems. Love is not what I thought I wanted and it is definitely the cause to the ache that replaces all loneliness, and then some. 

 

I have never really been in love, I didn't even start dating until I was 18 and in college. I was the girl in high school who had to hold out for the "mature" men in college. When I got to college... all of the sudden the "mature" pool of males were just older version of the same boys that I went to high school with. Nonetheless, I gave in and gave it a try.  

 

So I started to go on group dates, pretty much maturing relationship wise at the level of a giddy fifteen-year-old girl. So everything was a HUGE deal to me. I mean holding hands for the first time ever with a guy at the age of a legal, was all I could think about for weeks. Of course, my closest friends around me were and have always been in long term relationships, so news like this was pretty lame. But that's what I loved about it and how much I would treasure the small things.

 

I went on to date a handful of bad guys, this is not me being a man-hater, literally, I knew that they were not good guys, but I wanted to see the good in them, because I believe that I can see the good in everyone. I learned quick.

 

When it came to the heart, I should have been careful and more picky about who I let in. Because one's first encounters with surrendering the heart to another's hands, shapes that person and molds that person's expectations of what a relationship is. Looking back about 2 years later, I wish that I would have been more picky. I could never see past looks, until this summer.

 

This summer I realized that I really didn't need a man to fulfill my heart. I didn't need his acceptance, I was fed up of always trying to look my best, wear my best, walk my best wherever I went. Just trying to keep up with the Orange County lifestyle that I have grown up around. This town will rock you if you even think about wearing a pair of Crocks if you are not a nurse!

 

But I mellowed out a lot, my sister got married, and I have never been so happy for my family. My parents are happy and I realized that instead of concentrating on getting that guy, that this is what life is all about. Taking in the life moments like I did this summer.

The Show Goes on for Javier "Showtime" Vazquez

Photo credit: Millenniamma.com

The Show Goes on for Javier “Showtime” Vazquez
By Breanna Armstrong

After defeating JC Pennington at ShoXC: “Elite Challenger Series” in October 2007, Javier “Showtime” Vazquez (13-2-0) announced his retirement claiming that he wanted to pursue his MMA career further as a coach.

Now, almost two years later, Vazquez is back and better than ever. “The more I coached, the more I ended up wanting to get back into it again.” said Vazquez.

On June 27, Vazquez clearly got right back into his fighting career, as he made his comeback at Ultimate Chaos, where he defeated Mark Kergosien with a guillotine choke just 19 seconds into the first round.

His nick name “Showtime” was given to him by his coach, UFC veteran, Romie Aram, because Aram said that every time Javier gets into the ring its “Showtime.” And this statement stands true as Vazquez has been noticed as one of the best technical MMA fighters in the world.

After wrestling at Mt. San Antonio College, Vazquez’s eye caught onto MMA and he started competing in tournaments, and started winning them, which resulted in his career. Betiss Mansouri, the owner of Millennia MMA gym, came along side of Vazquez and trained him to become the champion that he is today.

At the age of 33, Vazquez still stands as a tough competitor because “The older you get, you train smarter,” he says, “At 20, you can do whatever you want, but as you get older you have to taper your training. It has kept me wanting to keep training because I am not burned out. I’m happy, I’m in a better mood and I have the desire to train because I am not burning myself out.”

Vasquez has seen the rise of MMA and recalls a time when Millennia was one of the only gyms around the area. “The old gym started out as this large rectangular room and we put mats in it of course. After a while, practices started to get so big and we were running out of wall space so we thought of caging it off. It was really funny because we had an actual fencing company come out to cage it off. It wasn’t like the rubber cages today, it was an actual cage. And that was one of the best facilities around at the time. We called it the dungeon.”


Originally, Vazquez was one of the first owners of the Millennia gym, but he went on to start a gym of his own called “Showtime Jiu-Jitsu” as well as going back to his old college to teach Jui-Jitsu at Mt. SAC for five years.

Vazquez is now back at Millennia as a respected instructor. “As far as in the Inland Empire, I think that coaching wise, there is no one better than our gym, not even close. And even if someone has better athletes than us, if you give us those athletes we will turn them into super athletes.” said Vazquez.

“I want to compete at the elite level to just show how grateful I am for everyone who has watched my career and supported me from the beginning,” said Javier, “I just want to leave my mark on this sport. I think that I could get the opportunity to do that if I get in the WEC, that’s what I would like to do if the opportunity presents itself. Maybe I will.”

Just a month after this interview with Vazquez, right before his Ultimate Chaos victory, Javier “Showtime” Vazquez was signed to the WEC. It is looking like his mark is clearly being made on this sport and the show goes on.

TKO in Las Vegas

July 25, 2009
Las Vegas Hilton


For 20 years, the World Championship Kickboxing has been a prestigious organization in the Muay Thai community across the world. Dennis Warner, the founder of the WCK, has created some of the most renowned shows in this rising sport.

Warner, has held World Championships all over the world under his promotion company, In Sync Productions Inc., and has brought the most international fighters to North America than any other American Muay Thai organization. Warner holds an event every month, holding a promising fight card to satisfy fans at each match.

For the WCK's 89th production, Redland’s Jared Lara, defeated Vaughn Lucas for the WBC Muay Thai National Title as well as the US Middlewieght Title at the World Championship Muay Thai in the Las Vegas Hilton on July 25.

Lara and Vaughn went five, three-minute rounds, until Lara ended up on top with his endurance clearly defeating Vaughn’s. Lara's win was a unanimous decision. This was the first bout of the evening; Lara wore his Title proudly and set the packed Hilton show off with high expectations from the crowd.

Baxter Humby, (35-5) from Los Angeles gave a great performance, as he defeated Chike Lindsay in the Welterwieght bout. Humby, who was born without his right arm, put on a great fight and took the win with split decision. After his victory, Humby addressed the audience and said, “The only limits that you have are the ones that you put on yourself.”



Also on the fight card was Thailand’s superstar, Malaipet, (138-28-5) who went head to head with England’s cup of tea, Rich Fenwick (28-8-1) to take Fenwick’s WBC International Super welterweight title, which Fenwick earned by defeating Malaipet in a close point decision earlier this year.

The Thailand native came out on top this time, sweeping Fenwick’s title from him and making the bout an unforgettable match. The crowd could see the smile on Malaipet’s face as he threw each punch at his opponent. With a unanimous decision, it was a sweet victory for Malaipet and his fans and was a great ending to the memorable evening.

Randy Couture and son, Ryan, made it out to the Las Vegas event as well, adding to the excitement of the night. Warner put on an unforgettable show and is holding his next event in Las Vegas as well on August 30.

Full Results: (from The Las Vegas Sun by Hepi Mita)

Malaipet def. Richard Fenwick via unanimous decision — WBC Muay Thai Super Welterweight International Championship.

Kevin Ross def. Justin Greskiewicz via TKO (head kick) Round 3, 1:49 — WBC Muay Thai US Welterweight Championship.

Jeri Sitzes def. Christine Toledo via unanimous decision.

Romie Adanza def. Paulo Da Silva via TKO (leg kicks), Round 4, 0:26 — IKKC International Championship, WBC Muay Thai Bantamweight US Championship.

Baxter Humby def. Chike Lindsay via split decision.

Scotty Leffler def. Shane Oblonsky via KO (knee to the head), Round 1, 2:23.

Jared Lara def. Vaughn Luca via unanimous decision — WBC Muay Thai US Middleweight Championship

Muay Thai Sweeps the Inland Empire

Muay Thai Sweeps the Inland Empire (version of the Press Enterprise article that I wrote for June 13, 2009)
by Breanna Armstrong

Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand that has been practiced since 1702. This form of martial arts consists of two fighters using punches or kicks of the shins, elbows, hands, feet, and knees to defeat the competitor.

This ancient sport is a stand-up game that sets the foundation for Mixed Martial Arts. It is a sport based on technique and core principals. Muay Thai is practiced all over the world, and is becoming a popular sport in the United States.

For 20 years, the World Championship Kickboxing has held Muay Thai competitions internationally, bringing in the best Muay Thai fighters from across the world to its shows.

The World Championship of Muay Thai, is the WCK’s 88th fight, which takes place at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood on June 13.

With an impressive fight card, bringing in several international athletes, this display of Championship level Muay Thai will be one of the most highly anticipated shows that the WCK has ever hosted.

On the fight card are two of the Inland Empire’s toughest competitors, Sheila Telliard(1-1) and Michelle Percival (3-0). The duo trains out of United States Karate Organization in Riverside, with a dedication to the competitive side of Muay Thai.

Telliard, who went to Colton High School, has been training out of the Riverside gym for eight years, “My son started taking karate at USKO, and so I became a Karate mom. And then I got involved and started teaching classes and jumped right into fighting.” said Telliard.

“I started kick boxing ten years ago and I loved it from the first moment. I have been training at USKO for five years and it has taught me the focus of Muay Thai.” said Percival, who graduated from Notre Dame High School.

Telliard and Percival have been training together for the World Championship Muay Thai fight, and will be the two most anticipated female fights of the WCK show. “These two fighters get a lot of respect around our gym. Most of the guys here will not even get into the ring with the ladies, because they are such fierce competitors.” said Joey Pagliuso, owner of USKO and trainer to the ladies.

They spare together, train together and condition together which has not only helped them prepare for Saturday’s fight, but has also been a major support to both ladies who will be representing the Inland Empire in the World Championship of Muay Thai.

“My number one support through this training process has been my training partner, Michelle. It is so pushed that this is an individual sport, but through my trainers and training partner, to me it has become a team sport. I feel good about this fight, I am ready,” said Telliard.

• Results: Sheila Telliard took out her opponent, Anna Danielyan, in the first round. Telliard took the win and gave an incredible performance.
• Percival's opponent, Maria Morales, backed out of the fight after Friday night's weigh-ins. Percival, as well as the USKO team were recognized in the ring after Sheila's victory.
• Over 2,000 in attendance at the Hollywood Park Casino on Saturday June 13, 2009.

Retiring my Pom Poms

Today, June 14, 2009, I am officially announcing the retirement of my cheerleading career. For those who know, know that for over a decade, cheerleading has been a huge part of my life. I started dancing when I was 4 years old and joining cheerleading in elementary school, just felt necessary.

I have strained my voice, had girls dropped on me, broken a few limbs, endured a few black eyes and cheered my heart out for some of the most deserving teams in Southern California. Cheerleading has made me the peppy, high energy leveled woman that I am today. From this high-endurance sport, I have sharpened my communication skills and had a positive outlook on life as well.

I cheered for my jr. high, high school and college... and I can truly say, that through this sport I have created some of the best memories of my life. Hands down.

Many people do not see the side of cheer that a cheerleader does, the practices are grueling, focusing on conditioning, but instead of weights, we use people as our strength builders. Whether you are on the ground or in the air, you are responsible for your teammates life. It sounds really dramatic, but it's not, at any given time a girl could be dropped the wrong way and end in disaster. I have seen a lot throughout my 10 years of experience. This sport should not be taken lightly.

Being put in such a position of responsibility has helped me to become a woman of integrity and maturity. I have grown so much, because of my responsibilities that cheer has endowed to me. And I am so thankful to my coaches and teammates along the way.

Without the girls that I have cheered with over the years, I don't think that I could ever survive this sport. It is truly a sisterhood, nonetheless a sport. Because you are with each other for days at a time, it creates this camaraderie like no other. I can say in confidence that I will never forget any girl that I have ever served on a squad with. Each girl has contributed to my life.

For my senior year of high school, I had choreographed the homecoming dance routine to be preformed on the football field of Saddleback Community College. The bleachers were filled with hundreds of people. People who have seen me cheer a million times before. (I went to the same school from 6th grade-12th grade) But for some reason this time was different. I was on homecoming court that year and I was the only cheerleader on homecoming court who chose to change out of my gown and into my cheer uniform for the halftime show. There was no way that I was about to leave my girls hanging for our biggest performance of the year. I was so rushed for time, and almost panicking that I would not be able to change back into my gown for the parade. And I was nervous that the crowd wouldn't like the dance, but as son as that music came on, our varsity cheer team was on and I have never seen our fans cheer louder for us when we hit our ending stunt. It was one of the best routines that I have ever done and I will just never forget the feeling of accomplishment that came with it.

Another moment that I will never forget is going to the NCA National Cheerleading Collegiate Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida this April. It was an experience that every cheerleader dreams of. I had never worked harder to be on a squad in my life until I started cheerleading for my University. We were pushed to the limit and our hard work had paid off as we accepted our bid to Nationals. When we competed on the National floor for the first time, it was unlike and feeling ever, just the lights and the sea of judges and cheerleaders. Wow! You will never see anything like it. Just the experience of being there and getting second place in challenger's cup and hearing our coach, say "we left out hearts on that floor," all of those things made a year of hard work and high stress pay off.

I have had the text book cheer career, it does not get better than the 10 years of memories that I have to forever hold on to. So today, announcing my official retirement, is no easy task. But it is one that has been in the making for quite some time now. I realized that as my last year of college cheerleading was coming to a wrap, that I needed to focus on my career and let go of my favorite pastime. After all, it's not like I am going to become a professional cheerleader. I am a writer, I have just become the managing editor for my publication and I am focusing on a big dream that has just started to take off. I need to focus on that for now.

It's been fun, it's been peppy, it's been pink and frilly with a lot of ribbons and hairspray and pom poms. I am excited for the next chapter in my life and I owe so much of my motivation to this sport that has taught me so much.

Long Road To MMA (featured in the Press Enterprise Newspaper) May 14, 2009

For further reading check out: http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_karakhanyan_mma_14.3ed3b28.html

And After a great fight, lasting 3 rounds, Georgi "Insane" Karakhanyan defeated Alber Rios, taking the featherwieght title.

If Pro is a No Go

By Breanna Armstrong

 

So you are a senior collegiate athlete that is just about to graduate? Either you’re going to be signed to your favored pro team or you’ll have your degree and job offers will be thrown at your feet! The “real world” should come as second nature, right? This is usually never the case for any college graduate. After the graduation cake is all eaten, what comes next for the typical college athlete who has just entered into the working world?

 

According to Sports Illustrated, “You have a roughly one in 12,000 chance of becoming a pro. The average career lasts in the vicinity of five years.”

 

So now what? Sure if you don’t make it pro after graduating there’s always that degree to fall back on. But research has clearly shown that making the transition from college athletics to the "real world" is a difficult, frustrating and oftentimes painful experience for student athletes. The reason for this is, unlike most traditional students, athletes are focused on practicing and competing in their sport well into their senior year. This significantly reduces the time available to participate in career fairs, campus interviews and other programs designed to help them find gainful employment. But how does one begin to transition from an athlete to business?

 

CBU alumni, David Odien, thought the same thing after he played three seasons on the men’s soccer team at California Baptist University. The coach recruited him while he was playing soccer at MT. SAC. He graduated in 2003 and after graduation, David explained, “For me, like many student athletes, athletics was a huge part of my life. I decided that I would coach soccer because it was what I knew. I coached at the high school level for five years while looking for a solid career. It was a tough transition for me and I luckily found Athletes to Business.”

 

“Athletes to Business is a privately owned company dedicated to coaching, counseling and placing highly talented student athletes into the corporate world. Working in harmony with educational institutions and America’s top companies, Athletes to Business helps student athletes make a smooth transition from the playing field, to their vocational field, and find rewarding employment.” Said Odien.

 

Odien first heard of Athletes to Business from a friend who had used their services to start a great career after college.  “After speaking with Athletes to Business, I became extremely excited and passionate about helping student athletes who were struggling with the transition from College to Corporate.  Then an opportunity opened in the Inland Empire for a Career Coach and I quickly accepted the position.”

 

Odien and other career coaches meet with the students during their Junior and Senior year.  “We sit down and discuss the importance of making good decisions their first year out of college.  We then help them use all of our resources to position themselves to make these decisions.  We work on their resumes, we help them with interview preparation, and we can help them set up interviews with corporations they are interested in.”

 

Athletes to Business has helped many student athletes transition and prepare for life after college.  “A2B” is working on almost every college campus in California, including Point Loma, Westmont, UCLA, UCR and many others.  They have helped many students on each of these campuses, and many of these students are 2 – 3 years into their careers and are extremely happy with the guidance that A2B provided.

 

For Odien, “A2B has provided me the opportunity to have a positive impact on my students lives.  It has enabled me to become a positive mentor and resource for  many great people.  It is an unbelievable gratification to see students that we with successfully transition from the playing field to the working world.  The positive feedback and gratefulness we receive everyday makes this opportunity that much more exciting.”

 

Athletes to Business is not just offered to athletes but to all students looking for guidance into the working world after graduation. It is important to develop a career consciousness early on and therefore Athletes to Business is open to anyone who is looking for guidance and help in finding and preparing for their career.  They provide help with resume development, interview preparations, and if the student is interested in Business, they can be set them up with high quality interviews with great corporations who are excited about seeing them.

 

This program has changed many students’ lives and provides a very practical transition into the working world. To get involved with this successful program, visit: www.athletestobusiness.com or to contact David Odien, an Inland Empire Career Coach, you can contact him at: dodien@athletestobusiness.com

 

Only you can choose your future, and Athletes to Business will be there to help you to reach for your goals.