One day Krista, Brandon and the manager decided it was time they get some help with the cardio kickboxing program, thus opened an entirely new facet of training for me. Though I was a regular participant in Krista's cardio classes, I never thought I'd be teaching them. In fact, the manager decided to purchase someone else's branded program and launch it in both clubs. I'm not saying it didn't work, but for the life of me I can't fathom why one would pay for a something you could do in house that was the same if not better quality. When I think of the energy we wasted on that program... well, hindsight is 20/20 and all that.
In any event the new program was well structured and very easy to learn and a few of our better students and Reema our receptionist also learned how to teach the cardio portion of the class. It was good training as all of the cardio was done with the class.
Things were going well at the Mississauga club. Enrollment was up, Krista was getting the help and advertising she needed and a few of the students from Gerry Watson's old club were getting ready to grade for black belt.
Somewhere around then we held a grand opening for the Millcreek club. Brandon and I taped off a large area in the parking lot out in front of the club the night before. The next day, the area would have a stage in front of the club, music, a bouncing castle, other fun kids stuff (don't quite remember the details) and the Harvey's mobile restaurant - kind of like a big BBQ on wheels. This was thanks to Mr. Tay, one of our student's father who ran a couple of Harvey's restaurants. Unfortunately, there was a car parked in the area we wanted to tape off - so we put the tape around it hoping it would be gone by morning.
It wasn't.
So we did what any group of guys who think they're tougher than they probably are would do. Seven or so of us grabbed that car by the front end, lifted so the weight was mostly off the front wheels, and moved it right out of there! It became a great conversation piece during the celebrations. We got to see Brandon do a musical bo kata which was a rare and awesome treat. There were kids doing katas too, and I got to do Seiyunchin with a little trancy Enigma in the background. It was a really fun day, unfortunately we were so well hidden that we didn't really generate any new members from it!
Training continued and I dug myself out of my debt hole slowly, I even had a little bit of cash in the bank. All that cheap living!
Around then I decided it was time to take drastic action. Please let me explain with pictures:
In 1994 my hair was awesome. Captain Kirk, eat your heart out!
In 1998, not so much... combover before 25 years old? I don't think so.
So in 1999, I did this.
I graded a few more times and I was a brown belt. That's about when my parents rang me up one day and said they'd be moving back within a year.
I grew up in Montreal, in the same house for 16 years. When I was 16, my parents and I moved to Mississauga since Dad couldn't find work in his area of expertise. Some old contacts from the 80's had work going in Toronto. My two older brothers had lives and serious girlfriends, so they both decided to stay in Montreal. I lived with my parents a few more years until Dad, who was always looking for a better job, found one in the U.S.A. working for Pirelli's high voltage power division.
Dad was back and forth between Mississauga and somewhere in New Jersey for the better part of a year, and then the California job came up. Long story short, I decided to stay in Mississauga, and moved out just after turning 19.
Imagine my surprise five years later when Dad told me he'd be back in town to start looking for work, staying at a cousin's house. So I got together with him and he asked if I'd move back in with them when they found a place. Having struggled for as long as I had, I jumped at the opportunity. I moved back in with my parents on December 31st 1999. Oh, and the world didn't melt down by the way, which everyone was worried it would. My parent's went out with other people from their generation, so I stayed home and mopped the floors. After all, if the world is going to end, you'd want to have clean floors right?
The new house was in Brampton, about a 35 minute drive from the Mississauga club. Room and board would cost me $200 less a month than just rent had at my old place and Ma also gave me her car as Dad had bought her a new one. It was an old Pontiac 6000 STE, and it served me well as long as I kept it.
One night after a great session of training at Millcreek, Dave came up to me and asked if I might want to work a few days a week at the Tyrolit Abrasives warehouse. I took a while to think about it, and decided it was another great opportunity, a little extra money wouldn't hurt, and I'd be working with someone I knew and liked. I'll tell you the story of how I earned the nickname "Cardboard Ninja" from the upper management next time!
Yours on the journey,
J.
