A message from SubmissioN Impossible! Everybody knows Michael Jordan. But did you know he has 2 older brothers that are 54 and 55 in height?? Jordan sights them as the best competition he could ask for and that he got his competitive spirit from them. Something else you might not know is that he has a sister who was a year younger, who took extra classes in high school to graduate at the same time as Jordan, went to UNC with him and then graduated a year earlier! Jordan says his sister challenged him academically and that carried over into his basketball mentality. During his hall of fame speech, he constantly spoke of people who challenged him and, threw wood on the fire, driving his success. Everybody knows Mike Tyson but maybe not his trainer, Cus DAmato. Cus was able to transform a delinquent teenager into the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in 4 short years. He did this by believing in the Tysons abilities, teaching him to believe in himself and instilling self confidence in the young Iron Mike through the sport of boxing. What was Cus DAmatos philosophy?? A boy comes to you with a spark, you feed that spark and it becomes a flame, feed the flame and it becomes a fire, feed the fire and it becomes a roaring blaze! Not everyone knows John Lewis but he is the last surviving member of the big 6 organizers for the March on Washington in 1963. Last summer, Lewis delivered a powerful message in Washington on the 50th anniversary of the march in which he stated: We truly believed that in every human being, even those who were violent towards us, there was a spark of the divine. And no person had the right to scar or destroy that spark. What a powerful statement! When i heard it I thought yes, that spark DOES exist in everyone! If we can spark a kids interest in taking Judo or Jiu Jitsu, why should they miss out?? Because they cant afford it??!! I dont think so. So why not use our influence to change that. And like Jordan, Cus DAmato and John Lewis maybe we can IGNITE their potential to be something great!!! With SubmissioN Impossible, through Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and service in Astoria Park, were doing just that. Were giving kids a chance to learn, compete and challenge themselves in what I feel, is the safest, most diverse and accepting space in all of New York City, Omni Martial Arts. And our kids are developing a sense of self-worth by cleaning, maintaining and beautifying Astoria Park...its a great concept! I dont doubt that people see the good in this youth empowerment program. Its just that sometimes you need a tangible experience that everyone can relate to, to really drive home the message. So I have a couple of short stories for you... Back in the late 80s, a couple of small yet profound things happened that sent my older brother and sister on a path to success...it wasnt success in a professional, academic or economic sense, rather, they became very successful as compassionate and generous people....which Ive always admired about them. As kids we used to do chores at home like wash dishes, wipe down the dinner table and do laundry. Id like to think I did my fair share, but in reality it was mostly my sister Kim scrubbing away! So, at 16 she had an epiphany which was, I might as well get paid for this shit!and she got a job washing dishes for $4.25/hour at a golf course that was a few miles away from where we lived. For the first few weeks she walked to work. She saved up and bought a bike so she could cut some time off of her 40 minute walk. Kims bosses loved her...always on time, worked her ass off and never called in sick! But one day, she didnt show up. And her new bosses new something was up. That day, Kim was about to hop on her bike and leave for work from our cushy public housing complex when she realized, her bike got stolen, 3 weeks work, gone. The next day, I was walking home from track practice and I ran into Kims bosses, Mr and Mrs Jaycox, as they were pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex. They asked me if Kim was home and I said yeah. I went inside and told her that her bosses were out front. We nervously went back outside. I was like, is this how people get fired?? They come to your house and do it?! But it was a totaly unexpected act of kindness. We went back outside we saw Kims bosses unloading a brand new bike from their truck, tags and all but with a bigger lock! We were stunned, my sister cried...just like she is now. Looking back on that day my young sister gained validation for being a hard working and dependable and thats a tremendous message to send a teenage girl, especially in the 80s. Kim felt appreciated and valued and it showed. When I saw what Mr. & Mrs Jaycox did for my sister, I knew it was important to give and not only when asked, but through understanding! SubmissioN Impossible gives us ALL a chance to do that. My brother Jason cant dunk and he isnt worth $1 billon like Jordan, he hasnt organized a human rights movement that changed a nation nor has he delivered sermons to masses of people like John Lewis (unless you include a discussion on electron and ion beam lithography to an auditorium full of nano geeks), and unlike Cus DAmato, the only knockout he produced was giving me an uppercut with a down pillow when we were kids....which in my defense, I didnt see coming! Jason was a skate boarding, school skipping, go F yourself kind of kid when he was in high school and probably even earlier than that. As proof of his aversion to rules and authority, I have his 1st grade report card!!! In high school Jason was running low on self confidence and had few if any role models....although he knew how to roll things pretty well, if you know what I mean!! Our mother worried most about Jason and his future and looking back its like she understood what kind of influence he would have on my sister and I. It was a classic case of an idol teen who almost lost that spark of potential. In most of his classes, Jasons grades were average but his high school science teacher recognized that he showed promise in both chemistry and physics. His teacher, Thomas Oatan asked Jason if he might consider going to college and majoring in physics...inexplicably, Jason said yes! Tom Oatan went out of his way to introduce Jason the the head of the physics department at Union College, Safi Maleki. He was accepted at Union and he rest is history! Jason went on to get his bachelors in physics from Union. My sister and I followed his lead and attended Union too. He met his wife Rachel at Union and continued on to the University of Maryland where he received his PhD in Chemical Physics. He earned a fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and technology and then became a service engineer for Raith USA, a German based nano technology company. Today, he is the President and CEO of that companys US branch. Just two weeks ago, Jason had a ribbon cutting ceremony after he nearly tripling the size of the company, through persistence, hard work and a strong belief in his abilities. Its a true success story. So why am I telling you all this about my brother??? Well Ill have to back track a bit. 18 years ago, back in 1996 when Jason graduated from Union he wrote my father a letter for Fathers Day, which my father still had and I have here...it explains a lot! I hope you dont mind me reading this J... June 20th 1996 Dear Dad, I am very grateful for the support and guidance you have lent me during my life. Although there are many instances of your care for me, I choose to remind you of the one that is important to me. When I was a junior in high school, I had no plans for life. I had no outlet, no direction. Then you asked me if I would consider being a pilot in the armed forces. At first, I doubted I could ever do this. Me? A skateboarding, hell-raising teenager...a pilot??? You came up one weekend and brought me to the recruiters office. You outlined my strengths and my abilities for the officer while in I was there. After seeing your faith in me, I was convinced I could really be a pilot. Well Im not a pilot. But I now know that I could be a pilot if I wanted to. You instilled in me self-confidence and the comfort of knowing that you would always be there for me. In my senior year, my high school physics teacher asked me if I would like to major in physics at a good school. He mentioned Union College, but that had no meaning for me at the time. I instantly said yes. I knew it would be tough, but it could be done. When I look back on that day, I know what drove the word yes out of my mouth: confidence in myself and my abilities. Without your confidence in me, I would have declined the offer for lack of confidence in myself. So now Im a pilot soaring through life! Thanks for my wings dad! I love you, Jason Happy Fathers Day! So, my brother isnt Jordan, and thats cool with me. But he and my sister are great examples of what can happen when you have a kid with a spark (which we have with SubmissioN Impossible), parents who have hopes of a bright, productive future for their kids, (which we also have with SubmissioN Impossible) a members of a community, who takes initiative when they see a kid with promise, invest their time, and in some cases their hard earned dollars, to put that kid on the right path...well look to your left and right, because your are those people!!! I truly have love for everyone here!! Thanks for coming out :-)
Posted on: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 21:41:24 +0000
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