Golf outing is 9 days away and I only have one member of my foursome. This is going to be a great day. The plans that are being made do not allow me to have just anyone join the foursome. The need for a good sense of humor is a must. I guess it is just in my nature to not just go and hit a little white ball around without bringing a little amusement with me. The outing is best ball and since Roy and I have no real shot, having a ringer with us would be great to completely remove any pressure to win.

  Went to the Berkshire Bird Paradise today. The array of birds is amazing. Everything from Turkeys and Pigeons to Owls and Eagles. Some birds come from zoos and some are born there but some come due to tragedy. Some have accidents like hitting power lines or get hit by vehicles while feeding on road kill. The real sadness is that some show up after having been shot. I saw two of these birds today. One was shot in Afghanistan by an Afghan soldier. A Navy SEAL came to this Golden Eagles aid and saved its life. The SEAL got enough publicity to have the bird shipped back to the United States and safety at the sanctuary.
  The second Eagle was found on the side of the road in Moab, Utah having been shot. The bird had 3 shotgun pellets in its head and more in its body. Most likely shot for its feathers. This bird was rescued around 1991 and is still strong, vibrant and beautiful.
  I took a couple of things away from this trip. While disgusted that people would shoot Eagles for no good reason I was made to feel better by the lengths others would go through to save these majestic animals.    
  There were a lot of good lessons for my son as well. Including an appreciation for nature. A great example of what we can go through and not only survive but flourish. All in all another nice day on vacation.

I have now figured out that TKD will not assist with my golf game. Decided to take a few swings at the range since our dojang has its golf outing coming up in two weeks. I believe my original idea of a hockey stick and a pool cue might work out better. It doesn't matter, it is going to be a great day regardless of golfing performance. Lunch, then golf and finally dinner to finish off the day.
It is funny how training in martial arts and even cross training in different sports gives you NO advantage in another sport like golf. I wish I could round house kick that little white ball.

  Researched injuries in martial arts this afternoon. Surprisingly there is very little accurate data out there. I found data relating to head injuries but nothing significant on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). I am sure they can and have occurred but am encouraged to believe it is a very minimal amount.
  The most thorough study I found was a nine year retrospective Canadian study. It analyzed 9 years of 58 individual competitions including 904 injuries.The most common locations for injury were the head, foot, and thigh. Injuries were most common among color belts and and the most common injury is bruises or contusions. This is possibly due to more aggressive tactics and lack of control. Younger athletes were more likely to be injured then older ones. Presumably for the same reason.
  Not a lot of surprises in the results of the study. I believe an active caring teacher/coach working with athletes who are properly trained and wearing all the correct safety gear is the best way to keep young martial artists safe.  

Really strange not being in class now for two days. I guess a run in the rain will help. The weather is not exactly helping with vacation or the run.

Did some reading in ESPN magazine on football and concussions. Wondering what studies have been done on injuries in martial arts. "Knock on wood" we have had very good luck when it has come to injuries over the last twenty years.

First day of vacation! Slept until 10am, caught a little tv and then went for a run. Awesome.

Today is Friday and the last day of Summer Camp for the little TKDers.  Vacation after this!  No matter how much I LOVE teaching taekwondo, I am really looking forward to some R & R.