Dear George,
Well. . . Sue, Tia and I have arrived in sunny Florida
and enjoying a well deserved vacation. Actually, it is
a bit of a "forced" vacation, since we are not moving
into our new home until December 10th and all our
possessions are in storage, including my computer,
office equipment and Store inventory.
So now, while enjoying a capachino at PJs, a local
coffee house, I collect my email and answer as many
as possible on free internet connection while using
my friends' laptop.

George E. Mattson
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Keep those Xmas orders coming in! |
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When I can't get to PJ's, I use my newest toy to
read and answer email.
My Treo mobile phone/computer! Wow, is hightech
fun. The only drawback is the tiny little keyboard.
I do check my email frequently during the day and
try to get off short responses, especially when I
receive an order for books, DVDs or other gifts. My
response is and will continue to be: Please be
patient, since all the store inventory is in storage. I'll
be able to fulfill all orders by December 15th, in lots
of time for Christmas. Also. . . your credit cards will
not be charged until the order goes out. . .
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IUKF Junior Tournament Series |
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January 23, 2005
South Shore Vocational
Technical High School
476 Webster Street
Hanover, Ma 02339
Promoted by Fred Channell
Please go to Fred's tournament information page for
detailed information about his tournament. (Just click
on the picture) Fred has
worked very hard to make this event a success. He
needs your support to make it happen.
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To Pre-arrange Drill or Not to Pre-arrange Drill! |
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Dedicated to all those who can perform and enjoy
Uechi-ryu Pre-arranged Drills! :)
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(Please excuse the lack of paragraph spacing. This
newsletter requires html programming and I can't do
that without a program like FrontPage, which this
computer doesn't have)
========================================
Two weeks ago my friend David Berndt invited me to
join him at a "HOG" rally. This was my first exposure
to organized motorcycling and a real eye opener.
The "Harley Owners Group" that assembled at the
posh "Mission Inn" resort located in beautiful Howie
by the Hills, numbered over 2000 and they turned out
to be the nicest bunch of people I've ever had the
pleasure to meet.
Now I must admit that up to this point I had a
somewhat negative mindset regarding what a Harley
rider
represented. Although I know quite a few very nice
Uechi practitioners who ride them, my primary
memories of media descriptions didn't match what I
actually saw at the Mission Inn. I had to smile to
myself, thinking about some of the word
warriors' "first strike" comments on the forums,
imagining students listening and trying to absorb
what was being advised, then having to walk though
the sea of
some of the scariest looking hombres in the world,
trying to figure out who to hit first before they might
have to block or even step to the rear! :)
The first thing to remember is to get rid of the media
derived Harley stereotype. True, most of the men
and quite a few of the women riders were big and
tough looking. . . Not the kind of people you would
want to try out your non-block technique on. True, I
didn't see many men in suits or women in dresses.
They just aren't practical Harley riding apparel.
It took me awhile to relax out of my Tough-Uechi
mindset. . . Watching with every sense on high alert,
hands up to make my "first-attack" more
affective. . . And just begin enjoying the sights and
sounds and the delightful people at the rally.
David was entering an antique Harley in the "show"
competition, which left me some time to walk around.
Many people were following the sounds of loud
engines being reved-up at a nearby parking lot, so I
decided to see what was going on.
Wow, did my eyes deceive me or were those drill
teams performing prearranged exercises on the
field! "Why yes", a spectator informed me. "These
drill team competition are the most popular event at
our rallies", he added.
But, I offered, doesn't practicing these prearranged
exercises cause drivers to be less effective in
avoiding danger on the street, where cars come at
you without warning or in a different way than they
are practicing? What happens if on the road a car
comes weaving at you and you turn into the
speeding vehicle because you are "programmed" to
make that move in the prearranged drill?
When my helpful spectator stopped laughing, he
finally asked "You are kidding aren't you?"
Well. . . Only slightly I replied.
I've heard experts in movement-under-stress say
that prearranged drill are harmful and that people
who do them are destined to perform ingrained
movements unsuitable to the life threatening
situation. Are you saying that motorcycle drivers who
practice hundreds of hours a year to make these
teams, using choreographed drills where speeding
cycles weighing hundreds of pounds, weave around a
confined space at high speed, nearly hitting one
another performing complicated yet programmed
movements, are actually better drivers than someone
who just practices on the street in "realistic"
situations?
"Yeah!" he replied, no longer smiling.
Spurned on by my newly discovered insight into
prearranged drills, I decided to poll a number of HOGs
in case the guy I spoke with might not have been
an "expert". He might have been one of those HOGs
who had one of those "extra long" pony tail
(somewhat akin to a belt) who was brainwashed with
traditional HOGwash and therefore not someone who
would know about real-cycle street violence.
During the course of the afternoon I was able to
speak to six more guys and three women. Four of the
guys actually took me seriously and attempted to
point out what an honor it was to be selected as a
drill team member. One said that out of a hundred
who
try out, only fifteen or twenty make the team of
which only half actually get to perform at
demonstrations or competitions. He said that the
drills required superb concentration, timing and the
ability to perform under pressure. . . All very
excellent qualities for a Harley rider to possess on
the road.
Another guy mentioned that he tried out for the
team but gave up simply because he couldn't
remember the sequences. When a five hundred
pound Harley is performing figure eights or another
intricate sequence and you and the approaching bike
must make a last second adjustment to avoid a
collision, it is important that everyone moves the
correct way. Not everyone is capable of learning
complex sequences and make these moves under
stress.
Hmmmm.
Well, I must admit that my first HOG rally was a very
enjoyable experience. Having raced a motocross bike
years ago as an amateur and was considered a
pretty good dirt rider for many years, I am now
wondering if I should take the big step of becoming
a "HOG". Hell, I might even try out for the drill team
in my district. I just hope all those bikers were right
and that I won't become a lousy cyclist by practicing
pre-arranged drills!
============================== See you
next month... GEM

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