December 2016 Newsletter

Wise Words from Sifu Rick!

The greatest achievements are those that benefit others!

AASD ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Leadership Class Saturday, December 3rd at 12:00pm, for all Black Belt Club Members, please rsvp asap!
• Next Belt Test for those Little Dragons eligible Friday, December 9th at 6:30 PM
• Next Belt test for those Junior Dragons eligible Friday, December 16th at 6:30 PM
• Next Belt Test for Adults eligible Saturday, December 10th at 10:00 AM

Black Belt Pride

December 2016 Student of the Month:

Logan Harris

Logan and his sister, Charlie, started with our Black Belt school back in February of 2012. It has been a hard long road for Logan, with many challenges, however he defines the word perseverance, by never quitting no matter how hard the task!

Recently Sifu Rick and staff have noticed how Logan has really turned the corner on sparring and has become a very hard opponent. This comes from a long journey of hard work and determination that has paid off greatly!

We want to wish Logan all the best in the future and look forward to Black Belt one day with great anticipation, job well done Logan. Sifu Rick and staff want to also thank Logan’s parents, Kevin, Fenny and Darrel, for all their support of Logan and our Black Belt school.

Leadership

— noun — The position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. What kind of people do you think can be leaders? Some believe that only people in powerful positions have the opportunity to lead a group. The truth is everyone can be leaders regardless of your age or the position you are in. It is important to understand that leadership can be carried out in both a  positive and negative way. We should always strive to be positive leaders and seek to inspire the lives of others. Your parents, teachers and coaches can help you make the right decision when practicing leadership. Make sure to apply your martial arts principles to everything you do, even outside of your school. These principles hold great value and will continue to help you grow as students and most importantly, leaders.

What are some things you do to show your leadership skills?

Lighting The Way: A Homeowner’s Guide To Hanging Holiday Lights

Let there be light! Christmas lights, that is. And given the timing of when some homeowners started hanging them this year — as early as mid-October to get a jump on the season — we’re anxious for some holiday cheer.

Most will opt for understated displays. Others will try to channel their inner Clark Griswold and try to outdo neighbors by creating winter wonderland scenes so dazzlingly bright that Han Solo can see them from a galaxy far, far away.

“When I pass a suburban house festooned with twinkly-colored fairy lights, I always scream ‘Bravo’ out of the window of my car,” Simon Doonan, creative ambassador of Barney’s New York, admits.

Whatever your proclivity, here are some safety tips to keep in mind:

    • Never hang lights from your roof’s shingles. “Making even the tiniest of holes in them or any roof component — even with a stapler — will let moisture or leaks in, and potentially rot the roof,” says Jason Joplin, program manager of the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence. Instead, use clips that hang from the gutter or eaves.

    • Metallic trees require special care. What could possibly go wrong by hanging electric lights on them? “The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights,” warns the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “and any person touching a branch could be electrocuted.” Colored spotlights above or beside them are a better option.

    • Embrace the buddy system. Maybe spiked egg nog is to blame, but one oft-quoted study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 6,000 people wind up in emergency rooms annually just from holiday decorating-related falls. As most of the injured are men and most fall from ladders, repeat this mantra: “Asking someone to hold the ladder for you, whether you’re stringing lights on a roof or a tall tree, doesn’t make you less of a man.”

Worse than being that one house on the block that never gets around to taking down decorations until spring is this: haphazardly pulling lights off your roof from the cord. “You risk damaging the gutter that way,” says Joplin, “and potentially the shingle if you didn’t clip them correctly to begin with.”

So, if you are planning elaborate displays, you might want to consider hiring a pro. North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, makes it easy to find the most reputable (and insured) ones in your area by searching its website’s GAF Master Elite Contractor database.

A word of advice: if you really want the “Wow” factor beyond your immediate street, it’s best to stagger two sets of lights side by side to increase the density.