01/14/2022
Sport Karate Stories
TEXAS🇨🇱
The A.O.K and Hall of Fame idea and Black Belt Hall of Fame introduction ⭐️
Introducing a Sport Karate group in Texas🇨🇱and dealing with early policies and the Texas Boxing Commission in the early ,early years.
Texas as always been bigger than life to me and there is a deep reason why.
I blew into Texas in 1979 , living and working at George Minshew’s now famous Black Belt Academy on Belliare,Blvd. in Houston , Texas .George had excepted my way of fighting and he was instrumental into putting me on the National circuit back then , however it all started with the A.OK.🇨🇱
Back Then the Boxing Commision wanted to control Texas Sport karate and they would controlled everything, judges , locations, fighters , agendas , everything if they get hold of this contact sport.
Some of the Amazing men of Texas , George Minshew , Roy D.Kurban ,Jose Santa Maria , Ishmael Robles, Al Francis , Joe Alvarado R.I.P, Mickey Fisher R.I.P
Early in the organizing Mr. Al Francis and Mikey Fisher Left, Al formed the A.O.K.A and Mickey moved to Oklahoma.
This group of producers and pure Texas🇨🇱fighters stepped up and put together a amazing idea, form a Non -Profit group of organize Producers and the Non- Profit Organization would control the Contact of what was going deeply in Sport Karate events in Texas , point karate I remind you .
Kickboxing was forming slowly with Walt Mason’s R.I.P , T.A.CK.A group which organized Kickboxing in Texas🇨🇱, but it was Black Belt and Under Belt fighting that was the concerns of the Texas Boxing Commission.
It was a glorious time in Sport Karate in Texas. 🇨🇱
The A.O.K hosted it’s first state championship in 1980 in San Antonio, Texas
Hosted by the great Fighter Al Francis and the newly organized Sport Karate group the A.O.K , it was a huge success and it was off to a great start.
Tragically the Highly publc figure Dimitris Havanas “ The Golden Greek” was killed in a plane crash in 1981 and the A.O.K decided to honor Greek’s Legacy by giving “The Golden Greek Award every year to the Top Players in Kata and Fighting with the most points winning in 🇨🇱Texas Tournaments.
“The Golden Greek Award was born and MVP of 🇨🇱Texas in Sport Karate
The first recipients were Tim Kirby, Dwayne 'Rooster' Machen,
Rooster R.I.P Junior Black Belt , Women , Cynthia Benavidez
A Personal Memory ,
🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱
It is 1981 and every Texas 🇨🇱Black Belt Player wanted to Win the Golden Greek MVP and it was hard fierce competition it was not only Texas🇨🇱fighting , it was Texas fighters working for their respect ,the MVP Award or A.O.K Hall of Fame at the time from thier peers , it was extremely difficult.
Some of the Tournaments like Allen Steen’s United States Karate Championships, Jose Santa Maria’s “ The Masters “ , George Minshew’s
The Karate Olympiks , Tony Lopez’s “The Yellow Rose Nationals” would draw National players from all over the country , Mexico , Canadian and some Europe Animals of the Point fighting game in America.🇺🇸
Texas🇨🇱 had a mystery mystique of Fighting , you could really fight in Texas Karate events.
I know I didn’t think like others , my mindset was different , I was ignorant.
I really thought that in Texas🇨🇱 Point Karate fighting , I could hit opponents many , many times without ever getting arrested, that was my personal mindset, I was ignorant
I lost The Golden Greek 8 years in a Row by some times by just a couple of points 1981-1989.
I quit the A.O.K
I got extremely frustrated losing the Golden Greek all those years and started competing in the U..S.A.F. ,S.O.C.K, U.S .K.A, T.N.T , SMA , The California Karate Leauge , CKL , N.B.L ,,N.A.S.K.A , K.R.AN.E , where ever I could fight, pay a entry fee and show up , lol
Have Black Belt Will Travel 🇺🇸
Life changed , I got picked up by Bernie Pops Krasnoo and the Sherman Oak Raiders National Karate Team for Twelve Years , then picked up by Erik Shummans Guatemala Team and finished up my career.
Mr. Roy D. Kurban’s Letter to Delmonte Corp in Hawaii🌴in the early 90s motivated me.
I got e a full Sponsorship for Hawaiian Punch and wore on the back of my Uniforms.
“How About a Nice Hawaiian Punch” 🌴
The letter got me another sponsorship
I drove a INFINITI Car out of Japan when they came to America 🇺🇸they sponsored me for five years , DisneyLand, DollyWorld, Magic Mountain, Astroworld ,Kids Expo amusement Parks was my gig now along with fighting and performing where I could to get a paycheck , Osu
I was a professional entertainer.and I 😍 loved it
Then the Phone call came that would change my life.
The call came from Texas Karate Champion Wade Kirkpatrick, he would call me tell me he wants to earn the ”The Golden Greek “ for how important it was on his resume as a Texas Fighter , he asked if I would pursue the Senior Division for the Greek Award .
It was now 1997 and I had no desire for “The Golden Greek “ it had eluded me for 17 years I was there ,when it was created, I had already gone though that humiliating phase of my career and had no desire to even deal with the A.O.K.
Bringing back those memories of defeat was not what I wanted add the fact this is when I was creating the beginning of the National Sport Karate Museum I have created this and I did not want to deal with politics and fight in a league that I had already been though , it was something I did not want to do.
It was not going to happen! ,not in this part of my career.
In the early 90s Three powerful Producers George Minshew , Jose Santa Maria and Tony Lopez broke away from the A.O.K and created T.N.T.
The Texas National Tour , If you fight in this leauge and you cold would work your way to NBL Super Grands at the time ,the largest Sport Karate Event in America🇺🇸, the Head Chief Referee and teaching Judges how to judge ,the amazing Daryl K. Stewart , one of Texas Best 🇨🇱
Mr. Minshew would form a National Texas Sport Karate Team , it would consist of Jennifer Robles , Danielle Dixon , Chris Pfannenstiel Minshew Tony Lopez and Gary Lee.
We would terrorized the karate circuits and have so much fun. Doing it.
I was not a great fighter like my fellow team mates , I was extremely coachable though and I would listen and do what my coach at the time would tell me what to do , be a good listener and just do what they tell you what to do at the time of Incident , coachable , Osu
Then I thought about it deeply and what being labeled a 🇨🇱Texas Fighter and what is it all about , I thought about bringing my son Garett Lee and exposing him to 🇨🇱Texas Sport Karate too , he was 7 years old at the time I thought about it deeply and I decided to travel with Wade Kirkpatrick, take my Son along and try it one more time on the Texas🇨🇱Sport Karate Circuit.
That year all the A.O.K Texas 🇨🇱events plus all the other events I fought in over 70 events in 1997 throughout America 🇺🇸 and earning The A.O.K “Golden Greek MVP of Texas in the senior division.
It had taken me 17 years to finally earn “The GOLDEN GREEK AWARD , I had become a Golden Greek Winner that was a big deal , to me It was overwhelming and It was very humbling and made me very proud to be finally excepted as a Texas Fighter 🇨🇱
Finally I had conquered that demon that was nagging me those 17 years I had quit something very dear to me , whether I was frustrated or not ,I had quit something and it bothered me every single day.
The years of fighting all across America 🇺🇸from 1979 -1997 I kept a Diary and and I retired in 1998 and started the Sport Karate Museum in SugarLand , Texas🇨🇱
I was being interviewed by this Television Reporter from ABC who passed , Mr. Bob Allen R.I.P and he asked to see my Diary I had brought with for the interview.
He brought up during the interview what he had read about this disqualification rule used in Sport Karate
He was curious why I was disqualified so many times?
I recorded in the diary of being disqualified 237 times in various tournaments from 1981 -1997 and he wondered Why and what the circumstances ??????????????????
I just said , Osu , Texas 🇨🇱
Texas 🇨🇱changed my journey ,
The A.O.K group deserves a Black Belt Hall of Fame.
To be able to recognized so many people that have worked so hard to keep Texas🇨🇱Sport Karate Alive ,Producers Parents , dedicated Fans of Texas🇨🇱
I support Mr David Chambers , the President of the A.O.K and his introduction of a A.O.K Black Belt Hall of Fame and to reconized producers , fighters and individuals who have contributed though the past 43 years of Sport Karate in Texas 🇨🇱
The History Generals , the Ambassadors and Myself , the National Sport Karate Museum
proudly supports this idea to create a A.O.K Texas🇨🇱Black Belt Hall of Fame and excited to watch it’s growth 🙏
The New A.O.K Black Belt Hall of Fame , Thumbs Up Texas 🇨🇱Sport Karate , great idea 🙏 Sport Karate Stories
TEXAS🇨🇱
The A.O.K and Hall of Fame idea and Black Belt Hall of Fame introduction ⭐️
Introducing a Sport Karate group in Texas🇨🇱and dealing with early policies and the Texas Boxing Commission in the early ,early years.
Texas as always been bigger than life to me and there is a deep reason why.
I blew into Texas in 1979 , living and working at George Minshew’s now famous Black Belt Academy on Belliare,Blvd. in Houston , Texas .George had excepted my way of fighting and he was instrumental into putting me on the National circuit back then , however it all started with the A.OK.🇨🇱
Back Then the Boxing Commision wanted to control Texas Sport karate and they would controlled everything, judges , locations, fighters , agendas , everything if they get hold of this contact sport.
Some of the Amazing men of Texas , George Minshew , Roy D.Kurban ,Jose Santa Maria , Ishmael Robles, Al Francis , Joe Alvarado R.I.P, Mickey Fisher R.I.P
Early in the organizing Mr. Al Francis and Mikey Fisher Left, Al formed the A.O.K.A and Mickey moved to Oklahoma.
This group of producers and pure Texas🇨🇱fighters stepped up and put together a amazing idea, form a Non -Profit group of organize Producers and the Non- Profit Organization would control the Contact of what was going deeply in Sport Karate events in Texas , point karate I remind you .
Kickboxing was forming slowly with Walt Mason’s R.I.P , T.A.CK.A group which organized Kickboxing in Texas🇨🇱, but it was Black Belt and Under Belt fighting that was the concerns of the Texas Boxing Commission.
It was a glorious time in Sport Karate in Texas. 🇨🇱
The A.O.K hosted it’s first state championship in 1980 in San Antonio, Texas
Hosted by the great Fighter Al Francis and the newly organized Sport Karate group the A.O.K , it was a huge success and it was off to a great start.
Tragically the Highly publc figure Dimitris Havanas “ The Golden Greek” was killed in a plane crash in 1981 and the A.O.K decided to honor Greek’s Legacy by giving “The Golden Greek Award every year to the Top Players in Kata and Fighting with the most points winning in 🇨🇱Texas Tournaments.
“The Golden Greek Award was born and MVP of 🇨🇱Texas in Sport Karate
The first recipients were Tim Kirby, Dwayne 'Rooster' Machen,
Rooster R.I.P Junior Black Belt , Women , Cynthia Benavidez
A Personal Memory ,
🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱
It is 1981 and every Texas 🇨🇱Black Belt Player wanted to Win the Golden Greek MVP and it was hard fierce competition it was not only Texas🇨🇱fighting , it was Texas fighters working for their respect ,the MVP Award or A.O.K Hall of Fame at the time from thier peers , it was extremely difficult.
Some of the Tournaments like Allen Steen’s United States Karate Championships, Jose Santa Maria’s “ The Masters “ , George Minshew’s
The Karate Olympiks , Tony Lopez’s “The Yellow Rose Nationals” would draw National players from all over the country , Mexico , Canadian and some Europe Animals of the Point fighting game in America.🇺🇸
Texas🇨🇱 had a mystery mystique of Fighting , you could really fight in Texas Karate events.
I know I didn’t think like others , my mindset was different , I was ignorant.
I really thought that in Texas🇨🇱 Point Karate fighting , I could hit opponents many , many times without ever getting arrested, that was my personal mindset, I was ignorant
I lost The Golden Greek 8 years in a Row by some times by just a couple of points 1981-1989.
I quit the A.O.K
I got extremely frustrated losing the Golden Greek all those years and started competing in the U..S.A.F. ,S.O.C.K, U.S .K.A, T.N.T , SMA , The California Karate Leauge , CKL , N.B.L ,,N.A.S.K.A , K.R.AN.E , where ever I could fight, pay a entry fee and show up , lol
Have Black Belt Will Travel 🇺🇸
Life changed , I got picked up by Bernie Pops Krasnoo and the Sherman Oak Raiders National Karate Team for Twelve Years , then picked up by Erik Shummans Guatemala Team and finished up my career.
Mr. Roy D. Kurban’s Letter to Delmonte Corp in Hawaii🌴in the early 90s motivated me.
I got e a full Sponsorship for Hawaiian Punch and wore on the back of my Uniforms.
“How About a Nice Hawaiian Punch” 🌴
The letter got me another sponsorship
I drove a INFINITI Car out of Japan when they came to America 🇺🇸they sponsored me for five years , DisneyLand, DollyWorld, Magic Mountain, Astroworld ,Kids Expo amusement Parks was my gig now along with fighting and performing where I could to get a paycheck , Osu
I was a professional entertainer.and I 😍 loved it
Then the Phone call came that would change my life.
The call came from Texas Karate Champion Wade Kirkpatrick, he would call me tell me he wants to earn the ”The Golden Greek “ for how important it was on his resume as a Texas Fighter , he asked if I would pursue the Senior Division for the Greek Award .
It was now 1997 and I had no desire for “The Golden Greek “ it had eluded me for 17 years I was there ,when it was created, I had already gone though that humiliating phase of my career and had no desire to even deal with the A.O.K.
Bringing back those memories of defeat was not what I wanted add the fact this is when I was creating the beginning of the National Sport Karate Museum I have created this and I did not want to deal with politics and fight in a league that I had already been though , it was something I did not want to do.
It was not going to happen! ,not in this part of my career.
In the early 90s Three powerful Producers George Minshew , Jose Santa Maria and Tony Lopez broke away from the A.O.K and created T.N.T.
The Texas National Tour , If you fight in this leauge and you cold would work your way to NBL Super Grands at the time ,the largest Sport Karate Event in America🇺🇸, the Head Chief Referee and teaching Judges how to judge ,the amazing Daryl K. Stewart , one of Texas Best 🇨🇱
Mr. Minshew would form a National Texas Sport Karate Team , it would consist of Jennifer Robles , Danielle Dixon , Chris Pfannenstiel Minshew Tony Lopez and Gary Lee.
We would terrorized the karate circuits and have so much fun. Doing it.
I was not a great fighter like my fellow team mates , I was extremely coachable though and I would listen and do what my coach at the time would tell me what to do , be a good listener and just do what they tell you what to do at the time of Incident , coachable , Osu
Then I thought about it deeply and what being labeled a 🇨🇱Texas Fighter and what is it all about , I thought about bringing my son Garett Lee and exposing him to 🇨🇱Texas Sport Karate too , he was 7 years old at the time I thought about it deeply and I decided to travel with Wade Kirkpatrick, take my Son along and try it one more time on the Texas🇨🇱Sport Karate Circuit.
That year all the A.O.K Texas 🇨🇱events plus all the other events I fought in over 70 events in 1997 throughout America 🇺🇸 and earning The A.O.K “Golden Greek MVP of Texas in the senior division.
It had taken me 17 years to finally earn “The GOLDEN GREEK AWARD , I had become a Golden Greek Winner that was a big deal , to me It was overwhelming and It was very humbling and made me very proud to be finally excepted as a Texas Fighter 🇨🇱
Finally I had conquered that demon that was nagging me those 17 years I had quit something very dear to me , whether I was frustrated or not ,I had quit something and it bothered me every single day.
The years of fighting all across America 🇺🇸from 1979 -1997 I kept a Diary and and I retired in 1998 and started the Sport Karate Museum in SugarLand , Texas🇨🇱
I was being interviewed by this Television Reporter from ABC who passed , Mr. Bob Allen R.I.P and he asked to see my Diary I had brought with for the interview.
He brought up during the interview what he had read about this disqualification rule used in Sport Karate
He was curious why I was disqualified so many times?
I recorded in the diary of being disqualified 237 times in various tournaments from 1981 -1997 and he wondered Why and what the circumstances ??????????????????
I just said , Osu , Texas 🇨🇱
Texas 🇨🇱changed my journey ,
The A.O.K group deserves a Black Belt Hall of Fame.
To be able to recognized so many people that have worked so hard to keep Texas🇨🇱Sport Karate Alive ,Producers Parents , dedicated Fans of Texas🇨🇱
I support Mr David Chambers , the President of the A.O.K and his introduction of a A.O.K Black Belt Hall of Fame and to reconized producers , fighters and individuals who have contributed though the past 43 years of Sport Karate in Texas 🇨🇱
The History Generals , the Ambassadors and Myself , the National Sport Karate Museum
proudly supports this idea to create a A.O.K Texas🇨🇱Black Belt Hall of Fame and excited to watch it’s growth 🙏
The New A.O.K Black Belt Hall of Fame , Thumbs Up Texas 🇨🇱Sport Karate , great idea 🙏
