ALL TIME BEST LIST - VAUGHN'S DEMO TEAM

I feel very fortunate to have been present at the World Tang Soo Do Region 8 Championship Tournament this past October to witness when Vaughn's Dojang Demo Team finally won the First Place award for Creativity! It was a very special moment four years in the making. The following 'blog is an attempt to describe the path that lead to the Demo Team's success. Here is a list of our demos in chronological order:

Demo #1) Army of Me, 2002

Story Rundown:
Two spirits of nature battle a tyrant bent on destroying the Earth.

Songs & Inspirations:
Army of Me, Bjork
The Lord of the Rings, dir. Peter Jackson

History:
This was the first demo performed by the newly reinstated Demo Team, which suffered a loss of leadership the year before. Demo team captains included me and Mr. Francis, and the lead roles were played by Nick Lucas, Melissa Jaworski and John Jaworski. Sets were provided by Yaz.

Favorite Moments:
- Mr. Francis’s "monkey-crab-walk"
- Melissa's "acting" (which basically consisted of a lot of screaming)
- Josh's lines: "That ain't right!" and "That's gotta hurt!";

Verdict:
“Army of Me” was not the best of our demos, but it was a good start that earned us a third place award at the 2002 Region 8 Tournament. It's unavoidable and inherent cheesiness has earned a special place my heart, and I think of it every time I hear Bjork's Army of Me on the radio.

Demo #2) Showdown at the House of Blues , 2004

Story Rundown:
No story, really. This one is all about image and attitude. 20 kids dressed like the Blues Brothers, perform group hyungs, board breaks, weapons drills and self-defense techniques to hip-hop and rock music. It doesn't get much cooler than that!

Songs & Inspirations:
Kill Bill, dir. Quentin Tarantino
It Takes Two, DJ Kool and Fatman Scoop
Get Free, The Vines

History:
The Demo Team decided to compete on the world stage as part of the WTSDA's World Tournament in Orlando, Florida. In order to pay for the costumes and for the costs associated with the trip, the Demo Team embarked on an extensive fundraising campaign in addition to the long hours of practice. Not only did the kids knit together for the cause, the parent's got involved further tightening the bonds of friendship between the Demo Team members.

Favorite Moments:
- The whole Florida Trip
- The beginning of the multi-colored hair tradition.

Verdict:
This demo earned us a third place award at the 2004 World Tournament, and was a crowd favorite. Our dance/hyung/drill performance, inspired by step routines and party walks from African-American Colleges was unique. This was the start of the Demo Team's tradition for wacky hair styles and rhythmic performances and the kids earned special notice from a few master instructors. People began to take a really good look at Vaughn’s Demo Team, and were particularly impressed by the special bond they had for each other.

Demo #3) "Big Dogs Bark!", 2004

Story Rundown:
Again, this one is all about image & attitude. The story can be summed up as: "Two gangs fight." But add a TSD hyung/step routine to the a classic funk tune, and the Demo Team out cool's itself yet again!

Songs & Inspirations:
Atomic Dog, George Clinton. Make my funk the P-funk, y'all!

History:
This is the first Demo completely conceptualized and captained by a youth black belts. The adults provided logistical guidance but the kids, lead by Nick Lucas and Melissa Jaworski, stepped up to the plate as creatively. Team organization included back-up up by talented (but unofficial) co-captains Mike Papp and Lauren Luneau.

Favorite Moments:
- "Big Dawgs Bark! AAAARRROOOO!"

Verdict:
This demo won second place in the 2004 Region 8 Tournament, missing first place by 0.1 points! This was the apex of the team’s tradition for wacky hair styles and rhythmic performances, and it proved that Vaughn's Dojang's youth black belts had the class and style to compete with the Region 8's adult black belts.

Demo #4) James Bond meets Austin Powers, 2006

Story Rundown:
After battling many femme fatales, James Bond meets the true International Man of Mystery.

Songs & Inspirations:
James Bong Theme, Monty Norman
Soul Bossa Nova, Quincy Jones

History:
Demo Team leadership suffered another massive shake-up. Youth captains, Nick and Melissa, went off to college. Both adult supervisors, Mr. Williams and Mr. Francis packed up their families and moved either out-of-state or out-of-country. The big question was: “Who was going to take over the demo team?”

The mantle of leadership transferred to Mike Papp and Lauren Luneau, backed by Mr. Papp, the Senior. These three lead a crew Demo Team veterans plus a new generation of up-and-comers from the ranks of Vaughn's gup students to the 2005 World Tournament in Anaheim, California. This demo was made in during a contentious transitional period, but the team pulled through.

Favorite Moments:
- Andrew Delena as "Austin Powers", of course (I think Master Britt would agree)

Verdict:
This demo third place award and was a great satire on our tradition of "dancing". The team proved that the Demo Team was a legacy, and the sprit of teamwork, creativity and initiative helped to inspire a new generation of kids. The Demo Team is here to stay!

Demo #5) X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006

Story Rundown:
The coolest adaptation of the X-Men movies, ever!

Songs & Inspirations:
X-Men: The Last Stand, dir. Brett Ratner
Music arranged by Mike Papp

History:
A true creative milestone for the Demo Team. This demo had everything! Great fight scenes, special effects and props (blood squibs, Wolverines claws), awesome costumes and superb set design, including an imploding army barracks! The pageant required the cooperation of youth and parents and was funded by significant fundraising efforts by the team. Stylistically, this demo was a departure from the wacky hair/dancing themes, returning to a more classic performance structure while retaining much of the attitude and imagery that defined all of Vaughn’s Dojangs Demo Team creative efforts. Each performer was at the top of their game. The younger kids (representing the Human Army) performed spectacular weapons forms, using knives and guns. The older demo veterans each performed as members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the X-Men, with Mike Papp as a truly cool Wolverine, complete with retractable claws!

Favorite Moments (almost too many to mention):
- Each team member performing their fight scene exactly as the corresponding character would fight
- Original knife hyung, performed flawlessly by the youngest kids on the team
- Miram's ki haps during the gun form
- Toad (James Bonny) fighting Gambit (Lisa Collins)
- Beast (Tyler Yaz) pummeling the hell out of Quicksilver (Andrew Delena)
- Iceman (Eddie Newman) "freezing" Pyro (Patrick Vu) and then accidentally getting stuck on the ammo boxes
- Lady Deathstrike (Erica Papp) fighting Wolverine. This fight scene was too short. I want to see Erica in more fight scenes. I could watch her beat up on her brother all day!
- Sabertooth (Josh Lucas) vs. Wolverine! Too bloody! Too cool!
- The final pose at the end of the demo.

Verdict:
First Place 2006 Region 8 Tournament (coincidentally by 0.1 points). 'Nuff said!

"Game-flix"

My wife and I are currently renting movies and TV show DVD's from Zip.ca, and are enjoying the experience. But I do have a suggestion that would improve zip.ca and other such online rental sites immensely.

Start renting video games, already! I think that gamers would be a great additional market for online rental companies.

Been enjoying EA’s Scarface: The World is Yours, a game based on the Grand Theft Auto format. It’s pretty violent and the “F-bomb” gets thrown around a lot but it’s a great game.

I think they should make a Buffy video game with the same format.

"Keeper's Runs" (or "My dog has Mud-Butt!")

To be sung to the tune of Delia’s Gone, by Johnny Cash.

Keeper! Oh, Keeper! He’s full of doggy fun.

Maybe that’s why we’re so sad he had a bad case of the runs.

Keeper’s runs, oh my Lord! Keeper’s runs.

When we first got him, we new he had adoption stress,

And folks told us it was normal for him to make a runny mess.

A runny mess, one more time! A runny mess.

It didn’t take long for Keeper to earn a place in our hearts.

That's why we turned blind eye (and nose) to his stinky, smelly farts.

Smelly farts, loaves and fishes! Smelly farts.

But we knew it was really bad when we came through our front door,

and discovered that ol’ Keeper had the runs on our kitchen floor.

Kitchen floor, thank God for tile! Our kitchen floor.

We gave you a bland food diet, and took you to the vet's,

And to alleviate your symptoms we gave you a lot of hugs and pets.

Hugs and pets! One more round of hugs and pets.

Today when we took him walkin’, Keeper went in the neighbor’s yard,

And not only were his farts not stinky, his poop was nice and hard.

Nice and hard, thank the Lord! Nice and hard.

Keeper! Good boy, Keeper. He’s back to having fun.

And he loves it when I sing this song about his old case of the runs.

Keeper’s runs. Diarrhea! Keeper’s runs!

A BASKETBALL STORY PT. III

When we last left acclaimed freelance writer Kalil Honsou, he had finally found a link to famed basketball player Jimmy Waters, whom Michael Jordan, himself, believes is the “Greatest Player of All Time”.

This segment is dedicated to Nick Lucas. Keep your head up, Brother! AKW

I am at Peter Stuyvesant High School (PSHS), sitting in the office of Coach Elijah Roberts, watching a video tape of a game between the PSHS Senior Boys Basketball Team and St. Mary’s Senior Boys Team, from Fort Greene. The tape is from the 1990-1991 season. A banner year for the PSHS team apparently. The infamous Jimmy Waters plays center position for PSHS. I should be elated, because I finally get sight of a mystery that has been plaguing me for the better part of a year. But I’m not elated. I am bored.

When I’m bored, I tend to jiggle my right leg constantly, a habit that has been an annoyance to my family and friends for years. Once in college, at the end of a disastrous one night stand, the girl I was with kicked me out of the bed because my thrumming right leg prevented her from getting any sleep. On this day, I have a pocket full of subway change in my right pocket. I have somehow drowned out the constant chiming coming from my right hip, but it’s loud enough for Coach Roberts to pause the video tape and comment:

“What is the matter with you?”

Exasperated, I reply: “What’s the matter? I’m watching the so-called ‘greatest basket ball player of all time’ and he keeps losing, that’s what!”

Coach relaxes and says: “Oh that. Relax. Enjoy the video. You’re missing the best part.”

Reluctantly, I acquiesce to his suggestion, musing on the fact that I have met the only coach in the world that referred to losing a game as the “best part”.

Elijah Roberts is sixty-three years old, two short years from retirement. His office is a mess; there is no other word for it. Sort of like Joe Franklin’s office. Almost forty years of accumulated notes, files, charts, graphs and play books, are piled up all around the office, in a filing system only the coach could ever decipher.

He started his career at PSHS in 1968, then assistant coach. He was one of the first ten Black teachers hired after the race riots ripped through New York in the mid to late 1960’s. He has survived much throughout the years, striving to shelter his students from heroin during the 70’s, followed by cocaine and crack in the 80’s, finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel during 90’s as Bed Stuy slowly revived itself. He spent his career either coaching basketball or teaching urban social studies during the off season. He and his dedicated colleagues turned PSHS into the best school in Brooklyn. He is a survivor, a rock, and the embodiment of the PSHS school spirit.

Upon our first meeting, he asked me to call him “Coach Roberts” or just plain “Coach”. He considers that term an honorific, much like how high ranking martial artists revere the term “Sifu”. In Elijah Roberts’s eyes, there is no more honorable profession that turning untrained, uncoordinated young children into a cohesive and unified sports team.

So here we are sitting in his calamitous office, him the Coach, and me somehow regressing from ace freelance writer to one of his fidgety students. I watch as a St. Mary’s player, “Number 5” approaches Jimmy in center court. Number 5 executes a deft feint to the right, shooting a quick crossover dribble underneath Jimmy’s hands, and then driving across the court for an easy lay-up. I’ve seen him do this move about for times already, each time Jimmy falls for the fake.

Except this time.

This time Number 5 is half way to the basket before he realizes that Jimmy has deftly stolen the ball, and executed his own beautiful lay up for two points. I watch, startled and amazed, because Jimmy has stolen the ball with a slight of hand worthy of the canniest street magician.

The ball is back into play. Again Number 5 and Jimmy face off. Number 5 fakes left and then right in quick succession. It’s a well practiced double feint that allows Number 5 to blow past Jimmy, dribbling up to the PSHS basket.

Except there’s no ball in his hands.

Jimmy has again stolen the ball for a lay up. After 20 minutes of losing, PSHS is somehow gaining momentum, within four points of the lead. The St. Mary’s coach changes strategy. Players are replaced and a new person faces off against Jimmy. This new player blows by Jimmy twice and St. Mary’s pulls ahead eight points. Then suddenly they are stopped dead cold. Jimmy is back, stealing balls, grabbing rebounds, shooting from all positions in the key. Every shot is nothing but net. PSHS is ahead by ten points. The PSHS home crowd goes wild.

Needless to say, I have stopped fidgeting.

Rapt, I watch the game to its completion in silence. There is a pattern, here, quickly discerned. St. Mary’s changes tactics against PSHS. They collect a trickle of points, and then are shut down stone cold as Jimmy adapts to the new play. And when St. Mary’s starts to double team Jimmy, he throws a no-look pass off to the side, a seemingly wild pass, off to nowhere, almost a desperation move. Out of nowhere PSHS teammate rushes in to pick up the pass and scores. The first few times this happens, you think Jimmy is just plain lucky, a few more times you begin to think he’s psychic. The boy is good, and he’s a generous player. By the end of the game, each team member has averaged at least 25 points. The game ends with PSHS up 108 to 67. The tape ends.

I turn to Coach Roberts, somewhat confused.

“I don’t get it.” I say, more to myself that to Coach.

“What don’t you get?” he asks. There is a knowing, crafty half-smile that brightens up his seamed face.

“I can’t reconcile Jimmy at the beginning of the game, and Jimmy at the end of the game. Was he just ‘playing around’ with St. Mary’s? Y’know, for kicks?”

Coach leaned back into his chair. “I didn’t get it at first either. But to understand it you have to understand Jimmy. Jimmy used to tell me that losing was the best part of the game, and for a coach like me, that took a while to understand.”

“What’s so great about losing?” I asked.

“It’s something Jimmy taught me, and it has stayed with me for the rest of my career. Jimmy was one of those students that come along maybe once, maybe twice in a lifetime. He’s a student that teaches you more that you teach him. Jimmy was never afraid of losing, because he felt that where he learned his best lessons.”

Coach reached behind him and grabbed a framed picture off his bookshelf. It depicted the PSHS Basketball team holding the 1990-1991 City Championship Trophy. I watched silently as his eyes shined gold, and then get that shaking wet look of nostalgia. No tears fell though.

Coach continued: “Jimmy taught us how much you can learn by giving up the first few minutes of the game to the opposing team. He would watch the opposing player and memorize which foot he lead with in a tip off, which side he turned to when he accepted a pass, which hand was favored on a lay up or dunk, which way his head tilted on a free throw, which eye blinked first in a foul. Jimmy would collect that information and file it away in that remarkable brain of his, and without fail, would use it to bury the opposing team under points.”

The Coach mused some more: “He was a good kid, that Jimmy. Straight A’s and the best captain our basketball team ever had. A natural leader, and humble as hell for a high school basketball star. Everybody loved him but Jimmy only had a just few good friends where were his teammates, and only one best friend, Sammy who never played. When he wasn’t hanging out with Sam, he was practicing his game on the park court. The team followed his example at every opportunity. On Saturday nights when most kids were just hanging out on some corner, Jimmy and the team were in the park practicing pick-and-rolls or jump shots until dark. He his ambition was to go to college to play ball and get his teaching degree. He said he wanted to be a coach just like me.”

After a respectful silence, I said: “You taught him all that.” More a statement that a question.

Coach laughed, but without much humor. “Heck no!”

“Then how did he get so disciplined.”

Coach leaned forward and grabbed a pen from a cracked coffee much perched at the corner of his desk. He scribbled a few words on a “Post-It” note.

“Here,” he said, passing me a note. “Go to this address. This person will tell you all you need to know about Jimmy Waters.” Coach picked up the picture, looked at it for a moment and turned his back on me to place the picture back on his bookshelf.

Somehow, I sensed I was dismissed. But I asked one more question.

“What happened to Jimmy, Coach? Did he make it to college?”

“No Mr. Honsou,” Coach Roberts said. “Jimmy ended up where ten percent of African-American males aged 18-29, end up.”

He paused. Sighed.

“Jimmy went to jail.”

The coach said no more.

Moon Over Harlem (William H. Johnson, 1944)

This artist’s depiction of a riot in Harlem tells much about the racial tensions that sometimes erupted in New York over the years. In 1964, a race riot broke out in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem after a white NYPD officer, Thomas Gilligan, was accused of police brutality, and rioting soon spread into Bedford Stuyvesant. This riot resulted in the destruction and looting of many neighborhood businesses, many of which were Jewish-owned. Race riots also followed in 1967 and 1968, as part of the political and racial tensions in the United States of the era, aggravated by continued unemployment, dissatisfaction with civil rights policies, and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.