A Family Affair

In the span of two days, the Anderson boys brought home seven Tae Kwon Do trophies.

If this sounds like bragging, I apologize. It is actually rather humbling to me. Let me explain.

First, as always, let's talk about my son. Jonathan is a medium-sized kid for his age. He is bright and he is fairly athletic. But he has unbelievable heart. He's a little Rocky. Friday afternoon, he earned his red-and-green belt. We were all very proud. Saturday at the Connecticut Open State Championships at Yale University, Jonathan participated in three events.

In forms, he started off well. He was crisp and clean -- and powerful. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his technique and stopped midway through, telling the judges that was all he knew. He was awarded third place for his effort.

Jonathan had been 2-0 in breaking competition. This time, he used the same techniques as in the Massachusetts championship. On first attempt, he broke boards using knife hand strike, roundhouse kick what at this point is his signature jumping front kick. He won first place, becoming a multi-state champion in breaking.

In sparring he fought hard for two rounds. It was his best performance ever. He won easily and earned first place.

In crunch time, my son gets better. He is the Derek Jeter of Tae Kwon Do.

I also had a big weekend. Friday I earned my orange belt. It was a great moment, made better because my masters awarded me Best Student of the Month. It was the second time I earned that honor -- the first time was in 1986 -- but the first time I have ever won a trophy for my performance. In anything.

Saturday I competed at the Championships in forms and sparring. I took first place in forms. Like father, like son -- I became a state champ. In sparring I was awarded a first place by default -- there were no competitors in my rank.

I did spar, however. We fought in two rounds. My opponent won the first round. I won the second, including knocking my opponent down when I connected on a kick as he was lifting his leg to kick me. However, he had more total points than I did at the end of the match and won. Barring any major news issue, I will address how I feel about losing in tomorrow's rant. Still, I was given a third place trophy for my effort.

So there it is. Two days. Two Andersons. One Best Student trophy, four first place trophies and two third place trophies.

Jonathan, at six, is just beginning to discover his talents and abilities. He is winning trophies and medals and will continue to do so for years to come. He is headed toward a brilliant career in Tae Kwon Do.

And this weekend, his father -- for the first time -- won. It's never too late for that first trophy.