Sergeant Tony's Blog

My favorite Esquire magazine feature is called “What I’ve Learned.”

It’s not written by a magazine staffer. it’s written by famous non-staffers. Guys like Dennis Hopper, Robert De Nero, Jeff Bezos, Rodney Dangerfield, John McCain, and Evel Knievel have contributed.

Sunday was my birthday and I thought maybe Esquire would ask me to write for that feature. But so far the phone hasn’t been ringing.

But since I’m sure that they will, I’m going to give you my rough draft.

“What I’ve Learned, “ by Tony Ludlow

Best advice my mother ever gave me: “Son, you can do anything or be anything you want … if you put your mind to it.”

Worst advice my mother ever gave me: Everything she told me about girls was wrong, wrong, wrong. Sorry mom, but “be nice, be sweet, be complimentary, give them lots of gifts” was a little flawed. Besides, bein’ sweet feels icky.

My grandfather told me that it was unnecessary to tell others “how smart you are, how much money you have, or what you’ve accomplished in life.” They’ll know without you telling them.

What he told me about being smart: the person who speaks last, or not at all, is the smartest person in the room. Never quit learning. Knowledge is power.

What he told me about money: the love of it is evil. Opulence and extravagance are sins. Live below your means. Pay off your credit card bill at the end of the month. Always stop at a charity car wash and give them more than they charge. Be a good tipper.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

What he told me about accomplishments: accumulate them for your own benefit because no one is going to be that interested in hearing about them.

Most profound thing I was told at 18: “Your country has provided you with 18 years of freedom, opportunity, security, and happiness … now it’s time to give something back. Join the Marine Corps or the Peace Corps, but find a way to serve your country and your fellow man.”

What the Marine Corps taught me: the meaning of self discipline, perseverance, courage, pride, leadership, honor, and the power of humor. My academic vitae will not be on my headstone, but “Marine” will.

For my sons and the players I coached I composed a list of 50 Things Gentleman Should Be. Here are 10 of them.

1. A Gentleman stands up to greet a woman, an older person, or a superior. When in doubt, get to your feet.
2. A Gentleman dresses appropriately for the occasion. When in doubt, dress up.
3. A Gentleman reads books. He knows that the written word feeds his mind, gives him pleasure, and helps to make him a more interesting man.
4. A Gentleman places great value on honor and loyalty.
5. A Gentleman’s handshake is as good as his word and his word is as good as a signed contract.
6. A Gentleman is confident without being arrogant.
7. A Gentleman can say “I’m sorry, I was wrong” and mean it.
8. A Gentleman knows the names of those who serve them – the janitor, the clerk, the salesperson – and treats them respectfully and without condescension.
9. A Gentleman doesn’t stare, leer, or gawk at an attractive woman.
10. A Gentleman doesn’t scratch, yawn, spit, or make “body noises” in public.

Women who are confident and clever are the most attractive women I know! And if they like to smile and if they have a great laugh … that’s the best!

I don’t trust extremes.

I don’t trust people with agendas.

I don’t trust people who don’t have very many friends, especially very many long term friends.

I don’t trust people whose friends all come from one pool and one color.

I don’t trust people who don’t like dogs and I don’t trust the people who aren’t liked by dogs.

There is no accounting for taste (“WHAT does she see in THAT guy?”).

Attraction is not a choice.

The true measure of a man has nothing to do with numbers or possessions.

Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, a second opportunity, and a chance to be forgiven.

I’ve learned the difference between style and substance.

I’ve learned to define “enough.”

When I meet someone new, I fully expect to like them.

I’ve learned that the attitude someone has, the way they process the world around them, the spirit that they use to engage life, and the energy they exude everyday are more important than looks, money, beauty, or education. A good attitude will compensate for a lack in those four things. An abundance of any of those things will never compensate for a foul or negative spirit.

Knowing who you are is the most important knowledge you’ll acquire. I am not my khakis, my bank account, my car, my house, my status, my age, my job, or my family name. It took me a long time to figure that out.

Everyone has these three things in limited supply and they must be respected and treated with care: time, energy, and money. I won’t waste yours.

I’ve made many mistakes and I have many regrets … but not even God can change the past, so move on as best as you can … and purpose to do better. Find out what the right thing is to do, and then do that.

Try and do better tomorrow.

Play nice.

———————————

COLLIERVILLE LOCATION OF USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP MOVES

Starting this Monday the Collierville Battalion of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP will officially move to the Cordova/Arlington area!

Sgt. Les Bonnett and the Cordova-Arlington Battalion will be training at 0515 (15 min earlier than our East Memphis location) at the Woodland Hills Church of Christ at 10011 Woodland Hills Drive, Cordova, TN 38018

CALL SGT. LES for more information at 901-592-7097.

——————————–

SELF DEFENSE

The classes have been postponed. The main group for whom I agreed to do the class have run into unforeseen scheduling problems. I’ll reschedule and let you know ASAP!

So sorry for any inconvenience.

——————————–

SGT. TONY’S HALF MARATHON TRAINING!

It’s getting close.

Training for the St. Jude Half Marathon begins on Saturday, September 4. This is perfect for the first time beginner half marathoner or even a half marathon veteran.

Can you do this?

If by August 31st you can run 3 miles without stopping in under 35 min, you’ll be ready to begin training. This assumes that you’re doing an hour of continuous cardio on the weekends. There’s 5 weeks to get ready! Not sure? Let’s talk.

Training is open to all. Cost for the three month training is $75 for members of USMC Fitness Boot Camp and $120 for non-boot campers.

——————————————-

HEAT INDEX

Beginning today, anytime the heat index is 100 or above the class will go inside.

If the conditions warrant it, the evening class may also be found on the courtyard inside the day school area. So if we’re not on the playground we’ll be there.

And speaking of the evening class, Tues/Thurs are at St. Agnes school track for cardio workouts on the track … at your own pace!

——————————————-

NEW PRICING FOR FAMILIES AND COUPLES

If you’re part of a family (usually husband and wife) that does USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP together, a new pricing plan goes into effect in August! Ask me about it! You’ll like it!

——————————————-

AUGUST IS ANNIVERSARY MONTH!

Next week we celebrate 11 years of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP!!!

To mark the occasion all new enlistments next month will only be $90 and a One Year Tour of Duty will only be $475.

Other celebrations and such are planned and you’ll hear more soon!

——————————————-

AWOL

Have you been away from USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP for a while? Comfortable in Turdeville? Wanna come back? C’mon then!! I won’t bite you! I promise!

I know how it is. You miss a day or two … and then it’s been a week or two … and then it’s a month or two …

Get back on track. Come back to the Quarterdeck!

——————————————-

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

Facebook has now reached a major milestone: 500 million users!

That’s the population of the US, Japan, and Germany combined! Half a BILLION people are on Facebook.

In the world of cyber-marketing, Facebook usage can’t be ignored.

So here’s our experiment.

Make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update that you make that references:
“USMC Fitness Boot Camp,”
“Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,”
“Tony’s Boot Camp,”
or something similar, you can take $2.50 off your reenlistment fee for each update, up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP or to me specifically by name.

You can also use Foursquare linked to your Facebook account to “check in” and you’ll get the same discount!

Use your own wording and personality, just include the specifics.

So log on and get started today!

—————————————–

WANT TO LOSE 10 to 15 POUNDS BY THE END OF AUGUST?

Take Shape For Life is the BEST weight loss program I know of. If you’d like to lose weight talk to me. This is the program I used to lose the almost 30 pounds I gained after knee surgery. Let me help you!

You can also go to www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/

——————————————-

BOGA tomorrow at CUMC @ 0530. BOGA is one half hard core boot camp fitness and one half power yoga … BO-GA!

——————————————-

TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENING CLASS

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes meet at St. Agnes’ track. These are cardio (walking/jogging/running) workouts and they begin at 5:45 PM.

St. Agnes is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Mendenhall.

Should the St. Agnes track be occupied or the field being used, making the track unavailable to us, we’ll go to St. Mary’s track, at Walnut Grove and Perkins.

———————————————-

CALENDAR

A calendar has been added to the official USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

http://www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com/calendar.html

For you visual learners, you’ll find this an easy way to glance at the week or month and see where the workouts will be, if there’s a venue change.

——————-

What would you do if money were not an issue, fear were not a factor, and failure were not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

I was eight years old when I joined the judo club.

Pee wee football and basketball were over and little league baseball practice hadn’t started yet. So judo looked like something fun to do until baseball season started. The club’s Sensei (teacher) was a police officer and a 3rd degree black belt. With about 80 members in the club, the four of us eight year olds were the youngest.

What started as something for me to do before baseball season started, became a life long interest.

I learned as a young boy that the world headquarters for judo was in Tokyo, Japan at a place called The Kodokan. I bought a book about The Kodokan that was full of interesting stories, history, and pictures. I dreamed that one day I’d go there.

But how does a little eight year old boy in Fort Smith, Arkansas go to such a place, I wondered.

But that dream came true for me in 1989 when I stepped into The Kodokan, a 10 story building in downtown Tokyo, twenty four years after I’d first learned of it. It was like a cathedral to me, holy and different from any other place in the world.

The first two floors were offices spaces and administration. The next two floors were locker rooms. The rest of the floors were dojo’s, or training areas. Think of each floor as three gyms wide and twice as long. The dojos were covered in mat type material for training.

New people to the Kodokan had to begin training on the 5th floor no matter what your rank was. You literally had to work your way up to the coveted and mysterious 10th floor where the true masters of judo trained and taught. You had to be invited to go up from one floor to the next. Some, I learned, had been training there for years and had not made it to the 10th floor.

I worked like an indentured slave for months to get the invitation to go up to the next floor. Even though I was already a black belt, it meant nothing. I had to prove myself. It was hard and I paid my dues, but finally, after killing myself on the lower floors for over a year, I was finally invited to the 10th floor.

I can’t begin to tell you what it felt like to open the doors and walk into the holy of judo holies. After stepping onto the mat, I turned toward a giant picture of Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, and bowed, as is the custom there.

If Japan has a unique history, culture, and tradition, then The Kodokan has it even more so. And learning those traditions and customs was part of the overall training.

All newbies to the 10th floor enter and stand near the edge of the mat, like girls at a dance, hoping to get asked to spar or practice. There were literally hundreds of jodoka (people practicing judo) on the floor. But after standing near the edge for 3 hours that first time, I never got asked even once to spar.

This went on for a month.

Finally one of the chief instructors was curious enough about this foreigner to ask me to spar. Of the hundreds there that night, I was the only non-Japanese and all eyes seemed to be on me. I was more than slightly nervous.

I shouldn’t have been.

I got my ass kicked quicker than a hummingbird heartbeat. Within nano seconds I was flying through the air almost with no knowledge of the forces and physics that had gotten me airborne.

In America when you throw your opponent it’s customary to help them up. Not at The Kodokan. There the victor struts off and sort of does a circling move around his victim, completely ignoring him at a distance. This was said to allow the defeated to save face. I didn’t feel that my face had gotten saved. I felt humiliated and was determined to do better.

I didn’t. It only got worse.

I became famous among the chief instructors for being agreeable to have my ass handed to me on a regular basis.

This got old fast.

Unfortunately my black belt might as well have been pink. I had stepped into a completely different world where skill was executed with a quick precision that I couldn’t even see, much less defend against.

I had been practicing judo for most of my life but I might as well have been that 8 year old boy all over again.

The good thing about being the favorite foreigner who was agreeable to having his ass kicked was that I got asked to spar. A lot. And in the process I learned a lot. And one night, I didn’t get my ass kicked. I didn’t win … but I didn’t lose either.

For the next several weeks it was a mixture of losing and not losing, but not winning either.

And then it happened. One night, with the 10th floor filled and me sparing with Oguchi Sensei, a lieutenant on the Tokyo Police Department and someone who’d regularly beaten me, I got my first victory! I sent him flying through the air and when he landed on his back, it was as if a pebble had been dropped into a pond.

Judoka nearest us stopped and looked at me. Some older instructors stopped and looked at me. And they bowed. The older instructors nodded their heads in approval. And the circle of people looking my way seemed to increase like the rings in a pond as people learned that Tony-san had won!

Never be afraid to look unenlightened on your journey toward enlightenment, I was told. If you’re afraid to look stupid, there are few things you will ever master. If you are afraid to say, “I don’t know,” there are few things that you will ever learn. If you are afraid to get out of your comfort zone, there are few things that will ever color your world anew. You will have a future of multiplied mediocre days. You will settle, sure that taking a chance will only lead to failure or defeat.

When Oguchi Sensei got to his feet after I threw him, and he saw all of the bowing and nodding … he walked toward me with no expression on his face. I had no idea what was about to happen, what he was going to do or say. And everyone seemed to be watching along with me to see how he would react.

He stopped an arms length in front of me. Looked me in the eyes … and bowed. And as he bowed he smiled and said in a low voice, “Yatto, yokkudekimashita ototo-kun!”

And I bowed back with tears in my eyes and people started to applaud and smile. And then I did something very American. I hugged him! I couldn’t help myself. It was one of the most touching moments in my life. And then I started to smile too and feel slightly embarrassed for hugging on the 10th floor of The Kodokan!

What did he say to me?

“At last! You did so well … my little brother!”

Never be afraid to look unenlightened on your journey toward enlightenment.

———————————

SGT. TONY’S HALF MARATHON TRAINING!

It’s getting close.

Training for the St. Jude Half Marathon begins on Saturday, September 4. This is perfect for the first time beginner half marathoner or even a half marathon veteran.

Can you do this?

If by August 31st you can run 3 miles without stopping in under 35 min, you’ll be ready to begin training. This assumes that you’re doing an hour of continuous cardio on the weekends. There’s 6 weeks to get ready! Not sure? Let’s talk.

Training is open to all. Cost for the three month training is $75 for members of USMC Fitness Boot Camp and $120 for non-boot campers.

——————————————-

AWOL

Have you been away from USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP for a while? Comfortable in Turdeville? Wanna come back? C’mon then!! I won’t bite you! (see above!)

I know how it is. You miss a day or two … and then it’s been a week or two … and then it’s a month or two …

Get back on track. Come back to The Quarterdeck!

——————————————-

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

Facebook has now reached a major milestone: 500 million users!

That’s the population of the US, Japan, and Germany combined! Half a BILLION people are on Facebook.

In the world of cyber-marketing, Facebook usage can’t be ignored.

So here’s our experiment.

Make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update that you make that references:
“USMC Fitness Boot Camp,”
“Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,”
“Tony’s Boot Camp,”
or something similar, you can take $2.50 off your reenlistment fee for each update, up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP or to me specifically by name.

You can also use Foursquare linked to your Facebook account to “check in” and you’ll get the same discount!

Use your own wording and personality, just include the specifics.

So log-on and get started today!

——————————

SELF DEFENSE

I’ve been asked to teach a self defense class on Saturday morning July 31 and Saturday morning August 7.

This is one class offered twice.

The class is open to anyone, but class size will be limited, so contact me to reserve a place in the class. Let me know date is best for you. Cost is $35 per person or 2 for 50.

—————————————–

WANT TO LOSE 5 to 10 POUNDS BY THE END OF JULY?

Take Shape For Life is the BEST weight loss program I know of. If you’d like to lose weight talk to me. This is the program I used to lose the almost 30 pounds I gained after knee surgery. Let me help you!

You can also go to www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/

——————————————-

BOGA tomorrow at CUMC @ 0530. BOGA is one half hard core boot camp fitness and one half power yoga … BO-GA!

——————————————-

TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENING CLASS

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes meet at St. Agnes’ track. These are cardio (walking/jogging/running) workouts and they begin at 5:45 PM.

St. Agnes is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Mendenhall.

Should the St. Agnes track be occupied or the field being used, making the track unavailable to us, we’ll go to St. Mary’s track, at Walnut Grove and Perkins.

———————————————-

CALENDAR

A calendar has been added to the official USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

http://www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com/calendar.html

For you visual learners, you’ll find this an easy way to glance at the week or month and see where the workouts will be, if there’s a venue change.

——————-

What would you do if money were not an issue, fear were not a factor, and failure were not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/———————————

SGT. TONY’S HALF MARATHON TRAINING!

It’s getting close.

Training for the St. Jude Half Marathon begins on Saturday, September 4. This is perfect for the first time beginner half marathoner or even a half marathon veteran.

Can you do this?

If by August 31st you can run 3 miles without stopping in under 35 min, you’ll be ready to begin training. This assumes that you’re doing an hour of continuous cardio on the weekends. There’s 6 weeks to get ready! Not sure? Let’s talk.

Training is open to all. Cost for the three month training is $75 for members of USMC Fitness Boot Camp and $120 for non-boot campers.

——————————————-

SELF DEFENSE

I’ve been asked to teach a self defense class on Saturday morning July 31 and Saturday morning August 7.

This is one class offered twice.

The class is open to anyone, but class size will be limited, so contact me to reserve a place in the class. Let me know date is best for you. Cost is $35 per person or 2 for 50.

—————————————–

WANT TO LOSE 5 to 10 POUNDS BY THE END OF JULY?

Take Shape For Life is the BEST weight loss program I know of. If you’d like to lose weight talk to me. This is the program I used to lose the almost 30 pounds I gained after knee surgery. Let me help you!

You can also go to www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/

——————————————-

BOGA tomorrow at CUMC @ 0530. BOGA is one half hard core boot camp fitness and one half power yoga … BO-GA!

——————————————-

TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENING CLASS

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes meet at St. Agnes’ track. These are cardio (walking/jogging/running) workouts and they begin at 5:45 PM.

St. Agnes is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Mendenhall.

Should the St. Agnes track be occupied or the field being used, making the track unavailable to us, we’ll go to St. Mary’s track, at Walnut Grove and Perkins.

———————————————-

CALENDAR

A calendar has been added to the official USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

http://www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com/calendar.html

For you visual learners, you’ll find this an easy way to glance at the week or month and see where the workouts will be, if there’s a venue change.

——————-

What would you do if money were not an issue, fear were not a factor, and failure were not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

She was pretty.

Prettier than the other girls she was with.

But I knew she was trouble from the instant I laid eyes on her.

I wanted to meet her, but there were barriers both real and social.

I went through a mutual friend. He arranged the meeting. I was too chicken to approach her without someone to make the introductions.

I know this is all so superficial. But I’m a man. I didn’t know anything about her dreams or her aspirations. I didn’t know anything about her background. All I knew was that she was pretty.

And I was going through a tough time and I needed some company. I think she was going through a tough time too. (Our “matchmaker” said as much.)

She looked at me in a way that kind of melted my heart. Friendly, but a little reserved. Cautious, I thought. She’d been hurt. She’d had some complicated relationships and I guess she was just feeling me out before she could decide what she thought about me. She needed time and I was prepared to give it to her.

Our relationship was difficult from the beginning.

She was, I’m afraid to say this, not very smart. I don’t mean to be cruel. But it’s true. You don’t always know these things right away. But it didn’t take long. It was frustrating. I tried to deny it to myself for a long time. You know how it is, you always want to think the best. But she was just stupid at times.

She was irrational. And sometimes she’d be mean. She apparently didn’t have any interest in most of the things I wanted to do. I would suggest something to do and she would just look at me as if “I’ was the one who had said something stupid.

She would get angry or scared or something and just disappear … for days. Sometimes we’d be in the middle of something and she’d just walk off. And then later she’d act like nothing was wrong. As if she hadn’t done anything. So confusing. So frustrating.

It still is.

I’m looking at her right now … in my backyard … chewing on lord knows what.

When I rescued her from the pound, she was on death row. The next day she was to be “put down” as they say. I’d gone there looking for a companion because I was terribly lonely … and a little fragile. It was March 2003 and we had just invaded Iraq. My son Matthew was at the “tip of the spear” in that mad dash from Kuwait to Baghdad.

You may recall those days when the war was on television all day and all night. Embedded reporters were giving us real time reporting of the war. And I had a TV on in every single room of my house, looking at the flickering images into the wee hours of the night, hoping for even the briefest glimpse of my son.

Just 2 months earlier I’d taken Matthew to the airport to say good bye. I stood in the security line with him and gave him all of the advice I could think of. One Marine to another. A father to a son.

What do you say at a time like that?

Nothing had prepared me for it. He wasn’t going off to college. He wasn’t going off to summer camp. He wasn’t taking a trip with friends to Florida. He was going off to war. People were waiting there to kill my son.

What do you say?

He cleared airport security and I stood there behind the velvet rope, trying to stand up straight and be strong and stoic. He reached down and picked up his gear on the other side of the security screening. Threw one bag over his shoulder and picked up the other one. He steadied himself under the weight … took a couple of steps toward the gate and then turned back and looked at me, managed a faint smile and waved.

I tried to stand up straighter and waved back.

And then he was gone.

My son was gone from my sight, from my ability to protect him. And that might be the last time I would ever see my boy alive. And that realization overwhelmed me.

I stepped back and slumped into one of those plastic chairs in the airport and lost it.

Yesterday 2nd Lieutenant Matthew Ludlow, Platoon Commander, United States Marine Corps, left for Afghanistan … and more war. And I feel slumped in that chair again.

And in the backyard is that stupid dog I rescued from the pound. Her name is Aki, it’s Japanese for autumn. She doesn’t fetch. She doesn’t care if you throw the frisbee across the yard. She’s not interested in the tennis ball I throw. And she doesn’t seem too eager to learn anything either. She’s a terrible watch dog. But she’s sweet and she loves me.

And she’s joined by Matthew’s dog, Drake, who I adopted until whenever. (I hope Matthew forgets that I’ve got him. Drake is a GREAT dog!)

There’s just something about a dog, you know?

No matter how many times Aki makes me crazy, no matter how many times she runs off because she heard thunder, no matter how many times she acts like a knucklehead, I will always love her because she sat next to me in the middle of the night in 2003 while I looked for signs on television that my boy was okay, that my son was alive.

And now Matthew is gone again … and Aki is on duty once more.

I always said that I rescued her … but really, she rescued me.
And for that, she will always have a place in my heart. Stupid girl.

Semper Fi, son.

———————————

SGT. TONY’S HALF MARATHON TRAINING!

It’s getting close.

Training for the St. Jude Half Marathon begins on Saturday, September 4. This is perfect for the first time beginner half marathoner or even a half marathon veteran.

Can you do this?

If by August 31st you can run 3 miles without stopping in under 35 min, you’ll be ready to begin training. This assumes that you’re doing an hour of continuous cardio on the weekends. There’s 6 weeks to get ready! Not sure? Let’s talk.

Training is open to all. Cost for the three month training is $75 for members of USMC Fitness Boot Camp and $120 for non-boot campers.

——————————————-

SELF DEFENSE

I’ve been asked to teach a self defense class on Saturday morning July 31 and Saturday morning August 7.

This is one class offered twice.

The class is open to anyone, but class size will be limited, so contact me to reserve a place in the class. Let me know date is best for you. Cost is $35 per person or 2 for 50.

—————————————–

WANT TO LOSE 5 to 10 POUNDS BY THE END OF JULY?

Take Shape For Life is the BEST weight loss program I know of. If you’d like to lose weight talk to me. This is the program I used to lose the almost 30 pounds I gained after knee surgery. Let me help you!

You can also go to www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/

——————————————-

BOGA tomorrow at CUMC @ 0530. BOGA is one half hard core boot camp fitness and one half power yoga … BO-GA!

——————————————-

TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENING CLASS

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes meet at St. Agnes’ track. These are cardio (walking/jogging/running) workouts and they begin at 5:45 PM.

St. Agnes is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Mendenhall.

Should the St. Agnes track be occupied or the field being used, making the track unavailable to us, we’ll go to St. Mary’s track, at Walnut Grove and Perkins.

———————————————-

CALENDAR

A calendar has been added to the official USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

http://www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com/calendar.html

For you visual learners, you’ll find this an easy way to glance at the week or month and see where the workouts will be, if there’s a venue change.

——————-

What would you do if money were not an issue, fear were not a factor, and failure were not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

There was nothing I could do to stop it.

The seconds passed away and the quarter was over and we went into the dressing room up by 20 points at halftime.

What couldn’t I stop?

I was the head coach of the varsity boy’s basketball team and I couldn’t stop the halftime celebrations going on in our locker room. We were beating our cross-town rivals by 20 points! We’d won a game earlier that season against them in triple overtime at their place. And now we were playing at home and were ahead by 20 points!

A head coach doesn’t celebrate at the half. A head coach knows that there’s another half of basketball to play. But teen-aged boys playing their rivals don’t have the life experience to understand that. They can’t imagine that there’s another half of basketball to play.

I tried to stop the celebrations. But the locker room was electric beyond my ability to control it. And the looks of pure joy on their faces made it hard to be angry at them. I tried. I tried in vain to take the joy from their faces. Truth is, I probably didn’t try hard enough. Truth is, it felt good to me too. I was pretty pumped as well.

Every war movie teaches one lesson over and over. The enemy must be destroyed and left dead on the battlefield. Not left for dead. The ones left for dead will somehow find a way to revive themselves and will come back and ambush you later.

Every horror movie teaches two things. One, don’t go back into the house, don’t go down into the basement, don’t go up into the attic cuz there’s a maniac with an axe waiting for you. And the other thing you learn is the necessity of making sure the ghoul is dead. Graveyard dead. Otherwise he’ll come back to wreck havoc and mayhem on you.

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” baseball icon Yogi Berra is quoted as having said.

“It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings,” is widely attributed to sports writer and broadcaster Dan Cook. An assumed reference to a rotund soprano singing the final aria of an opera, indicating the end.

The point is, until it’s over, it’s still on. It’s still possible to turn things around, discover something new, embark on a new career, make a difference, become what you were intended to become, be with the one you were destined to be with.

When there’s still time on the clock, there’s a chance.

The history of late bloomers is totally fascinating! The people who became famous later in life are some of the most interesting characters you’ll ever read about.

Andrea Bocelli didn’t start singing opera until he was 34.

Julia Child didn’t start cooking until she was 36.

Ian Fleming, Frank Baum, and A. A. Milne were all 44 when they wrote their most famous, and first, works: Casino Royale, The Wizard of Oz, and Winnie the Pooh, respectively.

Susan Boyle was 48 when she entered and won the contest “Britain’s Got Talent.” She dreamed a dream.

Ray Kroc was 52 when he convinced the McDonald’s brothers to franchise. Seven years later he bought them out.

Harland Sanders, aka Colonel Sanders, launched his career as a fried chicken tycoon when he was 65.

Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 67.

Ronald Regan was 69 when he became our 40th President.

Oscar Swahn won two Olympic gold medals for shooting when he was 72.

So long as there is time remaining …

“Everyone saw the big clock ticking,
nobody knew the time.”

I couldn’t stop those boys from celebrating when there was still another half of basketball to play.

What happened?

We lost by 2 at the buzzer.

All of my attempts to keep those boys focused on putting the game away failed. By the beginning of the 4th quarter our lead was down to 8. I watched as my team wilted in front of my eyes. I yelled. I tried to be calm. I screamed. I called timeout and got in their faces. I called timeout and prayed. I tried everything I could think of. Nothing worked.

The other team saw the game clock ticking and played to win. My boys saw the same clock and played not to lose.

In all of the years I coached high school basketball, that was the most painful loss I ever experienced. It pains me to this day.

There’s a difference between marking time and making time.

There’s a difference between settling and refusing to settle. (Are there any sadder words than “he/she settled”?)

There’s a difference between looking at your future with excitement, with passion, and opportunity instead of as a series of ever repeating mediocre days.

And the most fantastic thing about it all is that it’s within your power to make that change, to do the unthinkable, to turn this thing around, to make a difference, to turn an apparent loss into an awesome win!

Just do it …

The clock’s ticking …

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“Tony, how can I be successful at getting fit and losing weight?”

“Be consistent to AT LEAST three USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP workouts per week. Give 100% effort! Increase the weight of your dumbbells every 3 to 4 weeks until you max out (women at 15 or 20 pounds, men at 30 or 35.) Eat less. Move more.”

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SELF DEFENSE

I’ve been asked to teach a self defense class on Saturday morning July 31 and Saturday morning August 7.

This is the same class offered on two different dates.