Tournament Time

This past weekend was ALL about the boys. They left early Friday afternoon for a trip to Orange Beach for a Tae kwon do tournament. This was actually Cole's idea. We are very excited about his interest in martial arts, but the idea of going "on the road" for it was definitely not our plan. As soon as Cole learned of the upcoming tournament, he talked about it everyday. Judd planned a boys' getaway weekend for them that included a night in Orange Beach, a day at the tournament, and a visit to see the family in Pensacola. Mary Conlee and I had our own getaway weekend- in Tupelo!

They arrived Friday night and Judd said that Cole wanted to go to the beach first thing. He loves the sand and water and really thought he might swim, but the weather proved WAY too cold for that. He loved being out there in the moonlight, something he has never done before. He was looking for shells with his flashlight, but ran into a different surprise- being chased by a ghost crab! That night while the boys were in bed, Cole said he missed the girls a little but that he was glad it was the boys' trip!

Considering that this was his very first (but definitlely not his last) tournament, he did pretty well. He received a silver medal and and bronze medal in his two events. Not sure if that's the technical name for them, but it will have to do! He received silver for his three 1-steps and a bronze for the 21 moves that are required for all yellow belts to perform. I was so excited that he had a fun and positive experience. He told Judd he was a little nervous, but a good kind of nervous!

Since Orange Beach is less than an hour to Pensacola, Judd and Cole headed to the Wilsons' house Saturday afternoon. Cole loved playing with his cousins, Catie and Mac, and seeing Bob Bob and Mama Charlie. When they got home Sunday night, Cole was so excited to show me his medals. And guess what? The bronze was his favorite- it looked the prettiest! Cole is already trying to convince his dad to take him to the national tournament in Orlando sometime early next year. Of course, that's way too far from home and we are not ready for competing nationwide. Besides, we don't have family that close to Orlando. UNLESS...we can stay with our extended family (Mickey and Minnie) at Disney World. Stay tuned!

Orange Beach


Mentally preparing for the tournament


Practicing with Chase


In action


1-steps


Silver medal time


21 moves


Medal ceremony


Kinetic Kick boys


The Boys