1 post / 0 new
Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture
Help and Support Wanted: 50 State Challenge

50 State Challenge

Message from Gretchen Carlson

Greetings fellow martial artists,

The 50 State Challenge is a project about uniting martial artists across the various styles and across the United States.  The goal is to find a host school in each of the fifty states where I will take a class and teach a class.  This is not a project about making money, and in fact I won’t accept payment for the classes I teach.  Instead I donate my time as part of a fundraiser for a charity chosen by the host school.  Along the way, I record the experience online at http://martialjourneys.blogspot.com.  Here’s how it works.

Learning Something The goal is to make each stop on the Challenge as unique as possible, so I hope to find a variety of kinds of schools to host, representing a range of styles of martial arts.  In addition to taking a class, I will interview the school’s head instructor for the blog.  The idea is to tell each school’s story and show what makes it unique.  At the end of the project the blog should portray an intimate picture of martial arts across America.

Teaching Something At each school participating in the challenge, I will share something I know with the students.  This will include a “takeaway technique” that the previous school taught to me.  This allows every school in the Challenge to learn from and share their knowledge with the others.

Supporting a Cause The fundraiser attached to the event can be as simple as putting out a donation jar, or as involved as an elaborate break-a-thon.  The particular cause championed by the host school speaks to that school’s personality, and I hope to shine a spotlight on fifty different worthy causes that could benefit from some extra support and attention.

Joining the Challenge As martial artists, there is a great deal we can learn from each other, and we have endless stories to share.  If you are interested in being part of this project as a host school, please contact me at gcmaybeme@gmail.com.  If you prefer to enjoy the stories and studies without being involved directly, you can follow the project at http://martialjourneys.blogspot.com or join the community on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/martialjourneys, or Twitter with @MartialJourneys.

Respectfully,

Gretchen Carlson