Quest For The U.S. Open – World Martial Arts Championships

Summer Break…Finishing First Novel

Posted on August 26, 2009, 11:23 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

I know, I know…it’s been quiet lately, but for good reason. I’ve taken some personal time to focus on family and rest and preparation for things to come.

In addition, my son, Michael, and I have nearly finished our first novel together. This has been two years in the development and “simmering” process and we decided to take summer break to get it done, so to speak. Nearly finished and just about ready to send it off to the agent. Very exciting. We both have other writing projects we are involved in, but took time away to finish this and it has been one of the most exciting things I have been a part of…period. Lots of fun!

Not finished with that project, or with personal time I’m taking, so I will talk to you on the flipside. Take care and enjoy the rest of your summer (if you have any left)!

Keeping You In The Loop…

Posted on August 12, 2009, 9:49 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

I have taken a couple of weeks off from training (purposefully) and am ready to jump back in again full steam ahead! A lot has been happening (all good stuff) and so it has been a busy couple of weeks.

In the next week or so I will post an update on some new things, including my newest project in the realm of physical training…and it is very exciting.

I will also share about some upcoming martial arts tournaments I will be at and make sure the info gets out.

For now, just trying to keep you in the loop, and I appreciate all your continued support!

Onward and upward!!!

Results From Today’s Tournament, And More News About New Martial Arts Program

Posted on August 1, 2009, 5:18 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Doug places 2nd in Traditional Forms At The Central Florida Sport Karate Challenge Today!

Today is my birthday (happy birthday to me!) and I decided to compete to celebrate! I had the opportunity to compete in the Central Florida Sport Karate Challenge in Lake County, FL. Only competed in one event, Traditional Forms, and placed 2nd. I will say this, the gentleman who bested me today deserved it as he performed a very clean kata (form) and was a worthy competitor. I believe he also went on to place 2nd in Sparring, so mucho congrats to him!

It was a fun day, and I was honored with the presence of a friend and his son as well (thanks for hanging out with us Jeff and Marcus!), so good times all around.

I did get to experience a different side of tournament competition today…Judging! They needed a couple of judges to fill slots and I volunteered (so did Michael, which was cool), and got to judge Creative Forms, Traditional Forms, Creative and Traditional Weapons, and Sparring…mostly for the younger competitors.

I must say I probably had as much or more fun judging as I did competing. Probably because I always enjoy seeing and helping others succeed, and that, in some way, is what judging is about.

It was a smaller tournament, but a fun one and one that I will enjoy attending in the future…next time with a team of my own students! Woo Hoo!!! Oh, and I didn’t know it until yesterday but all the proceeds from this tournament went to benefit kids in Lake County through the Police Athletic League, and I am very honored to have been a part of that.

We are nearly ready to launch our new Martial Arts Program for students here in Orange County and I am so excited to be this close to being able to share details with all of you. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as this will be a tremendous opportunity to invest in young lives here in our area.

I will continue training and competing until I reach my personal goals, physically and in competition. It has only just begun!

On the note of training…I did have an opportunity to have a drink with a friend and Personal Trainer yesterday and he has given me some things to work on to push through the current training plateau I am in, so I am excited about the next few weeks of training. Stay tuned for more great results to be announced!

Until next time, I hope everyone is having a wonderful day on my BDay and I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you along the way!

Doug

P.S. – A lot of people have been asking me if I am going to start sparring again or fighting again in the future. Hmmm…it is a very real possibility and one that could (hint, hint) be in the works within the year, given I can pass medical clearance from the past injuries. Looking good though. Oh, and in case you are wondering about any future “mountains” to climb…I am currently training toward reclaiming another passion, in which I have actually competed professionally and nationally in…long-distance running. A couple of 5K primer runs look to be in the near future, so again, stay tuned…it’s about going as high as we can go!

Food Poisoning, Battle of ATL, and Training At Higher Levels…

Posted on July 16, 2009, 11:33 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

Definitely want to attend or compete in this event!!!

It has been a few days since I updated here, but for good reason. This past weekend I battled out several championship rounds of food poisoning. Certainly a worthy opponent, this food poisoning, but in the end who’s still standing?! You know this!

It definitely was not what I had on the agenda over the weekend and for a couple of queezy, uncomfortable days following. To say the least, my writing here and for other sites and publications I write for took a break.

I am better now and will pick up full-time training again tomorrow (light today) and begin mentally and physically preparing for my next tournament which is right around the corner.

Originally, I was heading toward the Battle of Atlanta (that’s in Atlanta by the way but we received an invitation for the same date to a wedding of a dear friend and someone who used to serve as a leader in our outreach to youth. We are very excited to be a part of this event and celebrate with her…and so the Battle of Atlanta will have to wait another year for me, but you better get your peachy little self right on over and check out this phenom event.

I would seriously encourage you to check it out if you are in that part of the country, or jump in there if you are a martial artist. This is a quality event that attracts some of the best in the world and is one of the most exciting tournaments in the world! Check them out at http://www.battleofatlanta.com. I know a lot of our readers are in and around the ATL area, so you guys get out and support the sport in this area!

I will be competing locally (Florida) again this time, and I will post details soon as many of you are asking about hanging out at the next tourney again. Too much fun!!!

The opportunity to work with a group of students here in the Central Florida area is progressing and I look forward to sharing details with you soon about that.

Here Doug and Michael are competing in Self Defense, but at the local College it was Michael producing the tapouts and takedowns!

Michael and I had fun demonstrating self-defense at a local Community College last week (before the food poisoning!), to which he commented, “I am really enjoying seeing you tap right now,” during the demonstration. He was the defender and I was the aggressor so he had some fun taking me down It was fun overall and there was good feedback for the demonstration.

I am really excited that this “Quest” is only growing at this point and is becoming much more about investing in other people’s lives and leading others to overcome challenges in their lives…and many people are getting involved with martial arts and experiencing the benefits of what the arts have to offer.

As an update on my physical condition: To date I have lost close to 60 lbs and am daily experiencing a surge in my energy, and a drop in my clothing sizes. It is still humorous as I have yet to go shopping for new clothes and many of my clothes kinda look silly on me now…at least that’s how they feel. Several people who have known me for some time, who saw me at the U.S. Open said, “WOW! You really have lost a lot of weight!” and commented about how far I have come (these people really knew the inside story of how much I have really been through, and how far I’ve come back up.)

I am continuing to cross train with other martial arts experts and coaches and gain new insight and experience with some exciting top level people, so I will continue to physically reap the benefits of this cross-training. I look to break through another plateau with my weight and body tone in the next few weeks, so that is exciting (I am just past the halfway point of my goal for body size and weight).

As I said earlier, I am pumped that this is becoming about helping others and I thank you for sending your encouragement and stories about how some of you are breaking through your own obstacles to reach your dreams and goals. Keep going and never look back!

Pic from the very beginning...here we go again. The fun has only just begun!

A I jump into training again the next few days, I will share some updates and how I am doing and give details about the next tournament. We have a full schedule both in and out of the area for the rest of the year, so it is exciting!

Here’s to your success!!! Rock on!

P.S. – I am not affiliated with Battle of Atlanta in any way…just want to make that clear. I simply think this is a wonderful event and I want to support the sport as much as I can. So, get on over there and get yourself a Georgia Peach and enjoy some of the best athletes in the world perform!

Open Casting Call For Martial Artists

Posted on July 13, 2009, 9:02 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Hey everyone…special news flash straight from the desks of Kickgen.com. If you are a martial artist (or think you’ve got what it takes…) then get to it!

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Motion Picture Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in association with Mirage Studios, 4Kids Entertainment and TMNT Productions, will host an OPEN CASTING CALL for martial arts experts to audition for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, hitting theaters in 2011.

Get the full scoop at Kickgen.com!

More updates from our “Quest” coming soon…stay tuned!

Doug and Michael To Demonstrate Self Defense At Local College

Posted on July 9, 2009, 7:14 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

Doug and Michael performing during the Self Defense competiton at the U.S. Open this year. Doug and Michael will both demonstrate a classroom version of Self Defense principles and techniques at Valencia Community College this week.

Doug and Michael McGannon, fresh off of an exciting competition at the 2009 U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships, are set to demonstrate Self Defense principles and techniques at Valencia Community College this week. This will be a one-time event when Doug is given special permission to join Michael during one of his classes to provide teaching and demonstration to students at the college.

Actually, it is Michael who will be doing most of the teaching, and Doug will be getting his bum handed to him in front of everyone. It will be tons of fun, and both Doug and Michael are honored to continue sharing their training with others through Martial Arts.

In other news, Doug has been approached by an official in the public school systems to begin developing a Martial Arts program for students. Doug has done this before in other states and looks forward to working with students in Orange and surrounding counties through Martial Arts and personal development. The details cannont yet be released, but as soon as we have permission we will share with you, our friends, more about this exciting venture.

Currently, Doug’s training schedule and tournament schedule has been set for the remainder of the year and into the first quarter of 2010. We are just a few weeks out from the next competition and will announce locations, times, dates, and events in the next several days…stay tuned!

Thanks again for everyone who is supporting Doug on his Quest not only to compete at the highest levels again, but on his Quest to regain his physical body back to full stength and do what some “experts” told him he would never do again! Here’s to the overcoming power that each of us can tap into…

Fun Pics, Special Thanks, and Updates Going Forward…

Posted on July 6, 2009, 10:34 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Doug with Mike Chaturantabut (aka Mike Chat), founder of XMA and popular actor (Blue Power Ranger), and part of his XMA Trick Team at the U.S. Open

Here are some fun pics of people I got to meet and hang out with as well as some more competition pics. More will come in future posts as I have time. Right now I am back to preparing for more tournaments and working with a couple of organizations in the Orlando area on the development of martial arts programs for students. It is very exciting to be able to inspire and give back. I will be attending and competing at some more NASKA tournaments and competing in several southeast regional tournaments in the coming months as I continue to climb upward in my competition again.

Doug bringing some pain to Michael during the Self Defense demonstration after just taking his weapon away and just prior to slamming him to the ground with it! Yeay, Baby!!!

The Quest continues…

There is one program I am working on that is very near and dear to my heart, and I will soon be able to announce some details of this program as it takes more shape.

If you have known me for any length of time, you know I am very much about investing in other people’s lives. The past several years (through the depression, weight gain, chronic pain, therapy, etc.) has held me back from accomplishing this as I would have liked to. That part of me never died, though, and now that I’m “back”, I have an opportunity and a privilege of working with others in very high capacities once again.

World Champion Kalman Csoka (Weapons), Doug, and Nathaniel at the U.S. Open following Kalman's dominance as a World Champion once again. He is one of my, and Nathaniel's, favorite competitors to watch...this guy makes the double swords miraculous!

None of this would be possible without the help of some key individuals and organizations.

First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the strength to endure some of the darkest times imaginable over the past several years, and also for giving me the strength to climb back up again. His power and grace in my life is undeniable.

My wife and best friend, Holly, is a never-ending source of encouragement and tough love for me. Through it all she has stood by my side, and though she hasn’t been training

Michael, Doug, Chuck, Mike just after our Self Defense competition

much since the birth of Nathaniel (gee, I wonder why?), she has pushed me to go further and accomplish more than will ever be publicly known. I love you Holly and thanks for sticking it out with me…the best is yet to come!

Michael, my oldest son and primary training partner through all of this is such an amazing individual and I can’t say enough about him. He is carrying full course loads in both his last year of High School and his second year of college at the same time while training with me. He is not a competition type as much as I am, but he has excelled and inspired me to become better in every way as a martial artist and as a person. Michael, you are the best and I love you!

Nathaniel at the Night of Champions..."You wanna piece of me!?"

Nathaniel, my youngest son…well, he’s two years old this week and a ball of non-stop energy. Every time I come home from training or from working, he is always there to say, “DADDDDYYYYYY!” As a father, this makes my spirit soar to the highest heights. I have looked at him every day with hope that he will be proud of his Daddy through all of this…I believe he is.

The rest of my family…my sis, Melanie and her hubby (who wishes he could be like me

and their two boys Christopher and Nicolas have cheered me on from across the miles each day. Holly’s parents here in Otown have been a huge support for which I am eternally grateful, and my parents joining us for the U.S. Open weekend was a special treat and a huge support.

Doug and Michael performing synchronized forms at the U.S. Open

My training partners Mike Tatum and Chuck Bloom who gave tirelessly of themselves to compete at this level and overcome their own set of challenges along the way. I thank you both and hold the utmost respect for you in my mind and heart!

My coach, Lauren Kearney, who is a world champion and gave of her time and expertise to catapult me to new heights of excellence. I am most appreciative of you, Lauren, and enjoy our live broadcasts together and am inspired by your accomplishments. Thanks for taking the time to coach a “nobody” in this world of championship tournaments.

Doug hanging out with World Champion Marc Canonizado at the U.S. Open

To all of my friends at Kickgen.com…you are some of the most inspiring and encouraging people on Planet E! I love hanging out with you online and celebrating in all of our victories together along the way. Thanks for hanging with me during this “Quest”…and congratulations to all of you who were competing during this time as well. You all are champions!!! And GO! Mrs. Lindy Woods as you prepare to receive your Master’s Rank in just a couple of days…prayers and encouragement go with you!

Doug and Coach/Broadcast Partner up on the big screen at the U.S. Open providing some coverage and commentary of the event for Kickgen.com

To Janet Bold and Natalia Moyano at The Bold Look who took care of us in the uniform department. You made us look sharp and we tell everyone about you. Bold Look is truly a great place to get your hands on uniforms, gear, and supplies. Check them out at www.boldlook.net.

To the guys over at Orlando Barbell for making our team stronger. Brian and Matt…you guys are amazing and anyone who needs to get fit or get stronger needs to see you guys first!

Doug with World Champion and World Combat League fighter Ross Levine at the U.S. Open

I am personally certified with Lifeworks CPR in both CPR and First Aid and if you or your organization is needing certification and you are in the Florida, Georgia, Alabama region…these are the guys to call. Thanks for your support along the way (I actually needed to use my training from you guys at the tournament for an injured fighter…thanks!) BTW…Lifeworks has also represented me as a coach in MMA and provided corner/ringside assistance for my fighters in the past. Did I mention to call them?

Nathaniel hanging out with his friend Harry, from BlackBeltPrinciples.com, at the U.S. Open...

To all mi amigos and amigas on Fb and Twitter…thanks for hanging out with me and putting up with my crazy posts. I appreciate all the love and support you’ve thrown my way and I will defiinitely keep you updated with the new stuff as it happens.

The 2009 U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships were absolutely amazing and I am looking forward to next year already. Thanks to the owners and staff of the U.S. Open who believed in what I was doing from the very beginning. We are bringing a big team next year and going to spread the word to people everywhere we go that this is the place to be in the world of sport martial arts!!!

Looking forward to much more WINNING in the months ahead and at next year's U.S. Open!

More news to come in the next few days as to new tournament schedules and upcoming projects…lives are being changed and it is a blast helping to lead the movement!

Night of Champions…And How Did Doug Do Today?!

Posted on July 4, 2009, 3:11 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Nathaniel all dressed up and ready for U.S. Open Night of Champions!

I am setting up right now for tonight’s LIVE Stream Broadcast of the 2009 U.S. Open Night of Champions! This is so exciting and you are going to LOVE this event. The Best of the best of the best in the world on tonight’s stage. Go to www.kickgen.com and click on the Kickgen LIVE tab up top and watch the event streamed LIVE and join in our online chat, watch our interview and hang out with me online during the Super Bowl of Martial Arts…

Earlier today after I finished my event, the main judge walked up to me and said, “You took this division…except for one small foot slip during your form.” To say the least I was just crazy bummed, but I felt really good about my performance and I know I showed up well. The competition was soooo razor thin close that a single heel slip (that I didn’t even know about until I later watched the vid) separated me from winning the entire division.

It was a great day and I was honored by my competition, ranked among the tops, and look forward to learning more and moving up and continuing my competition training.

As a matter of fact, Michael and I have mapped out my tournament schedule for the next several months and I am excited to be BACK in tournament competition after being away for so many years. The U.S. Open has been fabulous!

Fireworks from last night...Happy 4th everyone!

I will post more details and some cools pics over the next couple of days and have a special announcement coming for some new developments that are sure to be life-changing for many people over the next year. It is good to be about making a difference in people’s lives!

Crazy Schedules, Winning Medals, and Lessons Learned From Our First Year Competing At The World Championships!

Posted on July 3, 2009, 2:20 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Medals from today's Self-defense competition. See story below for details. Congratulations Doug, Michael, Chuck, and Mike!

Competition is still going strong at the 2009 U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships. We have taken a break after our day’s events and grabbing something to eat, getting some rest, and prepping for tomorrow. The day started off pretty calm and got a little crazy come event time.

The team synchronized event (for me and Michael) was scheduled at the same time as the Self-Defense competition (the whole team) and we were told to contact a coordinator to make sure our times were not conflicting. Well, the coordinator said it wouldn’t be a problem because they would not start the events over the top of each other and it would be okay…um…not so sure about that It ends up, they were calling me and Michael for Self-Defense at the same time we were walking on stage for the team-synch event. I ended up, like a dipwad, starting on the wrong side of the stage which threw

Father and sons arriving for the U.S. Open this morning (Michael, Nathaniel, and Doug)...Beautiful day in Orlando for the tournament!

Michael off at the beginning with our timing, so we were constantly catching up with each other through our form. Big lessons learned for us in that type of event, but despite my goof up, we did good and got some great feedback and Michael said we got pretty high scores considering. I didn’t get to see any as they were yelling at us to go to Self-Defense and pulling us off the stage. We still don’t know how we placed in that event and Holly is doing some checking with the judges to find out how we did overall. Michael said what he saw was that the scores were all pretty close, and there were definitely some really good teams that bettered us, but I was proud that we overcame the chaos and stood our ground and kept going.

Bit of a blur...but here is Michael in the forefront throwing down some moves, with Doug mirroring him in the back (the blur is pretty much representative of the entire morning:)

I am really proud of Michael as he is not a big competitor type (if you know Michael, you know he is shy and very artistic and stays pretty much to himself). He really showed up well and it was a great tribute to our time training together over the past few months. We have never competed in an event together, so I am really proud of our job together.

The Self-Defense competition went well. We had some pretty stiff competition from several groups and the scores there were super tight on some things. We placed 7th overall out of a pretty big division. That’s right people…7th in the World in Self-Defense in our first year competing at the U.S. Open. I was really proud of our team, who performed well. Side note: I have made friends with the other six teams ahead of us, so we never get into with each other if we bump into one another on the street…wouldn’t be pretty I assure you We learned a lot about this division as well, which is not as well-publicized but is always a crowd favorite. Having never seen it before or been a part of it, I learned a lot about taking real life self-defense and presenting in a more dynamic way.

Our Team presenting to the judges during Self-defense event...very proud of everyone on our team!

I got a chance to congratulate the winning team from today who you will see tomorrow night during the Night of Champions. Really impressive and I can’t wait to see them perform again.

So, after a day of crazy scheduling, running between events just to make it to the ring on time, placing 7th World wide, and getting to compete with my son for the first time ever…I am pretty happy with the experience and am looking forward to tomorrow’s event.

Tomorrow’s event will be against the very best in the world in my division, and I have taken a BIG chance in even challenging them as I have no seeded position in the circuit, so I will have to claw my way up to the top. This will be no easy climb at all! I decided, with my coach’s guidance, to do it this way…kinda jump in the big pond from the getgo and take on the big fish! After all, I’m not here to play ping-pong!

Nathaniel enjoying some pre-tournament fun...with a bo staff in his hand of course! (People better watch out for this one in a few years!)

For now, enjoy the day, get some grub and mentally shift gears for tomorrow morning.

I will update you as soon as I know what is happening for tomorrow!

Happy 4th tomorrow by the way…thanks for all those who give of themselves to deliver and protect our freedom!

Here We Go!

Posted on July 3, 2009, 5:36 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

On our way to the Disney Coronado Springs Resort for the 2009 U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships…BREEEAAATHE!

Hope to see all of you there. Details and info in my last two posts as to where I will be over the course of the next couple of days. I will post as I have opportunity to following competition events.

Thanks again for all your prayers, support, and encouragement! We do this together! We do this…NOW!