One of my free time passions is teaching and competing in west coast swing dancing. Because I spend a lot of time working on this skill with others and for myself I have created a tab specifically for that information. Other things that I like to do outside of the classroom are Aikido and martial arts, exercise and obstacle courses, and cooking.
West Coast Swing
January of 2004 I enrolled at Salt Lake Community College multiple classes, one of which was Country Western Dance. I was looking forward to learning to dance and thought that meeting girls might be easier in a dance class. I became addicted to the music and dance and within a year was helping people teach other classes and run competitions. The below picture is from a competition in Las Vegas, Nevada, called Sin City Swing. You may click on the image to see a video of the competition.
Aikido and Martial Arts
Around age 13 I started studying Muso Kai Karate. I studied for about 3 years, did a little competing and raised a few belts. It was a great experience and a perfect way to be introduced to martial arts. Around the age of 16 I switched to Aikido. This was a very big switch in that Karate is known as a "hard" martial art becuase it uses strong blocks and direct striking. Aikido is more of a "soft" art meaning that you blend with your opponent and use their momentum and strength against them. More joint manipulation and weight transfers are utilized. This is what you see most law enforcement agencies using to subdue assailants without punching, kicking, or shooting them. I rose to the rank of 3rd Kyu, which is the 3rd rank from the beginning. At 17 I joined the Marine Corps. While in the Marines I learned their hand to hand combat system and was given the opportunity to become an instructor. Throughout my travels in the military I also trained in Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, and Mui Tai.
During my time in the Marine Corps I had four jobs: basic rifleman, security forces, close quarters battle, and close combat instruction. These jobs required a lot of physical endurance. We were expected to run and workout every morning. I got into the habit of working out twice a day, a run in the morning, and weights at night. After I left the Marines, I still exercised, but much less. A decade later I had slowly dwindled to nearly nothing. I realized I needed to get back into shape. I started working out but lacked motivation. So I decided to sign up for the Tough Mudder event that summer. My wife and I ran the 13 miles and completed the 25 obstacles, despite the slightly rainy weather and her injured foot.
Culinary Fun
My culinary experience began as a kid watching and helping my dad grill steaks or burgers. My mom also cooked. She still likes to make French toast whenever possible. Four years into my social work career I was feeling burnt out and decided to attend The Art Institute for a culinary degree. I was highly motivated to make the career change and excelled in school. I graduated in September of 2009. Unfortunately, during my schooling and internship I realized that while I love cooking, I wasn't overly interested in a career of it. It will always be something that I'm ready to fall back on, but it's not my number one.
