This Saturday, I competed. Four matches. Two divisions. 1st place in gi, 2nd in no-gi. But the real win? Watching my student-athletes step on the mat with courage, composure, and heart. I spent most of my morning coaching the kids, managing their nerves, celebrating their effort. Then I had to flip the switch and become a competitor myself. The mindset I've been coaching all week? Breathe. Flow. Play. Here's what I learned when I had to live it. The Mindset: Breathe, Flow, Play (Sort Of) Competition nerves are real. Even after years of training, your body knows when it's game time. My focus all morning? Breathing. Staying regulated. Managing the nerves without letting them manage me. Did "breathe, flow, play" work perfectly? Not entirely. But it worked enough. I kept my composure under pressure. I stayed present when stuck in bad positions. I didn't panic, didn't force, didn't freeze. Could I have pushed a better pace? Absolutely. But I'm satisfied with my performance and more importantly, I walked away with clarity on what to work on for the next one. Preparation got me there. Breathing kept me grounded. And now I know what's next. What Surprised Me Most? The Kids. I'm always impressed by my student-athletes, but watching them compete never gets old. Their resilience. Their composure. Their ability to adapt under pressure. These kids step onto the mat knowing they might lose. Knowing people are watching. Knowing it's uncomfortable. And they do it anyway. That's not just martial arts. That's character. I competed Saturday, but honestly? Those kids inspire me the most. The Real Takeaway: Courage Over Judgment Here's what I tell my students before every competition: When you step on that mat, you might fear judgment. But the only thing people see is your courage to step out there in the first place. No one's critiquing your technique. They're celebrating your willingness to try. And for parents and leaders? The best way to get your kids to compete isn't to push them. It's to model it yourself. I'm not naturally a competitive person. I'm just a chill guy who likes to have fun while pushing myself. But my students needed to see that even their coach steps into the uncomfortable.

"What will they say?" This reflection comes from a sermon I heard at church this morning. "What will they say about you when you leave this earth?" I often think about this and how I approach the human experience, from both spectrums. I've hurt people on my journey and still think about the times I shoulda, coulda, woulda done better. What I think about most is how do I counteract some of my early mistakes with good? What would my wife, children, close associates say on the inevitable day when I am no longer there to defend my actions? In my wiser years this is my guiding compass. I can't change the past, but I can learn from it. Not only can I do better, I can coach those who I see are facing similar circumstances by offering them a choice. The choice to make the same mistakes or take the wisdom and do better than I did. This week, a teenage student athlete pulled me aside during class to share his struggles with following his own path versus doing what his father wants. In that moment, I got to offer him my perspective while respecting his father at the same time. It isn't just philosophical, it's practical. With each high five, each time I listen without distraction, each time I message someone close just to let them know I am thinking of them, builds what I hope fills churches one day. "Coach Vern, Vernon, My husband, My daddy, My mentor, My friend was patient, always striving to do better than yesterday. He was a man who wanted to heal hearts and grow minds. He was a man who was relentless in the pursuit of community. His convictions revolved around kindness through the help of others, sometimes to his own detriment. He is and always will be a light and an example of, no matter the circumstances you can become undeniable." Accomplished this week - STORM team met over the weekend - 10 members in our SKOOL Community! Thank You! - Published a LinkedIn article about how parental entitlement impacts our kids. Click here! - Reviewed 6 chapters of the Powerful Parenting Playbook - Trained over at Neutral Ground HQ with some awesome teammates - Represented Utopia Martial Arts at Grafton High School career day - gave teens permission to not have it figured out yet and honored their potential instead of lecturing about my path