OWMA W.O.T.D.

Instructor: Freddy

Warm-up
Jog Forward
Jog Backward
Jog side to side

For Individual Times
Run 400 meters (Joanne's Final Time: 2:29)
100 jump rope rotations (Joanne's Final Time: 1:28)
500 meter row (Joanne's Final Time: 2:10)

Timed Set
50 push-ups (on knees)
50 full sit-ups
50 squats
(Joanne's Final Time: 6:47)

Circuit
Bag jog
Squares
Bag hops
(three rounds of this set)

OWMA Quotable Quote
"I'm gonna start calling you 'Puddles' from now on."
- said by Freddy to Arnold about bald men sweating all over the mats

P.O.T.D.: Ice Cream Daze

In honor of the hot weather, here are a series of photos of Brendan enjoying some mini-ice cream cones. Again, this was taken in Canada. Stay cool and enjoy!

OWMA W.O.T.D.

Instructor: Freddy

Warm-up
Forward jog
Backward jog
Side to side

For Time I
100 jump rope rotations
100 punches
Run 400 meters
(Joanne's Final Time: 5:40)

For Time II
20 1-2 punches on bag
20 wall ball sit-ups
20 1-2 punches on bag
20 push-ups (on knees)
20 1-2 punches on bag
20 push-ups (on knees)
20 1-2 punches on bag
20 wall ball sit-ups
20 1-2 punches on bag
(Joanne's Final Time: 6:03)

For Time III
50 squats
25 lunges each leg
25 wall balls
Run 400 meters
(Joanne's Final Time: 8:20)

Circuit
24" box step-ups
Straight punches on bag
Dumbell Thrusters
Skip knees on wall (or bag)
Dumbell deadlifts
Speed punches on bag
Barbell military press
Rest
(30 seconds at each station; repeat circuit three times)

OWMA Quotable Quote
"Are your knees that bad or are you just humping that thing?"
- said by Freddy to Stefanie while doing skip knees

P.O.T.D.: Joey loves Toblerone (a double header)

My sister and her kids are H-U-G-E fans of the TV show Friends. So when we indulged in some foundue in Banff, Nikko was totally excited to discover that the dessert chocolate fondue was made with Toblerone (Joey's favorite - you have to watch the show to understand it). Here Nikko is doing his rendition of Joey and his love for the Euro-chocolate.



We couldn't resist but take a photo of the giant-sized Toblerone hanging from the ceiling. (These suckers were HUGE!)

P.O.T.D.: The Three Sisters

Again, this was taken during my recent Canada trip. The mountains you see are called The Three Sisters. I took this while we were on our way to Banff. When I asked Brendan who the The Three Sisters were, he replied, "The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria." (You gotta love kids!)

OWMA W.O.T.D.

Instructor: Freddy

Warm-up:
Run 400 meters
Cone Drills:
Redlines - 5 rounds
Running Backwards - 5 rounds
Side to side - 5 rounds
Sprints - 6 rounds
Run 400 meters

Medicine Ball Toss (with a partner)
Chest Toss
Shot put - left side
Shot put - right side
Torso cross toss
Overhead toss
Underhand squat toss
(30 seconds each exercise, which makes this 3 three-minute rounds)

Tabata Luv! (with an 8 pound medicine ball and a partner)
Sit-up ball toss
Push-ups with a ball toss
Wall Balls (no partner)
(For each exercise, it's 8 rounds consisting of 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest; each exercise lasts for 4 minutes)

A final five minute round
15 squats
5 jumping pull-ups
10 push-ups (on knees)
(Do as many sets of this series within 5 minutes.
Joanne's results: six rounds plus two squats.)

OWMA W.O.T.D.

In honor of my various work outs I do to keep healthy and sane, I've decided to add this new feature to this blog. Unfortunately, I'm not running too much these days because I fiind that my back can't take it. Also, I like being blister free. This isn't to say that I've given up on running, I'm just exercising other options before insanity overcomes me again. So here it goes...

OWMA Workout of the Day (W.O.T.D.)
instructor: Freddy

Warm-up
Run 400 meters
50 jumping jacks
Run 400 meters
100 jump rope turns
Run 400 meters
50 jumping jacks
Run 400 meters

Three Rounds
Three rounds of the following exercises for time:
30 plank lifts
30 push-ups (on knees)
30 crunches with 8 lb. ball
30 squats
30 squats with 1-2 punch on bag
(Joanne's Final Time: 17:44)

Stretch on your own.

P.O.T.D.: Canadian Hockey

For some of you that actually read this blog, you'd know that my hockey-playing nephew Nikko (Theo Tydingco) was named after a Canadian Hockey player, Theo Fleury. In 2002, Canada won gold in Men's Hockey and pictured here in front is Fleury (along with Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux). Fleury is only 5'6"! This photo was taken at the Olympic Park in Calgary. More photos to come (including more hilarious ones of Brendan!).

P.O.T.D.: Fake Boogers

Pic Of The Day: This was taken in Canada. Brendan discovered that if you touch your nose, from just the right angle, it looks like you're picking it.

seven, MOTHER FU@%ER! SE-VEN!

This is an ode and shout out to Freddy Camacho, my Fit-to-Fight intructor at One World Martial Arts. Yesterday morning we were doing an upper body medicine ball drill. When we were on round SEVEN of TEN (arms/schoulders burning and aching in PAIN), Freddy miscounted and said we were on our sixth round.

His miscalculation summoned the evil witch inside me and I blurted:
seven, MOTHER FU@%ER! SE-VEN!

The others (including Freddy) burst in laughter. The drill continued.

Thank heaven Freddy and the other folks I train with have a good sense of humor. (Or I could be reading this completely wrong. Eric did call me a potty mouth and Czar just looked stunned... then frightened.)

seven, MOTHER FU@%ER! SE-VEN!

athletically fat

I just need to own up to it. I'm fat. I'm fat. I'm FAT. I think I'm having a hard time owning up to it because I'm very active (at least more active than most). I average at least 6-8 hours of workout time a week, which consist of: spinning, running, krav maga, yoga, and boxing/circuit training. I'm not just active, I do the hard stuff.

But at the same time I'm fat. I'm fat. I'm FAT. While I normally wouldn't mind, I'm realizing that I really need to pay attention to this. (Well, this extra mound of flesh around my tummy reminds me that I need to pay attention to this.) Actually, my last doctor appointment went very well. My blood sugars are good, considering I'm a diabetic. Cholesterol levels are under 100, and my blood pressure has always been a-okay. Odd to most considering I'm fat. fat. FAT.

Anyway... in my quest to owning my fat, I'm creating a new category of fat. It's called athletically fat. This is for those who, like me are fat. fat. FAT, but can still kick ass with the best of them. I've thought of other terms such as sportiliciously fat, healthy-yet-fat, and yeah, so what if I'm fat? I can still kick your ass motherfu@*er! - fat. But none resonate as nicely as athletically fat.

So who's with me on this new category? Any takers?! All those in favor say aye!

scenes from Brendan's camera

So lately I've been totally jazzed because my nephew/godson Brendan has totally taken a liking to the camera - both in front of and behind it. Today I developed a roll that included photos he took and posed for. I hope you all get a kick out of it. I know I have!

Lola... according to Brendan


As you can see, Brendan incorporates both sponteneity and an element of surprise with his subjects.

Auntie Joy... according to Brendan



Brendan gave me various directions such as, "Do a silly face... no not like that. Do another one. Yeah. That one is good. now hold it!


For this last pose, we were at a loss as to what to do. Finally, Brendan said, "Do homey, Auntie Joy. Like this!" (Brendan then proceeds to do his personal rendition of a "homey" pose; I soon follow.)

Brendan... according to Brendan
Although I took these photos, I have absolutely NOTHING to do with these various poses. They're listed according to the order they were taken. I would caption these but... anything I write would be completely useless. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words."

the sharks in the playoffs

I've been mourning the past few hours. The San Jose Sharks just lost their 4th straight game to the Edmonton Oilers and their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup just ended.

Oh well. There's always next year.

I haven't been watching the sharks until late last year when I went to my first hockey game. From there, I was totally hooked! While watching some of the playoff games, I told my sister and her family that my goal was to go to a playoff game in the shark tank. Why? Because all I wanted to do was spin a damn towel!

A BIG THANK YOU to Norbert, my brother-in-law because on Sunday, May 7th, I got to go to game #1 of the Sharks vs. Oilers series. It was FANTASTIC! The energy... there's just no way to describe it. And DAMN! spinning that towel was more than I had imagined.

While waiting outside and observing the fans, I noticed a guy holding a sign that read: BLOOD FOR OIL. SHARKS HOCKEY. Being the hockey novice that I am, I was completely baffled by the BLOOD FOR OIL sign. The only time I've ever seen such a sign was when I was at the anti-war rallies. So I kept wondering if one of the SJ Shark sponsors was pro-war or if they were one of the companies who were profiting off the rebuilding of Iraq... What were the politics that prompted this protester and his BLOOD FOR OIL sign?!

It wasn't' until after the second period of the game that I realized, DUH! they're playing the Edmonton Oilers. That's what the sign was in reference to. Silly, silly me. Anyway...

I went to the game with Nikko who was totally fun to watch the game with. He has a great sense of direction, so I didn't have to waste any time getting lost or finding parking because Nikko knew where to go. I also like his snide comments and such. Plus, he bought me nachos and I didn't even have to ask! It was pretty funny.

Anyway... the Sharks won 2-1. It was a great first playoff experience.

Unfortunately, the sharks just couldn't hold on. After winning the first two games of the series, they lost the following four. My good luck streak is over. I've seen them lose more games than I'd like to admit.

Oh well. There's always next year.

on Balitang America

This past Saturday, folks from TFC's (The Filipino Channel) Balitang America came to Sharks Ice at Fremont to do a story about Nikko. BIG THANKS to Azenith Smith and Joe the camera guy for taking time out to do this story. For more information on Balitang America, check them out on abs-cbn or TFC.

I'm sure Nikko is sick and tired of all the interviews I've put him through in the past week (two to be exact). He says he doesn't like interviews where he has to answer more than one question. This is because currently, Nikko's answers consist of "Good." As in:

Interviewer: So Theo, how does it feel to win so many championships?
Nikko: Good.
Interviewer: How would you describe your style of play?
Nikko: Good.
Interviewer: So, what do you think of global warming?
Nikko: Good.

You get the picture. I told him that although he may hate me now, he'll appreciate my efforts to getting him some much-deserved publicity. (Err. Umm... I hope he appreciates this when he gets older.) Anyway... here are some photos from Saturday.



This is Norbert getting interviewed in front of Sharks Ice at Fremont.



Mark: Whoa! You have an "M" on your palm Theo! It looks just like mine!
Nikko: Good.
Roy: Dude. Mark, you're not the only one in the world with an "M" on your palm.
Nikko: Good.



Nikko in front of the camera. He looks petrified, doesn't he?



Joe the camera guy and reporter Azenith Smith hard at work.

the iceman winneth

A quick newsflash... The Guam Pacific Daily News just published a story on Nikko. BIG THANKS to the reporter Alex J. Rhowunio'ng for the story. You can check it out here complete with a photo and all.

I copied the story below in case the site is down. Enjoy!


The iceman winneth
Santa Clara's Tydingco plays at top of his game
By Alex J. Rhowunio'ng
Pacific Daily News
ajrhowunio'ng@ guampdn.com
Originally published April 21, 2006

Theoren Tydingco continues to defy the odds.

At age 13, he just might be the world's only Chamorro-Filipino ice hockey player -- and he's good, good enough to be a champion. His team, the Santa Clara Blackhawks, beat the Indianapolis Racers 4-0 in the finals to win the USA Hockey Peewee Tier II Nationals April 2 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound defenseman -- the son of Norbert and Cristina Tydingco of Newark, Calif. -- lives the life of an elite athlete. He just returned from the Czech Republic and will leave for Canada in June for summer tournaments.

"Winning the national championships was an incredible accomplishment for Theo," Norbert Tydingco said via the telephone. "It capped off an amazing year of successes that included winning the Best Defenseman Award at the Bell Capital Cup All-Star Game in Ottawa, Ontario, and being named to the Silver Stick International All-Star in Port Huron Michigan."
Theoren Tydingco has played in summer tournaments near Calgary, Alberta, the past few years, and he'll spend June through early July up there.

"This year, I am going to work out more to get into better shape," he said. "I'm going to work on my weaknesses -- my backhand shot, my quickness and (explosiveness).

"Now, I lift weights, do pushups and sit-ups for my upper-body strength," he said. "I also do curls for more power in my shot."

He added that he is not lifting to bulk up but to get the strength he needs for speed and explosion, and to help keep the risk of injury to a minimum.

Theoren Tydingco was with Team USA in the Czech Republic, where he represented the United States in an international tournament against teams from Austria, the Czech Republic and Russia.

"We played about five games, but we did not really have any competition," Theoren Tydingco said matter-of-factly.

The closest game, he said, was a 5-3 win against the Russia Silver Sharks. The others were blowouts.

Despite his success on the frozen pond, Theoren Tydingco said he is "not very, very special at home."

"(My parents) don't treat me any different from my 8-year old brother, Brendan, and 22-year-old sister, Sonia," he said.

Even his friends at Newark Junior High School don't treat him differently.

"They still know me as a person, not different from any other ... just that I have a hockey background," said the seventh-grader.

Theoren Tydingco knows the importance of being grounded, and he carries that attitude into the classroom.

"I want to play professional hockey, but I keep my grades up and work hard in school first," he said.

off to Prague

Here's the official National Championship photo of the team. Nikko and Norbert are towards the left. I don't think it'll be hard to find their brown faces. It looks like the San Jose Sharks (yes, of the NHL) posted a story about the Blackhawks winning the National Championship. Here it is.

Nikko left for Prague yesterday. Earlier when I asked if he was excited about going, he looked a little sad and said, "I really wish someone in our family was going with me." It's tough because we can barely afford to send him, let alone one of us along with him. Luckily, he's with trusted family friends, so I think he'll be fine. My sister wrote this to me:

As we we're driving out of our driveway, it was just me and Nikko in the car...he turned to me and said "I'm going to miss you mom. I going to miss all of you." I looked at him and I see and feel by the look on his face that he wished one of us was w/him on this trip. I told him we would miss him so much.

I told my sister that if he plans on continuing on this path, he's going to have to get used to being away from home. It's just one of those sacrifices you make for the things you love. I hope he has a great trip and takes my advice about taking lots of pictures and keeping a journal.

He comes back next week.



Me: Hey Nikko, bite the medal. You know, like how the Olympic athletes do it.
Nikko: Huh?
Me: Just bite the medal so I can take the photo!
Nikko: (biting the medal) Ew! This doesn't taste very good!
Me: Ew! You're not supposed to taste it! (Click.)

words from the "Miracle" men

Below is a letter from Kurt Russell to the Santa Clara Blackhawks. Russell played legendary hockey coach Herb Brooks in the film Miracle. Note: Click on the letter for a larger view.





Below is a letter from Mike Eruzione to the Santa Clara Blackhawks. Eruzione was the captain of the gold medal 1980 Olympic Hockey team. As many of you may know, team USA in 1980 were known as the "miracle" team because they entered the games as total underdogs, and ended up taking the gold. Much like the Blackhawks, many didn't think much of a Northern California hockey team, but the 'hawks proved the nation wrong.

As Norbert mentioned in his note, these letters really inspired the team to pull through and play some great hockey. Although a little difficult to read, do enjoy the words from the new fans of the Santa Clara Blackhawks. I hope they inspire you as much as they did the team.





As they say... if you dream about it, it will happen. Check out this photo I took of Nikko. Okay, okay... I made him take this photo. (If you know Nikko, you'd know this was totally fabricated because like his dad, he usually sleeps with his mouth open! he he heeh!) I can't help it if I have a great sense of humor and an artistic eye. ha ha ha! In case you're wondering, these are the medals/trophies he's taken home this season. Pretty impressive, huh?

a message from Coach Norbert

Hello all,

This will be the first of a series of entries about Nikko, Norbert, the Santa Clara Blackhawks, and their road to the national championships. If you would like to listen to an audiocast of the semi-final and final games, click here. Scroll down to "Tier II 12U - Ft. Wayne, Ind. - Eastern Time." The Blackhawks played April 1st at 9am and 5pm and again on April 2nd at 11am. I'm not sure how long the audio cast will be up, so take advantage of them while they're still there.

If you would like to see a write-up report of the championship game, click here.

The team has received numerous messages of support and are still recovering from a tiring, but exhilarating experience in Fort Wayne. Below is a message from Norbert. Enjoy!

[Note: Some things to look forward to include good luck letters to the team from Kurt Russell (star of "Miracle," who portrayed Coach Herb Brooks), Mike Eruzione (Captain of the 1980 gold medal Olympic Hockey Team), San Jose Sharks Coach Ron Wilson, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. I'm also waiting for photos from folks. Finally, they should be featured in the next issue of "USA Hockey" magazine. Keep checking back for updates!]


THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

I want to thank those who posted, called, and e-mailed messages of support to our team. They were passed on to the team in the locker room before each game and they helped.

You should have seen the look in their eyes, when they were read letters from Governator Schwarzenegger, Sharks Coach Ron Wilson, Kurt Russell, and especially the one received from "Miracle" team captain Mike Eruzione.

Later in the tournament, they received congratulations and encouragement from other teams as they advanced closer and closer to the title game. Most notably from the entire Phoenix Firebirds squad who attended both the semi-final and final games and cheered loudly for the Blackhawks.

One of the most heartwrenching moments of the game came late in the third period after we had scored the goal to put us up, 4-0. Players, recognizing the fact that the game was in hand, asked the coaches to put the back-up goaltender in the game. He had played only two periods during the entire tournament and they wanted him to have his moment in the biggest game of their lives.

As the goaltending change was made with 1:50 left in the game, the crowd cheered loudly, tears of joy started to flow. You can hear the crowd in the webcast of the game.

Earlier in the season, someone posted that we didn't get all the best players, and he was correct. We got the right ones!

When their hockey careers are over -- some sooner than others -- 17 players will look back at this season and smile. I am most proud of the fact that I was there to share it with them.

- Coach Norbert "Junior Boy" Tydingco

Revisiting Maui

Pictures are deceiving. More deceiving that you want to admit. Tonight I revisited the Maui 2005 Runbutan DVD. In truth, sometimes watching the DVD is a bit painful because my memories of the actual marathon aren't pretty. In fact, they're pretty miserable. It was the longest day of my life that I really don't care to re-live. Some of the low-lights included:

- BLISTERS! I don't have a photo of it, but on the DVD, there's a photo of me in the medical tent after crossing the finish line. You can clearly see the two onion-sized blisters that formed on BOTH of my feet. About a 1/4 mile away from the finish line, the blister on my right foot decided it wanted to POP. Yeah. IN MY SHOE! I crossed the finish line in tears and in pain - body aching with warm blister juice oozing inside my shoe. In case you want to get a taste of what my blisters were like, look below. WARNING: The following photo contains an image of graphic nature.



This is what happened to my feet after the trial marathon in San Francisco. In a state of denial, I didn't even take a photo of my feet post-Maui marathon. This was the best I could bring myself to do:



- RECOVERING FROM THE BLISTERS! Each time I had blisters I couldn't walk for at least three days. The marathon was on a Sunday, and I couldn't walk until Wednesday! I spent ten days in Hawai`i and couldn't go into the water because my feet were healing (salt water and blisters are a painful combination).

- Sharing sick and twisted stories with Tzel about my favorite books because I was in a sick-and-twisted state of mind.

- Watching the marathon vehicles follow Tzel and I so they could pick up the orange cones.

- Struggling every step of the way hoping the end would be near.... Finally getting to the end and discovering the finish line had been taken down, the freebies were gone, and the nurse at the medical tent who pointed out to her co-workers how ugly and disgusting my blisters were.

Let's just say these days I'm not signing up for my next marathon and right now, that whole thing is up in the air. Currently, I take a serious two-mile run once a week and do running drills almost everyday during my boxing conditioning classes. While I'd like to actually run perhaps a half marathon, right now, I think I would walk them at best. For now, I'm aiming to walk the SF Half and the Nike Women's Half.

In a recent e-mail exchange, a friend sent me this link that explains ten reasons why marathons are bad for you. There is also this link to consider. Not that I'm anti-marathon, but a little reinforcement as to why I shouldn't run them is nice.

So for now, I'm not signing up for any full marathons and am planning on walking a few half marathons at best. At this point, I like my feet when they're blister free.

this just in...

I'm sure you're all tired. SICK AND TIRED of hearing me gush about my nephew Nikko and his hockey career. If you are, read no further, as this is another post dedicated to my awesome nephew Theoren Tydingco (Theo to most, but Nikko to the family). Earlier today, Nikko and his team, the Santa Clara Blackhawks just won the Pacific District Championships. YEA! WOO! HOO! That's right folks! In Las Vegas, the SC Blackhawks competed against teams from: California, Las Vegas, Washington, Oregon and (I think) Vancouver. Right now, all the stats aren't posted and I don't see any stories about the games. From what I saw in the stats, for the first three out of five games they played, Nikko had two penalties (in the same game?! shame on you! you rarely get penalties!) and scored two goals. (Keep in mind that Nikko plays defense, so a player who defends and scores is a total treasure - regardless of whether he's related to me.)

Needless to say, I'm proud. PROUD!PROUD!PROUD! All weekend long we kept calling my sister asking if she got calls from Vegas about the scores. (Unfortunately, only my two nephews and brother-in-law made the trip.) Also, my mom swears she prayed a lot and that God was actually listening.



Nikko celebrates his fellow teammate score during the state championship game.

Next up for the Blackhawks is the national championship. This is definitely going to be a tough one! It happens at the end of the month in Indiana. Currently, the Blackhawks are heading back to California to their normal lives and training for the national championship tournament. Also, I'm sure the team and their families are celebrating. I know we are!

For those of you who read my previous post, I mentioned that Nikko scored a penalty shot during the California state championship game against the Ducks. Click here to see the footage. It's quick (just a few seconds long) and check out his celebration gesture. :-) In case you're wondering, I'm pretty sure that's me screaming in the background. :-P (If you know me, you'll know which one is me.)



This is me and Nikko at the local gelato place. We went there with the cutie Bren (who took the picture) last summer. Nikko swears he'll never have long hair like that again. Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure. Right. Fine. Whatever.

Nikko has had an awesome year in hockey and again, I am so happy and proud of him. The entire family is. My only wish is that my father and Norbert's (my brother-in-law) mother were alive to see their grandson shine. Nikko never met my father and although he has met his grandmother, he was very young when she passed away. I'm sure they're watching from above.

In true Joanne form, I have to mention this. For me, watching Nikko is a true delight, especially when I think about our families and where we come from. He's an island boy on both sides. Historically, people from Guam and the Philippines are often ignored, forgotten, disrespected, silenced and expected to be ashamed of themselves. I think of my father and how these factors affected the way he lived and the way he died. But there are moments - like Nikko making that penalty shot - that help remove those silences.

It's no secret that island boys don't play hockey (That's because back home, you don't skate on ice. You shave it, pour syrup on it and eat it.) and that most people associate hockey as a haole sport. But when my nephew - the captain of his team - steps on to the ice, leads his team and plays his heart out, I can't help but think of how important it is that people see someone like him do well in a sport like hockey. I see it in the faces of my family. I hear it in the voices of opposing teams who watch Nikko and constantly mispronounce his last name. I feel it when the crowd roars because he just scored a beautiful goal.

He gives our island people presence and a reason to hold our heads a little higher. This means the world to me (and to the generations of people who were denied that presence).

So anyway... we're getting ready to welcome back the boys and wish them well for their journey at the end of the month. If you could, please do what you can to throw them some good karma (light candles, chant, burn sage, whatever...) for a good tournament.



My mom proudly poses with Nikko after winning the California state championship.