Instructor Certification Camp

Over the weekend, I attended the Instructor Certification Camp and Leadership Seminar in Upstate New York. It was a great weekend, and I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Master McInerney, Master Capobianco, and Senior Master Dunn.

I really think everyone should prepare and go if you are thinking about teaching. It’s a perfect place to see how you stack up against some of the other instructors. You also get to hang out and exchange ideas with everyone else. I’m not going to lie, the showers were not what I would call luxury. And if you go next year, be sure to get there early so you get a good bed, but all-in-all it was very worth the time and effort.

I think one of the most impressive parts was watching Certification. As everyone tested, it became obvious that approximately 75% of the instructors are State Champs. Really, the quality of the martial artists was amazing. When it came to the instructing, it’s no surprise that ATA has some of the best students.

My only regret is that I could not do both the Certification camp and the Leadership Camp. I really wanted to climb the rock wall and go down the zipline. Master Mac, if you are reading this, maybe you could make that suggestion for next year.

I want to thank all the “Mac Black Belts” for allowing me to be a part of the family. And congrats to Mr. Eugenio, the 2 Ms. Odejars, Mr. Nodelman, Mr. Alessi (What a guy!), Mrs. Foster, the Heredias, Ms. Esperitu, Team Chi and anyone I happened to miss. Everyone there helped me to get the goal I set.

- Mr. Peterson