FokaiCombatUnit:BiteOfTheBarracuda

MendezsBros@PurebredBJJ

FokaiFemme:Famalao’anFuetsa

SouthPacificGames.TeamGuamWomensPaddling.

FokaiAsia:AMessageFromPROFighting

Royal Chiou sent a message to the members of PRO Fighting (MMA).

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Subject: Sunday PRO Fighting 2

Hey Everyone,

This event is getting more and more hype!!!  Our first int'l fighter flew in earlier this week to get over his jetlag in time for the fight.

One of our judges flies in at 11am Friday.

Saturday, we got the team from Legacy Gym in Thailand flying in, along with Robert Washington from Guam.

This fight card is pretty incredible!!!!  Guaranteed to have a lot of vicious striking, wicked tapouts, & hard to predict knockouts; just straight action!!!!

NO VIP Box Seats remaining.
Very Very few Ringside remaining.
Get your general admission tickets now, as space is limited & will be regulated, if necessary.

For people by the bar, we had 3 huge projection screens last time. But, we went ahead and added 2 more huge screens for the people that aren't sitting ringside.  That's 5 total, with 4 live cams hooked up straight to the projectors, not wireless, so it'll be crystal clear.

Remix-Affliction crossover Tshirt "Taipei City exclusive show edition" being sold onsite, which gets you through the door with purchase.  Very limited stock.

People, MMA is THE fastest growing sport in the world!!!  Come by this Sunday to find out why!!!  This WILL  be the best MMA show Taiwan has seen to date.  Great matchups, great productions, the hottest ring girl (correct me if I'm wrong)!!!

This event is for anyone that is ready for some good entertainment, not just the fight fans!!!

Support the growth of MMA in Taiwan by coming to this Sunday's event "Only the Strong Survive"!!!

If you haven't already, get your Tickets NOW!!!

tickets@profightingmma.com 
or call 
0955-904-600

Hope to see you there!!!!

GoodVibrations:Ed-Stock

Rocking for a reason: Ed-Stock draws hundreds touched by local musician

Sometimes in life you experience moments that make you want to be a better person.

Like watching 700 people pay $10 each to help someone who once helped them.

Ed-Stock, held on Sept. 7, raised $7,000 for one of Guam’s musicians who was weighed down with medical bills.

A stroke of bad luck

Edgar Flores may be best known for his work with the band D.U.B., but many people remember the little things he’s done for them.

One Saturday night in August, Flores was jamming out with D.U.B. when he started to feel unusual.

“My body wasn’t acting the way it normally did. I noticed the left side of my body was getting weak,” Flores says. “At the end of our second set, after the second hour into the night I just went limp. My whole body just went down.”

D.U.B. frontman Kevin Iwashita says the band has been there for Flores through a number of medical problems, but they weren’t prepared for this.

“We had no idea what was going on,” Iwashita says. “You see Edgar’s had bouts with his health since almost the beginning. He contracted a virus called Guillian-Barre Syndrome that basically attacked his nervous system right around the time we formed D.U.B. He also threw his back out and was out of it for a while. Then earlier this year he started getting vertigo. That night we all thought it was just his vertigo acting up and then he started saying his left side was getting numb and his speech started to slur. He asked if he should go get checked and we told him not to take any chances.”

Flores went to the emergency room and learned he’d had a stroke. The man so used to picking guitar riffs and harmonizing vocals couldn’t walk and was having trouble speaking.

When Flores’ good friend Dee Cruz heard about what happened she decided to put together a fundraiser.

Ed-Stock is born

Cruz put together events in the past including Shiro’s Head: L.A. or Bust.

But this time she knew things would be a bit bigger because of all the people Flores had helped in one way or another over the years.

“He doesn’t see the negative parts of people. He sees the positive side of them,” Cruz says. “If there’s anything he can do to help them, he’s the kind of person to do it.”

While initially Flores declined her offer of help, Cruz insisted on going forward. As she began planning she found there were a number of people there to help.

“I had my first meeting with my staff. On this I had 10 people working for me. I had my first meeting with my staff at Ralphy’s. I put it on my facebook and 25 people came to the meeting,” Cruz says. “I had band members coming down saying, ‘We’re going to play for you, when do you need us.’ Everybody starting signing up. I got floods of emails, phone calls and facebook messages. It was the name of the band and ‘Hey, we’re there. If you need us we’re there.”

Cruz secured the bands, the venue and the volunteers but she was stuck when it came to choosing a name.

“I needed come up with something really big that has all these bands. At that time we were at 12 bands. Lollapolooza came up, Lilith Fair,” Cruz says. “Then I thought, ‘Edgar Stock, like Woodstock.’ I bounced it off my cousin Lisa the next morning and she’s like, ‘Just leave it as Ed.’”

In total 18 acts rocked the two Ed-Stock stages for more than seven hours of entertainment.

Pay it forward

Every band that took the stage had a story, a kind word or a dedication for Flores.

Hundreds of people packed into the bar and spilled out onto the patio of Ralphy’s– sweaty, elbow-to-elbow, but still smiling. Each took the opportunity to give back to a man that had helped them in some small way in the past.

For Flores, it was incredible to see so many people who cared about his well-being.

“I had no idea that many people would come out,” Flores says, smiling at the recollection weeks after the event. “I really felt loved that night. It was an amazing night. It was the greatest night of my life. That’s the one thing I can say. It was the best night of my life and I want to thank everyone for it.”

Still rocking

Flores is now going to physical therapy and slowly recuperating.

“I’d say my left side of my body is about 70 percent back to normal. My leg is about 60 percent. I’m able to walk and that’s what I’m happy about. It’s just weird because I can’t wiggle my toes. I’m trying. I’m looking at my toes and I’m like ‘Wiggle man! Wiggle,’” he says, laughing at the defiant appendage.

He’s kept his laughter and easy kindness throughout the entire ordeal. He’s even able to surmise why it all happened to him.

“For a while I was mad at God, ‘Why are you doing this to me? I’m a nice guy. I’m not hurting anybody,’” Flores says. “I guess for me to break down and bring everyone together the way it happened, maybe that’s why.”

Cruz says there are still donations coming in to a P.O. Box set up specifically for Flores. She also says the t-shirts sold at Ed-Stock were such a hit they’re working to print more to sell online.

Meanwhile back at the gigs, even Saturday nights with D.U.B., Flores says he doesn’t plan on ever walking away from music. He also hopes to help other aspiring musicians achieve their dreams as well because that’s just the kind of guy he is.

“Thanks to everyone who came out. I hope we can get together the musicians once a year at least and do something, not necessarily for me but to get together and celebrate our music as a people, as a group of talented artists,” Flores says. “Hopefully Ed-Stock will be the beginning of something greater.”

- Stephanie Godlewski Pika staff smgodlewski@guampdn.com

Originally published October 1, 2009

• 

Photos courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldphotography@live.com Ed—Stock attendees enjoyed food, drinks, live entertainment and good company.

Photo by Jacqueline Hernandez/Pika

Edgar Flores

Stephanie Godlewski/Pika/smgodlewski@guampdn.com

Many of Guam’s local bands came together to perform at Ed—Stock.

Stephanie Godlewski/Pika/smgodlewski@guampdn.com

Ed—Stock attendees enjoyed food, drinks, live entertainment and good company.

Stephanie Godlewski/Pika/smgodlewski@guampdn.com

Many of Guam’s local bands came together to perform at Ed—Stock.

Photos courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldpho

Many of Guam’s local bands came together to perform at Ed—Stock.

Photos courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldpho

Ed—Stock drew a diverse crowd.

Photos courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldpho

Many Ed—Stock attendees also bought T-shirts made for the event.

Photos courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldpho

Many attendees of Ed—Stock also bought T-shirts made for the event.

Photo courtesy of Heather R. Colson/m-eyeworldphot

Ed—Stock attendees enjoyed food, drinks, live entertainment and good company.

SetInStone:FokaiInternational

13N144E:GuamJudoSilver

Blas earns silver medal: Guam judoka edged in final match at U.S. Open of Judo

By Ron Ige • Pacific Daily News • September 29, 2009

Guam judoka Ricardo “R.J.” Blas Jr. has resumed his pursuit of an Olympic medal.

 

Blas won a silver medal in the men’s plus-100 kilogram weight class at the U.S. Open of Judo Sept. 26 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif. It was his first competition since the 2008 Olympic Games last August in Beijing, China.

Took year off

“I took a year off after Beijing. This is my first tournament back in the world circuit,” Blas said yesterday via telephone from San Jose. “I wasn’t expecting much out of the tournament. I spent a month and a half in Japan before this tournament. I felt good condition-wise, I performed well, I surprised (myself). I guess you don’t ever lose judo if you’re doing it that long.

“I started judo since 5; I never had a break, it’s all I ever did. Now I’m back in the game. I really want to try for one more Olympic Games and hopefully medal,” he said.

Blas had three matches at the U.S. Open before the final, all against U.S. contenders.

“In the first match, I beat the guy in 18 seconds. Threw him in harai goshi (sweeping hip throw). In the second one, I won in about 10 seconds. I got my position, and did an uchi mata (inner thigh throw). The last guy, I threw him in seven seconds flat — swept him and put him on his back,” he said.

The gold-medal match was a different story. His opponent was from France — he said he didn’t remember his name — and the match went the full 5 minutes. Blas was assessed a shido, a small penalty for preventing action, toward the end of the match, and that proved to be the difference.

“It was a run-around game, breaking grips, just trying to get a dominant grip,” Blas said.

Back to training

Blas said he would train in California and Portland, Ore., until he returns to Guam in November. He will then compete at the KRA Korea Open International Judo Tournament on Dec. 3.

“It’s one of the higher caliber tournaments, even higher than the U.S. Open. I just want to go in there and do my best. After that, I fly off to Hong Kong for the East Asian Games,” he said.

Blas said he’s on his own right now, training without a coach.

“I went out there and trained (for the U.S. Open) and came out with the mindset to win,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to qualify more for the (Olympics) than I do now.”

In order to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, Blas said he’ll have to win a gold medal in his weight class at the 2012 Oceania Championships as well as rank in the International Judo Federation’s top 35 in his weight class.

In order to gain points for the IJF’s world rankings, he said he’d have to do well at IJF-certified tournaments from 2010 through the months leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

Blas said he’s using Olympic Solidarity funds to pay for his expenses to train for and attend these tournaments, but is trying to pick up sponsors.

“I’d like to thank the people of Guam for all their support,” he said. “I’ll do my best to represent in the next couple of tournaments.”

FokaiAmphibiousDivision:Colors

FokaiFamilia:HermanTorrado

FokaiShopping:September27th,2009

ReversibleBeanies,FittedCaps,AndSomeTeeShirts

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