To all our family at Bahala Na Multi-Style, thank you for a great day of food and fun, and spirits, as we celebrated together with GGM Isidro P. Javier, and all the Bahala Na Multi-Style folks in Stockton, California last Saturday.
We were able to watch the training workouts with young and adults both, and it was interesting to see how pleased GGM Isidro Javier was with their passion and dedication to the Eskrima Art.
Everyone there showed the greatest respect and honor to GGM Javier as their adopted Manong, and their openhearted affection given to GM Frank Landers, Prof. Cathy Landers and myself is heart warming and much appreciated.
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| Honoring GGM Isidro P. Javier with a beautiful Bolo from Terry Joven private collection. Pictured with GGM Javier are Marcus Quilenderino, Terry Joven, June Gotico, Mastro Dexter Labonog and Butch Gargalicana. |
At the conclusion of the training the Bahala Na Multi-Style group presented a beautiful Bolo Knife from Terry Jovin’s Private collection, and autographed with all their names. Team Captain Butch Gargalicana, presented GGM Isidro Javier with an autographed Bahala Na Multi-Style TEAM FIGHT T-Shirt. GGM Javier was deeply moved and honored by the gifts. To see all these hardened Eskrima fighters gathered around GGM Javier and to experience the moment is a memory I will not forget. The kids all introduced themselves and paid their respects, one at a time, and many had GGM Javier autograph their fighting sticks. I was privileged to later sit at the table with Maestro Dexter Labonog, Terry Joven, Marcus Quilenderino, Butch Gargalicana, Guru June Gotico, Guru Bobby Antuna, Tommy Giron and the others as they listened intently to GM Frank Landers recount his experiences in the development of Martial Arts in America, and how he first became introduced to the Eskrima Art over thirty years ago. For all gathered at the table, there was a common connection in their love of Martial Arts and what it has meant to their lives. As the work on our history of martial Arts in America progresses, it is vital that we collect the knowledge of these great Artists and put it to writing.
GM Frank Landers and Maestro Dexter Labonog also spoke at length about the Eskrima Art, and I listened with fascination as the conversation ranged from the beginnings of the Eskrima Arts in America to modern Eskrima today, and of course, discussion about the merits of the various weapons of choice, such as the knife, which was GGM Javier’s preferred weapon.
At one point, Terry Joven pulled out his 13 1/2" Cold Steel Voyager Knife and passed it to GGM Javier, who checked it for sharpness, approved and handed it back. Then Terry offered the knife to me…very sharp and very impressive. As I passed the knife back to Terry, GM Frank Landers took the knife and began slicing the air making a figure eight movement in front of him.
In an almost unbelievable flash of speed, the knife dropped downwards toward the table top, and the next sound that was heard was glass breaking. GM Frank Landers had just sliced through a 4” tall shot glass, cutting the top off and leaving the bottom standing in place, as he slowly passed the knife back.
Terry Joven grabbed the shot glass off the table and holding it up, exclaimed, “He cut the top off the glass!” Butch Gargalicana followed by saying "Frank's doing the watermelon slice!" and Cathy Landers said "All he needed was his blindfold".
Everyone at the table was stunned by the feat, (not to be tried at home).
I didn’t know such a thing was possible, and to see it happen right in front of all those Eskrima masters was a sight to remember.
As it began to get late in the afternoon we wanted to stay much longer, but it was a four-hour drive home, so we said our goodbyes with the promise of getting together again, soon. I want take this moment to express my appreciation to all the Bahala Na Multi-Style folks for their great hospitality, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future.
Thanks to The Bahala Na Multi-Style!
- Glen "The Writer" Rathbone
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