In the Clinch Vol.2

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.2, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. We invite you to join us in what will most certainly be an exciting and memorable adventure.

With the Junior Olympics just over 6 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 2nd of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Nicholas Beltran.
On May 10, 2010 I had the privilege of sitting down with Nicholas and getting to know him a little better. Nicholas is 10 years old and he’s been with TIMA for 5 years. This is his first year on the E.F.T. Nicholas recently earned his green belt in Tae Kwon Do. Nicholas also studies Muay Thai kickboxing and Kali/Eskrima with TIMA.

Nicholas was unable, or unwilling to specify which of the three martial arts he studies that he likes best. However, he did not hesitate to single out Muay Thai as being the most difficult in his opinion. He said Guro, “usually does something really hard at the end of class.” Nicholas said, though he enjoys all the classes he sometimes can’t make it to all of them. “Sometimes I can’t make it to class because my mom has a lot of stuff to do.” Knowing Mrs. Beltran and how Nicholas feels about his mother I sensed a chance to dig deeper into his relationship with his mom. I asked Nicholas, ‘You love your mom don’t you?”. Nicholas responded immediately, “Ya, I like her”. He paused a few seconds and followed up with, “I really do.” As we’ll learn later in this blog, Nicholas’ feelings towards his mother go way beyond ‘like’.

Nicholas’ family consists of his mother, father, older brother Luis and sister Nicolette. His sister is also a member of TIMA. I asked Nicholas if he likes his sister. In true Nicholas fashion he responded, “sort of” followed up by “I don’t want to talk about it.” You’re going to learn one thing for certain about Nicholas during this article; this young man speaks his mind. In fact, his tongue usually runs a few steps out in front of his brain which makes for some of the most genuine and hilarious quotes you’ll hear from any 10 year old.

I’m going to jump ahead real quick as I feel it’s important to establish a little context regarding Nicholas. When talking with his teammates two common threads kept coming up; His sense of humor and his tendency to be random an unpredictable in his conversations. Please keep this in mind as we continue our journey with him. If you read a quote from Nicholas and you think it’s funny, it is. If he says something that makes you laugh, enjoy it. It’s one of the gifts he brings to the team and his family. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him. I literally had to stop the interview several times to control my own laughter.

Those of you who know Nicholas are aware of the fact that he can become distracted at times which usually lands him in hot water with Guro. With that in mind I asked him what punishment he dreads the most. Nicholas said, “I would have to say the one where you have to lift your leg while holding the shield on the wall.” Members of TIMA know this punishment by its’ formal title, “The Wall”. Interestingly, later on in my background investigation I had the opportunity to speak with TIMA black belt William Garcia. I asked Mr. Garcia to share his most vivid memory of Nicholas. Without hesitation and with an ear to ear grin he said, “The Wall.”

Nicholas was a bit of a handful when he first joined TIMA. Mrs. Beltran said he was having problems in school paying attention and getting into fights. Master Catalasan said, “He was hard to teach. I don’t think he listened to a word I said.” All of this explains why Nicholas became such close friends with ‘The Wall’. However, this story is far from over and I assure you it has a happy ending.

I asked Nicholas to name some of his friends on TIMA. In typical Nicholas style he did not give me an answer I was expecting. Nicholas said, “sometimes Ryan (Ryan is the author’s son).” He continued, “At the end of class we usually wrestle sometimes….but I’m the one who gets hurt all the time.” My apologies to Mrs. Beltran for my sons behavior. Asked if there are any cute girls on TIMA Nicholas emphatically responded, “I am not going to talk about that. I do not wanna talk about that.”

Nicholas lists the summer ending bonfires among his favorite memories with TIMA. He particularly enjoys our version of ‘Fear Factor’ where contestants voluntarily consume disgusting foods. “When they puke it’s kind of funny. It usually grosses me out sometimes.”
Nicholas reports no major injuries during his years of training,”just some bruises but it’s ok, they just come out a little gray that’s all.”

Here are some fun facts about Nicholas you may not have known:

Favorite Movie: Freddy vs. Jason (“it’s my favorite horror movie but some of them
freak me out”)
Favorite Toy: Mindflex
Favorite Food: Tamales (“I love the spiciness)
Favorite Fighter: Mr. Garcia
Favorite Band: Linkin Park
Favorite thing about TIMA: “All the sparring, everything, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Kali, and the bonfires.”

Nicholas listed the three most influential people in his life as his mom, dad and his sister Nicolette. “My sister usually takes care of me when my mother goes to the store to buy groceries.”

I asked Nicholas to share something about himself nobody knows. He immediately responded, “I like to go to the park with my dad to play soccer.” Initially I didn’t really think this was much of a secret as I’m well aware of his love of soccer. However, talking with Nicholas is a gift that keeps on giving. He continued, “Sometimes when we tell my mom we’re going to the park we lie.” Nicholas noticed the shock on my face and realized he may have volunteered more information that he probably should have. He became uncomfortably quiet and refrained from completing his thought. After some prodding he said, “We go to Carl’s Jr.” I spoke with some of my contacts and learned the trips to Carl’s Jr. are sanctioned and approved by mom who recognizes the value of father/son time. Now you see why this family is such an asset to TIMA.

I asked Nicholas about his greatest fear. He gave my question several moments of thought before calmly stating, “I’m not really afraid of anything.” Knowing Nicholas, I believe him. After a few more questions I released Nicholas to go work out with the team. It is noteworthy that during our talk he repeatedly expressed concern he was missing out on training. This kid never gives up.

At this time I turned my attention to Nicholas’ teammates, coaches and family to find out those things he might not have been willing to share. Though I’m not sure what that would be as he was more than forthcoming during our conversation. However, I did uncover some interesting information about Nicholas I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Almost every teammate I spoke with described Nicholas as funny and loud. At the close of this volume we’ll revisit this loud subject as it provides insight into this remarkable young man. Erica Garcia described him as “a crazy energetic kid.” Her sister Emily said, “He’s so random.” To support her assertion Emily shared something that had happened earlier this evening. “Tonight Nicholas was lying on the mats with his feet straight up in the air with a medicine ball on his feet. Erica asked him what he was doing.” Nicholas said, “I’m trying to balance this ball on my feet. Do you have a problem with that?” Apparently she didn’t.

Please allow me to set up the next exchange. I was speaking with Justin Javier and Patrick Magbitang. Justin, describing Nicholas said, “He’s an energetic, loving fighter.” Patrick turned, looked at Justin and said, “Loving?” I fell out of my chair laughing.

Older sister Nicolette shared a favorite Nicholas memory. “At my birthday when I was 8 and Nicholas was 4 he tried to make toaster waffles for me. He broke the toaster by sticking a fork in it.”

Coach Okerlund had this to say about Nicholas. “He’s very determined.” Earlier this evening Nicholas told Coach Okerlund, “I dreamed of wearing this belt.” Nicholas received his green belt four days earlier.

Guro shared, “I didn’t think he’d get far in this sport. Since he joined E.F.T. I’ve seen more growth in him than any person I’ve taught.” She continued, “Every time he’s around me he’s witty. I can’t think of one time he hasn’t entertained me.”

Mom credits TIMA with helping Nicholas develop discipline and learn to focus. Despite problems early on in his academic career Nicholas has not been on the ‘Honor Roll’ for 2 consecutive years. Remember the beginning of our conversation when Nicholas said he really ‘Liked’ his mom? Mrs. Beltran recalled a conversation she had with then 6 year old Nicholas. He told her, “Mom you are the love of my life.”

As our behind the scenes look into Nicholas Beltran draws to a close I wanted to share some information about him that I believe puts into perspective what an amazing kid he is. Most of his teammates are aware of his special talents and unique obstacles. For those who don’t know please allow me to fill you in.

Nicholas is fluent in three languages; English, Spanish and sign language which he uses to communicate with his older brother Luis. Nicholas is currently learning French as well. Not bad for a 10 year old kid who just 5 short years ago couldn’t pay attention in school.

Remember earlier in our journey when I told you Nicholas being “loud” would come into play again? Nicholas is almost completely deaf in his left ear. Now, for us coaches this presents an occasional problem when we forget which ear works and we yell at the wrong side of his head. But Nicholas won’t let it be an excuse in the ring. In light of all the wonderful quotes Nicholas has provided us during our chat I thought I’d let him close this out himself. I asked Nicholas if his hearing disability presents any problems in the ring. The result was another classic quote. “In fighting I can hear everything, but at home when my mom tells me to do chores I can’t hear it.”

Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with ‘Lil Kahuna’.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward