Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Post about family events that cross into other areas on the website.
On Monday, November 13, 2023, I achieved a major goal when I hiked the entire length of Chubb Trail, an out-and-back 13.6 mile trail in West St. Louis County. The hike took me seven hours and thirty minutes to complete. When my oldest son “Trey” was completing the requirements for the Gold Medal of Achievement in Royal Rangers, equivalent
On Thursday, January 31, 2020, Grandmaster Pat Weseman promoted me to 4th Dan in Taekwondo at the Advanced Class. When I started classes with Grandmaster Weseman and her husband Art, I did not foresee reaching this milestone. I originally started taking classes with my nephew Jim in Spring 1995. After getting married in 1996, I stopped taking classes for several
On November 1908, three bishops and an abbot dedicated St. Francis de Sales Church, “the Cathedral of South St. Louis”. Built to serve the growing German Catholic population in St. Louis, the huge church would become the home to many families including my great grandparents, Eduard and Magdalena Mosblech, and their 14 children. The St. Louis Archdiocese dedicated the church
Last Monday, I was able to scratch a big item off my bucket list. I attended a Liverpool Football Club game in person. Liverpool FC came to my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri on August 1, 2016 to play a preseason game with AS Roma. My daughter Caity attended the match with me, which made the day extra special. I
On May 7, 2016, my daughter Caity returned to Taekwondo competition for the first time in eight years. As her dad but also her coach, I tried to dissuade her from sparring until we had a few more months but she was adamant about sparring at the tournament. Caity likes forms but she always preferred sparring. Reluctantly, I agreed. I
A few weeks ago, my second foray into the martial arts came full circle. My daughter started studying Taekwondo again after more than five years away from the sport. It is actually Caity, who brought me back to martial arts in the summer of 2000. After my natural father passed away in July 1999, I went on a year-long fitness
On April 27, 2015, I had the honor of promoting my sons to Black Ranks in our system of self-defense. I promoted my oldest son Kenneth to 2nd Degree Black Rank. Kenneth was the first student I promoted to Black Rank on April 27, 2013. Over the past year and a half, Kenneth and I have been working on a
My stepdad Ernest C. Diaz married my mother on June 8, 1981. Dad and Mom worked to make sure we had a normal family life. In 1981 or 1982, they decided to take my sisters and me to a professional wrestling show at the Checkerdome (also known as the Arena). Our favorite wrestlers were the Von Erichs. David Von Erich
After my mother married my stepfather, Ernest Diaz, in 1981, he was looking for a way for us to spend time together. I was camping with the Boy Scouts, so Dad decided that camping would be an effective way for us to get to know each other. A friend of Dad’s owned property and a cabin in Greenville, MO. We
On April 27, 2013, on what would have been his grandfather and namesake’s 71st birthday, Ken “Trey” Zimmerman III became the first black belt in the Zimmerman Self-Defense System under his father Ken Zimmerman Jr. “Trey” began studying martial arts shortly before his fifth birthday. “Trey” has trained in Taekwondo, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gojo Shroei Weapons System. His goals