So time passes, and a few belt colors have come and gone. Belt colors are not really the issue-- what counts is the knowledge, discipline, respect, integrity, and how well one learns these things, then passes them on to others who come along on the same search. Of paramount importance, also, are the people: those who teach, those who learn, and those who accompany a student along the extremely long journey to martial arts excellence-- a journey that any Master will tell you never, ever ends.Long about March 1999, a couple of Yvonne's friends
convinced her to try The Degerberg Academy of Martial
Arts, where they'd been studying for several years.
She was doubtful-- not only was this something she'd
never considered, she wondered if she was capable of
handling the rigorous training. Added to that was the
70-mile round trip drive it would take each day she had
to attend a training class. She decided to try only a
special month-long introductory program going on at the
Academy. She went to her first class and everything
went swimmingly, except for one thing:One class: And she became totally, utterly, hooked.
In the meantime, we'd like to share some of that "passing time" with the visitors to Darke Palace, so following are a few pages with fun photos on them. Have patience with the load time, since they all have quite a few shots (we have a lot to share). Click on the link, then go pour yourself a glass of iced tea-- it'll be ready when you get back. By the way, if you're in one of these photos and want your name listed, just drop Yvonne an email at von @ yvonnenavarro.com and voila... it'll appear like magic!
Jill & Dan's Excellent Wedding! Jill is an on-going Degerberg student and Dan is one of the Degerberg's excellent black belt instructors. The May 12, 2001 Degerberg Ultimate Challenge! Degerberg Events 2000 - Page 1. Includes a shot from the "24 Hour Martial Arts Marathon" in January, 2000, plus selected photos from the Degerberg Ultimate Challenge in April, 2000. Degerberg Events 2000 - Page 2. Includes evidence... er, photos from Manager Danny Brenka's birthday party, which coincided with a weekend of Live Blade training and Letha Yoga seminar given by Grandmaster Dr. U Maung Gyi, Chief Instructor of the American Bando Association. The Degerberg Picnic August, 2000
The Degerberg Picnic June, 2000.
The Degerberg Picnic 1999.
The text and photos on this page are copyright © 2004 by Yvonne Navarro, and the Degerberg Academy graphic is copyright © 2000, 2001 by the Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts. Don't be naughty-- no reprinting, "borrowing", or use in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the starving author/martial artist. We mean it. We know lots of lawyers. And martial artists. And scary combinations of both. You don't want to be involved.