EPIC Summer Gathering Booklet

8/6/2019 EPIC Summer Gathering Booklet

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EPIC SUMMERGATHERING

2011


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EPIC SUMMER

GATHERING2011

6.10.11 - 6.12.117:00pm Friday - 4pm SundayResponsible EncouragementFearless Gymnastics

DateTime

Theme

Location

Jefferson Lewis III Host & Executive ProducerTuan Duong Co-founder of EPIC


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inside...Gathering Color: Orange 1

Gathering Schedule 2EPIC Defined 3EPIC World Wides History 4

What is Tricking 5Tricking History 6DC Metro Rail 11 History 13

Georgetown, DC 16The Washington Monument 17National Museum of Natural History | History 19

Features 20Other Exhibits 23

National Air and Space Museum 24History 26

Controversies 28Tricking Articles 29

Dreams 30Post EPIC Summer Gathering 2009 Thoughts 31Why I am not a Tricker? 32What Tricking Is To Me 34The Rookie Chronicles 36

Creative Arts Center 38Food Near the Gym 39

Websites 42Credits 43EPIC Gathering Survey 44


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Gathering Color | Orange

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics.Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness,

creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement,and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives thesensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive asred. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, producesan invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It ishighly accepted among young people. As a citrus color,orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite.Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange issymbolic of strength and endurance.

EPIC | Gathering Color: Orange

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Gathering Schedule

Friday | 7:00pm - overnightOpen GymElimination Battles

Video UnveilingsEPIC Dodge BallEPIC Video Shoot

Saturday | 9:00am - 3:30pm (option 1)

Air and Space MuseumMonument Gathering PicturesNational Museum of Natural History11:00am - 3:30pm (option 2)

George Town MallFood CourtWaterfront Park Gathering Pictures

5:00pm - overnightOpen GymNight Time ShowFull Gathering Picture

Video Games Movies FoodMore Open Gym

Sunday | 10:00am 6:00pmGood ByesOpen Mic

EPIC | Gathering Schedule

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epic. [ep-ik]adj: very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary.

EPIC | EPIC Defined

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Who We Are.Epic Worldwide Apparel is an urban apparel company with

roots in an underground sport known as tricking, a form of self-expression through a fusion of martial arts and acrobatics.

Started in Summer of 2008, Epic Worldwide Apparel strives toestablish itself as a clothing brand in the tricking community

with aims to positively contribute to a small, yet rapidly growingdemographic worldwide. The company has visions to outreachto the global community and show support for a cultural free-form artistic movement through efforts of brand and service.

What We Stand For.

What do you feel before you do something youve never donebefore? What do you feel when youre upside down? What doyou feel when your world is spinning from what you love to domost? Its the rush of tricking.

We stand for the heart and soul of tricking. We stand for the firsttricks we ever throw, to the greatest combos we will ever throw.

we stand for the crowd pleasing ohs to the ground poundingouches. We stand for the excitement of gatherings thatstrengthen our friendships. That first step onto plyo, and that laststep off the grass as the sun goes down. We stand for those wholove this sport as much as we do, if not more. We love tricking.

We are EPIC Worldwide Apparel.

EPIC | EPIC Worldwide Apparel

Tuan Duong

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Tricking (martial arts tricking) is the informal name of arelatively new underground alternative sport movement,combining martial arts, gymnastics, and other activities tocreate an aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists. Trickingincorporates a variety of moves from different arts such as flipsfrom gymnastics, 540 kick from Taekwondo, butterfly twist fromWushu and double leg from Capoeira. Tricking is recognizableby its flashy kicks, complex flips and twists, and its highly stylizedmovements which separate it from other arts. An individual

who practices tricking is typically referred to as a tricksteror tricker. Wikipedia.com

EPIC | What is Tricking?

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Tricking came about when people began to use Martial Artsas a way for entertainment and performance in America.

Members of the original Ernie Reyes West Coast Demo Teampioneered this movement when they began to incorporatemusic into their creative forms, branching away from traditionalmartial arts. As more Martial Arts practitioners were gearingmore towards entertainment, performance, and creativity,advanced body movements such as the 540 began to emerge.

Although Steven Ho may have been the first person to perform

the 540 in NASKA, Ernie Reyes Jr. and others were doing it manyyears before.

EPIC | Tricking History

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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As the techniques being executed at competitions becamemore advanced, a newer generation of martial artists emerged,one-upping each other with newer, flashier, and more complexmovements. NASKA now holds Creative Open divisions andXtreme Open. Creative Open is where a competitor throwsno inverted techniques and no spinning kicks with a rotationhigher than 360 degrees, while the Xtreme division is open toalmost any technique a competitor wants to do.


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With the Internet revolution at the beginning of the 21st century,Tricking began reaching a wider audience. Jubeis MA Zone,

the Yellwboy website (which are no longer online) as well asBilang.com allowed this new trend of martial arts competitorsand trickers to come together for a free exchange of ideas.Towards the end of 2003, the online tricking community was

well-developed, bringing trickers from across the globetogether. With the rise of YouTube, trickers were able to sharetheir videos with others and the world of tricking experienced

a massive rise in popularity and interest.

Also Youtube has shown young trickers new tricks and brokenthe tricks down for them. Since the beginning of 2008, trickinghas been receiving much wider publicity and popularity amongnon-tricking circles due to efforts of popular tricking teams likeLoopkicks, Team FS, and New Age Ninjas [NAN].


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Metrorail , commonly called Metro, is the rapid transit systemin Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs.It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit

Authority (WMATA), which also operates Metrobus serviceunder the Metro name. In Maryland, Metro provides service toMontgomery County and Prince Georges County; in Virginia,to Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria.

Since opening in 1976, the network has grown to include fivelines, 86 stations, and 106.3 miles (171.1 km) of track.

EPIC | DC Metro Rail

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Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the UnitedStates in number of passenger trips, after the New York City

Subway. There were 215.3 million trips, or 727,684 trips per weekday, on Metrorail in fiscal year 2008. In June 2008, Metroset a new monthly ridership record with 19,729,641 trips, or798,456 per weekday. Fares vary based on the distance traveledand the time of day. Riders enter and exit the system using astored-value card in the form of a paper magnetic stripe fare-card or a proximity card known as SmarTrip.

Metro stations were designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese,and are examples of late-20th century modern architecture.With their heavy use of exposed concrete and repetitive designmotifs, Metro stations also display aspects of brutalist design.In 2007, the design of the Metros vaulted-ceiling stations was

voted number 106 on the American Institute of Architects list of Americas Favorite Architecture.

EPIC | DC Metro Rail

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During the 1960s, there were plans for a massive freeway systemin Washington, but opposition to this freeway system grew.

Harland Bartholomew, who chaired the National Capital PlanningCommission, thought that a rail transit system would never beself-sufficient because of low-density land uses and generaltransit ridership decline. Finally, a mixed concept of a CapitalBeltway system along with rail line radials was agreed upon.The Beltway received full funding; funding for the ambitiousInner Loop Freeway system was partially reallocated toward

construction of the Metro system. A cement-lined ceiling archesover an underground station. Two lines cross at right angles onseparate levels.

In 1960, the federal government created the National CapitalTransportation Agency to develop a rapid rail system. In 1966,the federal government, the District of Columbia, Virginia, andMaryland, passed a bill creating WMATA with planning powerfor the system being transferred to it from the NCTA. Passengerssit in fixed two-seat units. There are metal poles and bars forstandees to hold.

WMATA approved plans for a 98-mile (158 km) regional systemin 1968, and construction began in 1969, with groundbreakingon December 9. The system opened March 27, 1976, with 4.6

miles (7 kilometers) available on the Red Line with five stationsfrom Rhode Island Avenue to Farragut North, all in the District of Columbia. Arlington County, Virginia was linked to the systemon July 1, 1976; Montgomery County, Maryland on February6, 1978; Prince Georges County, Maryland on November 20,

EPIC | DC Metro Rail | History

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1978; and Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia onDecember 17, 1983.

The 103-mile (166 km), 83-station system was completed withthe opening of the Green Line segment to Branch Avenue on

January 13, 2001. This did not mean the end of the growth of thesystem: a 3.22-mile (5.18 km) extension of the Blue Line to LargoTown Center and Morgan Boulevard opened on December 18,2004. The first in-fill station, New York AveFlorida AveGallaudetU on the Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island

Ave-Brentwood, opened November 20, 2004, and planning isunderway for an extension to Dulles Airport.

Metro construction required billions of federal dollars,originally provided by Congress under the authority of theNational Capital Transportation Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-143). The cost was paid with 90% federal money and 10% local

money. This act was amended on January 3, 1980 by Public Law96-184, The National Capital Transportation Amendment of 1979 (also known as the Stark-Harris Act), which authorizedadditional funding of $1.7 billion to permit the completionof 89.5 miles (144.0 km) of the system as provided under theterms of a full funding grant agreement executed with WMATA in July 1986, which required 25% to be paid from local funds. On

November 15, 1990, Public Law 101-551, The National CapitalTransportation Amendments of 1990, authorized an additional$1.3 billion in federal funds for construction of the remaining13.5 miles (21.7 km) of the 103-mile (166 km) system, completed


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via the execution of full funding grant agreements, with a 63%federal/37% local matching.

The highest ridership for a single day was on the day of theinauguration of Barack Obama, January 20, 2009, with 1,120,000riders. It broke the previous record, set the day before, of 866,681trips. June 2008 set several ridership records: it set the single-month ridership record of 19,729,641 total riders, the record forhighest average weekday ridership with 772,826 weekday trips,had five of the ten highest ridership days, and had 12 weekdaysin which ridership exceed 800,000 trips.

In February 2006, Metro officials chose Randi Miller, a cardealership employee from Woodbridge, Virginia, to record newdoors opening, doors closing, and please stand clear of the doors, thank you announcements after winning an opencontest to replace the messages recorded by Sandy Carroll in

1996. The Doors Closing contest attracted 1,259 contestantsfrom across the country.


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Georgetown is a neighborhood located in the Northwestquadrant of Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River waterfront.

Founded in 1751, the city of Georgetown substantially predatedthe establishment of the city of Washington and the District of Columbia. Georgetown retained its separate municipal statusuntil 1871, when it was assimilated into the city of Washington.Today, the primary commercial corridors of Georgetown are MStreet and Wisconsin Avenue, which contain high-end shops,bars, and restaurants. Georgetown is home to the main campus

of Georgetown University.

EPIC | Georgetown, DC

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The Washington Monument

EPIC | The Washington Monument

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov17


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The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate thefirst U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument,made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the worlds talleststone structure and the worlds tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet5 inches (169.294 m). There are taller monumental columns, butthey are neither all stone nor true obelisks. It is also the talleststructure in Washington D.C.. It was designed by Robert Mills, anarchitect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monumentbegan in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 yearsafter the architects death. This hiatus in construction happenedbecause of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds,and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference inshading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m or27%) up, shows where construction was halted for a number of years. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone

was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument wasdedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9,1888. Upon completion, it became the worlds tallest structure, atitle previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monumentheld this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower wascompleted in Paris, France. The monument stands due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial

EPIC | The Washington Monument

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The museum, then known as the United States National Museum,opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910 in order to

provide the growing Smithsonian Institution with more spacefor collections and research. The building, which was not fullycompleted until 1911, was designed by Hornblower & Marshall.The building, designed in the neoclassical architectural style, wasthe first constructed on the north side of the National Mall, alongConstitution Avenue, as part of the 1901 McMillan Commissionplan. In 2000, Kenneth E. Behring donated $80 million to the

museum and in 1997 donated $20 million to modernize it.In addition to exhibits, the museum maintains vast referencecollections and research facilities. See the online collections atcollections.nmnh.si.edu

In 2005, The Butterfly of Peace gem was first displayed in theU.S. In 2008, an exhibit opened with 5,000 square feet (460 m2)

dedicated to soil and its life-sustaining properties.

EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | History

The National Museum of Natural History

Photo credit to Kiril l Sidorov


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Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the mostsignificant collections of its kind in the world. The collectionincludes some of the most famous pieces of gems and mineralsincluding the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire, oneof the largest sapphires in the world. There are currently over15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens.

Additionally, the Smithsonians National Gem and MineralCollection houses approximately 35,000 meteorites, which isconsidered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world.

Hall of Human Origins

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins opened on March17th, 2010, marking the museums 100th anniversary. The hallis named for David H. Koch, who contributed $15 million to the$20.7 million exhibit.

The Hall is dedicated to the discovery and understanding of human origins, and occupies 15,000 square feet of exhibitspace. Specimens include 75 replica skulls, an interactive humanfamily tree that follows six million years of evolution, and a

Changing the World gallery that focuses on issues surroundingclimate change and humans impact on the world.

EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Features

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Dinosaurs/Hall of PaleobiologyThe museum has over 570,000 catalogued reptiles from aroundthe world. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptileshas increased 300% over the past 40 years (190,000 specimenrecords in 1970 to over 570,000 specimen records in 2008).The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models,including Tyrannosaurus rex facing off with Triceratops, and theTriceratops exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeletonin virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning anddigital technology. The collection consists of 46 complete andimportant specimens of dinosaurs. The website has a virtualtour of the collection.


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Hall of MammalsThe Behring Hall of Mammals designed by Reich + Petch isa multi-award winning gallery. The design is innovative and

welcoming. The mammal specimens are presented as works of modern art within strikingly minimal environmentals. Visitorsdiscover mammals evolutionary adaptions to hugely diversecontexts, and ultimately discover that they too are mammals.

The museum has the largest collection of vertebrate specimensin the world, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammalcollections, including historically important collections fromthe nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its collection

was initiated by C. Hart Merriam and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (later the Department of Interior), which expandedit in the 1890s-1930s.

Insect ZooThe O. Orkin Insect Zoo features live insects and exhibits aboutinsects and entomologists. Different habitats have been createdto show the type of insects that live in different environments andhow they have adapted to a freshwater pond, house, mangroveswamp, desert, and rain forest. The zoo is sponsored by Orkin, a

pest control company.


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Other Exhibits

African VoicesButterflies + Plants: Partners In EvolutionWestern Cultures HallKorea Gallery

Osteology: Hall of Bones

EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Other Exhibits

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National Air and Space Museum

EPIC | National Air and Space Museum


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The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of theSmithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historicaircraft and spacecraft in the world. Located in Washington, D.C.,United States, it is also a center for research into the history, andscience of aviation and spaceflight, as well as planetary scienceand terrestrial geology and geophysics. Almost all space andaircraft on display are originals or backups to the originals. It isthe most popular of the Smithsonian museums and operates anannex, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, at Dulles International

Airport.

EPIC | National Air and Space Museum

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Originally called the National Air Museum when it was formedon August 12, 1946 by an act of Congress, some pieces in the

National Air and Space Museum collection date back to the1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia after which theChinese Imperial Commission donated a group of kites tothe Smithsonian. The Stringfellow steam engine intended foraircraft was accessioned into the collection in 1889, the firstpiece actively acquired by the Smithsonian now in the currentNASM collection.

EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | History

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After the establishment of the museum, there was no one buildingthat could hold all the items to be displayed. Some pieces were

on display in the Arts and Industries Building, some were storedin a shed in the Smithsonians South Yard that came to be knownas the Air and Space Building, and the larger missiles and rockets

were displayed outdoors in Rocket Row.

The combination of the large numbers of aircraft donated tothe Smithsonian after World War II and the need for hangarand factory space for the Korean War drove the Smithsonian tolook for its own facility to store and restore aircraft. The currentGarber Facility was ceded to the Smithsonian by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1952 afterthe curator Paul E. Garber spotted the wooded area from the air.Bulldozers from Fort Belvoir and prefabricated buildings fromthe United States Navy kept the initial costs low.

EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | History

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Controversies

Controversy erupted in 1994 over a proposed commemorationof the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan. Thecenterpiece of the exhibit was the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomberthat dropped the A-bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Veterans groups, backed by some congressmen, argued

strongly that the exhibits inclusion of Japanese accounts andphotographs of victims insulted U.S. airmen. Also disputed wasthe predicted number of fatal US casualties that would haveresulted from an invasion of Japan, had that been necessary. Inthe end, the museums director, Martin O. Harwit, was forcedto resign, and the exhibit was radically reduced to the mostdiminished display in Smithsonian history.

EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | Controversies

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TRICKING ARTICLES


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EPIC | Tricking Articles | Dreams

DREAMS

Nick Vail

Now days weve been told to dream within reason. That is the wrong answer. 6 months ago, I was asked to dream without

restrictions. I spent a week off in another world doing this.

When I came back from my mental journey, everything looked

different. I found the people who had created their dreams

from nothing. I asked them to help me, to teach and show me

how to do what they did.

Ive worked harder in the last 6 months than I have in my life,

and Im making progress. The best thing is that Im taking my

friends with me. We are all creating the life weve dreamed of.

No one dreams now days. When they dream, theyre locked

down to a location, to a certain income or lifestyle. Eliminate

it. Dream without restraints. Money isnt an issue, you arent

tied down, and you pursue your hobbies, dreams and spend

time with the ones you love because you have that kind of time.

Dream. No one is stopping you from grabbing your dreams.

Mine are within an arms length from grasping, when they

were only a thought to get me past the workday last year. Your

dreams are possible.

I talk to people all day long. Everywhere I go. I hear defeated,

sad, unhappy people talk about how much they want more in

life but cant go after it. Theyve been taught from day one to

be just like the people who are 60 years old, in debt, unhappy,

working a job to make someone else rich because that is all

they were taught. What is wrong with that? Here is my challenge

to you reading this-Take a week, dream without restrictions.

In your mind, remove your job, add 5K to your bank accountevery month that your not punching a clock for, forget college

and careers. Where would you travel? What would you do? Who

would you spend all day with? Who is lives would you change?

Once youve done this, find the people who have done this and

find out how they did it. Go out and get it. We need it. We need

the change. The world needs change. Lets change it.

H ym o vi t a

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Post EPIC Summer Gathering 2009 Thoughts

Jayel

My level of appreciation, and love for those who attended the Epic

Gathering 2009 cant be expressed in words... My body is still shaking

from the intensity, and hype of the different sessions. All the stories, and

messages Ive received personally about the gathering have touched

a special place in my heart. I want to congratulate all the performers,

guests, and gathering participants for making this a fun, and safe event!

Tuan and I were overwhelmed with deep gratitude for the support, and

motivation of the attendees. Plus, on a more personal note, this was the

best 21st birthday weekend I could ever ask for! I cant stop smiling

when I think about how much people contributed to the success of this

EPIC event!

EPIC | Tricking Articles | Thoughts

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Why I am not a TRICKERThis an excerpt from my Creative Martial Arts

Notebook:

Emerson Doyle

WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR

TRICKING? What is the point? That question has

been on my mind for quite a while now. Do I want

to do tricks like Im a circus performer? If so then

why do I kick when flips are more impressive to the

common person? Do I want to become a serious

mma fighter? If so then why do a 540 and land on

my kicking foot? Do I want to be a dancer doing

movements to the rhythm? If so then why do hand

techniques that follow age old oriental traditions?

I feel like there should be some deeper meaning

or at least an understanding as to why I am doing

Martial Arts the way that I am. What is my goal?

Through all of this thinking I have come to a few

conclusions: I am an ARTIST - The definition of artist is: a person who produces works in any of the

arts that is subject to aesthetic criteria, or visually

pleasing. I am not a TRICKER - The definition

of trick is: a clever or dexterous feat intended to

entertain or amuse.

I would like to entertain but not in just any way. A

back flip seems to entertain the common person

more than a jackknife. What I am doing is not a

simple trick.

What I do is MARTIAL - definition of martial:

inclined or disposed to war. I maintain a fighting

mind frame. All of my movements are derived

some sort of strike, kick or hit, even if it is over a

persons head. A flip is gymnastics. I do a sport -

EPIC | Tricking Articles | Not a Tricker


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Definition of sport: an athletic activity requiring

skill or physical prowess and often of competitive

nature. What this means for me is that I am a

SPORT MARTIAL ARTIST - It is an athletic activitythat includes martial movements designed to be

aesthetically pleasing and to entertain. This may

seem like a simple conclusion but to me it says a

lot. I take what I do very seriously and for someone

to call what I do tricking is now almost insulting.

I dont want to call what I am doing tricking. The

people that tumble and flip with out a strike are

tricksters simply doing an unrecognized form

or gymnastics or throwing tricks. No disrespecttoward them but that is not my objective. I want to

show people through the mysticism of Martial Arts

the way a human body has the ability to exceed its

limits. I want to inspire a new generation of people

who love Martial Arts for the hard work, dedication

and discipline it instills. If you are thinking that it

is not that serious and tricking is just something

cool and fun that you do then we are on different

wave lengths. I want this to be more than just a fad.

EPIC | Tricking Articles | Not a Tricker


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What Tricking is to Me

Ian Lane

To any new, intermediate, and experienced trickers reading this - this is simply my

viewpoint, my personal opinions. Its what I see. My truth:

Tricking, or Acrobatic Martial Arts (as some prefer to consider it), is an art form that

has been derived from various acrobatic sports and physical art forms for many years,

and has developed over that time into what it is today. Its ever-changing, non-stagnant.

Tricking is, a combination of all forms of gymnastics, and martial arts. But, I personally

refuse to consider it a sport, myself. I believe tricking is an art form. To call something

a sport, I think it needs to be competitive, and there has to be rules and regulations. In

tricking, we are competitive only against ourselves - trying like mad to get ourselvesto be the best athletes our bodies can handle! However, were not so much competitive

against one another. Were not looking to beat each other at tricking, per se. Sure, we

thrive on each others successes, and it pushes us forward, toward becoming the best

tricker we can be, and we have gatherings and we have battles, but I still maintain,

theyre really just to push ourselves.

There are a few things one could say we need to have in tricking. Some will say,

as it derived primarily from the martial arts, that we should be focused on kicking

within our tricks. Some people throw crazy kicking combos but not a lot of flipping andtwisting. Others only flip and twist, but dont kick. I believe that everyones going to

have a different tricking style and we should all work toward developing that, and not

imitating others, or telling yourself you HAVE to do anything. Because you do not. But,

with that said, its probably a good idea to practice to be a balanced tricker, to keep

the art as rounded as possible, but its up to you. Tricking should be an expression of

yourself, through your art. It should not be a set way of doing something. There are

some amazing, top tier trickers (such as Scotty Skelton) who rarely kick, but they are

simply unparalleled when it comes to flipping and twisting. Then there are others (like

Danny Graham) who are utterly beautiful in the way they execute kicking maneuvers within each of their tricking combinations.

The tricking community is like one big family of people, worldwide, who can come

together in the same place, and perform skills that have no set rules and regulations,

and have some of the best times of their lives. Expect great things from your tricking

career, and from yourself. Play with different styles, and be creative... be YOURSELF.

EPIC | Tricking Articles | What Tricking is to Me

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You will be accepted, and you should accept others. Expect to make some of the best

friends you have ever had.

There are certain rights of passage that we all go through, on the journey to becoming

a tricker - such as falling in your ass over and over again, time after time, until you

FINALLY land that skill youve been so desperately trying to land for weeks. ~ [This

never ends, by the way] ~ That feeling, that incredibly blissful feeling, IS tricking.

We cannot put this into a box and call it a sport. We cannot give it rules, and label it

something it isnt. Tricking is about style. Its about individuality. Its about community.

But mostly, its about having fun!

I wish you the very best of luck in everything! Keep me informed of your progress,

and let me (and anyone else in the tricking community, for that matter) know when you

need some help! Above all else, NEVER GIVE UP!


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EPIC | Tricking Articles | Rookie Chronicles

Ish Payne, Martial Posture Studio, and Stratosphere Apparel

presents:

The Rookie Chronicles

A web based reality series that follows a group of young

Philadelphia teens, coined The Rookies, as they train to

become elite Martial Arts Trickers. Under the tutelage their

talented and animated coaches Ish Payne, Vince Johnson,

Ed Lopez, Alex Hunter, and Ron Wood, the series will follow

the trials and tribulations of training young teens to help

them realize their full potential mentally, physically, and

spiritually.

The Series has several goals:1) To give students a fun and unique tool in order to track

their progress and grow as a Tricker and Martial Artist

2) To portray to the world what Martial Arts Tricking is in a

positive, entertaining, and real way.

3) To give the youth of the world a positive and entertaining

alternative to the many not so suitable reality shows that

exist out there that glorify everything thats wrong with

the world.

4) To send a message to the Tricking Community that weas Trickers must take this wonderful sport into our own

hands. We should be innovative and entrepreneurial in

our approach to how we spread the art of Tricking. As

Tricking grows more and more popular it is up to us to

take ownership over it in order to maintain everything that

makes it so appealing to us. We dont want Big Corporation

X to dictate to the public what Tricking is. It is we, the

ones who train hard out of love, bruise our bodies out of

determination, fight though soreness to attain the next bigmove, organize gatherings to see our friends from all over

the world, it is we that need to portray to the public the love,

unity, and oneness of this wonderful sport. It is our goal to

make the production and quality of the Rookie Chronicles

rival that of all the best reality shows out there, but with a

fraction of the budget just to show the resourcefulness and

talent of the people in our community.

P h o t o cr e d i t t o

J ef f er s onL e wi s I I I .

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R o ok i e

Ch r oni cl e s You can check out monthly episodes, character bios, behind the scenes

footage, and promotional trailers at our official Youtube page WWW. YOUTUBE.COM/ROOKIECHRONICLESTV.

P h o t o cr e d i t t o

J ef f er s onL e wi s I I I

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Places Near the Gym

Checkers16171 Shady Grove RoadGaithersburg, MD 20877-4003

Bank of America15930 Shady Grove RoadGaithersburg, MD 20877

7 Eleven15900 Shady Grove RoadGaithersburg, MD 20877-1315

Comfort INN16216 South Frederick RoadGaithersburg, MD 20877

Photo Credit goes to Kirill Sidorov 39


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Five Guys15784 Shady Grove RdGaithersburg, MD 20877-1450

iHOP206 North Frederick AvenueGaithersburg, MD

Dunkin Donuts

16220 Frederick Rd.Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Fallsgrove Village Center14925 Shady Grove Rd.Rockville, MD 20850

Places Near the Gym

Photo Credit to Kirill Sidorov

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CREDITS

EPIC Host & Executive Producer: Jefferson Lewis III

Special Thanks to:

Nicholas Sweeney - Fearless Gymnastics Gym Owner

Javier Macias

Gaby Macias

Crystal Rivera

Matthew Houston

Nichole Whitehurst

Moe AlafrangyDennis Brown

Emerson Doyle

Ish Payne

Jeff Lewis Jr

Barbara Lewis

Nick Vail

Ian Lane

Tuan Duong

Kirill Sidorov

Book Designer: Stacey Phipps | Graphic Designer | Freelancer

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EPIC GATHERING SURVEY

What did you like about the EPIC Gathering?

What things do you think could use improvement at the EPIC Gathering?

Did the EPIC Gathering meet your expectations?

Will you refer others to attend this Gathering Next year?

Comments:

THANK YOU!

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EPIC SUMMERGATHERING

2011

Documents

EPIC Summer Gathering Booklet