this photo was taken in Miyazaki in 1990 during the World Amateur Championships. (from left to right) Ben Aipa, Kimo Gasper, Me, Ross Williams, and Shaun Kawamoto. Ben was our coach and it was on this trip that my life changed. to make a long story short, i got into a dispute with our manager, i went to Tokyo to vent, i met wonderful people, and i decided then that i was going to move to Japan. that’s why i tell everybody that “everything happens for a reason.” if i didn’t have a dispute with our manager, i wouldn’t have spent a week in Tokyo, and i wouldn’t be where i am today. i am very thankful for Ben because he supported my decision to go to Tokyo. he knew i was super mad and i was capable of doing crazy things during that angry time. so that turned out to be the greatest decision of my life…
