Team Smith left Friday morning at 10am with (6) fighters.  Team Smith returned Sunday afternoon with (6) Championships!

Team Smith Fighters:
1.) Shawn Mott - 2 Sanctioned Fights/ 2 Wins/ Champion
2.) Floyd Clark - 1 Sanctioned Fight/ 1 Win/ Champion
3.) Nelson Lebron - 2 Sanctioned Fights/ 2 Wins/ 2 Championships
4.) Jessica Goldyn - 1 Exhibition Fight/ 1 Win/ Champion
5.) Adriana Kaul - 1 Exhibition Fight/ 1 Win/ Champion
6.) Justin Mott - No Fights/ Walkover Champion

The weigh-ins were Friday and all (6) of our Fighters weighed in and made their weights.
Saturday Morning the day started off with Shawn Mott in his first of two fights in a pre-lim fight.  He fought a tough kid from Team Branch's school out of North Carolina.
After (2) Rounds Shawn had a unanimous decision Win and would move on to the Final which would be fought only 1 Hour Later.
In his final he fought an Iranian fighter from New York who was very game and had much experience. The Iranian came in with a 3-0 record and Shawn was 4-0.
In the end Shawn Won a Unanimous Decision to go to 5-0 and a perfect Kickboxing record. The Iranian would fight again against Jessica Goldyn in the night time Finals.
He stepped up in weight to fight Shawn but he and Jessica had agree to fight in a Final match in the evening as well.

Nelson Lebron signed up for two Rules Division fights. In his Full Contact Division weight Class he fought a fighter from Georgia who was on the #1 Rated Team in the Country.

Team Greubel had just came back from the USA National Championships with an undefeated Team. So Nelson did what he had to do to pull out a Full Contact Rules Unanimous Win against the young fighter from Greubel's camp out of GA.  Nelson told me after the fight he was holding back some so he could fight later that night in the finals in the Low Kick Division.

I said OK Nelson, but you are no Michael Felts, a win is a win and we took it and the belt. In his second fight of the day, which took place Saturday night in the lights, who would he fight again.  Another fighter from the Greubel camp, the #1 rated camp in the Country!  Nelson proved he and Michael are allot alike, he dominated the Low Kick fighter who was suppose to be the better fighter of the two he fought that day.  In the end once again Nelson had a Unanimous Win and another Championship Belt. Nelson's late night fight had followed another Team Smith fighter, Floyd Clark.  Floyd was going up against a fighter from Christiansburg Va, a local fighter for that area of the mountains. After the second round going toe to toe, Floyd came over to the corner and said " Mr. Craig I have to Throw Up".  I said Floyd look over at the Nice Big Red Championship Belts, he looked and said, yes I see them.  I said if you want one, you wi ll have to hold your "Throw Up" until the end of the third round after you Win that belt.  He said, OK Mr. Craig.  Well he did what he and I agreed to do, he went out and won that round and the fight and then came over to the corner and threw up on me and the bucket!!!!  Floyd Won the Championship Belt because he had HEART!!!!!!!  That's the kind of fighters I want.  I could care less about skill or toughness, I want Heart and Floyd has it!!!!!  Great Job Floyd in his second fight of his career. He is undefeated to outside competition only losing to one of our own Team Smith Fighters in his last fight. In another fight in the night time, Jessica Goldyn did an exhibition fight against that TOUGH Iranian who had given Shawn all he could handle in the day time fight. Jessica looked Great and so did the other kid, they both had skills and showed each other respect through out the whole fight.  Jessica got the best of the boy but t hey both put on an exhibition of skills . Jessica took home the Junior Female 10-11 year old 72lbs weight class Championship Belt. Going back to the day time fights, Adriana Kaul agreed to fight a Women who was in a weight class above her and older.  Adriana is a Junior 17 years old so this fight could not be Sanctioned due to the other female being an adult. Adriana got the Championship Belt with an Exhibition fight. The female she fought will be the same woman who is fighting my wife in November, if that fight is agreed on by both sides. That fight is still TBA but could happen in my wife " Cara's" comeback. Adriana looked good and did what we asked her to do by staying busy.  That is all we can ask is to do what we ask, if you get beat and do what the coaches ask and still get beat. Then you got beat by a better fighter that day and nobody should hang their heads low.  It takes guts and toughness and courage to even get in that ring. Then to move ar ound and get hit in front of a big crowd with lights on and people screaming takes GUTS!!!!  If that is not a confidence builder then nothing is!!!  Justin Mott 49lbs at 7 years old  closest fighter to his age was 9 years old and the closest weight was that same kid at 63lbs. Two years older at that age makes a difference and then to be 14lbs under the weight of the other fighter is just too much, so Justin got a walkover win with no exhibition.  We wont count it because we want fighters to at least do an exhibition to get counted.  Justin would have fought anyone, he is like that, he was disappointed but I felt it was too much of a safety issue with the size and weight so I kept him from fighting.  I saved him for another day, Justin will win many fights in the upcoming years, so Justin you just keep training, you are a future Champion!!!

This was as good as it gets for our Team and Coaches. Then to get home and see our Team in the Newspaper makes it even better.  Wow, does it get any better, Undefeated and news paper articles for the Team!!!  If you have not picked up the Beacon News paper from Sunday,please pick one up and look at what it says about our Team. Team Smith is being recognized for its accomplishment and is getting much National Attention!!!  We went head to head against the #1 team in the Country in Three fights and Won Two of them and the other was a Good Exhibition of which we looked good as well. Our Team is being recognized by most as a Top 5 Team in the Country.  We are being told by other Teams and news related articles of Kickboxing Teams that we are the #1 Team in the Country. In Chicago Team Z, also a top team in the Country, are telling there fighters and local news we are the Top Team in the Country. Team Cellar in Minnesota also s ays we are #1. The Joe Lewis Organization sees Team Smith as one of the Top Teams in its Organization as well.  I have won the pound for pound Fighter coach of the year (2) of the last (6) Years. This would not have been accomplished with out all the hard work and great fighters we have on our Team.  It is a Team thing, we win the pound for pound fighter coach of the year together and we win the fights together.  We train together and we lose together. This is a TEAM and I for one am proud of us all!!!! The way I see it is we are a Top 10 Team in the Country for sure.  I feel Team Cellar in Minnesota is #1 and Team Greubel out of Augusta GA. rated #2, Then Team Alcozer from Texas, then Team Z. from Chicago IL. There is also Team Finney from Iowa in there as well.  We fit in there somewhere, but if we keep winning like we have been in the last 2 months( 38 fighters with 32 Championships) We will be that #! Team.  GO TEAM S MI TH!!!!!!

Next Fights scheduled are in our OWN Gym in Sept. TBA and then again Sept. 29th in Delaware. Then Team Smith BlackBelts go to Tampa FL. in October to fight including me.
The last fight of 2008 will be the BIG ONE:  U.S.Classic in Chesapeake Va. on Nov. 15th where Team Smith is going to try and take (30) fighters,WOW!!!
See everyone this week in classes and Team Training.  Schedule is Regular schedule this week with Team Training on Monday,Wed, and Sat. at 12pm.