OTHER THAN JACKIE CHAN, SCORPION AND SUB ZERO, WHATTA YA WANNA BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? by Peter Vuono

     I dedicate this article, of course, to my beloved son; to Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen whose influence on me filtered down to Michael and to Michael's teachers- Master Steve Arsenault, Master Ian Bucklin, Master Brian Diffley, Master George Fumo and to the icons of martial science who inspired my son.

NOTE: The title is a revamping of a Ray Bradbury short story as a homage to the great fantasy writer.

OTHER THAN JACKIE CHAN, SCORPION AND SUB-ZERO, WHATTA YA WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
By Peter Vuono

     November 7th, 1988 was a cool crisp sunny day.  A beautiful late fall day that one could enjoy in any capacity. I however, was cold and gripped by fear of the impending birth of my second child. I should have been worried about the health and welfare of my wife and child but no; that was not the case; I was afraid of having a boy!
     I was such great pals with my daughter, Amy that I just couldn't see myself as a father to a son. I had no confidence that I could impart the necessary"machismo" that every "man" has to have. However my gut told me that it was going to be a boy. Michael was born and my fears intensified.
    Micheal was exceedingly laid back and never gave us trouble. At 4, he fell in love with video games. His favorite characters were those that projected power and strength. It was no surprise to us that he soon fell in love with dinosaurs. Ray Bradbury once rhetorically asked,"Have you ever met anyone who didn't like dinosaurs? I have not".Michael was certainly part of this club. He could name them all and, of course, his favorite was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
    Time passed and one day in his 9th year, he saw an advertisement for a movie entitled: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Mike asked me to take him to see it. I complied and thought nothing of it. Little did I know that Mike would ask me to take him 8 more times!!
    After the 9th viewing, I brought home the original Mortal Kombat. The final catalyst, however, in creating a love affair with martial arts was "Rumble on the Bronx". Mike was in awe of the world's greatest stunt man, Jackie Chan and from that moment on I knew that martial arts were for him.
     Mike was always shy and timid. Many of the dojos intimidated him and years went by without him consenting to joining. I then took him to see Master Steve Arsenault of New Bedford Ma. I had done a few magic shows in Master Steve's dojo and I was hoping Mike would take a shine to him. Mike did and agreed to join with a huge contingency. Mike stated ,"Dad, I'll join but I want private lessons and NO classes and YOU have to be there beside me". He was afraid of faltering in front of other students so he at age 15 and I at age 51, signed up together!
     Nine years went by and on Sept 14, 2013, Mike was to be tested  for the coveted Black Belt by the number one ranked Kenpo karate artist in the world, Master Larry Tatum of Pasadena. Mike was nervous. I was too but I refused to show it. I rather hit him with every reassuring movie reference I could think of from Visionquest to The Warrior and on to Lord of the Rings .I committed to memory and recited verbatim, Aragorn's speech at the Black Gate.
    All the training, all the teaching, all the practice and all the prayers came to fruition- Mike passed; the Black Belt was finally his! There was something else, however, that occurred 6 months earlier which showed to me that Mike didn't just attain a physical milestone but he did something that showed me that  he had the proper 'balance" that a martial artist should have.
    Out of the blue, Michael showed me a movie clip showing actor Richard Jenkins talking to his fictional sons in the movie"Stepbrothers" withWill Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Jenkins told the boys that he always wanted to be a dinosaur. Later in life, his dad reviled him telling him to abandon childish thoughts and to get a job. Jenkins told his sons that he abandoned wanting to be a dinosaur but after his education and career were had, he could not return to it.He told them,"Don't lose your dinosaur"
    I knew what my son was trying to tell me. He hadn't lost his inner "dinosaur" or in other words his inner child. I then had an epiphany.I remembered that Mike was born in 1988, the year of the Dragon and between 7 and 8 AM- the hour of the dragon. I recalled how Bruce Lee was also born in the year and hour of the dragon .Could this be an hour and year in which magical things can happen? I'll never know. What I DO know is that Michael had attained balance; his training was complete. I don't know where his final destination will lead to but I DO know that he has chosen the correct path in his journey towards it.


"Success is not the destination, it is the journey"- Lee Jun Fan- Bruce Lee