"Those who complain the most about public education... rarely do anything about it." Anonymous

I passed my State Board Exam for physical therapy 4 years ago and work for a rural subacute hospital in physical therapy working mostly with hip and knee patients. I taught reading at the 6th 7th and 8th grade level for 8 years from 2005-2012. For the 2009-2010 school year I was selected as the teacher of the year for my school. I was extremely honored. There were many deserving talented dedicated teachers at my school who were much deserving and to be considered among them was indeed an honor.

I am still the proud coach of a middle school chess team that, for the first time in school history, won the county chess championship (out of 23 middle schools including 10 academy schools) in 2009. The next year 2010, we did it again, going undefeated in the four monthly team tournaments. In 2011, the team posted three perfect 16-0 tournaments out of the four (This has never been done in any division since Polk Scholastic Chess began in 1989) and defended the county title for a second straight year. The team went on to defend the title for a third straight time (2012) making it 4 years in a row as County Chess Champions. Update 2013/2014: CLMS took the County Championship for the 5th time in 6 years. Update 2014/2015: CLMS took 2nd with players finishing 2, 4,6,7,10,14,15,16 out of 180 players from 24 schools this year. Update 2015/2016: CLMS took 3rd and 2016/2017 we took 2nd again missing first place for the season by a point. Update 2017/2018 season we took 2nd again missing 1st place by a point after leading by a few points the whole year. Update 2018/2019 we had to rebuild after many of our top players graduated but we still took 3rd among 20 teams for the year. That makes it 10 years in a row that our school has finished at least 3rd place. Many of these students come from at risk backgrounds (nearly 79% poverty rate/over 80% single parent homes) and deserve a lot of credit beating the "rich" kids. I am so proud of them.

A side from chess, I'm into mountain biking, raquetball, coin collecting, NBA, NFL and college football, weight lifting and being with my lovely wife and family.

My beautiful wife (photo of her and my family at bottom of activity page) is a heart and lung patient (and miracle, was given 1-3 years to live almost 7 years ago) and is always a light in my life. My wife has converted from a 24/7 mobile pump and I.V. (through a surgically placed port in upper chest) to an inhaler version way to take her medicine. Her quality of life has improved greatly because of it. Update May 2011: we went back to the Mayo Clinic to have tests run on my wife. Her numbers have improved meaning that the new medicine is working. Update Feb 2012: Medicine (Tryveso) still is producing good numbers . Update March 2012: Joy, accompanied by her doctor sister and brother in law, visited the Philippines/her grandmother successfully. I believe to my absolute core of my being that God is healing her.

I have to tell somebody...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwNwTqI-y4

I am also the proud son of a WWII Veteran: William E. M. 1925-1997 (USNavy 1944-1947). He was the hardest working man I have ever known. He taught me how to be a man, a loving husband, father and was a good Christian role model. Miss you dad.

My style would probably range from calculated aggressive to outright miscalculated blunder. I competed in my first rated tournys February and again in March and April (2009). All three were game 30s... ugh! On April 24th 2009.. I placed second in my city's game/25 championship. During July 17-19 of 2009 I tied for first in the United States Class Championships for class "C". January (2010), two of my students and myself competed in the Central Florida Class Championships where one of my students won the under 1200 section "E" out of 23 players going 5-0... way to go! I placed 5th (31/2 pts) in the Under 1600 Class "C" Section out of 20. This past January 2011, members of the team participated in the Florida Class championships. They all did well including one player just missing 1st place in the under 1200 section losing in the last round BD #1) and another player winning with literally one second left on his clock. His opponent had over 40 minutes left on his clock. March 26, 2011 Update: In the Polk Scholastic County Chess Championships, my student players took 1st 2nd 4th and 5th all county out of almost a 100 that qualified for the middle school championship. In 2012, a 9th grade student D'... (also made the varsity football team as a freshmen) who I coach won the County high School Chess Championship out over a 100 that qualified. 2013: Another highschool student, Trevorn... also won the County High School Chess Championship. Recently my tournament chess has suffered with my USCF rating plunging to 1467 although at the 2012 Southern open I tied for 3rd going 4/5 with no losses in the under 1500 sec. 2018 Update: Finished 2nd in my city's chess championship... again. Cant seem to win it all. 2019 update: Finished tied for 2nd in the Under 1600 section at a recent annual tournament but did not make the playoffs this year in the city championship cycle winning only once in group play. My favorite players are Fischer and Morphy.

I believe you should love people and not be so quick to judge. This song more than presents that truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeBqjKlQCn8

Tree_House_Chess