by Travis Partington | Mar 2, 2018 | Podcast
Getting ready for the fight
So if you have been checking on the #teamdarrah Facebook Page – Team Darrah, you know that Michael did not win his first bout. We all had wanted to do a post fight interview because of how big this Brawl for it All 5 match had become.
I met Mike at Red Seal Martial Arts Co., and we sat down to talk. You can hear Shaun training another fighter in the background for the first half of the podcast. Mike looked good, relaxed even. So I wanted to get his thoughts on the fight, what was happening, and the future.
Mike thought he gave a good account of himself. I have said and wrote it, Mike lost, but was not beaten. It seemed like he understood that for his first fight he did about as well as he could. I looked at Michael and thought he was hungrier now than before the fight. He had no doubt about what he needed to do to improve his game. I think it is Army Ranger in him, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
Shaun Schubert, Mike’s coach, joined us and began to educate me as to how Mike did in his first fight. Shaun told me how the amount of time to prepare, Mike’s fight experience, and understanding of the rules were significant challenges to overcome. Shaun was clear that one of the most impressive aspects of Mike’s debut fight was that at no time did he quit.
Shaun talked about his “Rule of One” approach to training Michael and other fighters. There is no cookie cutter that Shaun uses to coach fighters, and I liked how he explained it to me.
The next thing for #teamdarrah is getting ready for Brawl for it All 6 in June. Michael hasn’t taken any time to feel sorry for himself. He had some pizza and has gotten right back on the training horse. Several people have stepped up to sponsor Michael (See list below). Many of these people are Veterans themselves, so it makes sense to check them out and support them because they support their own.
Everyone who watched Mike fight was proud of him and I am honored to get to tell this part of his story. Rangers Lead the Way
From Team Darrah FaceBook Page – Chad (L) & Mike (R)
Team Darrah would like to thank the following people and sponsors
Shaun Schubert – Owner of Red Seal Martial Arts Company and Michael’s Coach – http://www.redsealma.com/
Mike Smith & Dennis Smith – Owners of Shed When I’m Dead Beard Balm – Shed When I’m Dead Beard Balm Facebook Page
363 Rule Clothing – Instagram – @363rule
Ryan Iverson – Owner of Iverson Masonry and Plowing – Brockton, MA
Rich Decotis & Nick Medis – Owners of Lifestyle Vape – http://www.lifestylevapeinc.com/
Robert Gillman & Angelo Padula – Owners of UnWine’d Beer and Wine Lounge – Unwine’d Beer and Wine Facebook Page
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by Travis Partington | Feb 23, 2018 | Podcast
Part One: Who is Jodie?
Jodie, or Jody is a legendary figure for military men has been terrorizing servicemembers for years. You can click on this link — WayWord Radio – Jody to hear how this term came to be. I had been thinking about this for a while because a couple guys I know get really down during February. Also, in boot camp, some poor guy is getting his heart stomped on right now.
However, I was talking over this with my Marine Brother, Wesley Mullings, and he said, “What if Jody is Jodie?” What if Jody is a machine that can prevent fathers from seeing their kids. I thought about it about and said how about we do a series on this? Wes thought it over and here we go.
The one thing we want to make clear is this is not a monthly women bashing session. What we are looking at doing is offering support to Military and Veterans who are going through divorce, or are dealing with the battlefield that is family court. This goes for female service members too. If you are a female service member and are battling through this, we want to hear from you.
So who is Jody? For many guys it is the “other man”. The guy they got dumped for in boot camp. Jody is the guy that your kids call uncle or daddy when you get back from a Westpac Float. Oh yeah, smooth but unseen, he preys on unsuspecting wives and girlfriends while you are getting your ass kicked daily defending your country.
You find out Jody struck and your world comes to screeching halt. There are these feelings of rage, despair and helplessness. If you are a recruit in boot-camp it really sucks, but it happens in the fleet to active duty military all too often to ignore anymore.
Some of you may feel the need to do all kinds of things. Things that may seem like a good idea at the time, but in reality will make the situation worse. Wes said it best, “Keep your cool.” You need to talk to someone and get some help. This Jody Series is designed to give you tools to win at life and in family court.
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by Travis Partington | Feb 19, 2018 | Blog
Chad (L) & Mike (R) getting ready to face off
Saturday was go time for Michael Darrah. The Soldier, Army Ranger, husband and father said he was going to step into a ring having never done it before. He did.
I went to Warwick last night to check out Brawl for it All 5. There is some who would say that the boxing scene is dead. After last night, I think that there are some hard working talented athletes and trainers who made the trip worthwhile. These are dedicated, talented people.
Mike was the last card before the main event. He and Team Darrah came out to the “Lion Sleeps Tonight” with flags waving and the crowd loved it.
Speaking of crowd, all I saw was “Team Darrah” shirts and swag everywhere. A big shout out to Mike Smith, who worked behind the scenes to promote and sell tickets. Also it was cool to hang out with Matt D, who is considering following Michael’s footsteps. Good stuff.
Chad and Mike faced off and people around me were like, “Who is this guy?” I was like, “Mike has never fought before, ever…” People started to look at this fight differently.
I don’t know much about boxing. So I respect the hell out of the dedication and effort it takes to get into the ring much less go the distance. Putting my spin on the fight won’t count for much here. All I will say is after watching multiple boxers go down in the first or second round, it was bad ass to see Mike go all three rounds.
In the end, he lost the match by the scorecard, and like that it was over. I walked up to him and saw that he was literally covered in sweat and blood. Some people say it, some people sing it; however, here was a man who walked his talk. So while he didn’t win the match, I will never say that he was beaten.
You made all of us proud Michael. Glad to have met you and let’s train or go riding soon.
by Travis Partington | Feb 9, 2018 | Podcast
Shout Out
Marantz Microphone
Shout to Erick in Minnesota who let me know how the new microphone setup is working out. It is microphone that is designed for voice over and podcasting. I connect to my Zoom H6, and I am excited that two episodes later I am not having to spend so much time messing around with my level in post.
Eventually, I will have the this connected to the ZOOM H6, and have it hooked directly to the PC. This will reduce the number of steps to take it from the Zoom to the PC for post production. I am glad I went with this setup.
Question of the Week
I was asked, “Did you watch the SuperBowl?” I did not. I wanted to watch the SuperBowl but I couldn’t bring myself to do it after what happened with AMVETS and the NFL rejecting their ad that asked people to #PleaseStand. If I want to watch football I think there are other options for me than the NFL
My Military Story – Part 6
I talked about first phase in boot camp. I remember drill, PT, drill, knowledge, PT, drill, knowledge, more PT and drill all the time. First phase was all about getting used to military life, marching with a rifle and learning the basics.
I remember getting more shots in the first four weeks of boot camp than my entire life to that point. It is no wonder I loathe going to the doctor.
We were taught everything from how to shower and wash our clothes to rank structure and every part of my M16A2. Every minute of our lives was controlled and by 10 PM, we didn’t have any energy to get in trouble. All we wanted to do was sleep. First phase came and went, and one of the memories that came back to me was guys getting sent home for popping on their drug tests. Ouch…….. Talk to you all next week.
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by Travis Partington | Feb 2, 2018 | Podcast
Episode 78 – #PleaseStand with John Hoellwarth
Public Relations Officer for AMVETS
All AMVETS asked was to #PleaseStand
I am going to say it right now. I wanted to watch the Super Bowl. I am not a Patriots or Eagles Fan, but I thought that the NFL realized what a mistake it was getting to this point so I was going to watch if for nothing else than to see what the NFL would do for the Star Spangled Banner. To see if the NFL Players and by extension our country could honor our flag and what it stood for without any disrespect or protest would be a good way to maybe start healing…..
Silly me….
January 23rd, The Washington Post reported that the NFL rejected a submission from AMVETS for their SuperBowl Program.
Washington Post Article – NFL Rejects AMVETS Super Bowl Ad
I couldn’t believe it. This story caught fire see the FoxNews Interview.
I couldn’t believe it. One name in the mix was John Hoellwarth. He is the National Director of Communications for AMVETS. He was the lead for the ad you see on the left.
I wanted to talk with him because he was close to this. Also when we started talking I thought it was cool that he served in the Marine Corps in Yuma, AZ right around the time I did.
Now you will hear about John’s experience in the Marine Corps and how this came together for the NFL ad. Once I really thought about what was done around AMVETS not getting to run their ad in the Super Bowl program, I decided that I would not be watching the SuperBowl. I have most likely watched my last NFL game. There are other options in sports that support our military and respect our flag.
I appreciated John talking with me and I am looking forward to him coming back on Oscar Mike Radio. He is a success story and I hope you enjoyed this podcast. As our time drew to a close I knew I wanted to make a statement.
I stand with AMVETS and our military. #PleaseStand
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