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2003 Region 5 Dan Camp Perspective
By Mr. Willie Dechant, Lexis-Nexus Tang Soo Do

The 2003 Region 5 Dan Camp occurred August 8, 9, 10 in Columbus, Ohio. The Dan Camp was a great experience. Not only did I get to train under the masters from Region 5, but also Masters Manculich and Robinson from Region 8. However, the 2003 Region 5 Dan Camp was special to me for another reason. This was a Dan Camp I had anticipated for some time. I couldn't wait to get to the Ohio State University and begin the weekend. But it wasn't my eagerness to spend the weekend training that made this dan camp special for me; just that I could even be there made it special to me. I had wanted to attend the 2002 Region 5 Dan Camp also, but familial concerns required my attention elsewhere. Last year my father was in the hospital in intensive care for seven weeks, including the week of the dan camp. And during that time, I had to fly home to visit my family because my dad nearly died. My dad is a man with a strong will and he recovered, but it was a long process and during the week of the dan camp he was not totally out of danger. And I knew I would not be able to train properly with my dad in the condition that he was. I won't go into all the details, but suffice it to say it was hard to see a man who took care of his parents, wife, and children for over fifty years suddenly dependent on everyone else. Additionally, my eldest brother was in the hospital twice for pancreatitis and my mom had surgery during those seven weeks. As fate would have it, my dad was in the hospital again this year two weeks before the dan camp.

This trip to the hospital was not related to last year, but my father required surgery and asked for me to be in Kansas City when he had his surgery. So I knew he had to undergo surgery, but when was the unknown factor. The surgery took place two weeks before the dan camp, and my dad was home in time for his sixty-sixth birthday. What made the timing of the surgery so difficult is that my dad was rather frail for several weeks before the surgery, and the medical professionals weren't sure how he would handle the surgery as weak as he was. It was possible his surgery could have been delayed for a few more weeks.

In the end, my father is doing very well and surprising us all with how well he moves around the house. Certainly not as well as he once did, but very well for having suffered several strokes and having Parkinson's Disease. And although the threat of my dad's health problems could have kept me from this year's dan camp as they did last year, they did not. And I was able to attend and concentrate on the training knowing that my dad was doing better and my fiancee' wanted me to attend the dan camp. That's why being able to attend the 2003 Region 5 dan camp was special to me.

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