Background: I was considering how to spruce up my intended description for the thumbnailed picture when I thought of formatting the information as an interview. Soon, it was long enough to merit its own submission. Casey Sohappy - who's APPEARED in OTHER STORIES - elaborates on his life on the eve of a martial arts tournament.

Download the original file to read the story with its intended formatting.

 Readasaurous co-wrote this. Specifically, he wrote for the voice of the interviewer.
 Christaphorac owns Casey and most of the characters mentioned herein. He also created the thumbnail art.

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Iron Sharpens Iron: Interview with Martial Arts Coach on the Eve of State Championships
by R. A. Saurous, The Gallup Interdependent

Casey Sohappy (30) came to Gallup over a decade ago with a troubled past and a desire to start a new life. Like countless individuals before, martial arts provided him the necessary focus and discipline to become the person he aspired to be. Now, he’s a certified instructor and coach of his own competitive team, set to appear tomorrow at the New Mexico Indoor Martial Arts Games. We caught up with the adoptive father of three at the Academia de Ju-Jitsu to discuss his life, family, and prospects for the upcoming event.

GALLUP INTERDEPENDENT: Good afternoon, Mr. Dakota- I mean, Mr. Sohappy! Thanks for joining us today!

CASEY SOHAPPY: Hey, thanks for having me. What’s with this Dakota business?

GI: Don’t worry about it! Let's start off with the basics: tell us about yourself and your team?

CS: Hmm... Well, I've practiced martial arts for 20 years, and this is my first time coaching. I started teaching a year ago, when I got my three boys. Two of them are members of my little team. The big, goofy blue belt is Jeremy and the little assassin with the orange is Simon, my youngest. They've trained harder than I can ever remember doing, and I think everyone’s gonna be impressed by what they’ve got. Oh, and the handsome adult jackal with the black belt and the foolish smile is Zach Ortega. He's only here because we need at least three to a team, and he may have won a couple championships before now. Don't pay him any heed or it’ll go to his fuzzy head.

GI: Your own sons are on the team? No kidding? I can see why you look so proud!

CS: I don’t have those “My Kid Can Make You Tap” bumper stickers ‘cause I’m ashamed, that’s for sure.

GI: As I understand, you’ve come quite far to make it where you are now. May I ask what role the martial arts have played in bringing you to today?

CS: I started studying when I was 10, and that was about the right time to begin. My dad’s a jerk who wasn’t around much and my mom was always working on account of it, so my early instructors provided both inspiration and supervision when I didn’t have a lot of either – Master Greene especially. At 15, I had a huge blowout with my father during which we might’ve broken some furniture, and I left home. I was never really on the street because I had friends and was good at making new ones, but I ended up moving further and further away from Spokane – that’s where I grew up. I also had some pretty mighty anxiety problems, and I started using drugs to keep functioning. It wasn’t a good place to be, but it would’ve been worse without martial arts. One of the things I carried with me was my certificate from Greene’s Karate, and whenever I found a school or a meet-up that looked decent, I’d convince the instructor to let me practice with the advanced class. I got to do it for free at community centers or someplace like that, but when I ended up at an actual dojo, I’d pay for my instruction by cleaning the place up afterwards. Doing martial arts reminded me that I still had some control over my life, and that helped keep me focused. I didn’t know where I was headed back then, but when life didn’t make me feel as good about myself as jujutsu did, I knew I could do better.

GI: Goodness, that’s quite a story! I’m impressed!

CS: Yeah, they should make a movie of me. But seriously – most credit goes to Orson Goodnight, my boyfriend. He was in a sitch, himself, and somehow we managed to improve ourselves for each other. When our boys came along, that was something of a promise to myself to stay good. I’d hit rock bottom before them and probably wouldn’t even at at the Sensei Rodriguez’s Academie, now. Every good thing I’m doing is their fault.

GI: Moving on to the event… Can you tell us about what kind of styles we can look forward to from your team?

CS: Sure. We're representing the Academie and Sensei's kumo-ryu jujutsu, which is a hybrid style of striking, throwing, and grappling. You could see just about everything there is from my guys, because free sparring is where we're at. Zach’s also got a taekwondo background, and he's going to show that off in forms competition like the narcissist he can be.

GI: Excellent! It's always nice to see some variety. Tell me, how many students are you currently teaching?

CS: Altogether? Well, my boys are my private students, but between them and the classes at the Academie, probably...just under 30? I think that’s pretty good. Sensei's done about 200 at a time during seminars, but then again, her voice carries further than mine.

GI: Not bad! Nice size group, still small enough to give everyone personal attention. I hear that you are the type of teacher that helps the students cultivate a style suited to them personally? That was something I really appreciated when I was practicing.

CS: I know from experience that it's important to play to your strengths, and jujutsu's breadth of application makes that easy. It’s one of the most versatile arts ever, given all the different schools from over the centuries. You can be a striker and excel in jujutsu just as much as if you’re a grappler or really good at throwing. Kumo-ryu focuses on ne-waza [A/N: ground techniques] largely because that’s where a person of sensei’s size is best suited to kill a guy, but more so than any other art I’ve seen, jujutsu lets you build a foundation in all areas while still excelling in the ones you’re strongest at. I really like helping students realize that and find out where their strengths are.

GI: Tell me, I've been itching to ask for days now… Team Can't Dance? Where did that name come from?

CS: Oh, the name of my squad? That would be Simon's brainchild. It’s because I'm the coach and I'm a cat. Get it? That was a joke that never got old to some people in my home, including my boyfriend. Shaking that name was tougher than escaping a rear choke, and I just tapped out on that. We're Team Can't Dance, now, and I'm looking forward to the first person who underestimates us because of it.

GI: I figure you're safe so long as no one challenges you to get your groove on.

CS: Hey, I can dance. It’s not my fault the boys pretend we still have different last names when I do.

GI: Speaking of other teams, is there anyone you're looking forward to seeing your boys go up against? I hear Team Blue Stars are the ones to beat this year.

CS: We're hoping to see people from all over the state, but obviously Blue Stars is high on the radar. I don't want to say too much about the feud between Sensei Rodriguez and Sensei Rodriguez II, but it kind of feels like we're two warring houses of kung fu. All the MMA fans out there can probably look forward to some jujutsu versus judo action.

GI: Ah, that's the kind of narrative we can really sink our teeth into! It's silly, of course, but adding some story to the action always makes it feel more meaningful. Or maybe I just watch too many kung fu flicks and project this kind of drama in the background of any martial arts tournament.

CS: No, you’re right. All of these things are soap operas. Before now, I always played the arch nemesis. Hashtag ihatecaseysohappy for life!

GI: Would you like to give a shout-out to your partner and your third son?

CS: To Watson, my baby, my amazing boy... We couldn't have gotten this far without your support and encouragement. You're a major inspiration to me and your brothers. You're becoming a greater man than I could've anticipated, and I'm still so glad I get to be your dad. You're the best.
To Oso, my one-and-only, my dearest, the man of my dreams... You just couldn't support me on the Team Can't Dance thing, could you? I hope you're happy.

The New Mexico Indoor Martial Arts Games will take place tomorrow at the LPM Recreational Center. Doors open at 8:30 AM, events commencing at 9:00 and lasting until 6:30 PM. For more information, see the LPM website.

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UPDATE: Team Can’t Dance placed 2nd in the 12-14 Individual Free Sparring competition and 1st in 18-30 Individual Forms.