Competitive Training Center to unite fighters and athletes alike

It’s a cold Monday night, and the front window of the mixed martial arts gym, KO Sport, is fogged over. Inside, a few students finish up their training, stop to catch their breath, and start packing up their gym bags to go. The gym is in a small warehouse off Grey and Rutland in North Austin, with a few punching bags, a mat, and a boxing ring. If you aren’t paying attention, you could miss the tiny sign at the end of the narrow alley where KO’s is hidden.

This is only a temporary location for KO Sport. Owner and instructor Rodney Solis, along with two other partners, is working hard on a new facility that will be one of the premier martial arts and athletic training center in the nation.

Competitive Training Center, geared towards martial arts and all around athletic performance, is slated to open up at the beginning of the new year. “We’re doing two things. We’re taking mixed martial arts, teaching people how to fight, teaching self-defense. The second thing we’re doing is athletic performance, taking athletes and making them faster, stronger, more explosive,” says Solis.

The new gym will feature 20,000 square feet of MMA and athletic equipment, including at least 16 heavy bags, a full size octagon, a boxing ring, and plenty of mat space for grappling. The first floor will also have a sport turf and sprint track for drills. Next to the gym will be a full-size football field for athletes to work on outdoor drills, such as pushing tires for strength and stamina, and for whatever else they may want to do.

Solis and his two partners have invested in specialty cardio equipment, and stresses that each machine is designed specifically to enhance athletic performance.

“Oh, it’s very expensive equipment alright, not what you’d see in a mainstream gym,” he says. “It’s not gonna be a place where you go to lift or have just a bench or a squat rack. Yes, it’ll be there, but we’re going to have specialty equipment that will improve strength, speed, explosiveness.”

As always, safety first. Competitive Training Center will have a physical therapy section with two to three therapists on hand, as well as a chiropractor, massage therapists, and saunas to help athletes recover from injuries.

Upstairs will be a pro-shop where athletes can buy all sorts of equipment, including shin guards, gloves, and fightwear. There, you will also be able to buy products from the gym’s sponsors, whom Solis will be solidifying deals with this month. “We’ve got Under Armour flying out, Cytomax, and we’re talking to Nike. Being the top dog they are, they’re saying, ‘We’ll think about it,’” he says, with a twinkle in his eye.

If you are a little hungry or want to treat yourself to a healthy smoothie after working out, there will be a smoothie and sandwich shop too.

From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, the gym will be bustling with the sounds of training and the rhythmic pop, pop of punches. CTC will offer at least three open gym slots a day, Aerobic kickboxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing classes. In addition to MMA classes, CTC will offer training sessions for all athletes of all ages, including after-school programs for kids, high school athletic programs, and sessions for athletes at the college and professional level.

On Saturdays and Sundays, fighters can go in for open gym and sparring sessions. To help fighters gain experience and build their amateur record before they go pro, Solis will hold amateur fight nights on a regular basis. At the end of every month, CTC will host “Smoker Night,” where guys can bring fighters from different gyms and spar. These events will require fighters to wear headgear and thick MMA gloves and shin guards to keep it under the Boxing Commission. Solis stresses that it’s important to gain a lot of fight experience before you go pro, and there aren’t a lot of opportunities in the MMA world to expand your amateur record.

“The way the state has it right now makes it very easy for anyone to come in and do a professional MMA event, where they’ll try to make money,” he explains. “Most think it’s easy, but it’s very hard to do, and lots of people end up losing a lot of money.”

His goal is to build up fighters that won’t just get by when they go pro, they’ll knock the competition out of the water (or ring, or cage). “There’s not a lot of incentive to do amateur events, and that makes guys want to go straight to the pros and make money doing it. They should structure it more like boxing, where you have good amateur programs. You’ve got Golden Gloves, where you can get experience and go pro. Some guys in MMA go pro too quick, then turn around and say, ‘Alright, I’m going to get the experience that I should have done,’ but then they got to go out there and fight a pro who’s got 130 amateur fights and is gonna kill them.”

As far as instructing and pushing MMA students to their limits, Solis is top-tier material. Originally hailing from Brownsville, Texas, he has owned KO Sport for 12 years, has been boxing for 17 years and has trained in Thai boxing for 14. He pauses and laughs, “Wow, that’s pretty long. I lied on my resume that I sent to Pat Miletich—said I boxed for 14 years because I felt kinda old.” Solis is a certified instructor under the Miletich Fighting System, which incorporates muay thai, boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and trains with Pat Miletich—who has trained Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, and Jens Pulver—in Iowa whenever he can.

In his earlier days of martial arts, Solis learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Royce Gracie, an art in which his father, Helio, had in essence invented. In later years, Solis spent most of his training with Carlos Machado, a cousin of the Gracies.

There will be four other accomplished instructors alongside Solis at Competitive Training Center. So far, Jason Webster and Andrew Goldwaithe will instruct Thai boxing, and Ernesto Perales will teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Keep an eye out for the grand opening of Competitive Training Center, located at 9185 Research Boulevard in Austin, TX, 98758. For information on class schedules or athletic training, call (512) 330-4269 or visit the website at www.ctcaustin.com.

COLLEGE

As I walked to class today, a girl ran out of Fleck Hall in a flurry of tears muttering all sorts of unrecognizable words. She jumped into her red SUV and that's the last I saw of her before she buried her face in tufts of Kleenex.

With finals exams and papers due all this week and next, she must have been prepared for some bad news to have a box of Kleenex in her car. I don't blame her. Just thinking of exams and all the projects and papers due this week makes me want to crawl up in the fetal position and just pray for a catastrophe that would somehow postpone them for another week or so. 

Last night on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert made a joke on seagulls stealing Doritos , saying that all they need is a plasma TV, a couch to chill on, and marijuana to make them college students. 

WTF. College is nothing like the stereotype people make it out to be. Instead of chilling with a bag of Doritos and a Bud Light every night, I am either dragging myself through a cheer practice or game, slaving away on assignments and papers that are usually past due, and working almost 40 hours a week to pay the bills. 

But for the record, I do have a box of Kleenex laying around at the house that I will for sure be putting in my car first thing in the morning.

Qua Spa and Baths

It's been two weeks since I indulged in a spa day at Qua Spa and Baths at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, but the pampering effects have lingered since. It was my first time visiting a spa, so it was quite an experience to spend a day lounging around in a bathrobe and being spoiled.

The spa is frequented by many celebrities who pass through Sin City, such as Eva Longoria and others. 

Qua is located on the "M" floor of Caesar's Palace, across the hall from top-tier restaurant Guy Savoy. The entrance is like walking into the mouth of a softly lit stone cave, with gorgeous foliage and a cascading waterfall along the wall behind the desk. 

It was quiet in the spa area, even though there were plenty of guests relaxing in the mineral Roman Bath and in the whirlpool. There are a number of saunas to choose from after you have had your treatment, such as an herbal sauna, a hot stone room, and Qua's newest addition, the Arctic sauna. There is a vanity room complete with products and appliances guests may use to get ready after their stay, and a shower room full of Qua's herbal hair and body cleansers. The artisans and the employees are wonderful and make you feel right at home.

I had one of their signature 80 minute facials done, complete with a diamond-tip microdermabrasion, arm and leg paraffin wax, and laser anti-aging light treatment. I also had an eye treatment that rejuvenated my tired eyes from staying up all night in the city that never sleeps. It made quiet a difference right away!

I have always had problem combination skin and have used countless medications and creams to remedy it. After my facial, I feel like I have a brand new, softer complexion. The minerals in the Roman Bath soothed my skin and left me feeling silky smooth.

When I return to Vegas, I will for sure dedicate another day to relax at Qua Spa and Baths. 

Check out Qua's website for information on treatments and packages at www.harrahs.com/qua.

Nip/Tuck doesn't make the cut

Five episodes deep into the fifth season of FX's Nip/Tuck, I'm still not as thrilled as I usually am during the first five minutes of its premiers. 

Based on the lives of two hotshot Miami plastic surgeons, who in this season have relocated to LA, the show has the power to make even the most ho-hum suburbanite's Tuesday nights spicier and more scandalous.  

Known as TV's guilty pleasure that delivers "Sex, seduction, and liposuction," the show has had a long run of exciting, nail-biting, hair-curling events that have kept me on the edge of my seat for the last four seasons. From the surprise paternity mixup between Sean and Christian, the slasher who preyed on beautiful people in Season 3, Matt's all-around disfunction and Kimber's domino relationships with Christian, Sean, and current marriage to their son, who can pry their eyes away from the screen? 

The drama is addicting because the events are so out-of-this-world and unrealistic. The glitz of their nightlife and beautiful staff make the plastic surgery scene intriguing and desirable. Yet, through the glam, the wild love pentagons, and devious situations, I feel the characters' real human hearts and identify with their struggles-- even though the storylines are outrageous and I have never stepped foot in a plastic surgeon's office.

This season's events are hardly as traumatic as the past ones. Matt and Kimber are iceheads, Julia is now a lesbian, Sean gets engaged to his show's costar, and Christian is still after Julia. Then Sean breaks his engagement because he can't stop thinking of how she pooped in the hot tub, and then Sean admits he's still after Julia too. I have to admit though, this season is hilarious.

So is my disappointment in this season's progress premature, and something is going to happen to knock my socks off? Or are they running out of ideas and resorting to more humor and predictable stories because of it? 

My DVR is now programmed accordingly because I have lost the will to park myself in front of the TV for an hour on Tuesday nights, even to watch my favorite show.

Unexpected holiday cheer

It all started about ten years ago when my father put up simple icicle lights around the house and cute little candy canes out in the yard. Since then, he’s upgraded to waving blow-up snowmen, a softly lit Nativity scene, chasing icicle lights and has adorned the tree with glowing ornaments. Last year, he even found a hilarious set featuring a cowboy on a horse who is trying to rope a Christmas tree.

When I rounded the corner of my parents’ street to have Thanksgiving dinner with them, I almost expected my father to be climbing ladders and hanging odds and ends on our house and finishing up the final touches to our yearly Christmas carnival.

Instead, the Master of Lights had a special holiday surprise for me. He had gotten a tiny tree, complete with ornaments and lights, for me to take home to my equally tiny apartment in South Austin. Through all the years I have been away, I had never thought to decorate my apartment. Now with my little tree, my home feels so much more festive and I can’t wait for Christmas to come.

"Girls and Boys"

Staten Island native Ingrid Michaelson’s album “Girls and Boys” has received a lot of attention, as the songstress’s tracks have been featured in Grey’s Anatomy, The Bad Girls Club and an Old Navy commercial.

From its energetic opener “Die Alone” to the stunning “Breakable,” the album does not disappoint. Ingrid’s pure voice and talent of creating memorable melodies, paired with her clever writing and heart-piercing insight, makes “Girls and Boys” an album for those of all ages and walks of life.

A strong start, guitar-driven “Die Alone” displays Ingrid’s wide vocal range—from her low, breathy words “Don’t be a fool girl, tell him you love him/ Don’t be a fool girl, you’re not above him,” to a birdlike transition into the epiphany, “Now I know I can’t love anyone but you/ You make me think that I won’t die alone.” The track exudes a bad-girl vibe, with empowering guitar chords and her low, mellow voice as she shortly quips the words of the first verse. This song was even featured in an episode of Oxygen’s “The Bad Girls Club.”

“Keep Breathing” is a haunting reminder of the days where we feel swallowed by the world. With words and a melody that strike the heart, Ingrid shows the time, effort, and emotion a relationship takes out of a person in “I want to believe in something more than you and me,” and “All we can do is keep breathing.” Piano instrumentals and her quiet, yet clear, voice reflects how tiresome it is to wish for change. It builds up with a drum cadence as her voice gains more energy, and for a moment, we see hope in a bad situation.

“Overboard” starts with power and is upbeat with Keane-esque guitars. Ingrid reaches her listeners with a story of growing up, becoming fiercely independent, falling in love, and trusting someone enough to give them a piece of her heart.

Perhaps the most recognized, “The Way I Am” is an addicting, sweet song that displays the evolution of young love all the way to deep love at an old age. Although funny, Ingrid’s voice is so honest and sincere as she promises, “I’ll buy you Rogaine if you start losing all your hair/ Sew on patches to all you tear.” The chorus, “Cuz I love the way you say good morning/ And you take me the way I am,” is sung with such simplicity and minimum instrumentals that it’s hard to not get teary eyed.

In “Breakable,” Ingrid links the vulnerability of the human heart both emotionally and physically, saying that it is only a cage of rib bones that acts as a shield, and how fragile and easy they are to crack. The piano creates a rhythm is waltz-able. The lyrics have a violent quality to them, while her voice is both powerful and innocent as she reminds us that we are all “Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.”

Overall, Ingrid’s ethereal voice and subjects of love, growing up, vulnerability, betrayal, and independence make this a superb album. Her music gives off a lot of personality, and she succeeds in relating to virtually every audience. “Girls and Boys” is a definitely an album you won’t soon forget.
Visit her website at www.ingridmichaelson.com

P.S.- She plays tonight at The Parish with Matt Nathanson at 8:00!

La Terraza Grill and Bar

If you're looking around for a delicious Tex Mex meal in a nice and comfy setting, head on over to La Terraza Grill and Bar. It's hard to miss at its convenient location at the corner of I-35 and Oltorf-- right next to La Quinta Inn.

My boyfriend and I love Tex Mex food and were in the mood to try a new restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess who seated us and got our drinks right away. While we waited for our waitress I looked around and was surprised at how elegant, refined, and stately the decor was. Part of the restaurant had polished hardwood floors, rich mahogany tables and chairs, and a gold and maroon-toned fireplace. The other part of the restaurant had a beige stone floor and was decorated with rich shades of maroon, goldenrod, and navy blue, with rustic accents and antique mirrors on the walls.

When our waitress came, I ordered the Enchiladas de Espinaca, and Steve requested the Crispy Taco Dinner. The description of my plate sounded so delicious, and I couldn't wait for it to arrive. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long at all. Our food was delivered steaming hot in less than fifteen minutes, and we dug in right away.

The Enchiladas de Espinaca was spectacular. I had three enchiladas stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. They were topped with a creamy, bubbling sour cream and cheese sauce, with rice and beans on the side. It even looked gorgeous-- if the spinach from my childhood was as green and savory as it was in my dish, maybe I would have eaten it more! Everything, from the precision cut tomatoes and onions, to the flavorful rice, and even to the way the cheese sauce was spread across the enchiladas, was nicely presented on the plate. Tex Mex doesn't have to always be messy!

Steve's taco plate sounded like every other Tex Mex staple: three crispy tacos (ground beef and/or chicken) topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese, with rice and beans on the side. But when it arrived, the tacos were heaping with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes, and like my plate, managed to look neat and pretty without sacrificing meat and flavor.

In addition to its delicious food, La Terraza serves a variety of beer, wine, and liquor at special prices during Happy Hour from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Margaritas and Swirls are only $3.95, domestic beers are $2.00, and imports are $2.50. They even throw in complimentary bean and cheese nachos and quesadillas on Wednesdays and Fridays. Not bad!

Next time I visit Austin's best kept little Tex Mex secret, I will probably order the Grilled Tilapia with bell peppers and onions, or maybe even the El Patron-- an 8 ounce rib-eye steak with four shrimp diablos and chile con carne. Make and effort to visit La Terraza, and you'll be rewarded with friendly service, elegant surroundings, affordable prices, and most of all, delightful and satisfying food.