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SUCCESS STORIES These are direct from the instructor’s mail list. Spelling and grammar are uncorrected. Specific physical techniques hidden by zzzz as explained in final story.
Greetings all from the wonderful midwest!! I just wanted to let you know that we just held a class and had a student return and practice with us. During one of our discussions, she told the class that “once you learn the techniques, you don’t forget them.” She said that she had taken one of our classes about a year ago but due to having donated blood, did not participate in the simulation. She also said that she had not practiced the techniques or even touched her book and just days before the class began, she and her boyfriend got into an arguement. She said it got heated and he put her up against the wall. She would not go into details (and we didn’t ask) but she said the techniques just came back to her and he ran out of her room crying! While the interest level was high for the class, you should have seen it increase after the story! We ended up having a great class and were pretty sore after the simulation! I just wanted to pass this along in case any of the rest of you needed a little reminder as to why we do this! Keep up the good work and be safe. Nate Garlick Western IL University
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Dear R.A.D. family... I had to share this one with you...I just found out about it. Normally, my first class is the “academic” (lecture) part of the class. It has been my practice since receiving my certification to spend the first night in the book (as discussed in a previous email today). Because of the inavailability of the facility on the second night, I had to change the order of things (for the first time), meaning that I had to start with the paperwork, then a wellness check, stretching, another wellness check, and immediately into stances, blocks, parries, and hand strikes. Before the phone call from my student, I did not really think that changing the order of things would make a difference. She called today at 2:30 to tell me that why she had missed the second night which was the academic night). She had gone to take her children to her ex-husband’s house...she is recently divorced after years of physical abuse. As she was getting out of the car, he attacked her, pulling her hair. She struck him in the face with her fist and bloodied his nose; she also scratched one side of his face and neck, drawing blood each time. He grabbed her in a headlock, and then she grabbed his “privates” and in her words, “held on like the proverbial snapping turtle.” She said that when she did that, he panciked and began screaming. It was the FIRST time she had ever fought back! He finally was able to throw her onto the ground, whereby he ran into the house and called the local police, wanting HER arrested for assault, and claiming his nose and face as evidence. They arrived and explained that having seen nothing, if they arrested her, they would ALSO arrest HIM. As you can imagine, he backed off like the true coward he is. One of the officers privately congratulated her for a job well done. It didn’t help him any any that he has numerous arrests for domestic violence and even one for assault on a police officer. I am so proud of this woman, and so thankful for the inavailability of the facility on that night. Kinda funny how those things happen, I guess...they say there’a a reason for everything. Ya’ll be safe...keep teaching from the heart!
Jonathan Hutson Tarleton State University Police Department Stephenville, Texas
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In Utah during the first few weeks in July of this year, in the city of Springville where radKIDS is not being taught. A man was talking to some 5th graders and he had duct tape in his hand. Luckily a neighbor saw this happening and called the police. The man left, not knowing that the police had been called on him. He returned a short time later and went into the back yard where he knew the children had gone. He now had a Slurpee drink in his hand and using it, tricked the children into going with him towards his van. The police arrived just in the nick of time. They found a hatchet, rope, condoms, video equipment and duct tape in the van. Well, the story doesn’t end here. This man was charged with a whole list of charges and the bail was set at $25,000 cash which, of course, was paid and he was released from jail. On the 15 of this month (11/15/04) Mr. Steve came to Utah to train a double class. 28 instructors in the first class and then started the other class on the 18th. This class he only had 23 students. For a total of 51 new instructors. While Alyson and I were sitting in class helping Mr. Steve train the new instructors, I received a phone call from a friend and co-worked of mine from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. He congratulated me. I was very confused. I knew of nothing that I had done lately to be congratulated for. He proceeded to tell me that radKIDS had saved a kid and the bad guy is in our Jail. Well the story went like this.... Back in May of 2004. Alyson and Tanya Workman was teaching radKIDS to the students in the 3rd grade at Timpanogos Elementary school in Provo. They had a young 9 year old girl named Candy in the class. She didn’t seem to be enjoying the class much. She improved as classes went on and at simulation we found out from her mother that Candy spoke of nothing but radKIDS when she would return home from school. You never know who is getting what out of your classes sometimes. Candy did a great job during simulation and beat Officer Roland up pretty good that night. On November 15th of 2004 Candy and her family had moved to a new area in Provo and was being bussed to a school that didn’t have radKIDS in it. (One of the few in Provo) Candy was walking from the bus to her house when she heard someone come up behind her. A man wrapped her up covering her mouth and telling her that he would kill her. He further tricked her by telling her he had a knife in his pocket. Candy being a radKID was not fooled at all. She went into action pulling on the mans hand so she could yell loud. All the while she was doing this she was preforming a zzzz and zzzz. When she got her one hand completely free she threw a zzzz and got her mouth uncovered. In doing this she began to yell that she needed help and that this was not her parent. Close to “Not my Dad.” Same message!!! She reported that she hit the man right under the chin. When she did this she said that he hit her. When she was asked what she did then, she proudly replied, “I slapped him back!” The man threw her to the ground. As soon as she was let go she sprinted away from him, running home to tell. The man ran away as well. Candy was not scared. She was so proud that she was able to do what she did, that she told the detective she used the stuff she learned from her radKIDS class to get away. Well, as you probably guessed. This was the same man who tried to take the 5th grade kids in July. Candy was able to strongly able to identify this man in a photo line up as her attacker. The man was booked into our jail on 11/17/04. Cool eh? Candy wanted to share what happened to her with others so she could help them. Mr Steve and Alyson were able to go to her house and let her know how proud we all are of her. They had the chance to hear the power of empowerment from her mouth. She knows that we all, all over this country, are proud of her. What a great Kid! Keep up the great work it is truly worth it.
Dean and Aly Larsen in Utah
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Tracy's Story Last spring, one of our students, Tracy Buettner, signed up for our academic RAD class offered through the Kinesiology Department. Like all of our other students, she was not sure what she was in for and had the same excited expectations of the program all experience when they begin the program. Last week, I received a call from our track coach here at Rice who had conference called Tracy to tell me her story. Tracy, at first, was unsure if I remembered her from the class a year prior. I told her it was hard to forget a track athlete who knew how to use muscular strength in legs for fighting as well as running. She began her story with the statement, "I am convinced RAD saved my life last summer." In August, 2000, she had arrived at work in an area mall and was retrieving items out of her trunk for her store. She told me, "I never heard him walk up". The only thing she felt was the grab and a hand over her eyes with the command, "get into the car!" Tracy told me that she did not even hesitate in her actions but the instantaneous thought was what she had been told in RAD class by all of our instructors. If an abduction is attempted, whatever is going to happen should happen "right here". Tracy immediately reacted with a zzzz which caught the assailant along the right jaw line. She then turned, grabbed both of his shoulders, leaned into him and did "five or six zzzz until he went to the ground". She then ran into the mall, contacted a security officer who notified the Houston Police Department. By the time the officers arrived, the suspect had recovered and left the scene. I asked Tracy if she had taken any time to close her car doors or pick up her purse. She told me that the only thing she wanted to do was run to a safe place and get help, which again is reinforced continually in our classes. She does remember turning around and looking back when she reached the store and she noticed the assailant was still on the ground. She did tell me that prior to the RAD training, she does not know if she would have had the confidence to even touch the assailant to defend herself much less hold on to him while she was delivering the zzzz. We discuss the "adrenaline dump" people will experience under stress and the need to do a wellness check when they can. She told me that, apparently, the struggle was more intense than she thought because the scratches she received during the altercation took a long time to completely heal. I asked Tracy if I could tell her story to others and she emphatically told me to do so. All of our instructors have a parting statement we make at the conclusion of our classes. "We hope this has been a total waste of your time". All of the students we have taught fully understand the meaning behind this sentence. Tracy is a true survivor and she directly credits RAD for her being alive today. She continually thanked me, and all of our instructors, for teaching her this valuable training but I had to thank her for sharing her story and for reinforcing the focus as to why we are in this business. On a side note, Tracy's track coach begins our evening class this Monday.
Jim Baylor RAD Training Coordinator
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This is an e-mail that I just received from a student. I was happy to see a case in which the lecture part really got through. I thought I'd share it with all of you. I have replaced names with "XXX". Subj: Used RAD lecture yesterday Date: 12/12/02 12:06:55 PM Eastern Standard Time Hi Cathi I got asked out yesterday, by XXX, the new tenant in the building. He is the one you asked about what was my gut instinct vs my heart. I told you I just wasn't sure. I like to be optimistic towards people and be nice to them until they prove me wrong, but he crossed the line. He got me in his apartment, I thought he was just showing off the place, you know, new residence, eager to meet the other folks in the building. But then he shuts the door behind me and started asking me out and who my boyfriend was, and really he was shifty eyed and his conversation was shifty. I told him I wasn't looking for a boyfriend and bolted out of there. As I left I was thinking I was a lousy RAD student and admonished myself, until I called my friend XXX. She said, that no, my number one goal was to escape and not to start a fight or stick around for a fight and I did all three of those. So she saw the good in it! Just figure you can't hear enough times when RAD works in real life experiences! Love XXX
Catherine E. Flint Certified RAD/radKIDS Instructor S.A.F.E. and Keychain Defense Instructor (937) 256-3781
AND A WORD OF WARNING Dear friends... Two nights ago, my final Basic R.A.D. class of the semester ended with a great simulation night. My students were empowered, I was battered and brusied, and everyone was happy...:) I just got a telephone call from the father of one of my students that I feel compelled to share. This ma called me and after identifying himself as the father of one of my students (he named her name), he asked, “Just what is it that you teach these girls?” I told him that I could not reveal that information. He then said, “Well, I asked my daughter and that’s what she told me.” I then explained the reasons behind why the program teaches women only, and why, even though he is her father, it is important that (a) she not disclose any techniques, and (b) that he not attempt to initiate any type of demonstration of the techniques on her part. His response was very quiet and to the point...”Yeah...I NOW know that is not a good idea.” His comment piqued my curiosity. “What did you do?” I asked. ”Well,” he began, “I asked her to demonstrate what she would do if I grabbed her around the waist from behind. She told me, ‘no.’” ”What happened next?” ”Well, this is my daughter...and I had wrestled with her all her life...so I grabbed her around the waist from behind.” ”And what did she do?” ”Well......long pause........I am not sure. After I came to, I asked her and she still wouldn’t tell me...but I think it had to do with an elbow.” I am still laughing... Ya’ll have a great day!
Jonathan Hutson, B.S., M.S., WD-40 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX |