EPIC SUMMER

GATHERING

2011
EPIC SUMMER
GATHERING

2011
Jefferson Lewis III Host & Executive Producer
Tuan Duong Co-founder of EPIC

Date 6.10.11 - 6.12.11

Time 7:00pm Friday - 4pm Sunday
Theme Responsible Encouragement
Location Fearless Gymnastics
inside...
Gathering Color: Orange 1
Gathering Schedule 2
EPIC Defined 3
EPIC World Wide’s History 4
What is Tricking 5
Tricking History 6
DC Metro Rail 11
History 13
Georgetown, DC 16
The Washington Monument 17
National Museum of Natural History | History 19
Features 20
Other Exhibits 23
National Air and Space Museum 24
History 26
Controversies 28
Tricking Articles 29
Dreams 30
Post EPIC Summer Gathering 2009 Thoughts 31
Why I am not a Tricker? 32
What Tricking Is To Me 34
The Rookie Chronicles 36
Creative Arts Center 38
Food Near the Gym 39
Websites 42
Credits 43
EPIC Gathering Survey 44
 EPIC | Gathering Color: Orange

Gathering Color | Orange

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of

yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics.
Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness,
creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement,
and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the

sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as
red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces
an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is
highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color,
orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite.
Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is
symbolic of strength and endurance.

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 EPIC | Gathering Schedule

Gathering Schedule

Friday | 7:00pm - overnight

Open Gym
Elimination Battles
Video Unveilings
EPIC Dodge Ball
EPIC Video Shoot

Saturday | 9:00am - 3:30pm (option 1)

Air and Space Museum
Monument – Gathering Pictures
National Museum of Natural History
11:00am - 3:30pm (option 2)
George Town Mall
Food Court
Waterfront Park – Gathering Pictures

5:00pm - overnight
Open Gym
Night Time Show
Full Gathering Picture
Video Games – Movies – Food
More Open Gym

Sunday | 10:00am – 6:00pm

Good Byes
Open Mic

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 EPIC | EPIC Defined

epic. [ep-ik]
adj: very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary.

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 EPIC | EPIC Worldwide Apparel

Who We Are.
Epic Worldwide Apparel is an urban apparel company with
roots in an underground sport known as tricking, a form of self-
expression through a fusion of martial arts and acrobatics.

Started in Summer of 2008, Epic Worldwide Apparel strives to

establish itself as a clothing brand in the tricking community
with aims to positively contribute to a small, yet rapidly growing
demographic worldwide. The company has visions to outreach
to the global community and show support for a cultural free-
form artistic movement through efforts of brand and service.

What We Stand For.

What do you feel before you do something you’ve never done
before? What do you feel when you’re upside down? What do
you feel when your world is spinning from what you love to do
most? It’s the rush of tricking.

We stand for the heart and soul of tricking. We stand for the first
tricks we ever throw, to the greatest combos we will ever throw.
we stand for the crowd pleasing “oh’s” to the ground pounding
“ouches”. We stand for the excitement of gatherings that
strengthen our friendships. That first step onto plyo, and that last
step off the grass as the sun goes down. We stand for those who
love this sport as much as we do, if not more. We love tricking.

Tuan Duong
We are EPIC Worldwide Apparel.

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 EPIC | What is Tricking?

Tricking (martial arts tricking) is the informal name of a

relatively new underground alternative sport movement,
combining martial arts, gymnastics, and other activities to
create an “aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists.” Tricking
incorporates a variety of moves from different arts such as flips
from gymnastics, 540 kick from Taekwondo, butterfly twist from
Wushu and double leg from Capoeira. Tricking is recognizable
by its flashy kicks, complex flips and twists, and its highly stylized
movements which separate it from other arts. An individual
who practices tricking is typically referred to as a “trickster”
or “tricker”.
Wikipedia.com

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 EPIC | Tricking History

Tricking has only recently come into its own as a recognized

activity. Although the various skills practiced in Tricking have
existed much longer, a variety of theories have been put forth
as to where the term originated.

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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 EPIC | Tricking History

Tricking came about when people began to use Martial Arts

as a way for entertainment and performance in America.
Members of the original Ernie Reyes West Coast Demo Team
pioneered this movement when they began to incorporate
music into their creative forms, branching away from traditional
martial arts. As more Martial Arts practitioners were gearing
more towards entertainment, performance, and creativity,
advanced body movements such as the 540 began to emerge.
Although Steven Ho may have been the first person to perform
the 540 in NASKA, Ernie Reyes Jr. and others were doing it many
years before.

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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 EPIC | Tricking History

As the techniques being executed at competitions became

more advanced, a newer generation of martial artists emerged,
one-upping each other with newer, flashier, and more complex
movements. NASKA now holds Creative Open divisions and
Xtreme Open. Creative Open is where a competitor throws
no inverted techniques and no spinning kicks with a rotation
higher than 360 degrees, while the Xtreme division is open to
almost any technique a competitor wants to do.

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Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov
 EPIC | Tricking History

With the Internet revolution at the beginning of the 21st century,

Tricking began reaching a wider audience. Jubei’s MA Zone,
the Yellwboy website (which are no longer online) as well as
Bilang.com allowed this new trend of martial arts competitors
and trickers to come together for a free exchange of ideas.
Towards the end of 2003, the online tricking community was
well-developed, bringing trickers from across the globe
together. With the rise of YouTube, trickers were able to share
their videos with others and the world of tricking experienced
a massive rise in popularity and interest.

Also Youtube has shown young trickers new tricks and broken
the tricks down for them. Since the beginning of 2008, tricking
has been receiving much wider publicity and popularity among
non-tricking circles due to efforts of popular tricking teams like
Loopkicks, Team FS, and New Age Ninjas [NAN].

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 EPIC | DC Metro Rail

Metrorail, commonly called Metro, is the rapid transit system

in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs.
It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority (WMATA), which also operates Metrobus service
under the Metro name. In Maryland, Metro provides service to
Montgomery County and Prince George’s County; in Virginia,
to Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria.
Since opening in 1976, the network has grown to include five
lines, 86 stations, and 106.3 miles (171.1 km) of track.

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 EPIC | DC Metro Rail

Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United

States in number of passenger trips, after the New York City
Subway. There were 215.3 million trips, or 727,684 trips per
weekday, on Metrorail in fiscal year 2008. In June 2008, Metro
set a new monthly ridership record with 19,729,641 trips, or
798,456 per weekday. Fares vary based on the distance traveled
and the time of day. Riders enter and exit the system using a
stored-value card in the form of a paper magnetic stripe fare-
card or a proximity card known as SmarTrip.

Metro stations were designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese,

and are examples of late-20th century modern architecture.
With their heavy use of exposed concrete and repetitive design
motifs, Metro stations also display aspects of brutalist design.
In 2007, the design of the Metro’s vaulted-ceiling stations was
voted number 106 on the American Institute of Architects’ list of
“America’s Favorite Architecture”.

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 EPIC | DC Metro Rail | History

During the 1960s, there were plans for a massive freeway system
in Washington, but opposition to this freeway system grew.
Harland Bartholomew, who chaired the National Capital Planning
Commission, thought that a rail transit system would never be
self-sufficient because of low-density land uses and general
transit ridership decline. Finally, a mixed concept of a Capital
Beltway system along with rail line radials was agreed upon.
The Beltway received full funding; funding for the ambitious
Inner Loop Freeway system was partially reallocated toward
construction of the Metro system. A cement-lined ceiling arches
over an underground station. Two lines cross at right angles on
separate levels.

In 1960, the federal government created the National Capital

Transportation Agency to develop a rapid rail system. In 1966,
the federal government, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and
Maryland, passed a bill creating WMATA with planning power
for the system being transferred to it from the NCTA. Passengers
sit in fixed two-seat units. There are metal poles and bars for
standees to hold.

WMATA approved plans for a 98-mile (158 km) regional system

in 1968, and construction began in 1969, with groundbreaking
on December 9. The system opened March 27, 1976, with 4.6
miles (7 kilometers) available on the Red Line with five stations
from Rhode Island Avenue to Farragut North, all in the District of
Columbia. Arlington County, Virginia was linked to the system
on July 1, 1976; Montgomery County, Maryland on February
6, 1978; Prince George’s County, Maryland on November 20,

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 EPIC | DC Metro Rail | History

1978; and Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia on

December 17, 1983.

The 103-mile (166 km), 83-station system was completed with

the opening of the Green Line segment to Branch Avenue on
January 13, 2001. This did not mean the end of the growth of the
system: a 3.22-mile (5.18 km) extension of the Blue Line to Largo
Town Center and Morgan Boulevard opened on December 18,
2004.The first in-fill station, NewYork Ave–Florida Ave–Gallaudet
U on the Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island
Ave-Brentwood, opened November 20, 2004, and planning is
underway for an extension to Dulles Airport.

Metro construction required billions of federal dollars,

originally provided by Congress under the authority of the
National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-
143). The cost was paid with 90% federal money and 10% local
money. This act was amended on January 3, 1980 by Public Law
96-184, “The National Capital Transportation Amendment of
1979” (also known as the Stark-Harris Act), which authorized
additional funding of $1.7 billion to permit the completion
of 89.5 miles (144.0 km) of the system as provided under the
terms of a full funding grant agreement executed with WMATA
in July 1986, which required 25% to be paid from local funds. On
November 15, 1990, Public Law 101-551, “The National Capital
Transportation Amendments of 1990”, authorized an additional
$1.3 billion in federal funds for construction of the remaining
13.5 miles (21.7 km) of the 103-mile (166 km) system, completed

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 EPIC | DC Metro Rail | History

via the execution of full funding grant agreements, with a 63%

federal/37% local matching.

The highest ridership for a single day was on the day of the
inauguration of Barack Obama, January 20, 2009, with 1,120,000
riders. It broke the previous record, set the day before, of 866,681
trips. June 2008 set several ridership records: it set the single-
month ridership record of 19,729,641 total riders, the record for
highest average weekday ridership with 772,826 weekday trips,
had five of the ten highest ridership days, and had 12 weekdays
in which ridership exceed 800,000 trips.

In February 2006, Metro officials chose Randi Miller, a car

dealership employee from Woodbridge, Virginia, to record new
“doors opening”, “doors closing”, and “please stand clear of
the doors, thank you” announcements after winning an open
contest to replace the messages recorded by Sandy Carroll in
1996. The “Doors Closing” contest attracted 1,259 contestants
from across the country.

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 EPIC | Georgetown, DC

Georgetown is a neighborhood located in the Northwest

quadrant ofWashington,D.C.,along the Potomac River waterfront.
Founded in 1751, the city of Georgetown substantially predated
the establishment of the city of Washington and the District of
Columbia. Georgetown retained its separate municipal status
until 1871, when it was assimilated into the city of Washington.
Today, the primary commercial corridors of Georgetown are M
Street and Wisconsin Avenue, which contain high-end shops,
bars, and restaurants. Georgetown is home to the main campus
of Georgetown University.

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 EPIC | The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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 EPIC | The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of

the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the
first U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument,
made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the world’s tallest
stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet
5” inches (169.294 m). There are taller monumental columns, but
they are neither all stone nor true obelisks. It is also the tallest
structure in Washington D.C.. It was designed by Robert Mills, an
architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument
began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years
after the architect’s death. This hiatus in construction happened
because of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds,
and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in
shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m or
27%) up, shows where construction was halted for a number of
years. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone
was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was
dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9,
1888. Upon completion, it became the world’s tallest structure, a
title previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument
held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was
completed in Paris, France. The monument stands due east of
the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial

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 EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | History

The National Museum of Natural History

The museum, then known as the United States National Museum,
opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910 in order to
provide the growing Smithsonian Institution with more space
for collections and research. The building, which was not fully
completed until 1911, was designed by Hornblower & Marshall.
The building,designed in the neoclassical architectural style,was
the first constructed on the north side of the National Mall, along
Constitution Avenue, as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission
plan. In 2000, Kenneth E. Behring donated $80 million to the
museum and in 1997 donated $20 million to modernize it.

In addition to exhibits, the museum maintains vast reference

collections and research facilities. See the online collections at
collections.nmnh.si.edu

In 2005, The “Butterfly of Peace” gem was first displayed in the

U.S. In 2008, an exhibit opened with 5,000 square feet (460 m2)
dedicated to soil and its life-sustaining properties.

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

 EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Features

Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most
significant collections of its kind in the world. The collection
includes some of the most famous pieces of gems and minerals
including the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire, one
of the largest sapphires in the world. There are currently over
15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000
minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens.
Additionally, the Smithsonian’s National Gem and Mineral
Collection houses approximately 35,000 meteorites, which is
considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of
its kind in the world.

Hall of Human Origins

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins opened on March
17th, 2010, marking the museum’s 100th anniversary. The hall
is named for David H. Koch, who contributed $15 million to the
$20.7 million exhibit.

The Hall is “dedicated to the discovery and understanding of

human origins,” and occupies 15,000 square feet of exhibit
space. Specimens include 75 replica skulls, an interactive human
family tree that follows six million years of evolution, and a
Changing the World gallery that focuses on issues surrounding
climate change and humans’ impact on the world.

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 EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Features

Dinosaurs/Hall of Paleobiology
The museum has over 570,000 catalogued reptiles from around
the world. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles
has increased 300% over the past 40 years (190,000 specimen
records in 1970 to over 570,000 specimen records in 2008).
The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models,
including Tyrannosaurus rex facing off with Triceratops, and the
“Triceratops exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeleton
in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and
digital technology.” The collection consists of 46 “complete and
important specimens” of dinosaurs. The website has a “virtual
tour” of the collection.

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 EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Features

Hall of Mammals
The Behring Hall of Mammals designed by Reich + Petch is
a multi-award winning gallery. The design is innovative and
welcoming. The mammal specimens are presented as works of
modern art within strikingly minimal environmentals. Visitors
discover mammal’s evolutionary adaptions to hugely diverse
contexts, and ultimately discover that they too are mammals.

The museum has the largest collection of vertebrate specimens

in the world, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal
collections, including historically important collections from
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its collection
was initiated by C. Hart Merriam and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (later the Department of Interior), which expanded
it in the 1890s-1930s.

Insect Zoo
The O. Orkin Insect Zoo features live insects and exhibits about
insects and entomologists. Different habitats have been created
to show the type of insects that live in different environments and
how they have adapted to a freshwater pond, house, mangrove
swamp, desert, and rain forest. The zoo is sponsored by Orkin, a
pest control company.

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 EPIC | The National Museum of Natural History | Other Exhibits

Other Exhibits

African Voices
Butterflies + Plants: Partners In Evolution
Western Cultures Hall
Korea Gallery
Osteology: Hall of Bones

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 EPIC | National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum

 
Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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 EPIC | National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the

Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic
aircraft and spacecraft in the world. Located in Washington, D.C.,
United States, it is also a center for research into the history, and
science of aviation and spaceflight, as well as planetary science
and terrestrial geology and geophysics. Almost all space and
aircraft on display are originals or backups to the originals. It is
the most popular of the Smithsonian museums and operates an
annex, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, at Dulles International
Airport.

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 EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | History

Originally called the National Air Museum when it was formed

on August 12, 1946 by an act of Congress, some pieces in the
National Air and Space Museum collection date back to the
1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia after which the
Chinese Imperial Commission donated a group of kites to
the Smithsonian. The Stringfellow steam engine intended for
aircraft was accessioned into the collection in 1889, the first
piece actively acquired by the Smithsonian now in the current
NASM collection.

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 EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | History

After the establishment of the museum, there was no one building

that could hold all the items to be displayed. Some pieces were
on display in the Arts and Industries Building, some were stored
in a shed in the Smithsonian’s South Yard that came to be known
as the Air and Space Building, and the larger missiles and rockets
were displayed outdoors in Rocket Row.

The combination of the large numbers of aircraft donated to

the Smithsonian after World War II and the need for hangar
and factory space for the Korean War drove the Smithsonian to
look for its own facility to store and restore aircraft. The current
Garber Facility was ceded to the Smithsonian by the Maryland-
National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1952 after
the curator Paul E. Garber spotted the wooded area from the air.
Bulldozers from Fort Belvoir and prefabricated buildings from
the United States Navy kept the initial costs low.

 
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 EPIC | National Air and Space Museum | Controversies

Controversies
Controversy erupted in 1994 over a proposed commemoration
of the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan. The
centerpiece of the exhibit was the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber
that dropped the A-bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Veterans’ groups, backed by some congressmen, argued
strongly that the exhibit’s inclusion of Japanese accounts and
photographs of victims insulted U.S. airmen. Also disputed was
the predicted number of fatal US casualties that would have
resulted from an invasion of Japan, had that been necessary. In
the end, the museum’s director, Martin O. Harwit, was forced
to resign, and the exhibit was radically reduced to “the most
diminished display in Smithsonian history.”

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TRICKING
ARTICLES
 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Dreams

DREAMS  
Nick Vail

Now days we’ve been told to dream within reason. That is the
wrong answer. 6 months ago, I was asked to dream without
restrictions. I spent a week off in another world doing this.
When I came back from my mental journey, everything looked
different. I found the people who had created their dreams
from nothing. I asked them to help me, to teach and show me
how to do what they did.

I’ve worked harder in the last 6 months than I have in my life,

and I’m making progress. The best thing is that I’m taking my
friends with me. We are all creating the life we’ve dreamed of.
No one dreams now days. When they dream, they’re locked
down to a location, to a certain income or lifestyle. Eliminate
it. Dream without restraints. Money isn’t an issue, you aren’t
tied down, and you pursue your hobbies, dreams and spend
time with the ones you love because you have that kind of time.
Dream. No one is stopping you from grabbing your dreams.
Mine are within an arms length from grasping, when they
were only a thought to get me past the workday last year. Your
dreams are possible.

I talk to people all day long. Everywhere I go. I hear defeated,

sad, unhappy people talk about how much they want more in
life but cant go after it. They’ve been taught from day one to
Hymovita

be just like the people who are 60 years old, in debt, unhappy,
working a job to make someone else rich because that is all
they were taught.What is wrong with that? Here is my challenge
to you reading this-Take a week, dream without restrictions.
In your mind, remove your job, add 5K to your bank account
every month that your not punching a clock for, forget college
and careers. Where would you travel? What would you do? Who
would you spend all day with? Who is lives would you change?
Once you’ve done this, find the people who have done this and
find out how they did it. Go out and get it. We need it. We need
the change. The world needs change. Lets change it.

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 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Thoughts

Post EPIC Summer Gathering 2009 Thoughts

Jayel

My level of appreciation, and love for those who attended the Epic
Gathering 2009 can’t be expressed in words... My body is still shaking
from the intensity, and hype of the different sessions. All the stories, and
messages I’ve received personally about the gathering have touched
a special place in my heart. I want to congratulate all the performers,
guests, and gathering participants for making this a fun, and safe event!
Tuan and I were overwhelmed with deep gratitude for the support, and
motivation of the attendees. Plus, on a more personal note, this was the
best 21st birthday weekend I could ever ask for! I can’t stop smiling
when I think about how much people contributed to the success of this
EPIC event!

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 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Not a Tricker

Why I am not a TRICKER

This an excerpt from my Creative Martial Arts
Notebook:

Emerson Doyle

WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR

TRICKING? What is the point? That question has
been on my mind for quite a while now. Do I want
to do tricks like I’m a circus performer? If so then
why do I kick when flips are more impressive to the
common person? Do I want to become a serious
mma fighter? If so then why do a 540 and land on
my kicking foot? Do I want to be a dancer doing
movements to the rhythm? If so then why do hand
techniques that follow age old oriental traditions?
I feel like there should be some deeper meaning
or at least an understanding as to why I am doing
Martial Arts the way that I am. What is my goal?

Through all of this thinking I have come to a few

conclusions: I am an “ARTIST” - The definition of
artist is: a person who produces works in any of the
arts that is subject to aesthetic criteria, or visually
pleasing. I am not a “TRICKER” - The definition
of trick is: a clever or dexterous feat intended to
entertain or amuse.
I would like to entertain but not in just any way. A
back flip seems to entertain the common person
more than a jackknife. What I am doing is not a
simple trick.

What I do is “MARTIAL” - definition of martial:

inclined or disposed to war. I maintain a fighting
Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov
mind frame. All of my movements are derived
some sort of strike, kick or hit, even if it is over a
persons head. A flip is gymnastics. I do a sport -

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 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Not a Tricker

Definition of sport: an athletic activity requiring

skill or physical prowess and often of competitive
nature. What this means for me is that I am a
“SPORT MARTIAL ARTIST” - It is an athletic activity
that includes martial movements designed to be
aesthetically pleasing and to entertain. This may
seem like a simple conclusion but to me it says a
lot. I take what I do very seriously and for someone
to call what I do “tricking” is now almost insulting.
I don’t want to call what I am doing tricking. The
people that tumble and flip with out a strike are
“tricksters” simply doing an unrecognized form
or gymnastics or throwing tricks. No disrespect
toward them but that is not my objective. I want to
show people through the mysticism of Martial Arts
the way a human body has the ability to exceed its
limits. I want to inspire a new generation of people
who love Martial Arts for the hard work, dedication
and discipline it instills. If you are thinking that it
is not that serious and “tricking” is just something
cool and fun that you do then we are on different
wave lengths. I want this to be more than just a fad.

Photo credit to Kirill Sidorov

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 EPIC | Tricking Articles | What Tricking is to Me

What Tricking is to Me
Ian Lane

To any new, intermediate, and experienced trickers reading this - this is simply my
viewpoint, my personal opinions. It’s what I see. My truth:

Tricking, or Acrobatic Martial Arts (as some prefer to consider it), is an art form that
has been derived from various acrobatic sports and physical art forms for many years,
and has developed over that time into what it is today. It’s ever-changing, non-stagnant.
Tricking is, a combination of all forms of gymnastics, and martial arts. But, I personally
refuse to consider it a “sport”, myself. I believe tricking is an art form. To call something
a sport, I think it needs to be competitive, and there has to be rules and regulations. In
tricking, we are competitive only against ourselves - trying like mad to get ourselves
to be the best athletes our bodies can handle! However, we’re not so much competitive
against one another. We’re not looking to beat each other at tricking, per se. Sure, we
thrive on each others successes, and it pushes us forward, toward becoming the best
tricker we can be, and we have gatherings and we have battles, but I still maintain,
they’re really just to push ourselves.

There are a few things one could say we “need” to have in tricking. Some will say,
as it derived primarily from the martial arts, that we should be focused on kicking
within our tricks. Some people throw crazy kicking combos but not a lot of flipping and
twisting. Others only flip and twist, but don’t kick. I believe that everyone’s going to
have a different tricking style and we should all work toward developing that, and not
imitating others, or telling yourself you HAVE to do anything. Because you do not. But,
with that said, it’s probably a good idea to practice to be a balanced tricker, to keep
the art as rounded as possible, but it’s up to you. Tricking should be an expression of
yourself, through your art. It should not be a set “way” of doing something. There are
some amazing, top tier trickers (such as Scotty Skelton) who rarely kick, but they are
simply unparalleled when it comes to flipping and twisting. Then there are others (like
Danny Graham) who are utterly beautiful in the way they execute kicking maneuvers
within each of their tricking combinations.

The tricking community is like one big family of people, worldwide, who can come
together in the same place, and perform skills that have no set rules and regulations,
and have some of the best times of their lives. Expect great things from your tricking
career, and from yourself. Play with different styles, and be creative... be YOURSELF.

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 EPIC | Tricking Articles | What Tricking is to Me

You will be accepted, and you should accept others. Expect to make some of the best
friends you have ever had.

There are certain rights of passage that we all go through, on the journey to becoming
a tricker - such as falling in your ass over and over again, time after time, until you
FINALLY land that skill you’ve been so desperately trying to land for weeks. ~ [This
never ends, by the way] ~ That feeling, that incredibly blissful feeling, IS tricking.
We cannot put this into a box and call it a sport. We cannot give it rules, and label it
something it isn’t. Tricking is about style. It’s about individuality. It’s about community.
But mostly, it’s about having fun!

I wish you the very best of luck in everything! Keep me informed of your progress,
and let me (and anyone else in the tricking community, for that matter) know when you
need some help! Above all else, NEVER GIVE UP! <3

Much love.
- Ian A. Lane

Ps. I feel as though tricking is also a

great way to bridge the barrier between
races, creeds, colors and people of all
diversities. Because when someone
throws a double cork s/t boxcutter
**cough, cough - Anis!** you DO NOT
think “Hey, a french guy just threw that.”
Or... “Oh look at the black guy doing
corks!”... You don’t. You say “Holy shit,
that cork combo was incredible!” I think
tricking is bringing peace among many
people, and we haven’t really even
stopped to think much about it, because
it feels so natural, so right.
IAN LANE

35
 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Rookie Chronicles

Ish Payne, Martial Posture Studio, and Stratosphere Apparel

presents:

“The Rookie Chronicles”

A web based reality series that follows a group of young
Philadelphia teens, coined ‘The Rookies’, as they train to
become elite Martial Arts Trickers. Under the tutelage their
talented and animated coaches Ish Payne, Vince Johnson,
Ed Lopez, Alex Hunter, and Ron Wood, the series will follow
the trials and tribulations of training young teens to help
them realize their full potential mentally, physically, and
spiritually.

The Series has several goals:

1) To give student’s a fun and unique tool in order to track
their progress and grow as a Tricker and Martial Artist
2) To portray to the world what Martial Arts Tricking is in a
positive, entertaining, and real way.
3) To give the youth of the world a positive and entertaining
alternative to the many ‘not so suitable’ reality shows that
exist out there that glorify everything that’s wrong with
the world.
4) To send a message to the Tricking Community that we
as Trickers must take this wonderful sport into our own
hands. We should be innovative and entrepreneurial in
our approach to how we spread the art of Tricking. As
Tricking grows more and more popular it is up to us to

Photo credit to Jefferson Lewis III.

take ownership over it in order to maintain everything that
makes it so appealing to us. We don’t want “Big Corporation
X” to dictate to the public what Tricking is. It is we, the
ones who train hard out of love, bruise our bodies out of
determination, fight though soreness to attain the next big
move, organize gatherings to see our friends from all over
the world, it is we that need to portray to the public the love,
unity, and oneness of this wonderful sport. It is our goal to
make the production and quality of the Rookie Chronicles
rival that of all the best reality shows out there, but with a
fraction of the budget just to show the resourcefulness and
talent of the people in our community.

36
 Chronicles
Rookie
Photo credit to Jefferson Lewis III

You can check out monthly episodes, character bios, behind the scenes
footage, and promotional trailers at our official Youtube page WWW.
YOUTUBE.COM/ROOKIECHRONICLESTV.

37
 EPIC | Tricking Articles | Creative Arts Center

Creative Arts Center

Emerson Doyle

The Creative Arts Center or “The CAC” is a new age martial arts gym
located in Arlington VA. Just a few clicks away from the EPIC Gathering,
this gym practices and teaches Martial Arts, holds open gym with
sometimes live music, has a computer lab full of iMacs for editing, and
back lit cubbies. It is owned and operated by Emerson Doyle, team
leader of the CfC. Feel free to visit. This studio is awesome.

Photo credit to Jefferson Lewis III and Emerson Doyle

38
Places Near the Gym

Checkers
16171 Shady Grove Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4003

Bank of America
15930 Shady Grove Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

7 Eleven
15900 Shady Grove Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-1315

Comfort INN
16216 South Frederick Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Photo Credit goes to Kirill Sidorov 39

Places Near the Gym

Fallsgrove Village Center

14925 Shady Grove Rd.
Rockville, MD 20850

Dunkin’ Donuts
16220 Frederick Rd.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

iHOP
206 North Frederick Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD

Five Guys
15784 Shady Grove Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-1450

Photo Credit to Kirill Sidorov

40
Websites

Club540.com
Club540.com was founded in 2002 with the sole purpose of uniting the global tricking
community through online video share. Club540 is a place for you to offer advice
and receive constructive feedback from actual trickers in order to help you improve
and advance to the next level. Only a tricker knows what tricking really is. One must
experience tricking to fully understand the concept of the sport. If you trick, you belong
here. Enough said.

Bilang.com
This website is full of videos from past events. Bilang helped the tricking movement
by inspiring trickers to upload their videos to be viewed by the public. If your video
got featured on his website, it was viewed by the masses of the tricking community. He
did not accept every video that was sent to him. Only the ones that showed tricking for
what it was got posted. The Bilang project has ended now but there is a nice archive of
videos to look at.

Tricksession.com
Tricksession.com has a good forum where you can talk with other trickers, see event
updates, and share videos.

Websites
www.Club540.com
www.tricksession.com
www.bilang.com
www.martialposture.com
www.tricksession.com

41
CREDITS

EPIC Host & Executive Producer: Jefferson Lewis III

Special Thanks to:

Nicholas Sweeney - Fearless Gymnastics Gym Owner
Javier Macias
Gaby Macias
Crystal Rivera
Matthew Houston
Nichole Whitehurst
Moe Alafrangy
Dennis Brown
Emerson Doyle
Ish Payne
Jeff Lewis Jr
Barbara Lewis
Nick Vail
Ian Lane
Tuan Duong
Kirill Sidorov

Book Designer: Stacey Phipps | Graphic Designer | Freelancer

42
EPIC GATHERING SURVEY
What did you like about the EPIC Gathering?

What things do you think could use improvement at the EPIC Gathering?

Did the EPIC Gathering meet your expectations?

Will you refer others to attend this Gathering Next year?

Comments:

THANK YOU!
43
EPIC SUMMER
GATHERING

2011