Author: Bret Gordon
Watching the trolls of BSMA slither down their scum-filled slide of decency has become somewhat of a sport for me, and every day they cross new lines that leave me wondering what depths they will really go to. This article is in response to yet another (I think we're up to 35 total) written about us under one of their many fake names, as well as the latest video by Dale Dugas and the subsequent comments.
In their efforts to find any dirt on me, it appears they've contacted nearly every martial arts school in Clermont where I taught from 2007 to 2018 (I am now in a different county entirely). From referencing a 13-year-old feud with a former instructor of mine, who was upset that I opened up right around the corner from him although we've since shaken hands and moved on, to even throwing out that at one point after moving to a new location it took a few weeks to get the utilities sorted and we borrowed electricity from our neighbors, they really are grasping at straws as if any of that relates to my credentials or abilities.
One school owner's response, which they posted, was the apparent coup de grace of this article, although they apparently missed the part where it backs up things I've claimed in the past. Let's start there...
In their efforts to find any dirt on me, it appears they've contacted nearly every martial arts school in Clermont where I taught from 2007 to 2018 (I am now in a different county entirely). From referencing a 13-year-old feud with a former instructor of mine, who was upset that I opened up right around the corner from him although we've since shaken hands and moved on, to even throwing out that at one point after moving to a new location it took a few weeks to get the utilities sorted and we borrowed electricity from our neighbors, they really are grasping at straws as if any of that relates to my credentials or abilities.
One school owner's response, which they posted, was the apparent coup de grace of this article, although they apparently missed the part where it backs up things I've claimed in the past. Let's start there...
The instructors, referenced in the article as "Amber" and "Bobby," are actually Danielle and Brad O'Donahoe of Clermont Taekwondo Academy, a franchise of the Taekwondo America organization which basically teaches a watered down offshoot of ITF Taekwondo. How you can claim to be Taekwondo and not be affiliated with any actual organization in Korea is beyond me, and it seems they're just a wannabe ATA group, but I digress. Here is the email that was published by "Gerald Greysmith," and I'll give my thoughts below.
Brad and Danielle O'Donahoe So Danielle, apparently you forgot the part where your husband and I shook hands and agreed not to speak ill of the other going forward. I have kept my end of the bargain for the last two and a half years since the incident described in your email, but since the silence has been broken let's set a couple of things straight. That event where I "harassed" you at was held in the Cagan Crossings plaza where I was located at the time, and you had the audacity to set up a booth on the same sidewalk as my school. I am sure if I did the same, you'd have some words to say as well.
But let's move on. Yes, I did show up at your school and challenge your husband to a match. Watching him try to climb the brick wall behind him was rather amusing as he felt more than safe to run his mouth online like all the other keyboard warriors do, yet when confronted to be held accountable for his words it was all he could do not to hide. It's not about "proving one's legitimacy" but it is about backing up what you say, and yes, at the end of the day, martial arts are about fighting and survival. If you can't fight, you're not a martial artist.
As for making a post afterwards claiming to be threatened, that is an outright lie. The post I made about showing up at your school can be found here. I also never threatened to "mess" up my former partner, though I did offer to have a "discussion" with Anibal Cruz, the guy who bought her school.
I do want to apologize for suggesting you should be making a sandwich instead of posting online, as I am definitely not a misogynist. If anything, I am a pro-sogynist (those who don't get the joke, click here). What I probably should've said is "shouldn't you be training?" That's just not something I assumed you did, so I'm sorry.
But let's move on. Yes, I did show up at your school and challenge your husband to a match. Watching him try to climb the brick wall behind him was rather amusing as he felt more than safe to run his mouth online like all the other keyboard warriors do, yet when confronted to be held accountable for his words it was all he could do not to hide. It's not about "proving one's legitimacy" but it is about backing up what you say, and yes, at the end of the day, martial arts are about fighting and survival. If you can't fight, you're not a martial artist.
As for making a post afterwards claiming to be threatened, that is an outright lie. The post I made about showing up at your school can be found here. I also never threatened to "mess" up my former partner, though I did offer to have a "discussion" with Anibal Cruz, the guy who bought her school.
I do want to apologize for suggesting you should be making a sandwich instead of posting online, as I am definitely not a misogynist. If anything, I am a pro-sogynist (those who don't get the joke, click here). What I probably should've said is "shouldn't you be training?" That's just not something I assumed you did, so I'm sorry.
I also want to thank Danielle for confirming the fact that I have showed up to multiple schools in the area, none of which would step on the floor with me regardless of how much they've talked behind my back. The most recent place I've stopped in was to see Mark Thibodeau of World Class Taekwondo (where the photo at right was taken). Again, we each said our piece, came to an understanding and shook hands. I have no more issues with Mark, and would recommend his school if someone is looking for Olympic-style Taekwondo in the Clermont area.
The truth is that every single person that has run their mouth about me has turned into a complete gentleman when we're in the same room. Even Dale, who after spending months flooding the internet with semi-coherent, profanity-laden rants and videos about how he was going to dismantle me, was nothing but cordial and polite when he walked in my door. If he was really set on stepping on the mat with me, he would've suggested we settle our differences right then and there when he knew he had me outnumbered 3-1. No one in their right mind drives 90 minutes just to drop off a piece of paper with two bodyguards and leave. It was that fact, along with the repeated statement from BSMA that even if I won any fight between us they'd still continue their harassment, that led to my decision to call off the later meeting we had set. I had already proven I wasn't going to run and hide, or call the police when Dale showed up as they claimed, and if there was nothing to be gained aside from "street cred," I don't need it that badly. And yes, it was my decision to call it off, not Hatfield sensei's (more on that later).
Before I move on to the recent video posted by Dale, apparently there is some confusion regarding my partnership with Richard Hackworth that has been referenced by Greysmith, since I have stated before that I am co-owner of the school but it's his unit that I teach out of. American Dragon Martial Arts Academies, the chain of schools overseen by Richard Hackworth, has multiple locations in several states. He opened and operated the school in Ocoee long before I came into the picture, and although I have since become a partner in this location, it is solely his name on the lease and all official paperwork for the business. My own school, Trio Martial Arts Academy, rents space from American Dragon to run an entirely separate program and business as well.
Now, yesterday Dale posted a video on BSMA claiming that my instructor, Steven Hatfield, called his elderly mother from a fake number to harass her and demand to know where Dale is. Of course, this never happened as there's no need to know "where Dale is" since he gave his (work) address to me on the waiver that he signed and he's easy enough to find. Not to mention that the number Dale claims Hatfield sensei called from (513-542-6174) is out of service and doesn't exist. But more importantly, that's just not something we do.
We're not the ones who bring family and other people's students into our disputes. We're not the ones who publish contact information for someone's family, including pictures and home addresses, or the fact that someone might have 2 small children. We're not the ones contacting their students or their students' families. Despite it being a clear violation of BSMA's own rules (see below), these are things that they have done when all other efforts to intimidate or hurt us have failed.
The truth is that every single person that has run their mouth about me has turned into a complete gentleman when we're in the same room. Even Dale, who after spending months flooding the internet with semi-coherent, profanity-laden rants and videos about how he was going to dismantle me, was nothing but cordial and polite when he walked in my door. If he was really set on stepping on the mat with me, he would've suggested we settle our differences right then and there when he knew he had me outnumbered 3-1. No one in their right mind drives 90 minutes just to drop off a piece of paper with two bodyguards and leave. It was that fact, along with the repeated statement from BSMA that even if I won any fight between us they'd still continue their harassment, that led to my decision to call off the later meeting we had set. I had already proven I wasn't going to run and hide, or call the police when Dale showed up as they claimed, and if there was nothing to be gained aside from "street cred," I don't need it that badly. And yes, it was my decision to call it off, not Hatfield sensei's (more on that later).
Before I move on to the recent video posted by Dale, apparently there is some confusion regarding my partnership with Richard Hackworth that has been referenced by Greysmith, since I have stated before that I am co-owner of the school but it's his unit that I teach out of. American Dragon Martial Arts Academies, the chain of schools overseen by Richard Hackworth, has multiple locations in several states. He opened and operated the school in Ocoee long before I came into the picture, and although I have since become a partner in this location, it is solely his name on the lease and all official paperwork for the business. My own school, Trio Martial Arts Academy, rents space from American Dragon to run an entirely separate program and business as well.
Now, yesterday Dale posted a video on BSMA claiming that my instructor, Steven Hatfield, called his elderly mother from a fake number to harass her and demand to know where Dale is. Of course, this never happened as there's no need to know "where Dale is" since he gave his (work) address to me on the waiver that he signed and he's easy enough to find. Not to mention that the number Dale claims Hatfield sensei called from (513-542-6174) is out of service and doesn't exist. But more importantly, that's just not something we do.
We're not the ones who bring family and other people's students into our disputes. We're not the ones who publish contact information for someone's family, including pictures and home addresses, or the fact that someone might have 2 small children. We're not the ones contacting their students or their students' families. Despite it being a clear violation of BSMA's own rules (see below), these are things that they have done when all other efforts to intimidate or hurt us have failed.
BSMA Rule #17
But even more appalling than the assumption that it was Hatfield sensei who called Dale's mother is the subsequent comment by Don Roley, cult leader of BSMA:
To be so brazen in threatening my sister's life is just evident of the fact that BSMA has gotten away with their antics for far too long and they feel untouchable. In what universe is such a statement acceptable, even if made in the hypothetical manner it is? Even still, he probably shouldn't speak on Dale's behalf here because it could certainly get Dale into trouble if someone got the wrong idea and reported this to law enforcement. The sick, twisted reality that Don lives in never ceases to amaze me, and while I would never condone violence against someone's family, I understand why he hides in Colorado and demands all challengers come to him, and yet he gets defensive when the people he attacks go after him personally.
Proper dojo seating Lastly, we come to the opening statement of Don's comment which follows the narrative portrayed in the latest articles published by Greysmith and "HK," that Hatfield sensei is supposedly hiding behind me through all of this charade. Greysmith made the assumption that Hatfield sensei is actually setting me up to take the fall, that when things really get bad he'll disavow me for bringing shame to the organization or some nonsense like that. When this began, they told me I should separate myself from Hatfield sensei and after learning that I'm not, they're suggesting he should do the same. What is it about our partnership that threatens them so much?
Apparently they fail to understand the relationship that Hatfield sensei and I have. Every article and post I've made has been a team effort, and as his inheritor and representative I speak for both of us unless specified otherwise. When all of this started, I made the decision to step to the forefront and address the situation. That is the student's job, to protect their instructor. Regardless of whatever rank, title or license I hold now or will hold in the future, Hatfield sensei will always be my instructor and it is my responsibility to do so. This is a tradition that extends well into history, stemming from the Samurai era where lower ranked Samurai would sit closest to the door to deal with intruders while protecting the higher ranked warriors and their lord. The remnants of this tradition can be seen even today with how students line up in class in a traditional dojo (an excellent article on this can be found here). Tradition forms the foundation of Budo, without which we'd all just be doing MMA.
Therefore, to suggest that Hatfield sensei is using me as his "meat shield" and hiding behind me from the "safety of his fortress" in Ohio (yes, this is really what they said) is both amusing and insulting to the amount of effort I've put into dealing with these trolls. While he is more than welcome to issue a statement or address things on his own, as long as I am able, he shouldn't have to. That is the choice I made, and that is the responsibility I have taken on. You can say what you will about our relationship, but if more people adhered to the tradition and values of Budo, there wouldn't be any trolls in the first place.
Apparently they fail to understand the relationship that Hatfield sensei and I have. Every article and post I've made has been a team effort, and as his inheritor and representative I speak for both of us unless specified otherwise. When all of this started, I made the decision to step to the forefront and address the situation. That is the student's job, to protect their instructor. Regardless of whatever rank, title or license I hold now or will hold in the future, Hatfield sensei will always be my instructor and it is my responsibility to do so. This is a tradition that extends well into history, stemming from the Samurai era where lower ranked Samurai would sit closest to the door to deal with intruders while protecting the higher ranked warriors and their lord. The remnants of this tradition can be seen even today with how students line up in class in a traditional dojo (an excellent article on this can be found here). Tradition forms the foundation of Budo, without which we'd all just be doing MMA.
Therefore, to suggest that Hatfield sensei is using me as his "meat shield" and hiding behind me from the "safety of his fortress" in Ohio (yes, this is really what they said) is both amusing and insulting to the amount of effort I've put into dealing with these trolls. While he is more than welcome to issue a statement or address things on his own, as long as I am able, he shouldn't have to. That is the choice I made, and that is the responsibility I have taken on. You can say what you will about our relationship, but if more people adhered to the tradition and values of Budo, there wouldn't be any trolls in the first place.
EDIT (November 25, 2020) - After this article went live, apparently there is still some confusion over my relationship with Richard Hackworth. This comment was posted by "Gerald Greysmith."
It's both, Gerald... What I don't understand is why this is so hard to grasp. Perhaps you should read this slowly. My school is called Trio Martial Arts Academy, and we sublet from American Dragon Martial Arts in Ocoee. Therefore, I pay rent to Richard Hackworth for the use of the space after the normal operating hours of ADMA. However, since beginning this agreement I have also become co-owner of ADMA (solely for the Ocoee location). As such, I help run the school and am paid accordingly. The lease and all official paperwork for the school are still solely in Richard's name though, which is why I have maintained it is his unit despite my position.
