My name is Heather Gordon and I have been with Purple Dragon for about four years. I began my training in the Cayman Islands branch of Purple Dragon with Sensei Floyd Baptiste and Sensei Geddes Hislop. At that time, I had no idea how profoundly Don-Jitsu-Ryu would affect my life. Before my martial arts training, I had not been involved in other sports, but I decided to join a kick boxing class at Purple Dragon with two of my friends. They both dropped out after a few months, but Sensei Floyd encouraged me to join the martial arts program and, although I was unsure of it at the time, I signed up.

What followed was an exciting and challenging year and a half of training and learning. Through the Sensei's teaching and my time spent at the dojo, I felt empowered and strong. I made friends and enjoyed spending time at the dojo learning new katas and doing break falls, and even doing Sensei Floyd's atomic and championship routines. Shortly after achieving the rank of green belt, my mother and I moved to Tampa, Florida, where my aunt, uncle, and grandmother were living. I did not join Purple Dragons Tampa branch right away, however; my mother was not able to take me to the dojo during the year that she took care of my grandmother, who had lung cancer. But I refused to consider going anywhere other than Purple Dragon. Tampa has many martial arts schools, but none can compare with the discipline that Purple Dragon has to offer.

The Don-Jitsu-Ryu system is extremely well-rounded physically, mentally, and spiritually and it is always growing. Developed by our founder, Professor Don Jacob, the style incorporates karate, jiu-jitsu, aikido, judo, and many other styles into one. A class at Purple Dragon does not end without one of the Sensei's or Instructors passing on information or a story that everyone can learn from. I started back to classes in September of 2002 and have been training ever since.

My mother has become the Team Mom, coordinating many of the dojo's events including grading dinners and picnics, and she has faithfully brought me to my classes even though the dojo is far away from our house. I am more thankful to her for this than she will ever know without Purple Dragon I would not be the person I am today. I have become a part of the Purple Dragon family with my Sensei's, Instructors, and sans brothers and sisters here in Tampa. Sensei Gary, Sensei Clara, and all my Instructors have helped me to truly discover the greatness within me by challenging me to go all the way to my limits and then pushing me beyond them. They have shown me that I must be willing to give my all, to persevere and never give up.

By going to competitions and tournaments such as the US Open, I have learned the true meaning of winning and I have seen the genuine discipline of Purple Dragon students compared to that of other schools. Once I reached a higher rank, I was given the opportunity to give back by helping to teach some of the other sans. This has opened up a whole new perspective for me; it has also taught me patience and made me question myself and work even harder to be sure that what I am passing on to other sans is right. I have learned not to be a soldier but a warrior; to stand on my own when I need to because there is something much greater than me and it is worth fighting for.