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ARTheat
Awadagin Pratt
Bm(Classical pianist joins the Augusta
Symphony in its Masterworks Concert on
Saturday, November 10 at the Maxwell
Performing Arts Theatre at ASU.
he Augusta Symphony, under the direction of
music director Donald Portnoy, presents its
second Masterworks Concert of the 2001/02
season on Saturday, November 10, 8 p.m. at the
Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre at Augusta
Stat& University. A PreConcert Preview beginsat 7 p.m. with
guest speaker, Dr. Clara Park, pianist and professor at Au
gusta State University. The Symphony’s Masterworks Series
is sponsored this year by the Augusta Symphony Guild in
memory of founder HarrvdJacobs. The November 10 concert is
sponsored by John and Jean Chase and Charles and Patricia
Moye. Other sponsors include Country Suites at Riverwalk,
Augusta Focus and Oldies 93.9. The program features pianist
Awadagin Pratt performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto with
Rossini and Tchaikovsky selections performed by the orches
tra. Season tickets are still available ($42 - SIOO range). Single
tickets to Masterworks concerts range from $7.50 (students) to
s3sper person. Call, fax or e-mail the Symphony office for a free
season brochure and/or to order tickets.
The November 10 concert will be followed by a reception,
sponsored by First Bank, honorin; - governmental officials at
the Maxwell Alumni House provided by Augusta State Univer
sity and the Augusta State University Foundation.
Born in Philadelphia, Awadagin Pratt grew up in Illinois
where he studied both piano and strings. He later enrolled at
Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became
the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in
three performance areas: piano, strings and conducting. Mr.
Pratt is an enthusiastic supporter of arts education.
Mr. Pratt also will perform with the Symphony on Sunday,
November 11, at 3 p.m. for a Publix Family Concert. This
concert will feature Mr. Pratt in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto
No. 1 (first movement). String students from Davidson Fine
Arts School will perform selections by Hovhaness and Copeland
with the Orchestra. The concert also includes a narration of
Dr. Seuss’ “Gerald Mcßoing-Boing” — a musical story about
a little booy who could only speak through percussion instru-
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Champion Din Thomas stands victorious after his
defense of the world International Sport Combat
Federation title in a match against Jason Bender. His
fight was one of several on the New Blood Il lineup
promoted by Reality Super Fighting at the Bell Audito
rium on October 27, 2001. Thomas had first won the
title in Augusta during New Blood | in August 2000.
Photo by Lillian Wan ;
@.Where shopping is a pleasure
ments— featuringpercussionist Mat- Caha
thew Jones and narrator, Bill o . 8 \
Hobbins. There will be pre-concert Toa S
activitiesbeginningat 2:15p.m. with L e T [\
string students from North Harlem . Y W - i
and Riverside Elementary Schools T ' ;.
performing in the lobby area of the U . CLANEEEEE !
Performing Arts Theatre at Augusta b . G 3
State University. Season tickets are it W N % | f’
still available for $65 for a family of ”“MW -AR 7
four. Single tickets to Family concerts : : “n"’ "5 \ ,‘
are $6 per person or S2O for a family of 4 L . v
Forcompleteinformation o P f ¥
onsoloist Awadajin Pratt, » ,; b ; o .
and all program notesre- S | T i s R :
gardingselectionstobeper- W/ T e
formed, visit the o ;% B N sy
Symphony’s web site at ¥ | «’uf‘”"“’%fg . %“;%flc’ 'h’%;. Y 56
The Augusta Symphony be- (i, N TR TR !
is Symphony Youth Competition §EREESEE (i 4 ’l”'fiaffiy ‘ o
in Strings, sponsored by the Au- WS S M SSEI e ¢
dents, ages 11-18, willcompete for TR = & RN, T L -
thefirst, secondand third cash prizes. ‘w.m a 4 g
The winner willbeannounced immedi- % oTR . A B
ately following the competition. The S, . . - get
winner performs with the Augusta Sym- SREEEES .= & // // §‘
phony on Sunday, February 24, 2002 dur- |il L el wm,;g‘&f g
ing a Publix Family Concert featuring vio- S 8 & EREEEE N L it d
Discovery concerts on Thursday and Friday, Rl T el o
March 14 and 15, 2002. For further informa- % I e L ‘IIW-WWQW;‘Z
tion, please call director of Education Peggy ¥ *f ""’—faw“e oyl ‘“ i
Lobello at 706.826.4705. i o B
k.. A e
For ticket orders, call ticket manager Dee Davis 4 "SGR 4 e Y e
at the Symphony office at 826-4705. The Sym- g & F} i
phony office, located at Sacred Heart Cultural 4 £ (g BT Y i
Center, is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 & %W &g
a.m. to 5 p.m. = 4 S
Ultimate fighting rocks
Augusta for second year
BNo holds
barred mixed
martial arts is a
study in conflict.
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
First of all, Din Thomas’
name is pronounced “Dean.”
Second, the 25-year-old Florida
native kicked the stuffings out
of challenger Jason Bender in
anultimatefightingmatch held
here in Augusta on Oct. 27 at
the Bell Auditorium. He was
defending the world Interna
tional Sport Combat Federa
tion title that he’d won at the
Civic Center in August 2000.
The event, New Blood 11, was
promoted by Reality Super
Fighting, a company started
fouryearsagobydJamie Levine.
In a rap session with Au
gusta Focus the week of the
fight, Levineleaned backin his
chairatthe hotel whereheand
his people were booked and
described innouncertain terms
what ultimate fighting, and
therefore Reality Super Fight
ing, is.
“It involves two men enter
ing a cage, fighting until one
fighter either gives up or is
e e
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unable to continue due to fa
tigue, knockouts,” he said. “We
find fighters all over the world
that compete in this — profes
sional athletes as well as ama
teur athletes — and [ match
them according to their abil
ity
Levine is intrigued, specifi
cally, by the different martial
arts styles involved in this kind
of competition. “It evolved into
what’s called Mixed Martial
Arts, so this sport is called
MMA, no holds barred. That
meansthereare very, very lim
ited rules. Obviously there are
rulesforthesafetyofthefighter,
with no eye-gouging, or biting
and things like that.”
The fighters, who range in
age up from 18, appear in only
their shorts, wrapped ankles,
and gloves that resemble those
worn by cyclists. Aside from the
sparse protection on the knuck
lesand fingersto keepthe fight
ers’ hands frombreaking, there
is no padding.
After singing the praises of
what hecalls “the realest, most
athletic competition in the
world,” Levine proclaimed Din
TLomasthegreatest thingsince
sliced bread.
“He’s the baddest guy there
is,” hesaid about his champion
fighter, whois also his training
partner. “He’s on his way. He
just fought on Pay-Per-View
three weekends ago and won.”
Thomas has won three world
championships, Levine said:
World Extreme Fighting, Real
ity Super Fighting, and the In
ternational Sport Combat Fed
eration title. “Soon to be the
Ultimate Fighting Champion
ship world title-holder also,”
Levine said. “Soon to be. You
can quote me on that one.”
Thomas himself said that he
gottothispoint withan intense
training regiment, which re
quired that he make training
and fighting his full-time job.
“At this level you either train
allthetime, or...Onlythestrong
survive,” he said. “If you don’t
train all the time you're not
going to be able to move up in
1eve15....1 like to train two to
three times a day, an hour to
two per session.”
The sessions involve
plyometrics, or explosive exer
cises such as jumping over ob
stacles and bouncing on one
leg, which hones his sense of
balance. He also gets into both
boxing and kickboxing, as well
as wrestling and submission
grappling.
Then there’s the mental
preparation, hesaid, addingthat
it is probably the most impor
tant aspect of getting ready for
afight. While he’straining, and
at night before he goes to bed,
Thomas visualizes what he is
going to do in the cage.
“After you get the mental
1B
Novemberl,2ool
part of it down,” he said, “the
fight is easy.”
Is he scared before a fight?
“Never,” he replied
When asked if he had ever
been hurt, hereplied, “Not seri
ously,” then told of a broken
elbow he had gotten during a
straight grapplingmatch, which
wasn’t even an ultimate fight
ing event. “Besides that, you
get a couple of broken toes,
sprains, pulled muscles. You
just tape it up and keep going.”
Laughing, he said he thought
he might have a broken toe at
that very moment.
Andafterward?
“After a fight you feel a lot of
relief,” Thomas said. “Anxiety
relief. You get anxious energy.
Afterwards, youkind of ..you're
kind of not scared to do any
thing at that point. You just
gave your all in front of thou
sandsof people. You'rereally in
a good mood.”
Levine says his sport is set to
take over the world. And his
company is poised to run with
the pack.
“Thisisgoingtobethefuture
of the combat sport,” he said.
“All over the world. There’s
going to be a few top dogs out
there,and I’'m goingtobeone of
them.”
Two Augustans stepped into
the New Blood Conflict ring
that night: John Garner and
Forrest Griffin.