I would like to welcome you all to a new season.  First and foremost I would like to thank Warren Osborne, Gayle Bradley, and the rest of the board members who have shaped and formed this organization for the past three plus years.  They have worked hard, and have contributed personal time, personal money, and have shown the patience of saints.

This season we have a change in leadership, and a shifting of board members.  Mid last season, Gayle Bradley stepped down from the board.  I was then elected onto the board and became the representatives of the Northwest.  At the end of this season Warren Osborne has stepped down from the Executive Directorship, and I was elected the new Executive Director for this upcoming season.  Also, Donovan Phillips was elected to be on the board as well.  We also had a shift in the Treasurer/Secretary positions.  Ray Devanna has recently stepped down as the Secretary/Treasurer.  In his place, Chris Baker was elected the Secretary, and Hester Bradley has returned as the Treasurer of our organization. Steve Singer, Gary Bond, and Scott Devanna have remained on the board.

I am hoping with this new transition, we can continue to hold great competitions, continue to educate the public, and expand our organization.  Our mission remains the same: To promote knife safety, provide workshops and cutting competitions for its members, and to inform and educate the public with regard to the safe use of a knife as a tool.

With that, I am proud to announce that we have some new events on the books.  We also have some new members.  It is up to all of us to recruit membership and to expand our events.  I am hoping that in the near future we can hold more education events and demonstrations.  Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other board members for ideas on membership recruitment and future events.

Our organization is only as strong as our membership.  At this time we have a membership of many individuals, from varying backgrounds, all with enthusiasm for our sport.  I see us as a strong organization, with a whole lot of potential.  Within our membership, we have knife makers, non knife makers, fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, metallurgists, shop workers, medically trained individuals, et cetera.  You see my point; we have a lot of strong individuals who can contribute quite a bit.  Our varying points of view and backgrounds are what make us a strong organization.  We have a lot to offer the knife world, and the general public.

I am proud to be a part of this organization.  We need the membership to step up, organize, and supply us with new ideas.  This is how we will grow, and this is how we will become a strong organization.  We are still young and have a lot of potential.  It is up to us where we go from here.

Yours respectfully,

José Diaz.
Executive Director of Blade Sports.

By José Diaz

On a long road trip, he will hear a youngster ask this question.  It is an annoying question to those in the know.  Especially if you know that there is a long way to go.  But for me this question is important on my journey as a knife maker.

As a new knife maker (read youngster), my goal, like many others, is to make the ultimate all-around camp knife.  I know I have so much to learn.  There are several places that I look for lessons in improving my knife making.  One of them is cutting competitions.

During a cutting competition I can receive direct feedback from the knife.  I can truly tell performance of the blade, while it is in my hand working.  Will a handle design work? How comfortable is it during hard use or subtle wrist flicks?  Will my heat treatment create a durable blade? Will my blade chip or crack? Will my edge hold during hard chops and stay sharp enough to make subtle cuts after heavy work?  Will a recurve or a flat edge or a convex edge profile work better for one cut or another?  Is my blade heavy enough?  Is it too heavy, will I tire out; is it to light, will not penetrate?  These questions, and many more, even the ones I have not thought task will come up.  The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

I also received feedback from other knife makers.  Many of whom are well known.  They critique design, fit and finish, materials, and heat treat.  I have gotten suggestions on grinding techniques.  I have also received useful information on sharpening, and edge geometry.  Mostly, I have been asked to keep an open mind.  One of the best bits of advice I have received was from Ed Schempp, "build the knife, and see how it works.  You’ll never know if a design will work, unless you test it in the real world."  Everyone is extremely giving with his or her years of experience and knowledge.  I'll find many common truths, and lots of opinions.  All are valuable in my pursuit.

Another really cool thing about cutting competitions, they are a lot of fun.  They are fun for the observer; they are fun for the participator.  This makes the journey to all this knowledge, enjoyable.  These competitions provide camaraderie for the participants.  The loudest cheers usually come from the participants encouraging other competitors.  Observers of these competitions have always come back to me saying that they had fun watching us cut all the stuff up.

One thing for sure, no one has all the answers.  From the very experienced to the very new, I have heard the same thing.  We all have much to learn, and a long way to go. So, are we there yet?  No, we're not there yet, maybe one more mile.