S.R. readily admits that she grew up naïve. The many safety nets of society seemed to surround her. Policemen were our friends, there to protect us from harm. Living in NYC for three years during college, and working there after graduation, developed some survival skills, but she still believed in a world that was basically good. Studying fencing was as close to physical combat as she thought she would ever get.
Then one clear, blue September morning, this world came crashing down with the Twin Towers. That signaled the end of one life, and the beginning of another. S.R. realized that society can only protect us so far, and it can’t do anything about the dangers it doesn’t foresee. In addition, the acceptable outlets for self-defense, especially for women, seemed inadequate. When fighting for your life, do you really have time to don those pink fighting gloves and tentatively tap at someone’s neck?
Going online, S.R. began to read accounts of a small school, deep in the jungle, where women were training to become strong, to engage in hand-to-hand combat, to prepare against a war that was coming and no one knew anything about. Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready to forsake the outside world. Yet, in the comfortable northeast, there were few opportunities to learn how to use weapons (restrictive gun laws), or even full contact martial arts (MMA is still banned in New York.) So, she decided to join an organization that would pay her to become combat ready.
Seven years later, S.R. serves in the U.S. Army, deploying twice to a combat zone, learning a multitude of weapons, from pistols to heavy caliber machine guns. She has driven at high speeds under fire, learned communication techniques, and begun the study of mixed martial arts at a local gym, Twin Wolves MMA in central Texas. She owns two personal firearms – one 9mm and one shotgun for maximum stopping power. She has also adopted a companion from the local shelter – a female mixed breed named Brandy who is herself recovering from abuse, but who is slowly learning to become an early-warning companion.
She doesn’t let on to others that she is a long-distance member of the Sarah Connor Charm School – but when she finds a woman who is powerful, and looking for a way to prepare herself against the coming struggle, she will quietly recruit her to join the ranks of women, ready for combat, ready for action.
In addition to training and learning, S.R. is currently raising two young daughters, preparing them for future enrollment!