September 2010

In This Issue

Feature Articles

Violence Prevention & Community Outreach

Upcoming Events

Member News

Feature Articles

It’s September!  Back to School!  Back to the Dojo!

(photo)By Sarah Ludden

What do you remember about the end of summer and the anticipation of returning to school?  The excitement of looking forward to seeing your school buddies again, new binders and pencils, going to the next grade?  Getting a locker for the first time and struggling to remember that lock combination?  Returning to school in the fall can be one of the most memorable childhood experiences.

Where does karate training fit in? 

Why is now a good time to re-invest in your child’s training at Thousand Waves as well as their academic career?

Read more.

Happy 25th Anniversary to Thousand Waves!

(photo) (photo)

How do you celebrate 25 years of changing lives? Start with Senpai Sarah Kranz and Senpai Marsha East, party planners extraordinaire. Rent out a restaurant on a Saturday night. Enlist the talent of Senpai Sally Wigginton, emcee. Watch in wonder as the decades go by via slideshow, artfully crafted by Senpai Pat Kane and Senpai Kim Osgood. Drag out some old videos that make the subjects cringe and the viewers guffaw. Throw in an open bar, great food, and plenty of dancing.

Read more about the party.

Violence Prevention & Community Outreach

Thousand Waves Contributes to National Self-Defense Conference

(photo)By Marie O’Brien

A puppet show about sex and consent. A presentation about teaching self-defense to imprisoned women. A story about an incident of anti-gay bullying that almost became deadly…but didn’t, when someone intervened. These and other issues were highlighted at the 2010 Self-Defense Instructors Conference in Pennsylvania, and Thousand Waves was there. Our instructors offered strategies for training newer teachers and contributed to the larger discussions about how we define the work we do as self-defense instructors. Thousand Waves is proud to be among the leaders who set the standards for empowerment-based self-defense and to have the opportunity to learn from our colleagues who do innovative work in communities throughout the world.

Read more about Thousand Waves presence at the Conference.

TW Empowers Youth Struggling with Homelessness

(photo)By Kate Webster

Earlier this summer, Thousand Waves partnered with The Night Ministry and held a series of violence prevention and self-empowerment workshops for their Youth Outreach Program—a program for youth leaders ages 18 to 24 years old, most of whom have or are currently struggling with homelessness.  Thousand Waves provided unique programming suitable for these street-based youth leaders, while The Night Ministry procured a grant from Resurrection Lutheran Church’s Mission Endowment Fund to obtain the requisite funding for the workshops.

Read and see more about the program.

Seeking Board Members

By Annie Gregory

Thousand Waves is seeking to fill several open spots on its Board of Directors. The culture of the Board closely mirrors the culture you have experienced at the dojo – supportive, nurturing, and fun!

Read further for answers to frequently asked questions regarding Board service.

Upcoming Events

(graphic)Punch & Kick-a-thon

Saturday, October 23rd at The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton Street.

Thousand Waves’ annual fall fundraiser for Juniors, Youth, Teens (age 12-14), and their Parents. Don’t miss this public demonstration of strong, non-quitting Seido spirit! 

Registration opens on Wednesday, September 1st.

Teaching Workshops

All Teaching Workshops are held on Wednesdays between 7:40 – 9:00 pm.

(graphic)Self Defense/Violence Prevention Programs

FREE Self Defense Refresher Workshop
Sunday, September 12th, 2:30 - 5:30pm,

Open to: All Graduates of our 12 hour course
Cost: FREE
Instructors: Marie O’Brien and Peggy Shinner

Intervening When you See Violence
Sunday, September 19th, 2:30 – 5:30pm

Open to: All Graduates of our 12 hour course
Cost: $40, scholarship assistance available
Instructors: Nancy Lanoue and Kate Webster

Self-Defense Course, Mixed Gender
Four Saturdays, October 9th – 30th, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

Learn verbal assertiveness, peaceful conflict resolution, escapes from holds, physical defense techniques, and how to respond to harassment. View the flyer.

Cost: $140/$125 if you register by Sept. 18th (scholarship assistance available)
Instructors: Marie O’Brien and Peggy Shinner, with Margarita Saona assisting

Meditation Programs for Adult & Teen Members

All Meditation Programs are held on Wednesdays, 7:30 – 8:45 pm.

(graphic)Promotion Tests

Holiday Closing / Class Cancellations

World Seido Karate Organization

(graphic)

Seido 34th Anniversary Tournament in NYC

Saturday, October 15th - 17th

Member News

Gasshuku - Get on the Train and Ride!

By Ryan Libel

(photo)

As I looked at the itinerary we received from Nidaime in advance of Gasshuku I began to do what I always do with anything - hyper-analyze it. Initially I thought we stood about the same chance of accomplishing this ambitious to-do list as I do of becoming President of the United States. Then I just stopped. I quit studying the schedule, turned off that nasty left-brain and realized my only hope for happiness in this endeavor rested on my ability to simply show up, get on the train, and ride. Don’t judge, just ride.

Read more about the ride.

Congratulations to Recent Promotees

Gems from the Written Tests

April Ljung – “But I was not taking my own training seriously.  I felt hypocritical as I encouraged my kids, often tired, to switch gears from their school day and focus on their training.  I needed to do the same.”

Hope Robinson – [if someone thinks martial arts are violent] “I invite them to observe a Little Kicks class…no one can look at five-year-olds doing karate and then say karate is violent, actually, they will more likely say, “Awwww…”

Ron May – “I am convinced that every good thing in life comes to us through the channel of perseverance.  This is particularly true with the development of character.  Brown Belt, it seems by design, is set up so as to require the development of perseverance and, in the process, the maturation of the character of the karate student.”

Samantha Jordan – “Our uniforms seem to suggest that we are all an extension of Kaicho Nakamura’s family, as shown by his family seal on our arms.”

Steven Flaningam – “But there is a big difference between learning how to fight and learning how to be violent.”

(graphic)Little Kicks
Brock Richards – 8th Kyu
Caroline Rosen – 8th Kyu
Nicholas Omiotek – 8th Kyu
Oliver Vigerust – 8th Kyu
William Barney – 8th Kyu

Juniors
Aiden Grant – 5th Kyu
Andre Nandi – 6th Kyu
Angel Machuca – 6th Kyu
Antonio Amezcua – 4th Kyu
Charlie Mazzeo – 5th Kyu
Elizabeth Collins-Ward – 6th Kyu
Ella Burks – 8th Kyu
Isaac Collins-Ward – 6th Kyu
(graphic)Jonathan Norber – 7th Kyu
Joshua Arias – 8th Kyu
Juliana Malygin – 8th Kyu
Julian Meadows – 6th Kyu
Kaius Floyd – 7th Kyu
Kamille Hamilton – 7th Kyu
Kate Phillips – 8th Kyu
Keeli Ryan – 7th Kyu
Luca Rizzo – 7th Kyu
Lucas Frisancho – 8th Kyu
Marcus McDermott – 8th Kyu
Noam Levinsky – 8th Kyu
Ryan Hardiman – 7th Kyu
Sophia Steck – 6th Kyu
Stella Ljung – 5th Kyu
(graphic)Thea Kidwell – 8th Kyu

Youth
Aaron Alberg – 5th Kyu
Akil Mitchell – 2nd Kyu
Alenna Abbatemarco – 1st Kyu
Alexis Fernando – 4th Kyu
Ana Gore – 3rd Kyu
Arushi Beohar – 4th Kyu
Auden Litke – 7th Kyu
Ava Swan – 3rd Kyu
Bahar Berksoy – 3rd Kyu
Ben Rachlis – 3rd Kyu
Benny Rizzo – 3rd Kyu
Cesareo Moreno – 2nd Kyu
Elliot Phillips – 6th Kyu
Evan Burleigh – 3rd Kyu
Henry Nishiura-Groves – 3rd Kyu
Isabella Cartagena – 6th Kyu
Isaiah Meadows – 7th Kyu
(graphic)Jacob Baumstark – 1st Kyu
Joe Friedman – 3rd Kyu
Johnny Hollowed – 4th Kyu
Josh Palles – 5th Kyu
Kahlo Quinn – 6th Kyu
KJ Hogenson – 2nd Kyu
Malia Washington – 4th Kyu
Matt Dulberg – 6th Kyu
Olivia Perris – 7th Kyu
Quinn Straw – 2nd Kyu
Rusty Grondy – 7th Kyu
Sam Liss – 8th Kyu
Sara McCoy – 8th Kyu
Sophie Ljung – 2nd Kyu
Teddy Bahu – 6th Kyu

Teens
Alexander Bender-Hooper – 3rd Kyu
Diego Jauregui – i6th Kyu
Hannah Rachlis – 3rd Kyu
(graphic)Nastasia Scales – 2nd Kyu

Adults
Amelia Sacco – 3rd Kyu
April Ljung – 7th Kyu
Danielle Wash – 5th Kyu
Elesabeth Bacherta – 7th Kyu
Elizabeth Savoie – 8th Kyu
Eric Graham – 5th Kyu
Hope Robinson – 1st Kyu
Jeff Gore – 4th Kyu
Jen Brown – 6th Kyu
Kylon Hooks – 5th Kyu
Maggie Darrah – 5th Kyu
My Xuan Koski – 8th Kyu
Rae Mazzei – 6th Kyu
Ron May – 1st Kyu
Samantha Jordan – 8th Kyu
Steven Flaningam – 1st Kyu