Kingston Kicks 2016

I spent this past weekend in Kingston at the revival of my favourite marital arts event. After being missed for a few years, Kingston Kicks assembled martial artists from far and wide, at the Ambassador Hotel, to put on, and take part in seminars in karate, aikido and jiu-jutsu. There were also special courses in iaido, bo and both women's self defence and cane defence.


I met a gentleman from Belleville who seemed to think it must have been a long boring day for me.  Quite the contrary.  It is always great to see so many old friends and meet new ones at events like this. Some such events are huge but Kingston Kicks is small enough to make it very special.  As a non-participant, I can check out what's happening in each of the six simultaneous seminars four times a day, pick the ones that interest me the most, and actually sit down and hear what the instructor is saying. The seminars are not all put on in one room, as is sometimes the case at other events. By having just one or two seminars in each room, it is much easier for the participants to hear, and work out without fear of being beaned by someone being taught another style in on a nearby mat.

The fact that there are others from our club taking part makes it even more interesting for me. My hubby taught the cane defence and there were several comments afterwards by amazed students who were surprised at how little pressure was needed to make the cane an effective weapon.  I watched a young member of our karate club take the opportunity to learn something about jiu-jitsu and aikido. He had a great time learning break falls and front rolls, and later learned how to dodge a pool noodle. The other members of our club that attended this year were all adults, but they all learned something new and had lots of fun in the process.

The hosts of this event, Carol and Ted Theelen,  of the Rideau Lakes School of Martial Arts always make everyone feel like part of the family. They had a meet and greet on Friday night, a dinner gathering at the Mandarin Restaurant Saturday evening, and even put on a party for everyone to attend, free of charge on Saturday night.  Even some of the young children were there. If you don't happen to be a dancer, the floor show can be quite entertaining as some martial artists apparently have moves we weren't aware of.

Sunday there was a tournament, which was especially enjoyed by the youngsters. They do love to get those metals! After watching such tournaments for over 30 years, I can vouch for the fact that there is a lot of talent coming up through the ranks, and great things to come in the future. 

I'm already looking forward to Kingston Kicks next year.

Following Life's Path

They said it wouldn't last, but here it is, 31 years later, and Merrickville Karate Club is still going strong.

Back in February of 1985, my husband and young son joined the class when it first opened here. I went up to watch, and really liked what I saw. The instructor had a way of pushing people beyond the limits they had set for themselves, and that was a great confidence builder. Once you know you can do something you never thought you could do, you are more willing to try other things without worrying about failing.

The instructor was from out of town and needed someone local to take calls from prospective students, and unlock the door to the dojo for when they arrived.  I took on the volunteer position and when my husband and I took over the club four years later, I automatically took on the rolls of Coordinator, PR person, and accountant.

The club runs smoothly, and successfully and has had an ongoing waiting list for more than twenty years.  People like that it's a family club, with adults and children in the same class.

I had a couple of openings this spring and mentioned that on Facebook.  Within seconds, those spaces were filled by two 11 year old boys. A couple of days later, the father of one, and the mother of the other had also decided to join the class. Before week was out, I had eleven people wanting to join.  Some will have to wait until September, but I am always warning people not to wait until the last minute. Spaces always fill quickly.

It's been an honour to watch so many people progress, not just in their martial arts skills, but in their life skills over the years. It really is true that once you discover you can do something you didn't think you could do, you find you can succeed at all kinds of other things.  Though I have never actually joined the karate class, I did get heavily involved in tai chi for many years, and have managed to have accumulated a few accomplishments of my own along the way.

The funny thing is, I've never been interested in sports of any kind. Who would ever have guessed that I would own and operate a karate club, let alone for so many years.  Life leads us down some interesting paths, if we are brave enough to follow them.

Success

Some people do things just because they love them.  It's really not important to make a lot of money or become famous if you are doing something you enjoy.  We enjoy running a small karate club, and the students there seem to enjoy being part of it. They come for various reasons.  Some come for the exercise, some for the discipline and others come for the social aspects. Of course, there are some who become dedicated martial artists, who dream of someday becoming Black Belts themselves.

 Friday, December 14, two long time members, David Valcour (57) and David Burns (66),  were promoted to Sho-dan (first degree Black Belt).  That makes a total of 14 Black Belts for this club, promoted under Chief Instructor, Sensei Ron Wattie. (centre)

Merrickville Karate Club will soon be 29 years old, and has had a waiting list for well over 20 years. People have traveled from as far away as Nepean to take classes as they say they like the family atmosphere. It is, indeed, a family club, with both children and parents attending the same classes together. There have been as many as 5 members from the same family enrolled in this club, and that's possible because of the club does everything it can to keep the rates as low as possible, and had family rates for 3 or more from any one family unit. If everyone on the Spring session waiting list turns up for class this coming February, there is already no room for more, and the September list has already been established. 

Maybe you would like to do something you love too.  Nobody says you have to be the very best at what you choose to do, but until you try, you just never know how much success you will have, or if that even matters.  Maybe you'll just love the experience.

For the Record

For those of you who don't already know, I own and operate a karate club. I'm not the instructor, but I do most of everything else involved in running a business. 

The club is now 27 years old, and once in a while I'm still blown away by someone who refuses to allow their child to join the class, no matter how much the kid really wants to come.  The reason is that the parent thinks karate is too violent. If they would just come in and watch a class before passing that judgement, they would see that it is not.  Hockey is violent.  Apparently soccer is too, though I'm still wondering how that happened.  Karate, on the other hand, teaches you  to recognize a situation before it gets out of hand, and to get yourself out of there.  And, of course, it teaches you how to do just enough to escape just in case you didn't leave fast enough.  One could go so far as to say that karate teaches that the first rule of self defense is to run.  It certainly teaches you to avoid violence if at all possible. 

I have seen, over the years, that karate teaches self-confidence, self-control and self-discipline. I have seen kids go from being painfully shy to starring in high school musicals. I have witnessed, time and again, how the kids from the karate class consistently win at the annual science fairs and speech contests.  From time to time I hear of fights that break out at the local school, but it's never the karate kids that are involved in them. They know better. 

If you are one of these people who has this preconceived notion that karate, or any other martial art, is violent, I suggest you take yourself to the nearest class, and ask if you can watch.  If the instructor doesn't let you watch, perhaps that's not a place where you would want to leave your kids anyway.  Find another dojo. But please, don't paint the whole martial arts concept with a single brush. Especially one that doesn't even have a basis in reality.  Violent?  I don't think so!

Kingston Kicks

Every year I look forward to my favourite martial arts event, Kingston Kicks. It is held at the Ambassador Hotel, and put on by Renshi Ted Theelen and his wife Carol.  On Saturday there are always lots of seminars for all ranks and age groups that include karate, jiu jitsu, aikido, tai chi, weapons, self defense and an assortment of other things.  This year I even heard how much some people really enjoyed the sport massage class. 

My hubby generally teaches at these events and I wander from room to room watching the students from our club as they take part.  This year there were even a couple of wives there, so I wasn't as alone as I might usually be. Not that I'm ever actually alone, since this is like a giant reunion when I get to see people I may not see any other time of year.  An old friend even drove in from outside of Kingston to spend some time with us and we had a nice visit. 

In the evening there is always a great party, at no extra charge.  Even the kids can come to the party if they want.  Usually they are just there for the early part of the evening, as they are already worn out from all the exercise they got throughout the day.  It's amazing how well little kids can dance these days, and it's always fun to watch them.  This year the party theme was Hoe Down, and people showed up in their jeans and plaid shirts and cowboy hats.  I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as usual.  I'm not that much into country music, and I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't getting to wear the dress I bought especially for this occasion.  But surprisingly I had as great a time as I usually do. 

Sunday it's Tournament time.  There were demonstration teams, and sports jui jitsu competitions as well as the usual kata and kumite (sparring) competitions.  The categories were small enough that everything ran smoothly, and there were lots of smiling faces.  Just one of our students took part in the tournament this year, and though it was his first ever competition, he proudly took home a bronze metal. 

 I'm sure plans are already in the works for next year, and I'm already looking forward to going back for more good times.