May 2008 Newsletter

THIS YEAR’S BENEFIT KARATE TOURNAMENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. Our 22nd event ran smoothly and we were done by 4:00 PM. Mrs. Hughes and I thank all the parents, students and friends that helped during the day. The work of the score keepers and event staff is necessary for the event to run smoothly. There were in excess of 200 competitors and more than 20 schools were in attendance. Our school had 17 competitors who did very well at the event. Tiffany Dill and Katherine Waldman got rave reviews after they sang the National Anthem. PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR - - OUR 23RD EVENT WILL BE SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2009. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERY STUDENT THERE.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - KARATE TRAINING CAMP - - SATURDAY, JULY 26TH - - IT IS MANDATORY FOR ALL BROWN AND BLACK BELTS. ALL OTHER STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO ATTEND. 9:00 AM TO 3:30 PM - - KYOSHI AND RENSHI HUGHES’.

Running Your Own Race - Jill Koenig

Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new. When I was a teenager I volunteered to work the water station at a 10k race. It was called the "Heaven Can Wait" 10k run and ironically, it was sponsored by the local cemetery. My job was to pass out water to the runners. I remember being so excited to see all the different kinds of people who passed by and grabbed a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past. I saw so many types of people doing it, I thought maybe I can do it too!

So the next year I signed up for the race and gave it a shot. Back then I didn't do much to prepare except jog around my neighborhood. I never tracked how far I jogged, or timed myself, I just ran around. I had no time goals for the race, no specialized training, no game plan, nothing. Needless to say that I prepare differently when I run races today, but back then my only goal was to finish. On the day of the race, it was incredibly hot and humid. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, "I must be crazy, why did I do this? What was I thinking? And at one point, I said, "I am never doing this again!"

Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly undertake a goal and in the midst of it comes a moment of struggle, and you realize it is much harder than you imagined it would be? That first 10k race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. At times, I didn't know if I could finish. Then came a defining moment. At one point near the end, a 70 year old man ran past me, very very fast, and I felt embarrassed that I was 50+ years younger than he and I couldn't even keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine. He had different capacities, experience, training and goals for himself. I had mine. Remember my goal was merely to finish.

How often in life do we compare ourselves to others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn't? After a minute, it hit me that this was a lesson I could draw from. I learned something about myself in that moment. I turned my embarrassment into inspiration. I decided that I would not give up on running races, in fact, I would run even more races and I would learn how to train and prepare properly and one day I would be one of those 70 year olds who was still running. As I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my accomplishment. I am so glad I didn't give up on running. Today it is an incredible source of joy in my life. I have run several races since then, 5ks, 10ks and I run purely for fun. I have studied running books, made friendships with other runners and I can report that I love it now more than ever.

In life we all have those moments where we compare ourselves to others. It's only natural. Don't allow those moments to disempower you. Turn them into motivation and let them inspire you. Use them to show you what is possible. Every struggle is rich with opportunity. You define your own race when you define your own goals.

With the proper preparation, coaching and conditioning, you can improve your results to achieve anything you want in life. The impact of fitness and nutrition on my life has been remarkable. I can do things now that I could not even do in my 20's all because of coaching, proper nutrition and conditioning. You decide your race and you decide your own pace. Rarely in life will your destiny be determined by one little race.

"Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable." - Coach John Wooden

Life is a series of races. There are lessons in every race. There are life lessons to be learned every single day. If you don't win the race, but you get the lesson, and grow, you are truly a success.

Live Your Dreams.

The Nature of Character - Michael Josephson - www.charactercounts.org

Abraham Lincoln was very concerned with character, but he was also aware of the importance of having a good reputation. He explained the difference this way: “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

Put another way, your reputation is what people think of you. Your character is what you actually are.

In a world preoccupied with image, it’s easy to worry too much about our reputation and too little about our character. Building a reputation is largely a public-relations project; building character requires us to focus on our values and actions. Noble rhetoric and good intentions aren’t enough.

What we’re looking for is moral strength based on ethical principles. Character is revealed by actions, not words, especially when there’s a gap between what we want to do and what we should do and when doing the right thing costs more than we want to pay.

Our character is revealed by how we deal with pressures and temptations. But it’s also disclosed by everyday actions, including what we say and do when we think no one is looking and we won’t get caught.

The way we treat people we think can’t help or hurt us (like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries), tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. People who are honest, kind, and fair only when there’s something to gain shouldn’t be confused with people of real character who demonstrate these qualities habitually, under all circumstances.

Character is not a fancy coat we put on for show. It’s who we really are.

The lessons we learn at home, in school, from our family and friends and at the dojo are the building blocks of our lives. Winning at our recent tournament is a good thing but the lessons we learn through preparing for the competition regardless of the outcome is where we can learn about our selves and then we begin to learn about our character. Live each day striving to make a difference in someone’s life.

Budo, the way or path of the warrior or combat, specifically a means to an end using the practice of the martial arts like karate-do. Karate-do, the way or path to the empty hand, also specifically a means to an end using the practice of karate or empty hand to achieve a level of expertise and personal enlightenment (self-improvement). A physical, mental, and spiritual path to achieve balance personally, socially, and emotionally.

One of the precepts of the practice of karate-do and/or budo is to reflect internally and to be open to both the good and the bad so you may focus on the area's that require improvement. Karate was originally developed as a combative form. Karate-do is that which morphed into something more to include combative aspects as well as those esoteric features that result in our enlightenment. This does not mean that we get to pick and choose what parts of the are we want to exclude because those aspects we feel are unimportant or unnecessary. To do this means we are NOT following the way.

To follow the way requires us to do things that we don't want to do; to do things that may not be to our liking; to do those things that cause us stress and anxiety. If one deviates then one is no longer on the path. We must embrace all that karate-do has to offer and trust the hundreds to thousands of years experience of the Masters who put it all into our training as the path we need to follow.

Are you really following the way or are you just picking and choosing what interests you or what excites you?

Congratulations to the students who earned promotions since our last newsletter.

•  Junior Yellow Belt - Steven Gerns, Victoria and Olivia Dait

•  Junior Orange Belt - Brandi Mulligan

•  Senior Yellow Belt - Robert Brobst