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from the February, 2010 issue of Kiai!
Thousand Waves' 25th
By Nancy Lanoue, Co-Executive Director
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In 2010 it will be 25 years since I began teaching karate and self-defense here in Chicago at the Women's Gym, which transformed into Chicago Women's Seido Karate, which transformed into Thousand Waves. Given the severity of the challenges we have faced, it feels like a miracle that we survived. But we did, and that's worth celebrating!
I've never been drawn to big, flamboyant birthday or anniversary celebrations. To me, they seem like a lot of work and an uncomfortable opportunity to be the center of attention. So last fall when TW Board Chair Pat Broughton asked Co-director Sarah Ludden and me how we wanted to celebrate Thousand Waves' upcoming 25th anniversary, we had a vague feeling of dread that another big project was on the horizon and that we would be called to "rally the troops" to support it.
Eventually we understood that Pat was asking us to consider what would be meaningful to us as a way of honoring TW's 25 years. She explained that Marsha East and Sarah Kranz had generously offered to coordinate a celebratory event, and encouraged us to meet with them to discuss what an anniversary celebration might look like.
Pat, Marsha and Sarah really listened as we explained that what we didn't want was another fundraising event that would burden the community or make members feel obligated to participate. We wanted our celebration to be for our current adult members and special alums, especially the students who had earned their junior and adult black belts but were no longer connected with us. We wanted it not to cost too much and to be fun!
In the end, we decided to celebrate Thousand Waves' 25th anniversary with a party for adults and older teens to be held at the Bad Apple restaurant here in Chicago on Saturday evening, July 31st. In keeping with our iconoclastic reputation, there will be no tournament or martial arts demonstration, or proclamations from public officials to mark our milestone. Instead we will use this precious time to share memories of triumphs and hard times, to acknowledge the people who have made it all possible, and to reconnect with old friends with whom we've lost touch. If Thousand Waves has been an important part of your life, we look forward to celebrating with you next summer.