Letter from our Executive Director

09.03.2021 by Ryan Libel

Dear Thousand Waves Community,

Summer has come and gone, and while it wasn’t as carefree as we may have wished at the outset, I hope you managed to find some joy.  I know many of our families were able to take vacations, and our members have continued to enjoy training in the parks through Chicago’s magnificent summer weather.  Camp Kokoro provided our young members with opportunities to deepen dojo relationships and explore the city.  We ended August on a high note with beach training opportunities for all!

Read the rest of this letter from our Executive Director.

Fall is a time of change, and I want to share some staffing news – first, a promotion!  John Pappas, Thousand Waves longest standing employee, has been dutifully filling more and bigger shoes over the years, long ago outgrowing his title of IT Manager.  I’m thrilled to announce his recent promotion to General Manager of Thousand Waves.  His many responsibilities include front desk/retail operations, member billing/membership management and facilities management.  And yes, he also continues to keep our IT house in order.  Join me in congratulating him on his new role.

Sadly, we’ve had to say goodbye (for now!) to Senpai Lucia Frisancho, who is pursuing a grad school opportunity in London, and to Senpai Johnny Hollowed, who is off to college in Maryland.  While they can’t be replaced, we’re excited that Senpai Willa Marie O’Donnell and Senpai Zak Shearn, fresh off their roles as Camp Kokoro Counselors, will be stepping into bigger teaching roles going forward.  Senpai Ezra Danzig and Senpai Liliana Schommer are also stepping up to support our kids’ program – I’m so grateful to these young people for their dedication to our school and for being inspiring teen leaders.

We’re also making progress moving forward with programs outside of our core karate program.  I’ve been working with a great volunteer committee to get some Empowerment Self-Defense workshops back on the schedule.  We’re excited to have three, 2-hour Five Fingers of Self-Defense workshops coming up on 9/25, 11/13, and 12/11, from 4 - 6 pm each day.  Registration is open now – come for a refresher yourself or refer a friend!  

Kyoshi Tom is also excited to be in talks with The Shirley Ryan Ability Lab’s Caring for Kids program, which hosts our Adapted Seido Karate program for children with spine-based mobility challenges.  They are putting the final plans together to restart the program soon – please send Kyoshi Tom an email at twest@thousandwaves.org if you are interested in volunteering to be a part of this rewarding work.

Getting our Self-Defense and Adapted Seido Karate programs going again has me excited to do the fundraising necessary to support it.  I hope our work, as well as our ongoing Ann Morris and Vada Woods Scholarship Program that supports accessibility in all of our activities, will inspire you to support our upcoming Spirit Challenge Fundraiser, which we’ll run through the month of October.  More information will be coming soon on Spirit Challenge events, including how to register and start fundraising using our online tools.  

Thank you so much for your dedication to our mission and work.

Sensei Ryan

Ryan Libel
Executive Director

Report from the Outgoing Council of Senior Leaders

09.03.2021 by the Council of Senior Leaders

This month marks the end of our two-year term as the inaugural members of Thousand Waves Council of Senior Leaders.  Though covid hamstrung some of our aspirations pertaining to supporting community building activities over the past couple of years, we have remained active through the challenges and have been able to move forward with many key duties of the Council.  Some areas in which we’ve been especially active include supporting senior members for advanced black belt grading, supporting the transmission of the values of the art through special monthly meditation programs, and advising on strategy pertaining to maintaining excellence in martial arts instruction.

We’ve also created some infrastructure for the Council, important work that we think will aid in the body’s sustainability and success going forward.  And speaking of sustainability, we are pleased to have successfully recruited our replacements!  Please join us in thanking our new Council members for their willingness to serve.  They are: Sensei Pat Broughton, Senpai Mattie Greenblatt, Senpai Michele Curley, Senpai Jeff Gore, Senpai John Cusick, and Michelle Koerbel.

It’s been a pleasure to serve Thousand Waves through this challenging time; thank you.

Sincerely,

The Outgoing Council of Senior Leaders: Jun Shihan Martha Fourt, Kyoshi Akinwande Oyebanjo, Sensei Aileen Geary, Sensei Ryan Libel, Senpai Margarita Saona, Senpai Lauren Bushnell, Marti Mendoza-Schommer.

Peacemaker Award to be presented in Special Meditation Class September 21

09.03.2021 by Thousand Waves

Sei Shihan Sarah Ludden will present a Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award to Xach Lightner during a special meditation class. Xach is a Brown Belt student who intervened in a domestic violence situation.

The Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award publicly acknowledges and honors the courage, commitment and hard work it takes to prevent, stop or reduce violence. Peacemakers are people who challenge the prevailing culture and decide to be allies with others who seek peaceful and effective ways to manage conflict. In the spirit of “one wave setting thousands in motion,” the Award magnifies the rippling effects of the peacemaker’s work and expands our collective commitment to violence prevention.

The community is invited to attend Xach’s Peacemaker Award presentation, either in person at 6:45 pm on Tuesday September 21, or over Zoom.

Counselors’ Report on Camp Kokoro

09.03.2021 by Zak Shearn and Willa Marie O’Donnell

As a second covid summer comes to a close, we marked the completion of our 18th Camp Kokoro. This summer was a little different than before, but even with limited capacity and masks all around, we still included a ton of Camp Kokoro’s best staples!  

Read the full Camp Kokoro report.

Last year, Camp Kokoro was not able to happen due to the pandemic and we all felt the loss of such a fun and meaningful summer experience for our young Karatekas. Camp Kokoro is a place where the kids make friends and form deeper connections with their art. With the pandemic and online learning dampening the in-person friendships that our young students make, we felt it was especially important for the kids to have as close to a regular camp experience as possible. As counselors especially, we missed forming connections with the kids and helping them grow into fine young karateka. Coming back to Camp and seeing the campers train and have fun alongside their dojo friends was an experience all of us truly missed. 

Of course, not everything could be the same. In a given week, Camp was composed of three counselors and 10 to 12 kids. With this year’s junior counselors taking new leadership roles, Camp was a learning experience for all! 

In order to maintain a safe, yet fun, environment Senpai Jordan wanted to maximize the kid’s time outside, leading to a ton of new activities and locations never before seen at Camp Kokoro. Some highlights include Lincoln Park Zoo, with classes in the park before an afternoon of animals, a walk through North Park Nature Center and, of course the waterpark, Mystic Waters!

On the other days, Camp took place at the dojo, where the kids took traditional classes and special classes alike, all taught by our senior counselors. Some of the special classes this year included rolling and falling, circuit training, nunchaku, and bo and jo weapons. In the afternoon, we went to an assortment of parks near the dojo to eat lunch, play games and of course put on lots of sunscreen!

Throughout Camp, we wanted to make sure the parents could get a peek at all the action! On weeks 1 and 3, the kids spent class time preparing a kata to compete with in our Camp Kokoro Kata Tournament. Each student’s kata was recorded and sent to their parents at the end of the day. On weeks 2 and 4, the kids were asked to pick their favorite fight scene from a movie or TV show. They then spent time choreographing their scene with a counselor, which they later performed for the rest of the camp and were recorded for their parents.

Despite the many limitations, this year was one of the best we’ve had yet! We hope to see you all next summer!

Senpai Zak and Senpai Willa Marie are first degree black belts, and Camp Kokoro counselors. They will both join the regular Thousand Waves teaching staff this Fall.

Beach Training Joy

09.03.2021 by Thousand Waves

Beach Training, a beloved annual event throughout Seido Karate, returned to Thousand Waves this August. We all missed Beach Training last year in 2020 because of the pandemic. We were delighted to offer Kids’ Beach Training on Saturday August 21, and Adult Beach Training and Sunrise Meditation on Sunday August 22.

See more Kids’ Beach Training photos here.
See more Adult & Teen Beach Training photos here.

09.03.2021 by Thousand Waves

Darren Tuggle is an Advanced Green Belt training member, and the parent of a Junior Nidan.

Briefly, how did you come to train in Seido Karate at Thousand Waves?
It is a total family affair! When my son, Senpai Quentin moved from the program at the High Ridge Y (RIP), he brought Michelle and I along for the ride.

What is one thing you’d like to change about the world?
That is a pretty big list. If I could pick just one thing, I think that it would be to make people understand the importance of listening. We are all so worried about what we want to say, we have forgotten how to listen to others.

What is one thing you do well?
My superpower is to help my students see their potentials. I love to sing, too.

What is one thing you do not do so well?
Beyond the obvious thing like “lose weight,” I have always wished I were more organized. My teaching and my cooking are all over the place! I make beautiful dishes and teach (I hope) wonderful lessons, but I seldom end up where I intended. It also makes for a disastrous post-meal kitchen.

Who from history do you admire, and why?
I have to go to my man William Shakespeare. From a 21st century lens, his work can often be troubling… one cannot read Merchant of Venice without seeing the obvious anti-Semitism… he is often called a misogynist and a racist… and how many writers of color and of different genders have been excluded from the literary canon to protect his place? Still, there are so many moments of beautiful (and ugly) humanity in his work.

Other than Chicago, where have you most enjoyed spending time?
Hands down, the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch outside of Loveland, Colorado. It is there where I had my happiest memories from my somewhat troubling childhood. When I realized that I loved (and still love) Michelle, I took her there for a quick day trip so she could see how amazing the place is. She fell in love (with me and the place, I hope!). Once Senpai Quentin was old enough, we took him there as well. He also fell in love! As much as we love travelling to different places around the world (Quentin took his first trip to Mt. Snowden in Wales when he was 3!), we always find our way back to Sylvan Dale.

What quotation have you found inspiring or interesting?
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
– William Shakespeare

What foods do you like best?
Those that are prepared with love and pride.  It doesn’t matter if it is a plate of lobster and caviar or a grilled cheese… if love or pride is missing from the ingredient list, the food will be mediocre at best.

What is a book that has been significant to you?
Tough one. As a teacher of literature, I should have a more highbrow answer, but when the day is done, I will always go Lord of the Rings trilogy. Michelle, Quentin, and I actually traveled to New Zealand just to see all of the movie sites!

What are your musical favorites?
If the question literally means musicals, I would have to go “Pippin” and “Hair.” If we are talking acts, I would say “The Manhattan Transfer.” If we are talking musical pieces, “Brahms: Requiem” and “Verdi: Requiem.”

“Thousand Waves Member Spotlight: Ten Questions for…” is a regular feature of Kiai!
 In the next issue, Justine Houseman will answer these same ten questions.