December 2014

In This Issue

Anniversaries

Board News

Not Just for Parents

Violence Prevention News

H.I.I.T. It Fitness

Promotions

Anniversaries

10 and 20 Years in the Art:
A Conversation between Sensei Katherine and Senpai Ryan

By Senpai Ryan Libel
2nd Degree Black Belt and TW Director of Operations

 
In these photos Sensei Katherine and Senpai Ryan engage in sparring conversation, but in this article
they sit down for a talk.

About six months ago, Sensei Katherine Nichols, editor-in-chief of this newsletter, and I were discussing Kiai! article possibilities.  I mentioned an interest in writing something about 2014 being my 10th anniversary of training at Thousand Waves, and as we talked about the idea, she mentioned that 2014 also happens to be her own 20th anniversary of training.  So a few weeks back we booked an hour on a Friday afternoon to sit down and reminisce about our decade and two in the art.

RL: Surely we have something to talk about pertaining to how we come to be sitting here as staff members.

Read their conversation here.

Thirty Years of Feminism, Martial Arts, and Self-Defense at Thousand Waves

A Special Meditations On Activism Program

Have you ever wondered how Thousand Waves became the community it is today – inclusive, genuine, diverse, welcoming and still vibrant and growing after 30 years?  Then please save the date for a very special Meditation on Activism, “Thirty Years of Feminism, Martial Arts, and Self-Defense”, on Wed., February 4, 2015 from 7:45 to 9:30 pm. 

In celebration of Thousand Waves’ 30th Anniversary, Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah will share with us their thoughts on the feminist roots of their own martial and self-defense practices, which in turn, blossomed into their teaching and stewardship of the Thousand Waves community. 

Mark your calendars now – you won’t want to miss this oral history and celebration of 30 years of empowerment at Thousand Waves!  This Meditation on Activism is free and open to TW members, alumni, allies, and community partners. 

A Special Request from Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah

Every year during the holiday season, Thousand Waves leadership takes a moment to assess the year past, consider the ways in which we are fortunate, and ask for your financial support as we prepare to launch into the new year. 

We continue to serve people in all walks of life and all across the city.  From our free community self-defense workshops held here at Thousand Waves, to our Adapted Seido Karate program, to our Violence Prevention work in organizations like the Union League Boys and Girls Club in Pilsen and Christopher House in Logan Square, we are more committed than ever to sharing our skills with a Chicago in need.  So far in 2014, we’ve distributed over $30,000 in scholarships to individuals and organizations for all of our programs including Camp Kokoro, our ongoing karate training, and our Violence Prevention work in the community.

We have also undertaken a lot of structural work on our organization.  We have a new Manager of Violence Prevention programs, Amy Jones, working full time to deliver quality Self-Defense programs to organizations throughout the city.  Her work to date on multi-session programs for schools is helping us reach new students in new ways.

Under the leadership of our Board of Directors, we completed a Strategic Plan that will guide us through 2016.  Leadership development, capacity building in Violence Prevention, a focus on underserved populations, and increasing our karate membership are all a part of the plan.

In 2014, we were especially touched to have so many members and supporters give of themselves for our benefit.  Board Chair Emeritus Pat Broughton used her 60th birthday party to raise funds for our programs.  Noted actor/TV personality Tom Sullivan gave a wonderful multimedia presentation to benefit our ASK program, and local real estate consultant Michelle DeWoskin put on a networking event for the benefit of Thousand Waves.  Flutist Mark Longo transformed our space into a beautiful chamber music venue, and board member Todd Scales connected us with Orbitz.com, his employer, who hosted a special fundraiser for us back in the spring.

We know that everyone who holds Thousand Waves dear – including you – regularly goes out of their way regularly on behalf of our great organization.  Whether you volunteer for dojo cleanup or bring in muffins for the staff, we greatly appreciate all of your contributions.

As we head into our 30th anniversary year, we look forward to many more occasions to make a strong, positive impact in our world.  Thank you especially for any donation you are able to make during this season of giving.  Your support of Thousand Waves helps us fulfill our mission of peacemaking all year long.

Sincerely,


Nancy Lanoue


Sarah Ludden

Thousand Waves Co-executive Directors

PS: If your annual donations total $1,000 or more, you will be a part of our Plum Blossom Society. Just let Ryan Libel know if you need a total of your 2014 donations to date: rlibel@thousandwaves.org. 

Our 2015 End of Year gift is a USB drive that comes loaded with a slideshow of 2014 highlights. Don’t miss out!  Just check that option as you process your donation on our site.

Board News

Annual Meeting / Kagami Biraki

Annually, Seido students around the world get together at their dojos shortly after the New Year to celebrate Kagami Biraki, which traditionally marks the end of the New Year’s season in Japan.  At Thousand Waves, it’s really our high holiday – we take the opportunity to gather for a great karate workout, and we also use the occasion of so many of us gathered together to report to our members and parents on the goings-on of our non-profit organization.  As we’ve been doing for the past several years, we’ll be holding one event for Kids and Parents, and one for Adults and Teens.

Kids and Parents: please join us from 10:30 to 11:45 am on Saturday, January 10.  We’ll have coffee and an informational meeting for parents in the basement while the kids do their Kagami Biraki karate workout on the main training floor.  After 45 minutes, younger children will have the opportunity to adjourn to the lobby for some fun activities with Senpai Jordan, so parents can stay for the entire meeting. Come get a sneak peak at our 2015 program offerings! 

Adults and Teens: your workout is at 8:00 am on Sunday, January 11. It will be very vigorous, yet possible for all, even white belts.  The workout will be followed by a potluck breakfast from 9:30-10:00, and our member meeting will run from 10-11:30. Kagami Biraki is a perfect occasion to re-commit to your karate training!

Regular classes for kids are canceled on Saturday, January 10, as are our regular classes for Adults on Sunday, January 11.  Classes for adults will be happening as normal the afternoon of January 10.

Thousand Waves Board Elects New Leaders

By Sei Shihan Nancy Lanoue and Jun Shihan Sarah Ludden
Thousand Waves Co-Executive Directors

Thousand Waves is excited to announce a transition in the leadership of our volunteer Board of Directors.  As a 501 (c)(3) organization, our board has a strong legal and fiduciary oversight role, and it also takes the lead in providing strategic guidance to the organization.  Of course our board members also do things like move folding chairs in service of dojo events and monitor parking lots for our Punch & Kick-a-Thon!  These folks are true TW superstars.

At November’s board meeting, we said thank you to outgoing Chair, Senpai Annie Gregory, Shelley Fried for her service as Treasurer and Senpai Matt Birnholz for his service as Secretary.  All will remain on the board as we head into 2015.  Stepping into leadership roles are Julie Palles as Chair, Mike Mazzeo as Treasurer, and Senpai Todd Scales as Secretary.  All three are parents of training members, and Senpai Todd trains as well.  Julie brings a wealth of NFP board experience to her role as chair, and she is also an attorney.  Mike is a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, and Senpai Todd is a team leader at Orbitz.

Please join us in thanking the outgoing officers for their service, and in welcoming our new officers.  Especially look for them to be making an appearance at our 2015 Kagami Biraki and Annual member meetings, happening January 10 for kids/parents and January 11 for adults and teens.  More details on those events in this article.

Giving Back: Volunteer Opportunities at Thousand Waves

By Senpai Michele Curley
1st Degree Black Belt and Volunteer Extraordinaire


Senpai Michele as co-ordinator of dojo cleanup
in December 2013.
Co-chair of Soji (bi-annual Dojo Cleanup), member of the TW Board of Directors, member of the Fundraising Committee, ASK teacher – these are some of the many wonderful Thousand Waves volunteer opportunities that I have held, and that are now open to you! No experience needed!

Tis the season of giving, and there are many ways you can make a difference by helping Thousand Waves fulfill its mission. Besides sending in an end-of-the-year financial donation, you could help out by volunteering! Some opportunities are providing food/beverages, setting up or cleaning up for our annual holiday party or for one of our black belt promotion parties. Others include taking a dojo clean-up shift or serving on one of our standing or ad-hoc committees.

All of these opportunities are open to both training members and parents/relatives/partners of training members! More information about new committees and other volunteer needs will be discussed at our annual membership meetings in January (on Sat., Jan. 10 for parents and on Sun. Jan. 11 for training members). In the meantime, I can tell you about some of the volunteer experiences that I have had at Thousand Waves.

Read about Michele’s experience as a volunteer for Thousand Waves.

Not Just for Parents

Camp Kokoro Coming to Spring Break

It’s been 4 months since Camp Kokoro ended and I still hear stories and anecdotes from kids about all the fun they had. Whether it was a serious learning moment, something silly one of their counselors did, or an awesome play in JuJuBee; the memories are lasting. It’s such a long wait wait for summer, to experience that again. That’s why in 2015, we’re bringing a taste of Camp Kokoro in the spring! The week of Monday April 6 through Friday April 10, we are offering a Spring Break Camp from 9 am – 3 pm. The cost is $325 for the full week or $75 per day. No two days of the camp will be exactly the same but every day will include two karate classes, a snack, outdoor games (weather permitting), and a karate-related project or game! Register at the dojo, or online. Don’t miss out on all the fun! – Senpai Jordan Garcia

Preparing for Junior Black Belt: My Family's Story

By Tabitha Balakumar
Brown Belt and TW parent


Tabitha's sons Ethan and Owen pose with Jun Shihan Sarah and Sei Shihan Nancy after their November 1 Junior Black Belt test.
When one hears “black belt test,” one usually conjures up images of practicing curriculum for hours on end and quizzing Japanese terms. That’s definitely part of it, but, this year, I learned how much more is involved.

This past fall, I watched my two kids, Ethan and Owen, prepare to take their Junior Black Belt test, which they completed on November 1st. It was interesting, especially since they were in very different places: Ethan was eleven years old, had already learned how to write an essay, and was closer in age to the rest of the kids in their testing group. Owen was nine years old, had never written an essay before, and has been the youngest kid at his rank for the past two years. Finding his place among his fellow karateka has sometimes been a challenge, but he has never been deterred. Preparing for his black best test was no different.

Read how Ethan and Owen prepared for their
Junior Black Belt Test.

On Saturday November 15, 162 of our young karate students and their parents put on a rousing display of spirit as they persevered through our annual Punch & Kick-a-Thon!  The event is a fundraiser organized around a group workout during which participants do 1,000 punches and 1,000 kicks.

 It was a joy to watch Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah run the workouts. This year our youngest kids and our older kids did the workout simultaneously, filling adjacent gym spaces at the Drucker Center with their yells of spirit!  At “halftime,” the crowd was treated to inspiring demonstrations of Seido karate from TW Teens and students from our Adapted Seido Karate program. 

In the end we surpassed our fundraising goal, raising $35,020 to support our not-for-profit work, including our Scholarship, Adapted Seido Karate, and Violence Prevention programs. We are pleased to announce that the top fundraisers were: Justin Goldberg, Charlie Mazzeo, Noam Levinsky, and the Franco, McCloskey and Harold families. Thank you to all the fundraisers and all the donors for making the event a huge success!

Violence Prevention News

Our Week at Mother McAuley

By Senpai Amy Jones
2nd Degree Black Belt and TW Violence Prevention & Self-Defense Program Manager

In the last week of October, Thousand Waves had the opportunity to teach self-defense to over 200 girls at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.  Located on the south side, Mother McAuley is the largest all-girls Catholic high school in the country.  We were in every PE and Health class all week – 8 periods of either 45 or 35 minutes.  Period 4 was the most lightly populated, with 16 girls.  Period 7 had 52! Some periods, like 7, were actually two classes that were combined.  In all, 239 girls spent five days learning physical self-defense techniques and boundary-setting skills.  

I was there every day, but I wasn’t alone. 

Read on.

Peace of Mind Makes a Great Gift:
Gift Certificates for Self-Defense Programs Now Available

Our next self-defense intensive weekend course will be January 30th-Feburary 1st.  These in-depth courses are 12 hours over three days (Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday afternoon). Each day, students have the opportunity to practice physical skills, awareness skills, verbal skills, and social skills that will enhance their safety in a variety of situations.   A growing body of evidence shows that taking a self-defense class can reduce anxiety and fear, and can increase assertiveness, confidence, and self-esteem.  That adds up to quite a significant gift!   If you’ve taken one of our intensives, you know it’s true:  one weekend can change your life.   Full price for the intensive is $200, $150 for students.  You can also take advantage of our bring-a-friend offer, which is two spots for $175 each.  Or if you’re looking for a small stocking stuffer, give a gift certificate ($15-$25 sliding scale) that can be used for any of our six 2015 Saturday afternoon workshops.  Email ajones@thousandwaves.org, or call us at (773) 472-7663 to purchase a beautifully-designed gift certificate in time for the holidays.

H.I.I.T. It Fitness

More Personal Than A Gym, Cheaper Than A Trainer!


H.I.I.T. It Fitness instructor Alan Miller helps
Tabitha maximize her workout.

Our morning fitness program, rooted in fitness best practices of high intensity interval training, offers small group instruction in three class types:  one focused on cardio, one on circuit training, and one on kickboxing.  All will help you meet your fitness goals, and all will send you into the rest of your day full of energy. 

Join instructor Alan Miller at 9:00 am Mon-Thurs, and at 9:30 am on Sundays.  Your first class is free, and class packs and monthly membership options beyond that are flexible to suit your needs. Click here for more information.

Promotions

Ten New Junior Black Belts Make Us Proud

Photos and Pearls from Promotion Essays


Photo-dachi after the November 1, 2014 Junior Black Belt test (left to right): Isaiah Meadows, Aaron Shaefer, Payton Shearn, Ethan Balakumar, Michael Youngblood, Owen Balakumar, Sei Shihan Nancy Lanoue, Ella Bruks, Jun Shihan Sarah Ludden, Clara Laden-Guindon (2nd degree black belt), Joshua Baumstark and Charlie Mazzeo.

See more photos of the Junior Black Belt test, and read excerpts
from the candidates' promotion essays.

Congratulations to November and December 2014 Promotees

See who advanced in rank:

Junior Color Belts
Youth & Teen Color Belts
Adult Color Belts
Junior Black Belts