October 2015

In This Issue

30th Anniversary

Project Updates

Community

Training

Violence Prevention News

Promotions

30th Anniversary

Celebrating Thirty Years of Art with Heart

By Sensei Martha Thompson
4th Degree Black Belt

Can you guess what Gioia, a 4½ year old preschool student, has in common with me, a 68 year old college professor? We both train at Thousand Waves! Gioia is among the youngest students at Thousand Waves, and I am among the oldest. Thousand Waves showcased its cross generational appeal at the October 3, 2015 Art With Heart performance with performers from the Adapted Seido Karate (ASK) program, Little Kicks, Juniors, Youth, Teen, Adult programs and guests Grupo Capoeira Brasil.


The 30th anniversary Art With Heart included revivals of favorite performances from
years past, such as this kata medley.

Seido Karate was the focus of the evening, interspersed with Kajukenbo and Capoeira. ASK and Thousand Waves children shared their strikes, kicks, kata, self-defenses, and non-quitting spirit. Grupo Capoeira Brasil lit up the stage with their music, dance, and acrobatics. Thousand Waves adults flew through the air; broke multiple boards; shared kata; applied kata; sparred; demonstrated self-defenses, and used weapons such as boken, jo, knife, light saber, nunchaku, sai, and tonfa.

Read on, and see more photos from the Art With Heart performance.

Compassion in Action:
TW Collecting Food for Lakeview Pantry

To celebrate our 30th anniversary and to give back to our community, Thousand Waves is hosting a series of collections. Our November collection will benefit Lakeview Pantry. Lakeview Pantry is one of Chicago’s largest and longest lived food pantries. They provide on-site food distribution, deliver food to home-bound clients, distribute free clothing, and have a social services program that helps clients connect with other services they need to address the causes of food insecurity. Opened in 1970, this is their 45th anniversary.  Look for an e-mail in early November with details!

Project Updates

Thanks for the New Floor!

Thousand Waves would like to thank our entire community for your generous support of our “Fund The Floor” project!  The new training floor was installed in the week leading up to Labor Day, and those of us who’ve been training on it for a month can report that not only is it beautiful, it’s also a treat for the feet. Your generosity can’t be overstated – we had 100% of the funds needed in-hand prior to the floor’s installation.  Be on the lookout for a commemorative art piece thanking supporters of the project, at Thousand Waves soon!

Community

Thousand Waves Member Spotlight: Ten Questions for Fay Cheng

Kiai!:  Briefly, how did you come to train Seido Karate at Thousand Waves?

Fay: I was interested in karate but had not found a place that felt comfortable.  I was unexpectedly rescheduled on (aka, stood up) one night and instead of sulking about the plan change, I did a trial class at Thousand Waves.

Kiai!:  What is one thing you’d like to change about the world?

Fay:  It’s hard to pick one… Teaching the world to value all that surrounds them and to be grateful for their bounty.  There is so much wasted in the modern world: food, time, energy, life, experience.  To have gratitude and respect for these things and facing your fears would really help us all.

To have gratitude for the abundance of our food, energy and resources and not be so wasteful when so many others are in need.  To recycle, donate, repurpose, live generously when we can, to be gentle with our earth and all that share it is important to me.

To face our fears and not waste time with hate, intolerance, misunderstanding or just be too afraid to have an experience, swallow pride, forgive an injury, we waste too much time letting fear dominate.

Kiai!:  What is one thing you do well?

Fay:  Cooking healthily and sometimes inventively… because I LOVE to eat.  Eating is almost an addiction so I try to find what I can eat a lot of without abusing my body.  This usually involves a lot of veggies. I can also do some yummy things with goat cheese, all the creaminess, none of the guilt.  Curbing a carb addiction is the hardest part.

Kiai!:  What is one thing you do not do so well?

Fay:  Having patience.  Many people have come into my life to teach me patience and different forms of it.  It is a lesson category that constantly reappears in my life because I have yet to learn it properly.

Kiai!:  Who from history do you admire, and why?

Fay: I’m terrible with history (and geography).  I’m going to go with the Buddha for his stories, lessons and ideas that try to promote inner peace, outer harmony and what is truly important in your life and soul.  Whether he was real or an exaggerated figurehead, the symbol and underlying teachings are a wonder to me.  These ideals have helped me get a lot of grounding and perspective.

Kiai!:  Other than Chicago, where have you most enjoyed spending time?

Fay:  San Francisco and parts of Thailand.  My best friend lives in San Fran and I love visiting her there. We were also lucky enough to go to Thailand together recently and I loved the hospitality and affordability of it.  $2.50 street food dinner and $6/hour massages are my heaven. It’s typically not where I spend time, but who I’m with that makes the place enjoyable.

Kiai!:  What quotation have you found inspiring or interesting?

Fay:  Most quotes coming from Buddhist teachings inspire and remind me of what’s important in life.  There are really too many to pick from so I will just say the most prominent and grounding quote would be the most basic Buddhist idea that “Nothing is forever. Change is the only constant.”  Of course, “all things in moderation” is a good one to keep in mind too, especially when carby foods are involved. The most important quote would be from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure: “Be excellent to each other!”

Kiai!:  What foods do you like best?

Fay:  I love carbs (bread, chips, pasta, pizza) and greens (salad! salad! salad!).  I get nervous when there isn’t any lettuce in my house.  Also, I ate so much garlic last year, I gave myself a garlic allergy.  I have since reset my system and am able to enjoy garlic again, in moderation.

Kiai!:  What is a book that has been significant to you?

Fay: The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World – by the Dalai Lama & Howard Cutler.  I’m still trying to work on having more empathy and compassion.

Kiai!:  What are your musical favorites?

Fay: I don’t really have any but I always appreciate people introducing me to music.  My favorite sounds are of nature and tranquility.  I’ve been impressed by and enjoyed artists like Beck, Jack White, Radiohead, Beatles, bluesy, folksy stuff and anything I can shake my rump to.

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

Fall in New Hampshire: A Conclave to Remember


Senpai Ryan demonstrates Seido Intermediate Self
Defense #1 at the Tenzan Conclave on a willing helper.
By Senpai Ryan Libel
TW Director of Operations and 2nd Degree Black Belt

Near the beginning of the year, Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah made me aware of a unique training opportunity offered by Sensei Jesse Knowles, a traditional karate stylist currently based in Atlanta, and hosted by Shihan Marty Kale and the rest of the Souhegan Valley Karate Club of Brookline, New Hampshire.  Sensei Jesse has been a friend of Thousand Waves for a couple of years, and has trained with us a couple of times when he has visited Chicago.  As the Shihans and I discussed the possibility of my traveling to participate, I decided I was up for a martial adventure and began planning my first ever trip to New Hampshire.

The conference is an annual gathering Sensei Jesse hosts – a “Tenzan Conclave,” named after the style he founded in the 1970s.  The Conclave is a reunion of sorts, and it’s also a day-long martial arts conference for his current and former students and invited practitioners of various martial arts.  As we were discussing the plans for the coming conference, Sensei Jesse honored me with an invitation to lead one of its seven sessions.

Read more about the Tenzan Conclave…

CowaLUNGa! A Bike Tour for a Good Cause


Sei Shihan Nancy, Kyoshi Marla and Eileen Kristol
invite you to join the Thousand Waves team for next
year’s CowaLUNGa!

by Sei Shihan Nancy Lanoue, Kyoshi Marla Cohen and Eileen Kristol

This summer, Sei Shihan Nancy, Kyoshi Marla and Eileen KristoI cycled in the 190-mile southeastern Wisconsin bike tour called “CowaLUNGa” which always happens the first weekend in August.  As the name of the ride implies, it’s all about cows and lung health.  What do cows and lungs have in common you may ask?  Allow us to explain:  The route cycled takes one through country backroads past several cow farms, and Wisconsin is well known for its dairy production.  That would explain the “cow” part of the name.  The “lung” connection relates to the Respiratory Health Association which is the local charity sponsoring the ride.  You have to admit it is a catchy sounding name for a very unique, fun bike ride. 

This was Kyoshi Marla’s 5th time doing the ride, Eileen’s 15th time and the first time for Sei Shihan Nancy. For August 2016, we are hoping to put together a team from Thousand Waves. You can participate in one, two or all three days of the ride with total mileage of 65, 130 or 190 miles respectively.

Read on to find out what CowaLUNGa is like.

Training

Tricks & Treats in Karate Class on Halloween

Halloween is a special day in kids’ classes at Thousand Waves. Little Kicks, Juniors, Youth and Teens are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to karate class. They'll earn treats for performing good karate tricks like strong punches, deep stances and high kicks. But beware – the staff and teachers may have turned into witches and other unrecognizable characters. Guessing who’s who will be part of the fun. Join us at the dojo for special Halloween fun – karate style – on Saturday, October 31st in regularly scheduled kids' classes.

Learning to Like Sparring


Tabitha demonstrates sparring curriculum with Erin
during the Art With Heart performance.
By Tabitha Balakumar
Advanced Brown Belt

From the start, people usually love or hate sparring – there is very little in between. This can stem from many different things:  sparring might seem freeing to some people because nothing is pre-set the way it is in kata. Others might find that concept daunting because they prefer to know what is going to happen next and sparring isn’t conducive to that. Some people simply don’t like getting hit, and others don’t like to do the hitting.

I fall into that last category. I don’t like hurting people. In fact, I dislike it so much that I’d rather take the pain onto myself instead of watch someone else go through it. When I first started training, I thought the point of punching was to inflict pain on other people. That’s what I saw all around me while growing up, and I carried that into adulthood. At Thousand Waves, the point of sparring isn’t to inflict pain, but rather to play a game. I didn’t know that, so I avoided the sparring skills class like the plague.

How did Tabitha learn to like sparring? Read on…


Thousand Waves black belts perform with the bo weapon at Kagami Biraki (New Years training) 2015.

Why Train with Traditional Weapons?

By Christopher Lamitie
Green Belt

I was observing a few Thousand Waves black belts training with the bo and jo and sai during open dojo one day when several questions exploded in my head at once.  In a world with guns and pepper spray and jump-from-behind strong arm robberies, why train with traditional martial arts weapons?  Why those weapons? Furthermore, why bother with those weapons, when to walk around with them, is to invite harassment form law enforcement and estrangement from other people in the community?  And lastly, why in Seido Karate are weapons taught only to black belts?


Kyoshi Marla and Kyoshi Wai wield the sai in the Art With
Heart performance.
I looked to Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura’s book Technique and Spirit for an explanation.  The book has an extensive section on martial arts weapons. Kaicho offers these thoughts on the purpose of weapons in Seido Karate. He states:

“Karate students should study the practice of weapons so that in the event of being faced by an armed opponent, they can instinctively understand the types of strikes and thrusts they would have to counter. Also, in a practical self-defense situation, a student with a weapon, such as an umbrella, can extend his or her reach and expand the possibilities for counterattacking.  Finally, weapons practice is another discipline that strengthens the mind and the technique.”
– Technique and Spirit, page 135

I had further questions, so I asked Sensei Alan Miller if he could help me understand the purpose of traditional weapons practice in martial arts.

Violence Prevention News

Thousand Waves Awarded Grant to Serve LGBT Homeless Youth

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

Thousand Waves is pleased to announce that we have received a one-year IMPACT grant from the LGBT Community Fund at the Chicago Community trust to provide Violence Prevention services for LGBT youth experiencing homelessness.  The grant will allow us to serve participants in programs at four Thousand Waves partner agencies: Chicago House’s TransSafe program, Howard Brown’s Broadway Youth Center, the Teen Living Program in South Shore, and the Center on Halsted’s Youth Services Program.

The monies from this grant will allow Self-Defense and Violence Prevention Program Manager Amy Jones, LSW, to work with our four partner agencies in the coming year to serve some of Chicago’s most vulnerable youth with a series of violence prevention programs.  Thousand Waves’ holistic, trauma-informed programs are rooted in our empowerment model of self-defense, which helps participants prevent violence when possible through peaceful conflict resolution, positive communication strategies, and healthy relationship skills.  We’ll also work with participants to develop the skills to confront a physical attack when prevention efforts are unsuccessful.  Thousand Waves will serve each agency with 12 hours of programming, delivered at our partners’ sites.

We know from past experience that when we can engage with program participants for longer-term programs like those funded by this grant, they are better able to incorporate our principles of violence prevention into their lives.  Further, it is our hope that in serving these agencies, we will develop relationships with program staff that will bear fruit far into the future – already we are working with Howard Brown to also deliver training for their staff in conjunction with the series of trainings we’ll provide for their youth.

Please join us in thanking Marcia Lipetz and the Advisory Board of the LGBT Community Fund, as well as the Chicago Community Trust for making this work possible.

Looking Back Over Year One

By Senpai Amy Jones
TW Violence Prevention & Self-Defense Program Manager and 3rd Degree Black Belt

Thousand Waves is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and I’m celebrating my first year as the Program Manager for Self-Defense and Violence Prevention.  Over the past year, I’ve been incredibly well-supported, both by the leadership team here at Thousand Waves and the amazing instructor corps.  I’ve never worked with people who are more compassionate or more passionate, and it’s humbling to be surrounded by such amazingly skilled martial artists, talented instructors, and superb communicators.  I remember bracing myself when I first started working at Thousand Waves full-time; I worried that my dojo would start to feel like work.  Instead, and to my delight, my work feels like my dojo.


Senpai Amy Jones in the field, teaching self-defense to Girl Scouts back in April.

It is such an incredible gift to be able to do this work full-time – to help people of all ages, genders, and ability levels learn the skills they need, and discover the abilities they have, to help themselves both feel safer and be safer. I’ve known for a long time that the skills we teach can be utterly transformative, but it never stops being a thrilling experience to watch students discover that they are stronger and more capable than they knew, and to see how that can change everything for them.

I’m kind of a numbers woman, so here are some numerical highlights:  In my first year, we taught 43 self-defense programs, which includes 12 programs sponsored by Thousand Waves (either 12-hour courses or 90-minute workshops), and 31 outreach programs for 18 partner organizations.  Altogether, we’ve clocked over 3,400 contact hours with 1,100 students.  My second year has gotten off to a promising start, too.  October is booking up fast, and as we begin to work on the grant we’ve been awarded, I’m humbled and gratified all over again to think of the lives we may be able to improve.  Here’s to (at least) 29 more years at Thousand Waves!

Promotions

Congratulations to our August and September 2015 Promotees

See who advanced in rank:

Junior Color Belts
Youth & Teen Color Belts
Adult Color Belts