December 2015

In This Issue

Tis the Season

Not Just for Parents

Community

Violence Prevention News

Looking Ahead

Promotions

Tis the Season


Squeezing in and sweating together during Kagami Biraki 2015.

Annual Parent & Member Meeting and Kagami Biraki: Sunday, January 10

We hope that all parents of karate kids, and all adult and teen members, will make a point of attending our annual Parent & Member meeting.  It’s an important occasion.  At this year’s meeting we’ll be celebrating our successful 30th anniversary year, and we’ll also hear from incoming Executive Director Ryan Libel about his vision for Thousand Waves as we head into our next 30 years.

We’ll share a potluck breakfast, and Thousand Waves’ board and staff leadership will use the opportunity to report on the financial health of our organization, to discuss programming past and future; and to talk about ways members, parents, and the community at large can engage with our work in meaningful ways. 


Members learned more about how Thousand Waves operates during the 2015 annual
member meeting.

The annual meeting is preceded by our annual New Year’s workout for adults and teens. We call it Kagami Biraki, inspired by the Japanese New Year’s season. In Japanese culture, Kagami Biraki is a time of reflection on, and rededication to the things that matter most in life.  Early in every new year, adult and teen karateka gather at Thousand Waves on a Sunday morning to sweat it out in a vigorous karate basics workout, and to rededicate themselves to their training.     

Kagami Biraki and our annual member meeting will be held the morning of Sunday, January 10.  Details on the exact start time and schedule will be announced soon.

Holiday Collection at Thousand Waves for Lakeview Pantry

Please help us share our bounty with our neighbors by contributing to our collection for the Lakeview Pantry. Bring your items to the dojo during the month of December. The most needed items are FOOD but the items listed below are also requested. 

We wish you and your loved ones all the best for the holidays and thank you for your loving generosity.

30th Anniversary Year: Finishing Strong

By Sei Shihan Nancy Lanoue and Jun Shihan Sarah Ludden
6th Degree Black Belts and TW Co-Executive Directors

As we turn our attention to the great work Thousand Waves has done over the past year, we’ve been inspired by the words of Marge Piercy, who wrote the poem we selected for our 30th anniversary performance’s finale back in October. She wrote, “it starts when you say We and know exactly who you mean, and each day you mean one more.”

What has “one more” meant to us this year at Thousand Waves? 

Finally, we hope you know how important YOU are to what we mean by “one more.”  Whether you are a top donor, a stalwart Dojo Clean-Up volunteer, a teaching assistant, or a parent of a training member, please know how grateful we are to count you as members of our community.

If this year has been a good one, we hope you’ll make a final donation to Thousand Waves in 2015 in the spirit of carrying us into our next 30 years. If you can give $150 or more, you'll receive a convenient re-usable tote bag, even handier now that Chicago has joined other cities in banning plastic bags.

Thanks again for all you do for Thousand Waves. 

Not Just for Parents

The Path to Junior Black Belt: Three Unique Perspectives

November 14, 2015 was a big day at Thousand Waves. Nine students (Anna Byrne, Elyse Fernando, Noam Levinsky, Shael Murthy, Kumiko Muro, Takato Muro, Tommy Scholle, Brody Schwartz and Zak Shearn) were promoted to First Degree Junior Black Belt (Junior Shodan), and three students (Johnny Hollowed, Owen Patterson and Ruben Whitaker) were promoted from First to Second Degree Junior Black Belt (Junior Nidan). While all these students grew up together on the TW training floor, each has a unique story of obstacles surmounted and challenges met on their path to black belt. In this issue, we present three of their stories. Photos of our other newly promoted Junior Black Belts follow.


Senpai Johnny Hollowed was introduced to the
use of the bo weapon as a Junior Black Belt,
and demonstrated his knowledge in his test for
Junior Nidan.
Home Schooling and Broken Bones

By John Hollowed,
Parent of Senpai Johnny Hollowed

My son Johnny Hollowed is home-schooled, and Thousand Waves has given Johnny a focus to his life that other students might find in school. He has met friends, learned from many different teachers, organized his week, and worked to achieve many goals in karate. Through the study of karate, Johnny has been been motivated to read about subjects such as history and martial arts. He really enjoyed reading some of the writings of Kaicho and wrote about several ideas that he found thoughtful and inspiring. He was able to devote time this year to improving his Japanese as well as his karate techniques.

How did Senpai Johnny make it to Junior Nidan despite breaking a foot?


Senpai Noam Levinsky and his cohorts punch
with great spirit during their test for Junior
Black Belt.
Face the Mountains and Bow:
Preparing My Son for Junior Black Belt

By Senpai Kate Phillippo,
Third Degree Black Belt
and Parent of Senpai Noam Levinsky

A few weeks after I was promoted to Third Degree Black Belt at Honbu, and about four-and-a-half months before Thousand Waves’ next Junior Black Belt test, my husband, my son Noam and I moved to Park City, Utah. This was a hard move in a lot of ways (given my aversion to living anywhere but Chicago).  One of the hardest parts was that it happened before Noam tested for Junior Black Belt, his goal since he began training in 2009. The thought of his missing this milestone, surrounded by his dojo community, was painful to both Noam and me.

What was it like for Senpai Kate to train her own son for Junior Black Belt?


Senpai Kumiko Muro and Senpai Takato Muro
trained together every step of the way, and
earned their Junior Black Belts together.
Walking The Black Belt Path… Together

By Senpai Takato Muro (age 13)
& Senpai Kumiko Muro (age 10)
First Degree Junior Black Belts

Anyone with a brother or sister will probably agree that there’s a tricky balance between having fun together and spending too much time together.  We joined Thousand Waves on the same day in June of 2011, and in November 2015, tested for Junior Black Belt on the same day.  It feels strange when our class count is unequal, but every now and then it’s still nice to come to class separately.  We have our own friends, of course, and our own styles of doing things (Takato likes to add the flair of a backward roll every chance he gets, and Kumiko likes to pack a lot of power into every move), and those special differences help us remember that we’re unique individuals. 

Here’s some advice:
Read training tips for siblings (and friends) from Senpai Takato and Senpai Kumiko.

See photos of the other recently promoted Junior Black Belts.

Community

Thousand Waves Honors Two Peacemakers

Jamie Zimron Sensei was honored with a Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award on December 5, 2015 for her work with the Middle East Aikido Project. The Project establishes peaceful contact between Arabs and Jews throughout the Middle East through the practice of Aikido. In addition to inspiring us all with an informative presentation about her work, while here Jamie Sensei treated Thousand Waves members to a special Aikido workshop. 

Eight-year-old Advanced Green Belt Jackson Humphrey was honored with a Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award at our holiday party on December 12 for breaking up a playground fight and getting the fighters to calm down and talk about their disagreement. Congratulations to Jackson for finding the courage to speak up and apply TW’s lessons on conflict resolution.

Thousand Waves Member Spotlight: Ten Questions for Jane Kollmer

Jane Kollmer is an Advanced Brown Belt training member,
and also serves on Thousand Waves’ Board of Directors.

Kiai!: Briefly, how did you come to train Seido Karate at Thousand Waves?   
Jane: I moved here from the D.C. area five years ago and was looking to continue training in taekwondo. I was living in Lakeview and came across Thousand Waves in a Google search. I decided since it was so close I would check it out. After my first trial class, I was hooked! Even though it meant starting over again as a white belt in Seido karate, I really felt strongly that this was the community where I wanted to be. It’s a really special place and I felt so connected with its mission.

Kiai!: What is one thing you’d like to change about the world?   
Jane:  I would like to see people treat each other with more respect. We are all in this together. Let’s stop the violence and greed. The world would be a better place if people lived by the Golden Rule, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” Let’s lead by example and teach children to accept others who are different.

Kiai!: What is one thing you do well?  
Jane: Communicating with words! I am really good at editing and writing. I am so lucky because I get to do it as my job.

Kiai!: What is one thing you do not do so well?  
Jane:  Oh, definitely meditation! It's really hard for my mind to be still because I am an overthinker! I spend a lot of time in my head, analyzing what happened in the past or planning what I should do in the future. I recognize the importance of living in the present, but it takes a lot of concentration and focus.

Kiai!: Who from history do you admire, and why?  
Jane: Anne Frank because she remained optimistic during dark times. She was able to see the beauty of life despite intense suffering.

Kiai!: Other than Chicago, where have you most enjoyed spending time?  
Jane: My mother’s family is from Puerto Rico, and I have been going there since I was a baby. It’s still one of my favorite places to spend time. It’s a beautiful tropical paradise, and the people and the food are amazing. The beaches are so beautiful, and there is a rainforest, El Yunque, that is simply breathtaking.

Kiai!: What quotation have you found inspiring or interesting?   
Jane:  “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’ ”  – Mary Anne Radmacher

Kiai!: What foods do you like best?  
Jane:  I’m not really picky when it comes to food. I especially love Italian food, my mom’s home cooking, and most any spicy food. I am constantly trying to eat a healthy diet, and most of the time, I am successful, but there are times when sweets are calling my name. Brownies are my weakness! Going out to brunch with friends on the weekend is one of my favorite Chicago activities.

Kiai!: What is a book that has been significant to you?   
Jane: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain because it explains a lot about how introverts function and helped me understand my shyness. 

Kiai!: What are your musical favorites?  
Jane: Music is a great love of mine. I have too many favorites to name but the genres of music I listen to most are alternative rock, indie rock, and some pop. I am not fond of country or heavy metal, but can listen to most anything else. I really enjoy live music and going to concerts.

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

Violence Prevention News

Big Programs Send 2015 Out With A Bang!

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

As the end of 2015 approaches, Thousand Waves’ self-defense program has been hopping.  In addition to short programs for downtown law firm Cutler and Chapman, LLP and Girl Scout Troop 20380, and a great big self-defense workshop taught by instructors Hope Robinson and Becky Kidd, we’ve done several longer programs in the last quarter.

In mid-November, we returned to Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School to teach self-defense in all of their PE classes for a week.  Monday through Friday of that week saw self-defense instructors Ryan Libel, Erin Epperson, and myself rising early and trekking down to 99th and Pulaski to teach approximately 135 high school girls how to use the five fingers of self-defense to keep themselves and their friends safe, and in the process discover just how powerful they were.


Mother McAuley High School students show their fighting spirit after learning about the
Five Fingers of Self-Defense in gym class.

In October, we visited Broadway Youth Center for a day-long training in de-escalation and conflict resolution.  Participants practiced skills both to interrupt youth conflict before it escalated and to help them resolve the conflict together so that disagreements didn’t fester.  The training concluded with a refreshingly honest discussion amongst the staff about their organizational policies and how those supported (and in some cases, did not support) a feeling of safety in both the staff and the youth they serve.  The training was primarily for staff, but also included several youth leaders. 

We saw most of those leaders, as well as about ten other youth, on a recent Monday for the kickoff of our first of a series of programs at the Center on Halsted, where we’re partnering with both their Youth Program and Chicago House’s TransLife program to serve queer youth who are experiencing homelessness or are insecurely housed.  Approximately 15 youth attended, and they are an enthusiastic and engaged group!  It was a thrill to get the first session of the first series with our first partner in the bag!  We’ll ultimately work with two other partners to present two 12-hour series each, for a total of six 12-hour series.  The Center on Halsted series is made possible by an Impact Grant from the LGBT Community Fund of the Chicago Community Trust.

So far, the rest of the year holds two more short programs – one for The Night Ministry and one for Metro Realty, as well as the remainder of our series with the Center on Halsted.  Do you know of an organization that might enjoy and benefit from one of our self-defense programs?  Let me know!

Looking Ahead

Parents and Adult Training Members: Save the Date for Spirit Challenge 2016!

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

Earlier in the year we announced that our annual fall fundraiser for kids, Punch & Kick-a-Thon, is being rolled into our community-wide Spirit Challenge fundraiser, which happens annually in the spring.  I’m happy to report that planning for the event has begun in earnest, and we are getting excited.  Please save the date: Spirit Challenge will be the week of May 1-7, 2016!  All classes at Thousand Waves during that week will be canceled to allow the whole community to focus on this mission-critical fundraising extravaganza.


Punch & Kick-a-Thon events for kids of all ages will be part of Spirit Challenge 2016 in May.

During the week we will provide fun physical challenge opportunities for all ages of our training kids as well as for adult training and non-training community members.  We’ll use our participation in the events to encourage our networks of friends, colleagues and loved ones to financially support Thousand Waves’ not-for-profit mission.  We’ll be striving to raise about 15% of our annual budget with this single fundraiser, so we thank you in advance for helping us make it a huge success!  The funds we raise during Spirit Challenge are vital to the continuation of our Adapted Seido Karate, Scholarship, and Violence Prevention programs. 

Veteran Spirit Challengers will be happy to learn that Sei Shihan Nancy and Jun Shihan Sarah are planning some new events to round out the challenges we’ve come to love and look forward to, such as the sparring and board breaking challenges.  One teaser: dust off your seiza benches and start training for a meditation challenge!

We have formed a Booster Committee of board members, parents, and training members to support all aspects of Spirit Challenge 2016 ­– please reach out to me at rlibel@thousandwaves.org if you are interested in playing a role.  The next meeting of the Booster Committee will be January 21 at 6:30 pm.

Promotions

Congratulations to our November 2015 Promotees

See who advanced in rank:

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