TIKK NEWS Spring 2005 Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai Perfecting Character Since 1991 Expect Nothing, Be Ready For Anything 8th Gasshuku promises Change of routine By LAURA MURRAY Yon Kyu magine a weekend you don’t have to cook. You I don’t have to cart the kids to three baseball games, two soccer games, a birthday party and music lessons. You don’t have to listen to the doorbell or the phone constantly ringing. It’s a weekend for you. You get to focus on you. You get to forget your worries (or at least put them Shihan Robert Kristensen concludes the 2004 temporarily on hold). You get to “hang” with people Gasshuku at the Spring Shiai at Camp Summit. who have some of the same goals as you: they like to work hard and play hard. adding that the Gasshuku is equivalent to about three And at the end of the weekend, your mind, your months of training for the average person. body and your spirit will be refreshed. While he realizes students may feel tired when Being able to provide undivided attention for the Gasshuku is over, he says he hopes they will feel three days (April15-17) is one reason the annual growth and refreshed in mind, body and spirit. Gasshuku is so important to karate training at Texas Shihan brought the idea to have a Gasshuku Isshinryu Karate Kai, says Shihan Robert Kristensen. “You can totally focus on yourself,” he says, (See GASSHUKU, page 4) Evans, Masur win top tournament honors Two Texas Isshinryu Karate standing martial artists throughout Kai black belts took top honors at the state. a Nov. 6 tournament benefiting Competitors also got to see the Texas Martial Arts Hall of the highest ranking black belt in Fame. the Isshinryu World Karate Asso- Ni Dan Matt Evans was the ciation outside of Okinawa. Han- grand champion in kata while shi William H. Duessel of Pitts- Yon Dan Adam Masur was the burgh, a 9th degree black belt, grand champion in sparring at the tournament held at the Nautilus (See TOURNAMENT, page 6) Sports Club and organized by TIKK. Inside About 100 people from Shihan’s Corner……………….2 throughout north Texas and Hous- World Championships…….…..3 ton competed in the tournament Winter Shiai……...……………8 benefiting the Texas Martial Arts Power Lifting…………….…..10 Grand Champions Ni Dan Matt Hall of Fame, a non-profit organi- Senseis’ Corner…….....……...11 Evans, Sensei Adam Masur zation which recognizes out- Page 2 TIKK NEWS SPRING 200 5 Shihan’s corner Happiness! Your Happiness Depends on You! appiness is a frame of mind. Some of us do things for others: this makes us H happy and others happy. Some do things just for themselves: this makes them happy and others may be jealous, etc., or they could be happy, too? Your happiness is what you create. It is all inside of you. You can search forever. The final answer is only you have the answer, and that is inside of you. So don’t spend all your life searching, it is right in your control. Don’t worry, be happy!!! -Shihan Kristensen Calendar April 15-17…….…....Spring Gasshuku, Camp Summit June 15…………………....Mrs. Carol Gue’s Birthday April 17……….…...……..Spring Shiai, Camp Summit June 24-25...IWKA World Championship Tournament May 1……...…Demo at Denton Arts and Jazz Festival June 26…………………….Mr. Matt Evans’ Birthday May 4………….…...…….Mrs. Susan Harris’ Birthday July 18……………..…….Mr. Chris Miller’s Birthday May 5……….…..…..….Mr. Dan Prenevost’s Birthday July 22…………Kyoshi Robert Kristensen’s Birthday May 11………….….....Mr. Tommy Thomas’ Birthday Aug. 27……...…….…..Summer Shiai, Location TBA May 24…………….…...Mrs. Jeannie Rupp’s Birthday Sept. 24……….First Martial Arts State Championship May 30……......Hanshi William H. Duessel’s Birthday Tournament, Location TBA TIKK NEWS TIKK NEWS is published periodically by karate ka of Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai, established in 1991, Denton and is distributed to students at all the school’s Brickhouse Gym dojos and to others interested in TIKK activities. (940)390-0192 Publisher Flower Mound / Lewisville Shihan Robert Kristensen Nautilus Fitness Center, 601 Crosstimbers Editor (972)315-1358 Ni Dan Matt Evans Assistant Editor Haslet Yon Kyu Laura Murray First Baptist Church of Haslet (972)315-1358 Coppell Dojo (Main) 1203 Crestside, Suite 230, Coppell, TX 75019 Richardson (972)315-1358 Richland Bible Fellowship Church Visit us on the web: www.txikk.com (469)387-1463 SPRING 2005 TIKK NEWS Page 3 40 TIKK students to compete in world championships Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai will have a strong showing at the Isshinryu World Karate Associa- tion World Championship Tour- nament this summer with at least 40 students planning to compete. The world championships, which are held every two years, will be held June 24-25 in Akron, Ohio at the Quaker Square Crowne Plaza. Grand Master Kichiro Shi- mabuku, the son of Isshinryu founder Tatsuo Shimabuku and current head of Isshinryu karate, will travel from Okinawa and will conduct a training seminar on June 24. The seminar for upper ranks Allan Wallander bowls to help pay the way to world tournament. (brown and black belts) will be tion of those who are most active and synchronized kata. from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. while the in their support of Grand Master At the last championships in seminar for all lower ranks (white Shimabuku and the world cham- Dallas in 2003, TIKK brought to purple) will be from 3 p.m. to 4 pionships. home 96 trophies, which included p.m. Formal bow-in for the tour- 14 first place trophies in kata, five A banquet will be held from nament which will be held June first place trophies in kumite and 6:30 to 9 p.m. on June 24 and also 25 will be at 9:30 a.m. with com- one first place trophy in weapons. will feature an IWKA presenta- petition in kata, kumite, weapons ‘N Focus Demo team works to promote TIKK to community Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai’s junior demo team perform in the synchronized kata division. ‘N Focus ended 2004 with a demo during a Coppell In its inaugural year, the team also performed at High School basketball halftime show. the Sports Extravaganza at a mall in Denton, a car “I am very proud of show in Lewisville, a Cub the way everyone has come Scout meeting in Richard- together as a team,” said son, the Gator Fest in Sho Dan Jeff Kelley, who Flower Mound and Huffines co-directs team activities Arts Trails in Richardson. with Sensei Debbie Garrett. Team members in- “All of the kids have clude: Carson Dickey, Jack worked very hard and have Pergantis, Allan Wallander, done an outstanding job,” Daniel Midkiff, Perry Lo- Mr. Kelley said. pez, Johannes Kroll and More demos to pro- Shane Murray. mote TIKK are in the works Selection of new team and the next demo will be at Demo team members perform at Coppell High members will be in July. the Denton Arts and Jazz School basketball game halftime show. Anyone who knows of Festival May 1. an event or organization Team members attending the Isshinryu World which might be interested in having the team perform Karate Association World Championships in June will should contact Mr. Kelley or Sensei Garrett. Page 4 TIKK NEWS SPRING 2005 Gasshuku... (From Page 1) every time in push-ups and sit-ups,” he says. “This showed me it is never about strength or power, just from New Jersey. There, they had week-long camps pure will and doing what you yourself are capable of.” for kids and then had weekend Gasshukus, which The Gasshuku brings on many memories from were great for the dojos and the camaraderie, bringing inspirational to hysterically funny. One story that is everyone together as a group and reinforcing their almost always brought up when people reminisce karate, Shihan says. about past Gasshukus is about dojo basketball. “The higher ranks inspired the lower ranks and Sho Dan Steve Gellman says he will never forget the lower ranks gave the higher ranks a push,” he about the lesson a group of students learned about says. He took the best of what he saw in New Jersey Gasshuku etiquette at the first Gasshuku. and incorporated it here in Texas. Excited to start the day, about 10 of the students The first Gasshuku for TIKK was held in April arrived for the first morning workout. It was early and 1998. About 17 kyu ranks and four black belts at- they noticed a basketball hoop and some basketballs. tended that first Gasshuku. Now it’s become an annual What harm could there be in shooting a few hoops tradition that everyone looks forward to and has at before the Gasshuku workouts got started? least tripled in size with about 50 students attending They soon learned this was not a good idea. last year along with 16 black belts. And Shihan let them know that. “They didn’t With this Gasshuku being the eighth one for realize that it’s a karate event and if you come to a TIKK, Shihan believes it has become somewhat rou- karate event, you should try to concentrate on the ka- tine for some. He wants to change that and make this rate because you can play basketball just about any year different from those in the past. place. Starting with the theme for this year “Expect “When you have the opportunity train with so Nothing, Be Ready for Anything,” Shihan doesn’t many martial artists, what you should be sharing is want students to assume what they are going to do.