As most of you now know Sensei Vladimir and his wife Roselle welcomed a new addition to their family. John Peter (JP) was born on January 22 (also Sensei Vladimir's birthday), and his official weigh in was 8.5lbs.

Alexander Dubrovin and his wife, Natalya, welcomed child number 3 on April 19th. This new addition, Anna, will compliment her two older brothers, Alexander Jr. and Kirill.

We wish both fathers and their families lost of luck.

"Old News"

On April 22rd, Sensei Vladimir and I, along with about 50 other well- wishers, helped to celebrate the 80th birthday of Sensei Dan Sawyer. The evening was marked with good food and entertainment, and a most touching slide show tribute to the man that is known affectionately to many as "Grandpa". Friends and family alike all had a most memorable evening.

Tournament Coverage
I want to congratulate those who competed in the recent Pacific Rim Tournament in Primm, NV. It was great to get together with old friends and make new ones. I was especially impressed with the quality of the competition, particularly in the Junior (under 18 yrs old) Black Belt division. There were approximately 12 young men and women in the kata division alone. The skill and intensity that was displayed by this group of young people was some of the best I've seen in a while. Our own Sempai Gilberto Alejo put on an impressive demonstration in all 3 of the events he competed in, but unfortunately the competition was so intense that he only took home one 3rd place trophy. Other outstanding performances included the following;

Phil Smith 1st Kata 4th Kumite
Elisa Gemik 1St Kumite
Janet Aldana 3rd Kumite
Polina Ivanova 2nd Kumite
Polina Ivanova & Megan Medley 4th Black Belt Showmanship

Yours truly also took home a 2nd place trophy in Black Belt Forms with an old kata called Kumiche and a 3rd place in Black Belt Weapons for Seiki Jo.
All in all, we attended, we competed, we left our mark, and we had fun.

Reflections
I want to you this space to point out something memorable or impressive that I wish to share with all of you. After judging one of the women's kumite divisions, I witness an example of what we as martial artist should be about. A young lady, Ashley Azato (forgive the spelling), who had won the division, was speaking to one of her competitors. The whole point of her discussion was that she was giving the competitor advise on how not only to make the most of her assets, but also how to beat herself (Ms. Azato) in the future. Her parents and teachers (they may be the same) should be proud of the fine example that this young lady displayed. On the mat were may be competitors, but once the match is over it's about sharing the knowledge and camaraderie.

Demo Class

For those of you who are unaware, Saturdays at 10:00AM we have our demo class open to all students. We are attempting to build a well-rounded demo team that will incorporate gymnastics as well as martial arts in our demonstrations. Sensei Vladimir is resurrecting his acrobatic talents from his circus background with impressive results. What the students have been able to accomplish in just a short period of time is simply amazing.

Weapon of the Month

This month's weapon's class will feature the sword, the weapon most associated with the Samurai warrior. The sword form that we practice is from the Toyama Ryu System, which was taught to the Japanese military. This system was introduced to us by Shihan Dana Abbott of the U.S. Chanbara Association. Be sure to remember to bring your practice weapons to class.

Congratulations

This goes out to my karate family in New York. I was particularly impressed to learn that my old school, Sanchin Dojo, was ask and participated in the Memorial Day Celebration in Bronxville, NY. It is a sign that the community is recognizing them for the good work they are doing." Osu" Sanchin Dojo for spreading karate-do.

Keep in touch.

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