I is for...

I is for ISKF (International Shotokan Karate Federation). I think this is the first of many times I'm going to fudge with the letters a bit. I already have K's (karate )and S's (Shotokan) planned, but no I. Then John suggested this solution. He's so smart.

So, Lara got started with the karate club in college, and I joined in too when I got to W&M. We had a pretty strong club up there: we had a nearby sensei who came to campus twice a week, and we were allowed to go to his dojo whenever we could make it. (You could always tell the people up for their black belt test; they headed to the dojo like every day) We usually had about 10-20 people at trainings-- Sensei wanted a club where he needed a megaphone to be heard. :) We also had the privilege of Sensei Teruyuki Okazaki coming to our testings and doing clinics for us three times a year.

Club Photo for 2005-2006. Okazaki Sensei is at far left, Sensei Pohle far right.
(I am in the middle row, fifth from the right in pigtails.)

Okazaki Sensei is the head of the ISKF and trained under the founders of Shotokan karate, Masters Ginchin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama. He was very influential in the start of the Japanese Karate Association, then was sent to the USA by Master Nakayama to help spread karate to the world. He's based out of the HQ dojo in Philadelphia, and visits entire countries, so to have him come to little ol' Williamsburg was super huge. We think our sensei must have rescued somebody's baby or something for our club to be so lucky.

Testing, Fall 2006. Kata section, Bassai Dai

I also went to Tokyo on a school grant to train at the JKA HQ dojo in the summer of 2006. That was an experience-- training with maybe one other person who speaks your language (I only had studied Japanese formally for two semesters before leaving). It's amazing, though, how much of "sensei speak" is able to cross language barriers. I could tell when he would be demonstrating something that we were doing bad [Japanese mutter mutter in low voice] and when he would show us what we were supposed to be doing [Japanese mutter mutter in higher tones]. Listen to any teacher of a physical activity and they do the same thing.

Testing, Fall 2006. Roundhouse to the face! I love this picture.

And I have to mention it- karate gave me my sugapi! I met John through the karate club... and I still say I don't understand karate relationships. I am definitely not looking my best at trainings and a gi is not the most flattering outfit ever, so to have a boy think you are cute when he only sees you at karate is a little weird. But I still love him. :)