...so I inherited the Ft. St. John Karate Club in 1985, and I was not qualified to be Sensei. Would the whole thing collapse?
Did the best I could at teaching, and pushed for increased membership. The deal had been that Northern Lights College collected all the student fees, provided locations for training, and paid the instructors a few dollars a night to teach. To survive, I knew we'd need more cash. Talked to the college people, and they agreed to a new deal. They no longer paid the instructors and provided the gym, but the money deal changed. They collected the money, and gave the club back 85% of the take. Suddenly we were flush with money. Used it to pay me, and helper teachers, and to bring in big name instructors from Vancouver.
About a year later, the club was up to 119 members, in one adult class and two kids classes. We had all continued to progress through the ranks at a normal rate, and had enjoyed many weekend seminars, which included training and tests. I considered things a success.
Spring 1986 rolled around, and I became due to test for my Black Belt. That year, the head of the entire Japan Karate Association, Nakayama Shihan, was coming to the lower mainland for a week-long visit. I simply had to go...
I am a 68 year old retired teacher living on the west coast of Canada. I spent over 30 years as a student of Karate until my knees stopped liking it. My current passionate activity is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which I've been at for about 13 years.
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