In Karate, there are two people I consider my Senseis.
I met Perry Foster in September of 1982, when he started teaching Karate in Fort Saint John. He was my first Shotokan instructor, and literally went that extra mile. He had another club near his home that was very successful. He only came to teach us when our other instructor skipped town. The round trip drive was over two hours.
I haven't seen Perry in over 20 years.
I met my other Sensei late in 1981. Sakurai Sensei was then the Chief Instructor in Montreal, and was about to move to BC. I have trained with him for many years, even after he moved back to Japan.
I reconnected with Sakurai Sensei last summer. He was visiting the area to teach a seminar, and I went to attend and train. It was wonderful talking with him again.
Just yesterday, I stumbled online on Perry Foster. We have been firing emails back and forth, and are already planning to see each other the next time I'm in his area.
How cool is that?
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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