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Here
are some inspirational martial arts stories
from 2005
- past stories speaking of human greatness,
spirit, dignity, humbleness, victory, trust,
fullfilment, honesty, achievement, vision,
loyalty, truth, spirituality and sharing.
All the things that true martial arts is
all about.
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Side
note: Before you read on, make
sure you have a serious look
at all the free stuff inside
'The
Martial Arts Vault'!
|
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These
inspirational martial arts stories from
2005 also includes earlier years, spanning back to
2003.
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Since
I
am 100% confident that there
are an abundance of such stories
out there, we're always open for more! If you happen to know about
someone or something that you feel more
people should know about - please don't
hesitate, we'd love to add inspirational martial
arts stories from 2005 (and of course newer
or older still)!
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Here are the earlier stories,
news and reports about people
and events that have amased, moved and inspired me
as well as many others.
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'We still believe in miracles': |
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From:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1206taekwondo05.html (December 6, 2005):
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David Rueckert wasn't really dead after all.
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In the seat beside him, with blood from her own wound filling her lungs,
Rueckert's fiancee, Jennifer Longdon, told a 911 dispatcher he was dead, and she
was dying too. "Please tell my son that I love him," she said.
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One year later, on a sunny afternoon, Longdon reached for Rueckert's hand and
gently guided him to a couch he'll never see. Longdon sat next to him again,
this time in a wheelchair, paralyzed. Rueckert is blind.
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It was the night of Nov. 15, 2004. Rueckert, a fifth-degree black belt and
four-time tae kwon do world champ, and Longdon had just finished teaching
classes at the studio Rueckert owned in north Phoenix.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Disabled Learn To Karate Chop Away Depression: |
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From:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/wesh/20051116/lo_wesh/3066317 (November 16, 2005):
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Mike Misner seems like any other ordinary guy, but he's much more. Each week, he
performs outstanding personal acts of kindness.
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Misner teaches a program called Adaptable Karate. Karate is a sport he took
up 28 years ago. He stuck with it and ascended to the ranks of black belt.
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He happened to tune into a radio broadcast featuring a man named David Ring.
Ring was born with cerebral palsy. Both his parents passed away before he was
10. He felt his life was over.
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Other kids and even adults made fun of him and treated him like an idiot.
Ring withdrew from life. Misner listened as Ring explained how he turned
everything around. A big part of that was a chance encounter with martial
arts.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Students with challenges find niche in martial arts class: |
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From:
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm (November 14, 2005):
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Every time Rose King sees her 6-year-old son Alex throw
kicks and punches, dressed in his white tae kwon do robe, she finds it hard to
believe that only a month ago she'd almost given up on finding the right sport
for him.
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Alex has autism. Sometimes he stumbles over his words. He finds it hard to
remember things if they are not repeated and taught slowly. |
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King tried different programs, but neither baseball nor hockey worked out for
him. |
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'These kids learn, but they learn differently,' King said. 'Coaches don't
understand him or they don't have the patience. They need a little more
attention.' |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Martial art is life-altering for blind couple:
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From:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3212807?rss (November 14, 2005):
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Asked to speak at a fitness convention in Longmont in 1999, Hung Tran, the owner
of Tran's Martial Arts & Fitness Center there, talked to the crowd
forcefully. |
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"I spoke about how they can take action in their life, that they are never too
old to do things," Tran, now 37, recalled recently. "I told them I'd be willing
to give a free membership for a year to anyone willing to take their life back."
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Soon, he had two new clients: a married couple, Tom and Barb Fletcher.
Both were hitting 50. Both were out of shape. And both have been blind since birth.
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Today, the Fletchers are working with Tran toward achieving their black
belts. For now, Barb Fletcher sports a blue sash around her waist, two colors
away from her goal.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Fighter wins world title:
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From:
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20051103/SPORTS/111030089
(November 3, 2005):
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Nothing can scare Greeley's Mike Bevins away from a
challenge. After all, the 45-year-old Greeley man has escaped death by
electrocution and lived to tell about it. So facing the world's best in the sport of karate isn't about
to intimidate him.
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Bevins proved that at the Wado International Karatedo
Federation (WIKF) 2005 World Championships Sept. 28-Oct. 2 in Plano, Texas.
Bevins took home his first world title in the sport, taking the gold medal in
the Veteran Male Open Kilo Kumite division.
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What had to be a lot more scary for the lineman with Xcel
Energy in Greeley was going back to a job that nearly killed him 16 years
ago.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Physically Challenged, but an Expert in Karate, Boxing!: |
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From: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com (October 26, 2005):
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This man may be physically challenged, but he is a karate player and a
boxer.
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The inability to speak since birth did not deter Jhalakraj Koirala from taking
up what he liked most. And at 33 now, he trains young people the two sports. The
trainees call Koirala, a resident of Walling municipality-8, Devisthan, Lato
Guruji (a teacher who cannot speak). Koirala, who has passed the SLC exams and
proudly holds a black-belt in karte is not only a trainer but a source of
inspiration for the yuongsters that take lessons from him. |
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Over 300 pupils, including girls, who took lessons on the two sports from him
have now mastered the arts and some of them are currently serving the Indian
military.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Lincoln boy kicks cerebral palsy, works toward black belt:
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From:
http://www.journalstar.com (October 25, 2005):
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Go ahead, try to knock Mark Yuen down.
Think you can do it?
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The kid’s got two bum legs, eyes that don’t see straight and a shunt buried in
his head.
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When you hear his story it sounds like a butterfly with a burst of adrenaline
could knock this middle-schooler to the floor. Heck, he doesn’t even need your help. He’ll fall down on his
own.
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For 6 years, he’s worked and worked and worked to get here — standing in the
middle of his dojo at the Okinawa Karate Center on 58th street.
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He could have quit. Lots of times he could have quit.
He didn’t.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Sunday Profile - Karate Instructor Frank Thomas: |
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From:
http://www.mlive.com (October
9, 2005):
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Since 1994, Thomas has been in an electric three-wheeler. |
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He teaches karate without using his legs, a job made easier by the fact he has
spent his life achieving the unachievable. |
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He was born with cerebral palsy, resulting in weakness on the right side of
his body. Still, he has been a student of karate since the age of 15, studying
under the best of the best. |
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These days, instead of demonstrating the kicks, blocks and punches, he shouts
the commands, eager to point out the slightest misstep or imperfection. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Karate helps hyperactive youngsters:
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From: morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/2020492.shtml (October
5, 2005):
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Stormy Wentworth lived up to his given
name.
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The 9-year-old from Burnham, diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, drove his parents to the brink of insanity with his manic energy and
lack of self-restraint.
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Nicole Wentworth said the situation grew worse when her son entered
kindergarten.
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"At this point he was 5," she said. "We didn't know what
to do. He wouldn't do as he was told. He ran the household, not mom and dad. It
was all Stormy."
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But today Stormy is more settled. He earns A's and B's at school and
will wake early at times to clean his room and make his own breakfast before
his parents get up.
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His transformation, his mother said, has everything to do with an
ancient form of self-defense. Karate, she said, has helped him deal with his
demons.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Blind Oceanside girl gets a kick out of karate: |
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From:
http://www.nctimes.com (September 10, 2005):
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Inside the Shorin Ryu Karate dojo in Oceanside, Chloe Deremiah,
5, balanced on a trampoline, kicked on command, expertly blocked punches, and
deftly handled her stick-like weapons.
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On the other side of the studio, Chloe's mother, Tina Woodring, sat holding her
daughter's cane, beaming with pride.
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"She's by far totally exceeded (my expectations)," said
Woodring.
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Chloe, who earned her yellow belt in karate earlier this month, was born with
septo-optic dysplasia, a birth defect that results in an optic nerve that is too
small in diameter for light to get back to the brain.
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Woodring said she is grateful that they have treated Chloe just like any other
student. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Therapy through martial arts: |
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From: http://www.thejournalnews.com (August 10, 2005):
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At the direction of his instructor, Michael Asher placed his
foot on the re-breakable plastic board she held near the floor. The board,
designed for children, is easily split in two. Still, the 5-year-old's leg
strained against the hard surface.
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In the end, Asher could not complete the exercise alone. The prop refused to
give way as his foot pushed downward with all the force he could muster. |
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Instructor Laura Giacovas smiled with genuine enthusiasm. Her words of
encouragement and praise — doled out in this class for the smallest of
accomplishments — came from a belief that Asher's unsuccessful effort
represented enormous progress.
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Asher has a developmental disorder, like every other child in this Taekwondo
class. In his case it is autism, a brain disorder that interferes with a
person's social-interaction skills and sensory processing. |
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That the little boy had maintained his balance for seven seconds, that he had
applied steady pressure, was huge. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Drug abusers find hope in karate: |
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From: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com (July 16, 2005):
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Program teaches perseverance
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At age 42, John Crumpler has earned a new nickname: the Karate
Kid. |
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It's what his family jokingly calls him now that Crumpler - a wiry man with
Texas in his voice and a curlicue tattoo spelling "Teresa" on his chest - has
been drug-free for more than 20 months and, for the three most recent months of
his sobriety, learning kyushin karate at a downtown Durham dojo or martial-arts
school. |
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Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, residents and graduates of the Triangle
Residential Options for Substance Abusers, or TROSA, program file into the Ligo
Dojo on Parrish Street as part of their treatment. |
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Persevering through hardship is something the TROSA members and the dojo's
owner, Nathan Ligo, 34, know all about. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Blinded by bullet, he thrives: |
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From:
http://geoffandwen.com/blind/newsarticle.asp?u_id=6477 (June 13, 2005):
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Robert J. Ott was permanently blinded by a bullet to the head 15 years ago;
despite the loss of his vision, his sense of perspective has never been clearer.
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On Oct. 6, 1990, Ott stepped in to protect a dancer from an overzealous admirer
attending a bachelor party at the Admiral Lounge, a former go-go club on Admiral
Wilson Boulevard. |
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At the sentencing of the shooter May 1, 1992, Ott, a longtime martial artist who
owned his own studio in Somerdale, told the court about his plight.
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"I can't travel. I can't teach. I don't have the freedom I used to have," Ott
said that day.
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But these days, Ott, 39, doesn't say the words "can't" or "don't" much.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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From: http://www.canadaeast.com (May 24, 2005):
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After suffering a fractured femur and pelvis, tearing abdominal muscles and
sustaining extensive nerve damage in a leg, Michel Carrier's full recovery is
something short of a miracle. |
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Less than a year after a harrowing
motorcycle accident, the Moncton resident is also active in sports again and is
taking karate to a higher level than he ever imagined. |
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The accident
occurred Canada Day weekend of last year. Carrier was driving on his motorcycle
from Quebec to Campbellton with his young son, Mathieu. They opted to take a
rocky, dirt road instead of the main highway. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Liddell helping injured victim: |
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From: http://www.mmaweekly.com (May 19, 2005):
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Chuck Liddell is giving back to the community after a tragedy almost took a
woman's life. |
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On Saturday, April 16th, Taryn was on her way to watch the
Ultimate Fighting Championship 52 with her friends featuring Liddell vs Couture.
As she crossed the street at 5th and Farroll in Grover Beach, she became the
victim of a hit and run as an unidentifed person hit Taryn with their car and
fled the scene. |
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Taryn was rushed to hospital with many
injuries; including, major head trauma, two broken legs, a fractured vertebrae
and many cuts and bruises. |
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Once Chuck found out what happened, he donated a percentage of
his purse to Taryn and the UFC will also make a donation in Taryn's behalf. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Blind confidence Paralympic champ's visit gives a lift to new
Blind Judo Foundation: |
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From: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/15/PNGC4C5LL51.DTL (April 15, 2005):
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Condensation fogged the storefront window of Cahill's Judo Academy in San Bruno,
and the air inside was warm and close as about 25 athletes practiced hip throws,
foot sweeps and falling techniques on a long, narrow mat. |
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In the back of the room, renowned coach Willy Cahill instructed 20-year- old
Lori Pierce while she was modifying a hip throw. She set up the throw several
times, stopping at the last moment before actually throwing her workout partner,
Mike Alperin, a 200-pound green belt. At one point the 69- year-old Cahill
stepped in and placed the palms of his thick hands on her face and gently
adjusted the tilt of her head. |
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"There," he said. "Can you tell the difference?" |
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She nodded and resumed the starting position. Then, with amazing speed, she
spun into her partner, lifting him off the ground, over her shoulder and onto
the mat with a thud. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Mauian first woman with 50 years in
ki-aikido: |
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From: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=5000 (January 14, 2005):
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Haliimaile – In the world of ki-aikido,
Olive Silva is a trailblazer, the only woman in the world who for 50 years has
been a disciple of the martial art.
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The 82-year-old godan, or fifth-degree
black belt, is a treasure, one of only three living ki-aikido disciples with
five decades under their belts. |
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The Haliimaile resident recently was honored for the distinction with a
letter of appreciation from ki-aikido’s top officers in Japan and a ceramic
plate from Master Koichi Tohei, the founder of the martial art. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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Fighting for another chance: |
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From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4097859.stm (December 21, 2004):
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Thalidomide victim Ray "Duch" Peter was born with two club feet and underwent
numerous painful operations as a child to have his legs straightened.
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As a result he has had to walk with crutches for most of his life. |
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But this didn't stop him from becoming a criminal known as "The Regulator"
selling guns and drugs.
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The former gangster, from Lewisham, south-east London, said he has now turned
his life around with a mix of martial arts and music. |
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He hopes his story, told in his autobiography, "A Fighting Chance", will have a
positive impact on young people by teaching them to stay away from crime. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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From: yorkdispatch.com/Stories/0,1413,138~10024~2581878,00.html (December 12, 2004):
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70-year-old excels in martial arts |
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Shannon Morris didn't want to be like many senior citizens -- inactive, sitting
at home, nursing aches and pains and just growing old. |
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A little more than
two years ago, when he was 68, Morris, of Lower Windsor Township, decided to
take his grandson to a karate class. While his grandson only lasted two classes,
Morris, now 70, is preparing to take his test for a green belt and has competed
in a few karate tournaments. |
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"It was tough the first six weeks, I had to
wake up all those muscles," Morris said about learning karate. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
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90-year-old man still teaching kids judo: |
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From: modbee.com/24hour/weird/story/1880204p-9806308c.html (December 3, 2004):
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Lincoln, Nebraska - Paul Owen turned 90 this week, and he's still getting his
kicks from judo. "I don't know what keeps me young," Owen said. Maybe it's the
kids he teaches at John Roseberry's Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Martial Arts Center in
Lincoln. |
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Owen, a fourth-degree black belt, easily keeps up with his
exuberant students between ages 4 and 12. He instructs them on throws, holds,
kicks and other basic movements. |
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Owen picked up the sport at age 40,
taught for almost 40 years and then went on hiatus because he couldn't compete
as he had in the past. |
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"I guess I thought I was too old," he
said. He decided to resume teaching the sport he
loved two years ago. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Danny, Michelle keep kicking down barriers: |
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From: phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-11262004-406867.html (November 26, 2004):
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One swift, well-placed kick foiled a would-be attacker, bolstered Michelle
Yohn's confidence and showed her mother that karate class was working.
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Yohn, 29, is barely 5 feet tall, battles chronic asthma, is legally blind,
has mild mental retardation and is prone to seizures.
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Despite those challenges, six years ago her kick proved powerful enough to
send a teen thug writhing in pain when she was walking through the woods to a
store near her Falls home. The teen came up behind her and shoved her hard.
Unsure if she was being attacked, Michelle turned and gave him a swift kick. She
ran as he fell to the ground.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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87-year-old Paducah woman likes to 'kick and punch': |
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From: http://www.paducahsun.com (November 19, 2004):
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Paducah, Kentucky - Estes Taylor isn't afraid of a good fight. |
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At age 87, she
has a second-degree black belt and all the skills that go with it |
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"I can
defend myself," said Taylor. "If I had to, I know I can. I haven't had a chance
yet. I bet you would remember it." |
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She took up taekwondo at age 70
shortly after she was mugged on a Paducah street. |
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"He walked up behind me
and pushed my knees in the back," she said. "I just went to the bank and had a
shopping bag with $1,100. Otherwise, I would have chased that little boy. I'm
not a coward. I screamed to get rid of him. He didn't take
anything." |
|
Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Breaking down barriers: Local girl is state
champion in taekwondo special abilities class: |
|
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From: http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2004/09/13/features/feat19.txt (September 13, 2004):
|
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Megan Schabbing likes to do the same things her
friends do: go for bike rides, skateboard, play softball and basketball, and
ride scooters.
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But for Megan, accomplishing these things takes a
little more effort.
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Because of genetic problems at birth, she has a
man-made left leg and wears an ankle brace on the other.
|
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For the past year she has been enrolled in a
taekwondo class at the suggestion of her doctor. But the new activity has been
more than just therapy for Megan, she's become state champion.
|
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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With tae kwon do, Richland woman is kicking cancer: |
|
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From: tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/5344450p-5282803c.html (July 26, 2004):
|
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Duane and Lorrie Reid and their two daughters just received their black
belts. The feat comes three years after the Richland family decided to enroll in
Tae Kwon Do classes and despite Lorrie being diagnosed with breast cancer in
January.
|
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Lorrie, 37, didn't let weekly chemotherapy treatments in Seattle get in the
way of her goal.
|
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"My first thought was, 'I don't want to stop,' " said Lorrie, who had a
partial radical mastectomy and has been undergoing chemotherapy since March.
|
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Cancer fight woman carries torch: |
|
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From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/wear/3842295.stm (June 26, 2004):
|
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A Tyneside woman who has battled breast cancer has been chosen to help carry
the Olympic torch through London.
|
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Kathleen Jones, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, was nominated to be a
torchbearer by her son Stephen, 14.
|
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He was so impressed with her attitude after she was diagnosed with cancer in
2000 and despite a year of treatment she gained her martial arts black belt. |
|
Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here. |
|
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Phantom shapes up as unstoppable: |
|
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From: http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au (November
28, 2003):
|
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Lethal Commonwealth heavyweight kickboxing champion Pat "The Phantom" Christofi
has beaten cancer 14 times and it's clear he won't let anybody take anything
from him. |
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He has had 14 operations, chemotherapy eight times and doctors
gave the finely-tuned 95.8kg kickboxer eight months to live in 1993. He's a
fighter who doesn't quit. |
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Christofi, 36, will face another fight tonight
– this time against Melbourne's Alex Radovanov for the Commonwealth title. After
beating cancer, nothing seems capable of stopping the Adelaide-based "Phantom". |
|
"I'm a fighter right through and I never give up," Christofi, 36, said,
during a break in the twice-a-day training regimen he's followed for the past
four months. "They gave me a few months to live and here I am 10 years later
still fighting." |
|
Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
|
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Martial Arts Instructor, Cancer Survivor: |
|
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From: http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1495154 (October
23, 2003):
|
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For 20 year old Tony Splawn of Gilmer, teaching Tae Kwon Do is the
best job he could ever have. What makes Splawn unique is that he's a leukemia
survivor. He was diagnosed at the age of two with a rare form, he went through
the treatments, and there were many times when his family was told by doctors to
prepare for the end. |
|
"There was a time when they came in and told my
parents they had done all they could medically possible to save me and if I did
make it I would never walk again without physical therapy" says Splawn. |
|
Fortunately, he did make it, and he thinks it's because his future was
in martial arts. And he passes on his message of hope to his students. "The
adversity that he has overcome. He's mature way beyond his years and I think
that has a lot to do with the kind of discipline that he's grown to develop,"
said student Robert Abnell. |
|
Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
|
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|
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From: http://www.sfchronicle.com (October
17, 2003):
|
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An elderly woman sits in the only chair allowed on the light green carpet of
padded mats in the judo club. |
|
It's just a metal folding chair, but her
students treat her like a queen on a throne. They hang on every soft-spoken
word, every wave of a hand, every approving nod or smile. |
|
She is dressed
in brilliant white: a quilted jacket with overlapping lapels over thin white
pants with reinforced knees. It is her cherry-red belt, knotted loosely over her
jacket, that marks her as sovereign. |
|
The belt signifies that Keiko
Fukuda, who celebrated her 90th birthday last spring, is the highest-ranking
woman in the world in judo, a Japanese martial art in which technique and
balance -- rather than power -- are the key to victory. |
|
Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
|
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|
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From: http://www.statesman.com (July
17, 2003):
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Six years after losing his eyesight to a bullet, William Vandry is a big winner
in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
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Your brain quickly scans every "Karate Kid" movie, professional wrestling match
and combat video game you've ever seen, but it doesn't matter, because William
Vandry can already see your next move, even though he can't quite see you.
Vandry has already choked, slammed, tossed, pulled and thrown you around his
Northwest Austin studio, and you realize it would be
easier to walk out of Fort Knox with a backpack full of gold bars than it is to
actually hurt him.
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You're dripping sweat, your jiu-jitsu uniform, called a gi,
is in shambles and you think you are losing feeling in your shoulder. So Vandry
shakes your hand once again to start a match and, in an act of desperation, you
dive for the 6-foot, 220-pound Pan-American champion's throat and try to choke
him. Your forearm is on his neck and -- for a brief second -- you think you
actually have him right where you want him.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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A Matter of degree: 70-year-old enjoys black belt in karate: |
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From: http://www.news-journalonline.com (July
12, 2003):
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At age 70, Richard Schraeder still gets a kick out of life. He
proved that recently when he traveled to Punta Gorda for three days of testing
needed to earn a black belt in Okinawa-based Uechi-Ryu karate. |
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Walking down the
street, one might not picture Schraeder as being able to break a board with his
fist. At 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing in at 192 pounds, the senior citizen
tends to blend in with his peers. He shows all outward signs of his age --
wrinkles, liver spots and more skin than hair on his head -- but carries himself
with confidence. |
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"I know I can defend myself and my wife. That means a
lot to me," the Hacienda Del Rio resident said. However, Schraeder stresses his
form of karate is about defense rather than offense. "This is not Jackie Chan or
Bruce Lee," he said. "We are not here to attack anyone. When confronted, you are
supposed to back off but, when you are attacked, you can stop it and defend
yourself." |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Black belt success for mum Terri: |
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From: http://www.eadt.co.uk (June
6, 2003):
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Terri Sawkins received her coveted black belt in a variation of Kuk Sool - a Korean
martial art - and then took part in a national tournament at Norwich Sports
Village last week. There were many winners but her achievement was more
remarkable than most because Terri is blind.
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She has been in the sport for four years after she was hooked after a
self-defence class and has progressed up the rankings and through the belts. |
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Terri, 45, who travels by train from Colchester to
Ipswich for her classes admitted she never thought she would land her black
belt. She said: "I never intended to go for a black belt. I just want to keep
going as long as I can. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Paralysed man becomes ninja: |
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From: Herald and Weekly Times (February
24, 2003):
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Mackay hospital
administrator Dan Bazin, 25, was born with Spina Bifida and lost the use of his
legs in an operation when he was two years old. After trying other forms of
martial arts, he took up Ninjitsu two years ago and is now one step away from a
black belt. |
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Mr Bazin said Ninjitsu was a fluid, free-moving kind of
martial art whose laws could be adapted to accommodate his disability. |
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"Karate is primarily kicks and punches, Judo is known for its throws,
and we use a bit of everything - it's very fluid," he said. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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More
inspirational martial arts stories, news and
reports will be added on a regular basis.
Make sure you drop by for a dose of "good
vibes" :-)
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