We are well into the last month of training before summer break – our final class day is Tuesday, June 27.  It’s been a busy year and I have seen great progress at all levels in the dojo. Our younger students have become more active – with many students from the children’s class participating in their first tournament this past year.  As well, a number of students have started training at our Friday night kumite classes – these are challenging classes and you have all shown good karate spirit and commitment.   The three members of the provincial team from our dojo – Sempai Mariah Blunt, Ethan Baker and Diego Ruiz have also had a very strong year – competing provincially and nationally.  Sempai Mariah will compete internationally at the Youth World Cup in Umag, Croatia in the next few weeks, followed by the Cadet & Junior Pan American Championship (Buenos Aires, Argentina) in August and the Cadet & Junior World Championship (Tenerife, Spain) in October.  We also offer our support and good wishes to the provincial athletes that regularly train with us on Friday nights.  Some of them will be competing internationally this summer.  Congratulations to all and best of luck in all upcoming competitions!

At the end of May, we had several great training sessions with Soke Sensei, as well as Taneda Sensei and Higuchi Sensei.  The classes, held in Canmore and here at our dojo in Calgary, touched on a wide variety of skills and once again gave us greater insight into the array of techniques that comprise the Chito Ryu style.   

Though our thoughts might be turning to summer vacations and lazy days – it’s important to remember all the hard work that you put in this year.  Keep up your fitness and remember to practice techniques, kihons and katas now and again to keep them fresh in your mind.  If you have any questions about which techniques to work on this summer, or if you are interested in the Plumacher Sensei Kumite camps and need more information, contact me.

Announcements   

• Casino volunteers still needed: ICKF (International Chito-Ryu Karate & Fitness) on September 22 and 23: contact Elliot Hewitt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

“A bad attitude is like a flat tire.  If you don’t change it, you’ll never go anywhere.”

 Have a great summer!

Gary Sabean

Head Instructor