Karate College Clubs Fall Magazine 2023

T A B L E O F

C O N T E N T S

KARATE DIPLOMACY

TOURNAMENTS

PROMOTIONS

5 KATA SEMINARS

VAZRIK SENSEI JION

VAZRIK SENSEI ENPI

BASSAI DAI REVIEW

KYU EXAM SIMULATION

CRAIG ELKIN SENSEI

36 # OF KYU EXAM STUDENTS

27 # OF JAPANESE KARATEKA THAT VISITED BOSTON IN SEPTEMBER

F A L L 2 0 2 3 K A R A T E

12 # OF MHKH KARATEKA THAT VISITED JAPAN IN NOVEMBER I N F O G R A P H I C

3 NEW JUKF BLACK BELTS

ZENG WING TAN AMY LIU RICARDO HARRIPAUL

4 # OF TOURNAMENTS

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT UCONN HUSKY CUP TOURNAMENT

MIT INTER-COLLEGE TOURNAMENT

BRAZIL STATE KARATE TOURNAMENT

JKA NATIONALS IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Motivation and Discipline in Life -Vazrik & Cassiano Editorial

build bridges around the world with passion in life, nothing is achievable wake up everyday to a state of high their tasks in order to achieve their ed that this is not typical. Of course, to accomplish all that we need to do l dream, but this is not a constant in ine is key to making things happen. y, and work towards a goal that you u feel that day. For example, if your rate, and you set a goal of training 4 times a week for several years, then you know you must stick to that plan. There will be days that you cannot wait to get to training and practice a new kata that you have learned or a new kumite technique, but there will also be days that you dread the idea of doing your Karate workout. Discipline is the tool that enables you to train even on those tough days, and to stick to the path and to have faith that the hard work will pay off. The lesson we try to impart to our students with our consistent Karate training year round is that developing discipline to achieve your goals is not just important but is necessary, as motivation will not be enough in long term goals. For things that may only take a few days to achieve, it may suffice, but for tasks as complex as becoming a black belt, which takes years, you must have discipline in addition to motivation. Karate training provides this discipline, and we hope that the Karate training our college Karate students experience throughout their school years help them gain this discipline and apply it to their lives after graduation.

Japan University Karatedo Federation (JUKF) Visits Boston

09/07/23 - 09/13/23

From September 7 to 13, 2023, we officially hosted for the first time a delegation of students and instructors from the Japan University Karatedo Federation (JUKF) in Boston for a week. A total of 27 members of the JUKF came, which included 18 university students, 2 high school students, and 7 board members of the JUKF. The goal of the trip was not only to do Karate together at the various universities we teach in Boston, but to also create a lifelong bond between university Karate in Japan and university Karate in the US.

During their stay, the JUKF visitors were officially received by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston, they had a tour of the Massachusetts State House, they were able to visit the Museum of Science, get to see Plymouth and learn about the history of the Mayflower. The students were able to visit and tour the campuses of MIT, Harvard, Boston University, and Wellesley College.

We took the Japanese students to enjoy food at some of our favorite places in Boston, including Time Out Market in Boston, Fogo de Chão, The Mad Monkfish, and many other places.

We also hosted an official JUKF Dan promotions, in which 3 of our students achieved the rank of Shodan in the Japan University Karatedo Federation. Congrats to Amy Liu (Johns Hopkins University), Ricardo Harripaul (MIT), and Zeng Wing Tan (Boston University) for their achievement!

We prepared a photo album documenting their full exciting journey over the week which you can access with the QR code on this page.

NOVEMBER 16-26, 2024

OurJourney JAPAN TOUR

Fall Karate Seminars at Harvard and MIT

09/27/2023

10/08/2023

10/11/2023

10/15/2023

October 8, 2023, we had a special seminar at MIT in order to teach the choreography of Enpi. Enpi is one of Vazrik Sensei’s favorite kata, as it requires a blend of high speed but also grace and control. This kata was taught to both beginner and advanced students so that they could explore a special kata and the unique Karate opportunities that it offers in improving one’s technique. On Sunday, October 15, 2023, Vazrik Sensei then taught Jion to students at MIT. Jion is another kata that many advanced students in the group enjoy and have used to test for black belt. This kata served as an opportunity for beginners to see how all of the kihon that we diligently practice every class applies to mastery of this kata.

Lastly, on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, we held a special kyu exam simulation for Karate students at Harvard University in the middle of the semester. Each semester we do a simulation of the kyu exam requirements at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels early on so that students can see what is expected of them in the following weeks of training and what will be used to assess their Karate skill at the end of the semester.

Intercollegiate Fall Tournament at MIT

10/22/2023

able to perform the same Karate techniques under pressure in front of a crowd. These in-house tournaments that we organize are opportunities we give to students to practice that higher pressure performance experience so that they can adapt and be able to handle these experiences in larger settings.

Congrats to the students who achieved podium positions in the kata and kumite division! Below are the results from the tournament.

Intercollegiate Fall Tournament at MIT

B E G I N N E R K A T A

Carol Cuesta (Harvard)

Destiny Villareal (Wellesley College)

Rosabelli Coelho (MIT)

Nikita Patil (BU and UT Austin)

Itai Meshorer (MIT)

Emile Giovanni (Harvard)

Sara Sugita (Boston University)

Athena Zheng (Boston University)

Itai Meshorer (MIT)

JKA NATIONALS San Francisco

11/10/23 - 11/13/23

What a great experience! Our San Francisco Team of 4 took a 6-hour plane ride to compete at the JKA/AF Nationals Collegiate Championships, hosted at the beautiful waterfront Marriott Hotel.

Lorraine Sin (Nidan) of Boston University+ Lesley University and Nikita Patil (Shodan) of Boston University + University of Texas at Austin represented MHKH in the all ranks Black Belt Adult Women’s Division Kata, where Lorraine got Bassai Dai and Nikita got Heian Godan. Nikita competed in the Kumite division as well, winning her first elimination round before putting up a good fight facing Yondan Kellan Lyman (a good friend of ours!).

Bruce Chang-Hung Hou (2nd kyu) of Boston University and Emile Giovannie (4 kyu) of Harvard University represented MHKH in the Intermediate Adult Men’s Division for Kata and Kumite. Both performed well (Bruce with Jion and Emile with Heian Godan) and Emile even placed fourth in the kata event!

All of us had such a wonderful time cheering our friends on and watching all the exciting events across all ranks and ages. What an inspiring event; all our karateka are ready to return to Boston for some more training (but not for long, as we have even more exciting events coming up!)

HUSKY CUP 2023 Results

As has become tradition for our Karate students, we went to the UConn Husky Cup Karate tournament this fall semester

This is a tournament hosted by the UConn Karate Club and is a tradition that Sensei Bob Jacobs (7th Dan JKA) and Sensei Mike Jacobs (5th Dan JKA) started many years ago and continue today. It is a fun tournament aimed at offering students an opportunity to compete and get feedback from the judges to enhance their Karate as well as their competition skills. We sent a delegation of students from Boston to compete and learn from this experience, and many of them achieved podium positions! Congrats to everyone who competed, learned something new about their Karate, found new inspiration to train hard, and made new Karate friends.

11/18/2023

We also want to thank Iyit Benusia, Bruce Hou, and Emile Giovannie Zounon for coordinating all of the logistics and supporting all of the students at the tournament. All of the work that went on behind the scenes to make their tournament experience a fun, enjoyable one for all of the students did not go unnoticed, and we are thankful for their altruistic attitude to helping provide Karate opportunities for our college Karate community.

HUSKY CUP 2023 Results

Hiro Fujii (Boston University) K A T A

Hirotaka Fujii (Boston University) with Jion

Sasiru Pathiranage (Boston University) with Empi Male Black Belt Division

K U M I T E

Sasiru Pathiranage (Boston University)

Garen Chiloyan (Uconn)

Brown Belt Division

K A T A

(Bruce) Chang-Hung Hou (Boston University) with Jion

K U M I T E

(Bruce) Chang-Hung Hou (Boston University) Green, Purple, Blue Belt Division

K U M I T E

Emile Giovannie Zounon (Harvard University)

K A T A

Rosabelli Coelho (MIT) Upper White Belt Division

K A T A

Paul Ferrer (Boston University) with Heian Shodan White Belt Division

K U M I T E

Su Andy Cheng (Boston University)

Special shout-out to Iyit Benusia, Bruce Hou, and Emile Giovannie for coordinating the logistics and making the Husky Cup a wonderful experience for our Boston students You rock! This is the Boston Area results we couldn't be more proud of 24 podiums out of 46, Placed in all divisions with all the colleges congratulations!

Black Belt Division

K A T A

Sofija Obradovic (Boston University) with Bassai Dai Iyit Benusia (Lesley University) with Bassai Dai

K U M I T E

Sofija Obradovic (Boston University)

Ashley Yuan (Wellesley)

Munawwar Abdulla (Harvard University)

Brown Belt Division

Husky Cup winner: Ashley Yuan (Wellesley)

K A T A

Athena Zheng (Boston University) with Jion

Iyit Benusia (Lesley University) with Bassai Dai

Ashley Yuan (Wellesley) with Bassai Dai

U M I T E

Ashley Yuan (Wellesley)

Munawwar Abdulla (Harvard University)

Athena Zheng (Boston University)

Sara Sugita (Boston University)

Brazil State Championship 2023 Renata Costa

11/25/2023

Renata Costa (Alumni Harvard Humanitarian Initiative) emerged as the champion in the State Tournament in Brazil's Kata division on November 25th She competed with the kata Heian Godan

At the end of the Fall 2023 semester, we held the kyu belt exams for students at Harvard University, Wellesley College, Boston University, as well as our alumni students who have been training throughout the semester. The students have been working hard to learn their next kata and develop their fundamentals to demonstrate in their kihon and kumite. We had 36 total students who tested and reached their next level in the JKA and HDKI. We are proud of the students and the hard work they put in this semester to improve their skill in Shotokan Karate.

H A R V A R D U N I V E R S I T Y

M u n a w w a r A b d u l l a 1 s t k y u

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A l m a C o n w a y 3 r d k y u

E m i l e G i o v a n n i e Z o u n o n 3 r d k y u

R o b e r t o C o l a r i e t i 4 t h k y u

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W E L L E S L E Y C O L L E G E

A s h l e y Y u a n 1 s t k y u

A b b y B r e n n a n - J o n e s 5 t h k y u

K a a v y a S e n t h i l 5 t h k y u

D e s t i n y V i l l a r r e a l 6 t h k y u

D y l a n B u n y a k 6 t h k y u

L o l a C a v e r s 7 t h k y u

V i v i a n A t s u m i S t e w a r t 7 t h k y u

M a r e l y n G o n z a l e z 7 t h k y u

S a g e W i d d e r 7 t h k y u

L e s l i e M e n d e z 8 t h k y u

S o p h i a C l a r k s o n 8 t h k y u

B O S T O N U N I V E R S I T Y

R i l e y L e i g h t o n 3 r d k y u

A n i l J o s h i 4 t h k y u

K a t h l e e n Y a m 4 t h k y u

S o n i s h a P o o r n i m a N a l l u r u 4 t h k y u

S a r a S u g i t a 4 t h k y u

M i c h a e l a N u ñ e z 7 t h k y u

A l e x i s H u t c h i n g s 7 t h k y u

N i k i t a C h a y c h e n k o 7 t h k y u

P a u l F e r r e r 7 t h k y u

S u A n d y C h e n g 7 t h k y u

A L U M N I

M a y a P e n s a 4 t h k y u

W E L L E S L E Y C O L L E G E

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D e s t i n y V i l l a r r e a l 7 t h k y u

D y l a n B u n y a k 7 t h k y u

L o l a C a v e r s 8 t h k y u

V i v i a n A t s u m i S t e w a r t 8 t h k y u

M a r e l y n G o n z a l e z 8 t h k y u

S a g e W i d d e r 8 t h k y u

L e s l i e M e n d e z 8 t h k y u

S o p h i a C l a r k s o n 8 t h k y u

B O S T O N U N I V E R S I T Y

R i l e y L e i g h t o n 4 t h k y u

A n i l J o s h i 5 t h k y u

K a t h l e e n Y a m 5 t h k y u

S o n i s h a P o o r n i m a N a l l u r u 5 t h k y u

S a r a S u g i t a 5 t h k y u

M i c h a e l a N u ñ e z 8 t h k y u

A l e x i s H u t c h i n g s 8 t h k y u

N i k i t a C h a y c h e n k o 8 t h k y u

P a u l F e r r e r 8 t h k y u

S u A n d y C h e n g 8 t h k y u

A L U M N I

B r u c e H o u 1 s t k y u

R e n a t a C o s t a 1 s t k y u

M a y a P e n s a 4 t h k y u

JUKF Black belts 2023

11/21/2023

On September 10, 2023, we had 3 of our alumni students take their JUKF Dan exam and successfully pass. Congratulations to Ricardo Harripaul (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard), Amy Liu (Johns Hopkins University / Wellesley College), and Zeng Wing Tan (Boston University) for achieving the rank of Shodan in the JUKF system. On November 21, 2023, during our visit in Japan, Osada Sensei (Vice President JUKF) presented the official JUKF Dan exam certificates to the students.

Ricardo Harripaul (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard)

Zeng Wing Tan (Boston University)

Amy Liu (Wellesley College + Johns Hopkins University)

BLACK BELTS INFOGRAPHIC

Sensei Tabata's passing away in 2020 was a tremendous loss, but we made it our mission to carry on his legacy by spreading the art of karate to universities all over the world. We wanted to ensure that our students, after graduating from university in Boston, could practice karate no matter where they were. In addition to teaching Karate in the style that Tabata Sensei taught for kihon, kumite, and kata, we also made it a goal to allow students to pursue their Karate anywhere around the world within multiple different Shotokan Karate organizations. This way, they could continue their karate journey and make use of their “multiple passports”. Our very own Karateka Renata Costa created an unique infographic to depict the various ranks our Karateka have. It showcases the karatekas, universities, dan levels, organizations, and native countries of each student.

Infographic Credit: Renata Costa

ka r ate mo r e t h an

O u r s t u d e n t s d o “ M o r e T h a n K a r a t e ” ! S h o t o k a n

K a r a t e i s a d e e p p a s s i o n f o r m a n y o f o u r s t u d e n t s ,

b u t a s m a n y n e w b e g i n n e r s a s k u s w h e n t h e y j o i n

o u r K a r a t e g r o u p , y o u c a n h a v e m u l t i p l e p a s s i o n s !

M a n y o f o u r s t u d e n t s d o m u l t i p l e a c t i v i t i e s i n

a d d i t i o n t o K a r a t e . T h r o u g h o u t t h e m a g a z i n e , w e

w i l l h i g h l i g h t s o m e o f o u r m e m b e r s a n d y o u w i l l

h a v e a c h a n c e t o g e t t o k n o w m o r e a b o u t t h e m .

Carol Cuesta of Harvard University Gives Ethics in AI Talk at MIT Media Lab

09/27/2023

Carol Cuesta is a postdoc at Harvard University studying Astrophysics. She is also a Harvard University Karate Club member and reached 5th kyu in the Fall 2023 JKA promotions. She was invited to give a talk on the ethics of AI at the MIT Media Lab.

In recent years there has been a surge in tools that facilitate creative works using AI (such as DALL-E and Chat-GPT) and with that has come both creative uses for those tools and ethical questions around artist ownership and copyright. The NSF Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI) hosted a workshop led by Carol to share how these tools work and what ethical concerns arise in relation to them. Attendees submitted awesome AI-generated poetry and prose that was read and displayed at a reception.

MICHAELA NUÑEZ

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

6 T H K Y U J K A

7 T H K Y Y H D K I

K A R A T E & P I A N O

Anselmo Cassiano - Guest Speaker

Mastering the Art of Negotiation Broad Institute Latin X Speaker Series

11/7/2023

The Broad Institute*, a joint venture between MIT and Harvard, is a research organization that convenes a community of researchers from across many disciplines and partner institutions: MIT, Harvard, and Harvard-affiliated hospitals. The Institute is supported also by of the Institute Carlos Slim, Eric Smith (former Google CEO), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Every year, the Broad hosts the René Salazar Speaker Series Latin X coordinated by Ricardo Harripaul Ph.D. This series invites relevant Latin specialists from various fields to speak about their careers. Anselmo Cassiano was invited to talk about Mastering the Art of Negotiation and the importance of Water Diplomacy.

The magic of Vending Machine Gachapon - Japan

As a first-timer in Japan, one of the first things that caught my attention was the abundance of vending machines. From street corners to train stations to student dorms, we can be sure to find vending machines selling a variety of soul-healing sustenance. We were amazed to find hot tea, ice-cream, and corn soup! On those early mornings during our trip, holding a bottle of warm tea was just what I needed to power through the drowsiness. I remember watching an anime about a person reincarnating into another world as a vending machine and spreading the joy of convenient drinks to adventurers in that fantasy world. With vending machines being such an integral part of life in Japan, it is no wonder that a sentient vending machine would be the protagonist of a story. I thought that perhaps the wide circulation of coins in Japanese currency contributes to how popular vending machines are in Japan. Getting rid of coins might be one of the reasons why someone might be willing to spend at one of these machines.

Amy Liu is a Research Technologist at Johns Hopkins University Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. She graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry & a Minor in Physics and has a JUKF Black Belt and HDKI Black Belt

AMY LIU

Related to vending machines were the many gachapon machines we encountered in shopping centers. Taking a few coins, these machines will dispense a capsule that reveals a mystery toy. The excitement of browsing through what toys were available in the machines, turning the knobs that made clicking sounds, and opening the capsule was amplified because we did it as a group. Lorraine found a machine that offered gachapon knobs as a fidget toy. Even more surprisingly, she found a machine that sold mini gachapon machines. Of course, we had to get a mini gachapon machine. The attention to detail was incredible on these small plastic toys. It came with knobs that were turnable, six tiny capsules smaller than my fingernails, tiny stickers showing the price, logo, and types of toys in the machine and hooks that connec machines, just like how one would find them in a row a the store. We were delighted to find out that Lorraine got a tiny gachapon machine tha sold gachapon machines as indicated by the sticker. Even from this short visit to Japan, understood how importan attention to detail is in the culture. I was constantly blown away by the thoughtfulness in the design of everyday objects and in the hospitality we received from our hosts. This thoughtfulness is something I will take with me in my future interactions, so that others may feel a similar warm welcome, the Japanese way.

CAROLINA CUESTA

MIT AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY

4 T H K Y U J K A

5 T H K Y U H D K I

K A R A T E &

S O C C E R

SPAIN

ALTRUISM INACTION

K a r a t e i s n o t j u s t a b o u t p u n c h i n g a n d k i c k i n g . I t i s a b o u t d e v e l o p i n g a

r e s i l i e n t m i n d , o n e t h a t c a n a c h i e v e s u c c e s s b o t h i n s i d e t h e d o j o b u t a l s o

i n o n e ’ s a c a d e m i c a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l c a r e e r . O n e o f t h e l e s s o n s w e t r y t o

i m p a r t t o o u r s t u d e n t s i s t h e p o w e r o f a l t r u i s m . A l t r u i s m i s a b o u t p a y i n g

i t f o r w a r d . I t i s a b o u t g i v i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o p e o p l e w h o o t h e r w i s e w o u l d

n o t h a v e a c c e s s t o i t . T h r o u g h o u t t h e m a g a z i n e , w e h i g h l i g h t a f e w

e x a m p l e s o f a l t r u i s m i n a c t i o n t h a t o u r s t u d e n t s d e m o n s t r a t e d a r o u n d

t h e w o r l d . W e c o n s i d e r 3 w a y s i n w h i c h p e o p l e c a n o f f e r h e l p t o o t h e r s i n

t h e w o r l d :

I n t h e p a g e s a h e a d , y o u w i l l s e e e x a m p l e s o f e a c h o n e , b u t s o m e t i m e s

c a s e s w h e r e a c o m b i n a t i o n o f t i m e , m o n e y , a n d s k i l l s w e r e o f f e r e d t o h e l p p e o p l e . T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t i s t h a t o u r s t u d e n t s f i n d a w a y t o g i v e

b a c k t o t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s , a n d t o e m p o w e r p e o p l e t o p a y i t f o r w a r d

t h e m s e l v e s t o h e l p t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n a n d h e l p m a k e t h e w o r l d a b e t t e r

p l a c e o n e a c t o f k i n d n e s s a t a t i m e .

SENSEI WATANABE CAMBODIA PROJECT

During our stay in Fukuoka, we were fortunate enough to meet a very kind man who guided us through universities and training. He was a skilled communicator in English and explained the history of the Kyushu region. However, it was on the last day, during the farewell dinner, when Shihan from Nagasaki University, Yuji Watanabe, confided in us about how karate had a truly altruistic meaning in his life. He spoke of a project that lasted more than a decade between Japan and Cambodia, covering more than 4,000 km distance. His immense desire to practice Karate diplomacy helped to build bridges between peoples and nations. Sensei Watanabe's story about how karate has helped to foster international connections was one of the highlights of the Japan Tour 2023. We can't wait to see what other amazing experiences are in store for us! Enjoy his testimony!

I worked as a secretary of the Economic Cooperation section at the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia for three years from 2000. After returning to Japan, I initiated a Karate-do exchange with Cambodia for two main reasons. Firstly, after the civil war ended in 1999, I felt that people in Cambodia could once again enjoy their culture. I believed that the only thing I could do to contribute to the country was to introduce them to Karate-do, a martial art that originated in Japan. Therefore, I made efforts to exchange with my Karate-do friends and children in Cambodia who were practicing hard. Secondly, I wanted to raise awareness about the real situation in Cambodia and encourage more people to visit the country. I believe that promoting tourism would contribute to the development of Cambodia and help improve its education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Although the education, health, and infrastructure in Cambodia are still inadequate, I realized that the only thing I could do for the country was to continue with the Karate-do exchange. So, I visited Cambodia 13 times until 2018 before the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 89 people participated in the exchange program, including 20 university students, 27 alumni, and their families. I also invited my Cambodian Karate-do friends to Fukuoka and Nagasaki in the western part of Japan. I continue to view my activity as an exchange initiative rather than a support program because the Japanese participants, especially the students, were encouraged and impressed during their visit to Cambodia and meeting with people there

Additionally, I collected second-hand Dogi (Karate uniforms) from children who had outgrown them and brought them to Cambodia, especially to rural areas We visited an orphan center where children practiced Karate-do In addition to Karate, the participants introduced other sports like volleyball, baseball, and tennis, so that the children could experience a variety of sports at the center

I believe that continuity is the key to success, and I will continue with the Karate-do exchange program between Cambodia and Japan.

Yuji Watanabe - Shihan Nagasaki University Japan

MIT SAILING HATCH BROWN AWARD 2023ANSELMO

CASSIANO

THROUGH TIME THROUGH MONEY

12/13/2023

THROUGH SKILLS

The Hatch Brown Service Award is given out at the annual meeting of the Association. This award is bestowed upon individuals who have contributed significantly to the Association and the M.I.T. Sailing Pavilion. Members vote to determine the recipients of the M.I.T. Nautical Association Service Award.

The award is named after the esteemed Harold "Hatch" Brown (BU '59), who was a sailor, coach, and Navy veteran. Hatch spent 29 years as the Sailing Master and Varsity Coach at MIT, teaching over 30,000 people how to sail. He is also in the ICSA Hall of Fame.

This year, Anselmo Cassiano and Zachary Berzolla were chosen as the winners of the award Cassiano is a dedicated sailing instructor and a respected representative “ambassador” of MIT Sailing. He teaches various types of boats (420, Lynx Catboat, Tech dinghy) and inspires students to find joy on the water. Cassiano is also affiliated with MIT's Blue Water program(Mashnee's Herreshoff Sailboat). Cassiano felt extremely honored by the nomination and confirmation of his name for the awards. Also during the annual meeting Cassiano was appointed to join the board of the MIT Nautical Association 2024-2025.

The Prize is one of the biggest recognition awards from the MIT Sailing Program, a program created in 1936 that is considered one of the largest college sailing programs in the world, a birthplace of College Sailing in USA, graduating up to 3000 sailing students per year. This award is very unique and a person can only receive it once in a lifetime. Past winners deserving of this distinction are Peter Stasiowski (1986), Eric Gibber (1991), Hatch Brown (1995) Karen Wepsic (2005) and last year (2022) the legendary Sailing Master Franny Charles.

For his efforts as a volunteer Instructor at MIT Sailing Program, Anselmo Cassiano has been honored with the 2023 Distinguished Service to Sailing the Hatch Brown Award by the MIT Nautical Association

The meeting was conducted at the MIT Sailing Pavilion by Commodore Maks J Groom and the MIT Sailing Master Matthew Lindblad

Free Zoom Karate Lessons Offered Throughout The Fall Semester

By Amandine Fromont from

Washington DC

Throughout each semester, our Karate group continues to offer free Zoom Karate lessons for students around the world every Tuesday evening. Amandine Fromont (Nidan JKA) taught students in the U.S. and all around the world, crossing time zones and accommodating for different schedules. Our goal is to offer classes for students who do not live near a Karate dojo to ensure that they can continue to train Karate consistently. This fall 2023, Amandine particularly focused on preparing students for a few key events in the semester. We had students who were preparing to travel to Japan and perform a team Jion kata at the world renowned Nihon Budokan in Tokyo. Several students were preparing to go and represent our Karate college community in the JKA National Tournament in San Francisco. Lastly, we had a big crowd of students from the various colleges we teach at in the Boston area preparing to compete at the UConn Husky Cup. Students polished their respective kata while developing certain drills to help them refine their sparring skills and be able to put these to use at the various events and tournaments.

Washington

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bri d ges

O u r K a r a t e c o m m u n i t y b u i l d s b r i d g e s w i t h K a r a t e i n s t r u c t o r s a n d

o r g a n i z a t i o n s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . T h i s g i v e s o u r s t u d e n t s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y

t o l e a r n d i f f e r e n t a p p r o a c h e s t o K a r a t e a n d c r e a t e b o n d s w i t h K a r a t e k a

a c r o s s t h e g l o b e . W e c o n n e c t w i t h h i g h - l e v e l i n s t r u c t o r s w h o v i e w

K a r a t e n o t j u s t a s a p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y , b u t a l s o a s a w a y o f d e v e l o p i n g

h u m b l e c h a r a c t e r , c o n f i d e n c e , l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s i n K a r a t e ‘ d i p l o m a t s ’

w h o m a k e t h e w o r l d a b e t t e r p l a c e i n t h e i r l o c a l , r e g i o n a l , a n d g l o b a l

c o m m u n i t i e s . T h r o u g h o u t t h e m a g a z i n e , w e f e a t u r e a f e w o f t h e

i n s t r u c t o r s w h o r e p r e s e n t t h i s a p p r o a c h t o K a r a t e a n d w i t h w h o m w e

h a v e d e v e l o p e d a b o n d .

Today, we're going to talk about our amazing JUKF black belt recipient from Canada and Trinidad & Tobago And let me tell you, Ricardo is truly a force to be reckoned with. In life, he managed to accomplish so much!

First, he jetted off to Toronto, Canada to spend some quality time with his lovely niece Addison and nephew Adrian. But that's not all, he also took charge of the uniform logistics for our karate team. Talk about dedication!

After that, he made his way to Boston , where he organized a series of events for the Broad Institute LatinX cultural and academic diversity program. From salsa classes to captivating lectures by Latin scientists, Ricardo ensured that everyone had a fantastic time.

But his journey didn't stop there. He then headed to New York and Washington DC, where he joined a team of brilliant minds to discuss the importance of investing in science with senators and members of Congress. As a member of the National Science Commission, Ricardo played a crucial role in advocating for scientific advancement.

And if all that wasn't impressive enough, he even made a detour to London before returning to Boston to continue his research. Talk about jet-setting! and I can’t forget to mention he had an article published at very well known NATURE Scientific Reports.

But here's the real kicker: just days later, Ricardo found himself in Munich, Germany , on his way to Japan to receive his well-deserved black belt! I mean, seriously, how does he do it all?

Reading about Ricardo's remarkable journey makes me reflect on my own busy schedule. Next time I complain about being busy, I should definitely take a page out of Ricardo's book.

Craig Elkin Sensei (Yale University Chief Karate Instructor) Seminar at Harvard Karate Club

On Sunday, October 29, 2023, we had the pleasure of having Craig Elkin Sensei (6th Dan JKA) teach a seminar at Harvard University for our Karate students from MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Wellesley College, and Lesley University. Craig Sensei is the Karate Instructor at Yale University, and he led an exciting seminar for the students focused on fundamental kihon drills as well as kata bunkai. Craig Sensei had special drills designed to teach students how to engage their lats when punching for more power, how to develop lateral knee stability in front stance to develop a more grounded stance, and how to utilize the hip flexors more effectively to kick faster in the 1st half of the trajectory of front kick. Students took several exciting drills away that they could utilize in their training to improve their Karate fundamentals further.

In addition, Craig Sensei offered time for students to ask questions that they had about kata and the applications (bunkai) of particular kata moves. He shared some of his tips, such as how to create the correct hand-foot timing in the first move of Heian Yondan. We ended the seminar with some official gifts from the Harvard Karate Club as a gesture of thanks for Craig Sensei offering his time and knowledge. We also got to enjoy lunch with Craig Sensei at our favorite restaurant in Cambridge, the Mad Monkfish, and to be able to learn about Craig Sensei’s path in Karate and his insights from decades of training.

C O N N E C T W I T H U S

V a z r i k C h i l o y a n

v a z r i k @ m i t . e d u

A n s e l m o C a s s i a n o A l v e s

a n s e l m o c @ m i t . e d u

A m a n d i n e F r o m o n t

a f r o m o n t @ w e l l e s l e y . e d u

L o r r a i n e S i n

l s i n @ b u . e d u

N i k i t a P a t i l

p a t i l n p @ u t e x a s . e d u

I y i t B e n u s i a

i b e n u s i a @ l e s l e y . e d u

R E A D O U R P U B L I C A T I O N S