Kobudo Shinsa Results - December 2013

Congratulations to the following kobudo students, who passed their rank test on December 4th 2013:

Raul Perez - 9th kyu orange belt

Rhianna Candido - 6th kyu green belt
Benjamin Lowder - 6th kyu green belt
Meredith Lowder - 6th kyu green belt

Christian Pace - 2nd kyu brown belt
Gavon Mitchell - 2nd kyu brown belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Winter 2014 Calendar

The Winter 2014 schedule of events & dojo closings is now available here:

http://mountainstreambudo.com/webcalendar1/month.php?date=20131201

Paper copies will be available at the dojo next week.

Kobudo & Jujitsu Shinsa Results - November 2013

Congratulations to Kevin Terhune and Vicki Ponarski, both of whom tested for the rank of 5th kyu yellow belt in jujitsu, and to Victoria Spitzer, who tested for the rank of 6th kyu green belt in kobudo on November 6th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Karate Shinsa Results - October 2013

Congratulations to the following karate students, who tested for rank in October 2013:

YOUTH
Allison Scheidt - 8th kyu orange belt
Genna Candido - 8th kyu orange belt
Kristen Neeson - 8th kyu orange belt
Ashley Perez - 8th kyu orange belt
Robert Heyen - 8th kyu orange belt

Maysea McShane - 6th kyu blue belt

Evan Cross - 5th kyu green belt

Rhianna Candido - 3rd kyu brown belt

Kelby Dath - 1st kyu brown belt

ADULT
Douglas Sankar - 5th kyu green belt

Vicki Ponarski - 4th kyu purple belt

Lori Coyle - 3rd kyu brown belt (re-certification)
Zulie Dath - 3rd kyu brown belt

Caroline Pace - 2nd kyu brown belt

Sarina Matalon - 1st kyu brown belt

Mark Fidelio - Nidan black belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Lil' Dragons Karate Rank Advancement - October 2013

Congratulations to the following Lil' Dragons karate students, who advanced in rank on October 12th 2013:

William Heyen - orange stripe

Eli Pierce - yellow stripe

Trevor Lewis - blue stripe
Maximus McShane - blue stripe

Joseph Liberatore - green stripe
Jonathan Scheidt - green stripe
Gavin Tucker - green stripe
Michael Neuer - green stripe
Jaxon Weed - green stripe

T.J. Conti - yellow belt

Omedetougozaimasu!

Karate Black Belt Rank Grading

Congratulations to Mark Fidelio, who tested for the rank of Nidan (2nd degree black belt) in karate on October 10th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Shinsa - October 2013

Congratulations to Kelby Dath, who tested for the rank of 8th kyu yellow belt in kobudo on October 2nd 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Jujitsu Shinsa - September 2013

Congratulations to Gary Heady-Lofaro, who tested for the rank of 6th kyu orange belt in jujitsu on September 5th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Shinsa - September 2013

Congratulations to A.J. Egel, who tested for the rank of 7th kyu blue belt in kobudo on September 4th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Jujitsu Shinsa Results - August 2013

Congratulations to the following jujitsu students, who tested for rank on August 3rd 2013:

Kevin Terhune - 6th kyu orange belt
Vicki Ponarski - 6th kyu orange belt

Raul Perez - 4th kyu green belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Youth Karate Shinsa Results - Summer 2013

Congratulations to the following youth karate students, who tested for rank in late June/early July 2013:

Isabela Frattarola - 8th kyu orange belt
Alex Enea - 8th kyu orange belt
Nicholas Grippo - 8th kyu orange belt
Sophia Rizzo - 8th kyu orange belt

Maysea McShane - 7th kyu yellow belt

Evan Cross - 6th kyu blue belt
Hannah Angelico - 6th kyu blue belt
Noah Angelico - 6th kyu blue belt

Diego Vasquez - 4th kyu purple belt
Christopher Soliz - 4th kyu purple belt
Rhianna Candido - 4th kyu purple belt

Victoria Spitzer - 2nd kyu brown belt

Kevin McMullen - 1st kyu brown belt

Abigail Lowder - Shodan-ho junior black belt 1st level

Keith Weed - Shodan-ho junior black belt 3rd level

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Lil' Dragons Rank Advancement - July 2013

Congratulations to the following Lil' Dragons students, who advanced in rank on July 6th 2013:

Maximus McShane - yellow stripe
Trevor Lewis - yellow stripe

Joseph Liberatore - blue stripe
Jaxon Weed - blue stripe
Jonathan Scheidt - blue stripe
Gavin Tucker - blue stripe
Michael Neuer - blue stripe
Joshua Landsman - blue stripe

Rylie Hayden - purple stripe
Genna Candido - purple stripe
Andrew Grippo - purple stripe

Christian Ramos - orange belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Shinsa Results - July 2013

Congratulations to Rhianna Candido and Victoria Spitzer, who tested for 7th kyu blue belt in kobudo on July 3rd 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Black Belt Grading - June 2013

Congratulations to Mark Gagliardi, who tested for the rank of Nidan black belt in kobudo on June 14th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!!

Kobudo Shinsa Results June 2013

Congratulations to the following kobudo students, who tested for rank on June 5th 2013:

A.J. Egel - 8th kyu yellow belt

Benjamin Lowder - 7th kyu blue belt
Meredith Lowder - 7th kyu blue belt

Omedetougozaimasu!

Jujitsu Shinsa Results - June 2013

Congratulations to the following students, who tested for rank in jujitsu on June 1st 2013:

Raul Perez - 6th kyu orange belt

Zulie Dath - 4th kyu green belt


Omedetougozaimasu!

Summer 2013 Schedule of Events & Closings

The Summer 2013 schedule of dojo events & closings is now available here:

http://mountainstreambudo.com/webcalendar1/month.php

Paper copies are also available at the dojo.

Kobudo Shinsa Results - May 2013

Congratulations to Kelby Dath, who tested for the rank of 9th kyu orange belt in kobudo on May 1st 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Adult Karate Shinsa Results - April 2013

Congratulations to the following adult karate students, who tested & advanced in rank in April 2013:

Douglas Sankar - 6th kyu blue belt

Alex Patino - 5th kyu green belt

Zulie Dath - 4th kyu purple belt

Lynne Ward - 3rd kyu brown belt

Chris Annabi - 2nd kyu brown belt
Noah Matalon - 2nd kyu brown belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Youth Karate Shinsa Results - April 2013

Congratulations to the following youth karate students, who tested & advanced in rank in April 2013:

Maysea McShane - 8th kyu orange belt

Hannah Angelico - 7th kyu yellow belt
Noah Angelico - 7th kyu yellow belt
Evan Cross - 7th kyu yellow belt

Rhianna Candido - 5th kyu green belt
Diego Vasquez - 5th kyu green belt
Daniel DeChristopher - 5th kyu green belt

Benjamin Lowder - 3rd kyu brown belt
Dylan Aviles - 3rd kyu brown belt
Alexandra Scialdone - 3rd kyu brown belt

Kelby Dath - 2nd kyu brown belt


Omedetougozaimasu!!

Lil' Dragons Karate Rank Advancement - April 2013

Congratulations to the following Lil' Dragons karate students, who advanced in rank on April 6th 2013:

Maximus McShane - orange stripe
Trevor Lewis - orange stripe
Eli Pierce - orange stripe

Jonathan Scheidt - yellow stripe
Jaxon Weed - yellow stripe
Michael Neuer - yellow stripe
Gavin Tucker - yellow stripe
Joseph Liberatore - yellow stripe
Joshua Landsman - yellow stripe

Genna Candido - green stripe
Rylie Hayden - green stripe
Andrew Grippo - green stripe
Nicholas Grippo - green stripe
Patrick Keeley - green stripe

Jack Gilhooley - purple stripe

Christian Ramos - brown stripe

T.J. Conti - orange belt

Alex Enea - double yellow stripe


Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Shinsa Results - April 2013

Congratulations to Rhianna Candido and Victoria Spitzer, both of whom tested for the rank of 8th kyu yellow belt in kobudo on April 3rd 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Shinsa Results - March 2013

Congratulations to the following kobudo students, who advanced in rank on March 13th 2013:

A.J. Egel - 9th kyu orange belt

Benjamin Lowder - 8th kyu yellow belt
Meredith Lowder - 8th kyu yellow belt


Omedetougozaimasu!

Spring Schedule of Events & Closings

The Spring 2013 schedule of events & closings is now available on the Dojo Calendar here:

http://mountainstreambudo.com/webcalendar1/month.php?date=20130201

Paper copies will be available at the dojo soon . . . .

Class & Fee Schedule Adjustment

There will be a class & fee schedule adjustment going into effect on March 1st.

The new class schedule will inlolve Mondays & Thursdays only.

Flyers with full details are now available at the dojo; please make sure to pick one up during the next week!

Thoughts on Tradition

If today's filmmakers still employed the technology and methods that were cutting edge in 1905, we'd still be watching silent, black-and-white melodramas that featured neither close-ups nor camera movement. For thousands of years, the art of painting consisted of no more than stick figures of bear and bison adorning cave walls. So why is it that practitioners of most art forms except for budo strive for advancement and improvement through change?


Take a look at most modern Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. Much of today's "traditions" were actually developed and spread between 1883 and 1948. Prior to the 1880s, most budo training occurred outdoors, year-round. Practitioners wore no uniforms (training bare-chested in "shorts" was common), and there was no rank of any kind (both dan-i and menkyo-style rank in budo are less than 140 years old). Many "styles" and "systems" were unnamed. It was not uncommon for instructors to improve their art with knowledge brought back during travel. People today talk of "pure" styles, but all styles are influenced to one degree or another by older systems, and all Okinawan and Japanese arts are rooted in more ancient arts from China and elsewhere. If you took one of these so-called "pure" styles - or ANY style for that matter - and watched the way it was practiced 100 years ago, the resemblance to its 21st Century incarnation would be tenuous at best.

I consider myself to be a "traditionalist," but it's important to remember that many of the traditions that I embrace are less than 150 years old, many significantly less so! I feel that budo must change and develop constantly in order to thrive and prosper, and it's important to keep an open mind, always striving to learn from others: my peers, those who came before me, and (more frequently than you'd think) those that came after. I'm not suggesting that today's instructors make up their own kata or create a new style based on the shallow knowledge of a few various established arts; however, to add a touch here and a pinch there of one's own personal spice is necessary to keep an art from growing stagnant.

Youth Karate Rank Advancement - January 2013

Congratulations to the following youth karate students, who advanced in rank in January 2013:

Hannah Angelico - 8th kyu orange belt
Noah Angelico - 8th kyu orange belt
Evan Cross - 8th kyu orange belt

Rhianna Candido - 6th kyu blue belt
Diego Vasquez - 6th kyu blue belt
Daniel DeChristopher - 6th kyu blue belt

Christopher Soliz - 5th kyu green belt

Benjamin Lowder - 4th kyu purple belt
Dylan Aviles - 4th kyu purple belt
Victor Versace - 4th kyu purple belt
Alexandra Scialdone - 4th kyu purple belt

Victoria Spitzer - 3rd kyu brown belt

Abigail Lowder - 1st kyu brown belt


Omedetougozaimasu!!!

Lil' Dragon Karate Rank Advancement - January 2013

Congraultations to the following Lil' Dragons karate students, who advanced in rank on January 12th 2013:

Jonathan Scheidt - orange stripe
Michael Neuer - orange stripe
Gavin Tucker - orange stripe
Joseph Liberatore - orange stripe
Jaxon Weed - orange stripe
Joshua Landsman - orange stripe

Nicholas Grippo - blue stripe
Andrew Grippo - blue stripe
Genna Candido - blue stripe
Patrick Keeley - blue stripe
Jaden Tesher - blue stripe

Jack Gilhooley - green stripe

Christian Ramos - purple stripe

T.J. Conti - brown stripe

Alex Enea - yellow belt

Omedetougozaimasu!!!

Jujitsu Black Belt Rank Advancement - January 2013

Congratulations to Sensei Justin Braun, who tested for the rank of Sho-Okuiri (1st degree black belt) in jujitsu on January 6th 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!

Kobudo Rank Advancement - January 2013

Congratulations to Rhianna Candido and Victoria Spitzer, who both tested for the rank of 9th kyu orange belt in kobudo on January 2nd 2013.

Omedetougozaimasu!!