2009 has been wonderful for Kaju AZ! We have seen many new students join our Ohana. We experienced the love and martial arts expertise of many masters. We grew and expanded our knowledge and took many steps forward in our journeys.
We experienced some losses too. Sijo Emperado, our founder, passed away at the age of 82 in April. Our last visit with him happened a few months before his death and we appreciate the gifts he provided to us. Kajukenbo is a passion for us and we will honor his memory by making Kaju AZ the very best it can be.
Two days after Sijo, we lost Grandmaster Allen Abad, our dear, sweet mentor and friend. Grandmaster taught us many lessons – some about martial arts, some about life and we miss his smiles and stories. We were honored to have him at our Luau in March. We will continue training hard and strong just as he wanted.
We celebrated our third anniversary in August. We look back to our smaller dojo, our first five students and are grateful for how much we have grown as individuals and as an Ohana.
We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for our ancestors. We honor not only those that have passed, but those we actively train under. Grandmaster and Professor Lim are always so willing to share their knowledge in all areas. Their guidance is priceless. They are our family in all sense of the word. Kumu John Hackleman keeps us on our toes and helps us appreciate the small and sweet aspects of life. We are better because of our associations.
We learned from some of the greatest martial artists in the world this year: Grandmaster Vince Black, Grandmaster Dechi Emperado, Grandmaster Harry Herrera, Sigung Kailani Koa, Sigung Aiau Koa, Dai Shihan Ted Tabura, Papa 'Õlohe Solomon Kaihewalu … to only name a few. We are truly blessed to learn from the best of the best.
We are grateful to our Black Belts and Instructors!
• Sigung Kelly took advantage of every training opportunity offered to him this year and passed that knowledge on to each student. Nothing makes him happier than sharing his true passion with his students!
• Sifu Jen loves to see the positive changes each student makes in their life, their family and their community. She loves to see the satisfaction of a new student who thought martial arts was not a possibility for him/her.
• Sifu Dolly has helped us honor our Hawaiian heritage through Hula while allowing us to feel her father’s spirit and talent in her own martial art skills. She gives more than she takes.
• Sibak Nic, after 13 years of training, reached his goal of adult Black Belt and realizes it is just the beginning. His ability to teach all age levels makes him a unique member of our team.
• Sihing Armando pushes us past our mental and physical limits. His desire to make each student better than himself demonstrates true Kaju spirit. There is not one black belt at Kaju AZ that he has not personally helped achieve their goals.
• Simo Linda shares her passion of Kajukenbo and no-quit attitude in every class she teaches. Her black belt test performance was inspiring and set the tone for future black belt candidates. Her generosity is admirable.
• Ms. Candace adds her hard-hitting style to our MMA program, and makes it look easy. Her generous spirit shows in her teaching style and she expects personal best from each student and helps them obtain it.
• Coach Jonathan got our sparring team ready for our tournaments and we represented in true Kaju style. His willingness to compete shows us how important it is to push ourselves while having fun.
• Coach Paul has helped us realize our dream to have a strong BJJ program. His own Kaju training shows his willingness to continue to learn and embrace new styles. He is a great teacher with an easy-to-love attitude.
• Coach Kyle has turned his passion for fitness into our world-class CrossPIT program. His enthusiasm is contagious in and out of the dojo. No one else can make medicine balls fun.
Walt Disney said “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” We plan to do that in 2010.
We will continue to learn and grow and provide opportunities for each and every student to learn from the best to be their best. We want every student to keep their Kaju passion alive and develop new material, fine tune existing skills and willingly share their knowledge. We want each and every person who wants to be a martial artist but doesn’t think they can to KNOW they can do it. We want to make our community safer and more aware. We want to give to those in our community who make it possible for us to enjoy the freedom to practice martial arts and to those experiencing hardship. We want to become leaders in all areas of our lives.
We will be opening another school in 2010 in the Queen Creek area. We are excited to expand our horizons and provide the Kaju AZ experience to more eager students! This will provide many new opportunities for our instructors and existing students as well.
Thank you to each of you for all you have provided us. We appreciate the never-ending support and aloha you bring to every class. Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010 for each and every one!
As always, Train Strong to Remain Strong!
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