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(Continued from page 5) Kansas
At the awards banquet, Dean Heinitz reminisced about how he first saw karate in a demonstration while stationed in Vietnam with the Marine Corps. When he returned to the U.S. and Pittsburg State he remained fascinated by karate. While watching Kung Fu on television with a group of students he discovered that the Army ROTC sergeant on campus was a Shotokan black belt and a class was formed. This began Mr. Heinitz's career in Karate-Do. Sometime later, he traveled to Joplin, MO to see a karate demonstration, and met Shihan Demura. In remembering those early days of Karate-Do in Kansas, Mr. Heinitz said he was reminded of the importance of Beginners Mind in his Zen training - and the importance of always keeping your open, fresh beginners mind. Shihan Demura told those at the banquet about his early years in the United States, and how he has come to understand that success for a teacher means
successfully passing on knowledge and skill to the next generation. Other speakers at the banquet included: David Jones, who spoke of the importance of searching for the heart of Budo, and living Budo in your whole life; Cassie Stuckey, who reflected on the important role Karate-Do has played in her life; Donald Stevens, who told how he learned that there is no substitute for hard training; Jessica Denton, who has trained in Karate-Do since she was 5 years old; and Jordan Covey, whose "the less you say the more it means" message was well received by the audience. Mr. Otter made special mention of two long time students who had passed away - Wayne Murray (Amy Murray's father) and Lore Black - and how their memories live on within the Kansas organization's members. Later in the evening, Amy presented awards of pottery made by her father.
Saturday's tournament was a success, with over 120 competitors. The level of both skill and sportsmanship was high. The seminars on Sunday included: Black Belt Kata by Shihan Demura; Karate-Do Kata by Shihan Demura; Batto-Do by David Jones; Kobu-Do by Shihan Demura; and Karate-Do Kumite by Shihan Demura, with assistance by Fritz Speck, Andy Ford, Jim Otter, Bryan Crismas, and David Jones.
As always, the Minnesotans who attended the event enjoyed the friendship and hospitality extended by our Kansas friends. Ten years ago Fritz Speck, Dave Evenson, Bob Pflughoeft and Richmond McCluer drove to Pittsburg and attended this annual event for the first time. Over the past ten years we have formed strong bonds of friendship with all the Genbu-Kai family members from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Their support has meant a great deal to us. Together with Shihan Demura, they have helped our organization grow and our members advance in their knowledge of Karate-Do. We are fortunate that we are members of Shihan Demura's Genbu-Kai.
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