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ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY
ACTIVITIES FOR THE COMING YEAR First let me say that I hope this year won’t be anything like the last. We all spent time and money that we didn’t have trying to support everyone and everything. This didn’t apply to just us, as many of you have told me the same thing. So what to do and how to choose? I guess the place to start is what is in the best interest of your own dojo and where do their interest lie. I personally enjoy everything we do and every where we went. I know my students feel the same. But this does not help in the final decision making process. It just makes it more difficult. Next year will be experimental for us, as we have an interest in competition other than point fighting. We are not going to eliminate point fighting because we enjoy it and we enjoy the friends who host and attend theses events. The problem is, you fight the same people over and over unless you travel somewhere else and that cost money. Also, we are not going to spend a lot of time and money on what will eventually become a very secondary activity. The principal training in our dojo does not lend itself to point fighting and we haven’t kumited since the Hall of Fame. Our dojo fighting is pankration and kick boxing. We have one exclusive class for Isshin-ryu but this is more for kata, Isshin-ryu skills and weapons. The last portion of class, we kick box, not point fight. So this obviously puts us at a disadvantage with people that point fight exclusively. Since we have began our Sen-I Jutsu, we have done less and less point fighting if any. No one likes to invest time and money to go to a tournament that is contradictory to your training principals, but we are still up for trying. As I said, it will be experimental. We will not be nearly as competitive as we use to be in points and I don’t think any of our guys are going to like that. So what to do. We’ll see how it turns out. So here is our selection process. We will of course attend all ICA jams and related activities. We will pick and choose very carefully the point tournaments we attend. I know that not everyone is interested in the ICA Jams or the cross training aspect of it. I really do understand that and don’t hold it against anyone. It is absolutely not personal. The truth is, we are not interested in point fighting any longer, but it is still an activity that serves the needs of a lot of Isshin-ryu people who do enjoy and participate. It also encourages and keeps us in touch with Isshin-ryu, which we will continue to promote and support. But I’ll be honest with you. When a tournament director can’t spend 25.00 dollars on the HAROLD LONG FOUNDATION, and expects me to bring 500.00 dollars worth of students to their tournament, they are dreaming. Don’t look for us .We ain’t coming…..PERIOD!! That is an easy decision. The Hall of Fame is a lock, as it is a, not to be missed event. It is the center piece of Isshin-ryu activity for us and many others. We will also choose tournaments that are compatible with our needs. I hope that more people will adopt the “majority see” rule that we used at the HOF tournament along with the five point scoring for adult black belts. I would like to see the five point no time limit for all black belt matches. This gives the pointers and the brawlers a more compatible format. The no see rule has proven to be confusing and at times questionable. Last but not least, we will support those who support us (HLF/ICA). I am not crazy about the, “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours system”, but I don’t know how else to choose without obviously playing favorites with your friends. We all depend on financial and physical support for our events. Do you not support people who you can depend on and not support those who you can’t? The answer, like it or not, is yes. You have to draw the line somewhere. This method makes it business not personal. I feel sorry for people who host tournaments because they can’t be everywhere in order to have people attend theirs. Wayne Wayland and Joe Laney attended every tournament in their area and beyond and still didn’t get the support they should have. From our area only Willie Wilson, Joe Laney and my school attended Wayne’s tournament. Also attending were Ralph Smith and Theresa Barnett from Kelly’s. So you can’t count on the itching back theory either. As for Joes, it was personal snits and politics which has nothing to do with fairness. I wish we could support all of them because I have several close friends who give tournaments. Down through the years, I have with both the Nashville and Anderson dojo’s, given a lot of support to people giving tournaments. They have never had to worry about supporting me except recently at the Dragon Jams. Even those were free of charge. Now I have my own agenda with the HLF/ICA activities. It puts me in a different decision making posture. As I said, “it’s not personal, just business and of course what is in the best interest of my students”.
HAROLD LONG FOUNDATION NEWS We held our quarterly meeting in Knoxville Wednesday night and covered some progressive and pressing topics. I won’t bore you with most, but some I think will be of interest to you. Master Cas Cox was added to the board of directors for the HLF. Cas was initially an advisor to the board but as soon as his schedule permitted, he was added. Cas is an authentic Harold Long Product who trained under him and taught for him for many years. Cas taught and competed in the glory years and helped Mr. Long win many a tournament which solidified the Isshin-ryu reputation. Of all the people still around as a first generation Harold Long students, I believe Cas to be the best source of Harold Long teachings. I also consider him in my own unofficial way, senior to all the rest of us. His total lack of concern for rank, recognition, political infighting, and posturing, kept him from being officially senior and ranking judan.
The HLF is concerned regarding the preservation of certain certificates, silks and other important documents. There is now an effort being made to purchase (as we can) some display shadow boxes to protect the documents from sunlight and moisture. Eventually all of his items that need protection will be placed in these boxes. This includes Gi’s, belts, and pictures. I can tell you it is an expensive project. Each encasing cost 200.00 dollars or more. That takes a lot of 25.00 dollar donations. But thanks to many of you we have enough for a good start. Rick Long was still frustrated by someone spreading the rumor that the HLF money was going to Joe Laney’s dojo. He wanted to publish our financial statements. I suggested that sharing them with the ICA board of advisors at our meeting November the 21st was all we should do. I also suggested, that that rumor was short lived and the person never really thought that. They were just mad about another issue that had to do with me. I additionally suggested that we give ours to any association willing to publish their financials. The comment was made that that wasn’t going to happen, as most associations won’t even share where their money goes to their members. My comment was the same as always. Anyone dumb enough to send theirs and their students money to an association that does nothing on their behalf deserves what they get. I particularly like the double dip charge method. You collect dues, hold no seminars, visit no dojo’s, then charge the members if you do hold a seminar. The only thing worse than that is the association head charging your dojo a bundle to come to your dojo and give you a seminar he is using as a fund raiser for himself. What a hero. I can see giving a guy that is not your association director and not already in your pocket book a fair buck for his work. He has no responsibility to you other than doing something that should already be done for you. One association director decided each of his association dojo’s, were to pay him 900.00 dollars for a Saturday seminar. He darn nearly broke a couple of them. Yet they dutifully went on paying association dues for the right to wear a 5.00 dollar patch and sport a 2.00 “I pay mightily to belong” certificate on the wall. And some of the same people questioned our methods…..lol…Give me a break. Some of these guys should be televangelist.
ICA Just to remind you: if you have paid your money and have not yet received your patch and certificate please contact Master Joe Laney (jl@steelhanddojo.com) Your donation entitled you to two patches (HLF/ICA) and a certificate. Not to mention four, day long seminars a year being taught what you don’t already know. Plus a visit to your dojo upon request, for additional training. We also have some tee shirts in the making. I’ll put pictures of the patches and tee shirt at the bottom. I’ll give out the prices and how to order the tee’s when we have everything ready to go. As usual, it all goes to the Harold Long Foundation. Not to send some fat cat on vacation... The ICA board meeting is in a couple of weeks and we have some dynamite things to talk about and plan. I’ll keep everyone posted and updated. Even if you are not a member, all Isshin-ryu people are nosey by nature and like to know anyhow. Till then; train hard, smart, and be informed.
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