The BUSHI Group, Inc.

5 March 2012

My Fellow BUSHI Students,
With the cold weather mostly behind us and Spring quickly approaching, we would like to take the time to point out how much we admire the dedication and hard work the students at BUSHI have shown over the last few months. The class sizes have been steadily increasing and the spirit in the dojo is as high as ever. We have welcomed in a few new BUSHI students, as well as welcomed back a few old ones. The next few months will bring several exciting changes and training opportunities which we hope you all will enjoy.

So far this year the BUSHI family has grown in number and in spirit. We would like to welcome into our family the following new students: Andy and Payton Forsythe, Craig Huck, Don Lewis, John Hurst, Dina Hicks, Michaela and Olivia Gilbert. We would also like to welcome back the following old students: Aidan and Macey Trexler, Dave Huck, and Kimberly Morgan Schnabel. If you have not had the opportunity to meet these new students, please take the time to introduce yourself and make them feel welcome.

Beginning March 5th, the training schedule will change slightly to allow more students the opportunity for advanced training. The days and times of our classes will remain the same, however the concentration of the classes will shift slightly. Sensei Jim Novak will begin teaching the Tuesday 6:30pm class while Sensei Adam Older will begin teaching the Thursday 6:30 class. Sensei Novak's class will include Aikijujitsu and Self-Defense while Sensei Older's class will include Kumite drills and sparring. We hope that by switching these two classes students that were previously unable to experience both instructors will now be able to do so. In addition to this change, the Wednesday 6:30 class will become an Advanced Training class. The structure of the class will remain the same, however the drills will be geared toward green belts and above.
The hard work of the BUSHI students has shown through in their abilities. Several students have entered competitions this year with good results for first time competitors. Our congratulations go out to Aidan Williams for winning gold in Kumite in his first Karate competition. We have also recognized the need for rank advancement, and so have scheduled two belt examinations for the coming months. The first is scheduled for Thursday March 15 at 6:30pm. Sign-up for this testing will close Thursday March 8, and approvals will be given the week of testing. The second test is tentatively scheduled for Friday June 1. Confirmation for this testing date will be announced no less than six weeks prior to the date.

We at BUSHI have strived to give our students the best training and the best value. In the past when we have had the opportunity to offer additional training opportunities, we have done so enthusiastically. In this spirit, we have secured possible opportunities for Saturday morning training in the coming months. We will not be able to positively confirm the training dates until the Monday of the week in question, however we have scheduled classes from 9-10am on the following Saturday mornings: 3/10, 3/24, 4/7, 4/21, 5/12, and 5/26. We hope that all students will take advantage of these extra classes when possible, and continue the positive energy that has made us so proud over the last few months.