Falling Down, Standing Up, and Succeeding Together: The Strength of Our Karate Family

Hi everyone, I’m Lucie! I’m a Green Belt student under Shihan Ray, and with his blessing, I wanted to share a look at an evening that still feels a bit like a dream. Last night wasn't just a regular night in our dojo; it was a reminder of why our dojo is so much more than a place to practice, it’s a family.

Honoring Our Legends

We kicked things off by celebrating Shihan Pierre’s incredible 40 years journey in Kyokushin. He was presented with his tie and red surge vest from the Kyokushin Kenbukai organization. Shihan Pierre is such a humble, kind, and generous man; seeing his dedication is an inspiration to us all.

Sitting right beside him was Grand Master Ron Cormier, a veteran of over 60 years in Kyokushin. It was a very special moment because, truly, without Grand Master Cormier’s lifelong commitment, none of us would have been standing there last night.

Shihan Pierre and Grand Master Ron Cormier

The energy and spirit in the dojo only grew from there:

• Mylene graded for her second orange stripe and did an absolutely fantastic job.

Mylene for her 2nd orange stripe

• Cameron, who is only 17 and preparing for his black belt, took on a "20 fights night." He gave it his absolute all, showing us what true grit looks like.

Cameron and Senpai Danny

• Patrick and Senpai Casey then wowed us all with some impressive breaking demonstrations. We even saw Sensei Jacques step up and successfully break a baseball bat, which really set the bar high!

Patrick

Senpai Casey

Sensei Jacques

The Big Challenge: getting over the mental hurdle

Now, I want to talk about my friend Claire and me. Back in May, during a big demo show, Shihan Ray challenged us both to break a baseball bat. We both missed. To be honest, we were really disappointed in ourselves. But Shihan Ray told us something important: we would have another chance. A few weeks ago, he set the date for December 18th.

We prepared. We practiced outside the dojo, focusing on our technique. But more importantly, we were surrounded by support. Everyone in the dojo, and I mean everyone, was rooting for us.

• The Coaching: Shihan Ray was there every step of the way, checking our hip rotation, our foot pivots, the speed and our stances over and over.

• The Instuctors: All the Sensei and Senpai gave us a lot of guidance, offering tips and encouragement that were truly priceless.

The Moment of Truth

When last night finally arrived, Shihan Ray had us pick a "hype song" to get our energy up (we chose Master of Puppets by Metallica!). We headed in the hall to warm up, got one last pep talk, and then it was time.

Claire went first. With our friend Melanie leading the way, the dojo sounded like a stadium! When I heard that SNAP, I was so proud of her.

Then it was my turn. I set my stance, focused, and… SNAP! Succeeding felt great, but the best part was the feeling in the room. When we finished, the cheers were so loud you would have thought there were thousands of people there.

That is what makes our dojo special. In our karate family, we don’t just train together; we lift each other up. If you have a hard day, your teammates are there to walk with you until you’re back on your feet.

Kyokushin Kenbukai is about the mind, body, and spirit, but last night proved it’s also about the heart.

The karate family