10 YEARS OF ZEN JUDO IN AMERICA
By Keo Cavalcanti, 6th Dan

Next March 6, 2001 we will celebrate 10 years of Zen Judo in America. With Mac's permission, the first club in the U.S. was founded on that day at the Nashville State Technical Institute, where I was teaching at the time. I had read Brian Bagot's book "Zen Judo: A Way of Life" the year before and wrote him to inquire about the possibility of bringing Zen Judo to America. Brian passed my message on to Mac who gave us the green light. I borrowed a few mats from a friend (Webb Sentell, a 3rd Dan with the United States Judo Association who agreed to be my assistant Sensei) and invited students from all my sociology courses to the club's opening night. Sixteen students signed up for the first class. Eventually the NSTI Zen Judo club evolved into the Wadokan when we moved out of the Nashville StateTechnical Institute to a local club, and beyond when we moved from Nashville, Tennessee to Richmond, Virginia in the Fall of 1993. Looking at the club roster I am amazed at all the people who worked out with us for the past 10 years.
We still have records of 47 Zen Judokas who took at least one grading during the period. There were quite a few more who never came up to a Yellow Belt grading, of course. And some who tested but whose records have been lost. Of the 47 in the roster, 21 tested for Yellow Belt, eight for Orange Belt, five for Green Belt, three reached Blue (Josh Hockensmith, Jerome Legions, and Sharon Saunders) and three Brown (Frank Curran, Chris Flinn, and Jennie Fisher).
Seven American Zen Judoka in the last 10 years -- Morgan Benton, Stephanie Bunte, John McIntyre, Kimberly Sory, Ed Stockwell, Neal Warren, and Elizabeth Williams -- actually tested all the way up to Shodan and higher.
We now have three clubs in the U.S. created as a result of the Wadokan. One still in Tennessee, under Sensei Stephanie Bunte, and two in Virginia -- the Wadokan proper and the Inner Stairway with Sensei Ed Stockwell. One entire organization, the Gentle Ways of North Dakota, under the leadership of Sensei Vern Borgen, maintains fraternal ties with the American Zen Judo family. We consider them the "American Zen Judo of the West." None of this, of course, would have been possible without the aid of the UK Zen Judo family. First, my thanks goes to Mac and Peggy. They both encouraged us all along, sending grade cards, patches, belts; even visiting us in the Fall of 1993.
Without Brian Bagot's book I would never have learned of Zen Judo, and without his mentoring we would not have grown as steadily during the first years. But we did feel accepted by the whole family -- Mike Healy officially welcomed the NSTI club back when he edited the Tai Sabaki News and Andrew Millard sent us a personal welcome letter shortly after we got started.
Then, come the many UK Dan grades who trained, taught and encouraged us along the way. Brian Bagot was the first UK Zen Judoka to visit us and still has the honor of being the one who's visited us the most -- three visits, including two gradings and one Asageiko training. We've also had the pleasure of receiving senior instruction from Adrian Norris, Andrew Millard, Gordon Lawson, David Ross and Jo Winslow. There were also a good number of Dan grades who "crossed the pond" to work out with us too. And finally, after Mac was gone, we counted on the unconditional good will and support from the Custodians, who still oversee the work we do here. To all, American Zen Judo gives a heartfelt "thank you." It's been a wonderful decade and we look forward to many more in friendship and cooperation.

GRADINGS AT THE WADOKAN

One of the joys of this past year at the Wadokan was the creation of a Wednesday night class for students of the Governor's School of Government and International Studies. The GSGIS is a selective high school in Richmond, Virginia. The founding members of the GSGIS Zen "club" are Gui Cavalcanti, Thomas Fortuna, Neel Rai and Amar Shaw. Four new
members joined the club last month: Derek and Devon Miller, Wren Elhai and Sarah Cousins. The founding members tested successfully for their Yellow Belt on July 12 and for their Orange Belt on November 08. Congratulations to the "fab four" for their progress in Zen Judo and our welcome to the new members. GRADINGS AT RADCLIFFE Sensei Gordon Lawson is pleased to announce the results of Radcliffe Zen Judo club's last gradings.
The club welcomed a new 1st Dan from a BJA club, Graham Padgett, and tested successfully two other candidates for Dan grade: Glen Widdowson was promoted to Nidan (2nd Dan), and Mark Shaw received his Shodan (1st Dan) rank. Also testing at the Mudansha level were Keith Harby, David Turner, and Steven Bone for 1st Kyu (Brown Belt) and Martin Lamb and Alan Brown for 4th Kyu (Orange Belt). Among the Junior Students, Sofie Williamson, Ryan Welch and Jamie Welch tested successfully for 5th Kyu (Yellow Belt), and Rebecca Shaw, Elizabeth Mead, Louise Parker, Jamie Mason, Phillip Davies, Sam Cheston and Sammy Buce tested for 4th Kyu(Orange Belt). We all rejoice in the growth of the Radcliffe Club under the capable leadership of Sensei Gordon Lawson and extend our warmest congratulations to all those who tested from the entire Zen Judo family!

TRAINING EVENTS

Sensei Gordon Lawson also reports that earlier in the year the Radcliffe club was pleased to receive a training session from Sensei Ed Stockwell of the Inner Stairway Judo Club in the U.S. The club also had the pleasure of hosting Frank Curran from the Wadokan Judo Club on the day they trained in the art of Iaido (sword), both in Basic Waza & Omori ryu ( much to the enjoyment of Franks wife who was also our guest, we still need a lot of work). The club sends an open invitation to all our American Zen judoka to call in and join them. Recently the Radcliffe club has purchased a new mat area of 24' by 21' that gives it a matted area of 48' by 24' (of which, says Sensei Gordon, every inch is needed). Radcliffe also sponsors the Basford club, which also got a new mat area.