LAST ISSUE OF THE WADOKAN NEWS
This will be the last issue of the Wadokan News. It has been a pleasure and an honor for me to serve the Zen Judo families around the world by publishing this monthly newsletter, but unfortunately I have to discontinue the service. When I started the newsletter we were a small Judo association stationed mostly in Southern England.
As this issue comes to a close, we are a collection of national associations -- including two Zen Judo associations in England, and the Zen Judo associations in Canada, U.S., and Spain. I have enjoyed being part of this growth and contributing to spreading news about the family. So in this issue I congratulate all the Senseis and Judokas in the Zen Judo world who have worked so hard to keep us growing.

Two things have contributed to my decision of stopping the production of the Wadokan News. First, I've reached a point in my professional life where there is more being required of me and less time with which to perform my duties. At some point I had to make a decision of where I could be more helpful to Zen Judo and I still think I can be more helpful on the mat, helping to build American Zen Judo. Second, now that we have an official Zen Judo website in England (www.zenjudo.co.uk) where trainings can be posted and news from different clubs can be shared, the Wadokan News has become redundant. We can all send our news to John and he'll post it at the site. Even more so now that he created a special chat room where we can talk to each other about the developments of the art.

I want to thank all of you who have helped make Wadokan News a good link to the Zen Judo families and who have supported my efforts during the past four years. All the best! Keo.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SENSEI JANA SEABORN
Sensei Jana won the national Kata championship sponsored by the United States Judo Association last month, performing the Kodokan Goshin Jutsu kata with Sensei Frances. Jana is a member of the Gentle Ways ryu in North Dakota. We are all very proud of her accomplishment.

BLACKBELT TRAINING
The next scheduled Black Belt training for American Zen Judo is May 25. The training starts at 1:30 pm and goes until 5 pm at the Wadokan Dojo here in Richmond. This will be an open mat training where Black Belts will have the opportunity to work on whatever skills or techniques they want to improve. All Zen Judoka Dan grades are invited to the training. For those outside of Virginia who are planning to attend, let us know if you need lodging.
For more information or directions e-mail Sensei Chris Flinn at ChrisFlnn@aol.com.