Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer PAWMA Camp Labor Day Weekend, September 2-5, 2011, Seattle WA. Camp housing information.

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1 PAWMA News Uniting and empowering a diverse community of women and girls in the martial arts. Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer 2011 PAWMA Camp 2011 Labor Day Weekend, September 2-5, 2011, Seattle WA Camp housing information. PAWMA Camp 2011: Just Around the Corner 34th Annual Training Camp - Labor Day Weekend 2011 September 2-5, Seattle WA Jen Argle PAWMA News editor-in-chief Feel that excitement in the air? That means camp is just around the corner! This year s camp will be held at Miller Community Center in Seattle on Saturday and Sunday. Camp will formally end with the closing ceremony on Sunday, but there will be a bonus workout on Monday for everyone who just can t get enough PAWMA camp. Friday s opening ceremony and Monday s bonus workout will be held at Seven Star Women s Kung Fu at st Avenue in Seattle. We have a great lineup of instructors with an eclectic offering of classes, as usual. Including: Taekwondo, Kajukenbo, Taiji. Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Yoga, Cha Yon Ryu, Qigong, Wu Chien Pai, and Wushu. You can click over to Camp 2011 Teachers to read the list of instructor s and their bios. The planning of this year s camp brought new challenges to the board and forced us to think outside the box in an attempt to overcome the issues faced by the organization. This year s theme, Spirit Rising, fits perfectly with our goals for the future of the PAWMA organization and wishes for you, the women who come together and make it happen.

2 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer This year we are going to have new housing, meal, and transportation options available. In previous camps we ve all stayed at the same facility and had classes and meals there as well. This year we will be having classes together, but staying in different locations and where you stay is up to you. Remember, if you are staying at either the 6th Avenue Inn or the Hotel Nexus a group rate is available. Reserve your room at 6th Avenue Inn by July 15 or Hotel Nexus by August 25 and say that you are with the women s martial arts group, PAWMA. Group rate rooms are not guaranteed after these dates. For help with making housing arrangements, Patty O Linger housing@pawma.org We would appreciate your feedback on the changes as well as anything else. We look forward to seeing everyone! Why We Come to Camp For over three decades PAWMA has played a huge role in the lives of the female martial artists who have attended. As we come upon the 34th year of camp we felt it only appropriate to highlight the voices of current and past board members sharing what camp means to them. Women, onesies and twosies in small dojos all over, can see how many women martial artists are around. It is exhilarating, a relentlessly positive atmosphere. It opens my eyes to other styles and encourages me to improve in my art. --Keta Tom, past board member PAMWA Camp is a well of inspiration for me. It s the place where I get to meet incredible women and phenomenal martial artists who actually let me see how good female martial artists can be. --Rosanne Boudreau, current board member What do I love about PAWMA camp? Well, I love being outside-- the rustic camps are my favorite. It s great to see old friends and find out what they are up to, and make new friends. I tried my first Judo class at PAWMA camp, and that s led to a 2nd art, a whole different perspective on martial arts, and new friendships. Shockingly, of my original gang of KarateWomen (I first came to PAWMA in 1986, I think), I am the only one still regularly attending PAWMA. So for me, my PAWMA connections have been much longer lasting than my dojo buddies. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 2

3 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer On a personal note, I met my wife at PAWMA camp-- obviously that is a hugely important part of my life that impacts me every day! --Leslie Lippard, past board member I love PAWMA camp because it lets me stretch my boundaries. I get to try other martial arts. I get to learn in a safe and fun environment. And I love spending the weekend in the company of other women martial artists who understand how important martial arts is in my life. --Marie Jackson, past board member Camp provides a great opportunity to meet and train with other women martial artists. It s fun to try different martial arts or attend workshops with women from different areas who practice your style. The instructors are among the highest ranking women in their styles. Attending PAWMA enriches my practice for a whole year and I love the women I have met at Camp. --Sue Leary, past board member I first came to PAWMA camp 26 years ago and I look forward to it every year. I made friendships with women all over the country and maintained them just by seeing them each year at camp! It s also been a great support system for many of us as we moved from student to teacher roles and were able to share our trials and tribulations. I encourage any woman training in a martial art to check out camp-you will find it to be fun and may discover lifelong friends waiting for you there! --Sifu Michelle McVadon, Elder Counsel I came to my first PAWMA camp after nearly ten years of training and couldn t believe I waited so long! It was inspirational, motivating and just plain fun to share and learn with a whole community of other women who understand why we spend our time and energy practicing martial arts! --Jen Sweigert, current board member Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 3

4 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer PAWMA camp opens up doors to see the world from many different perspectives, creates an opportunity to learn from people all over the world, inspires personal growth, and re-energize my passion for the martial arts. --Elaine Powell, current board member Why come to camp? Because camp generates aha! moments... Because the wonderful teachers and classes at camp always give me something I can share with my students --Silke Schulz, current board member PAWMA camp was a wonderful and enriching experience for me. An intimate experience of respect and friendships new and old, in an environment of sharing skills and a common passion in the martial arts. --Helen Yee, current board member Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 4

5 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer My Major Martial Arts Experience Shifu/Sensei Koré Grate When I was asked by our current PAWMA President to write an article about a major experience I have had in my martial arts career, I thought to myself There have been so many that have touched my life, and so many that have moved me to write and share in the past. so what could I write that is truly my number one MAJOR experience? I have written about my trainings and adventures in China, about training, about teaching, about how I see everything I do as an extension of my martial arts from competing in barrel racing with my horse to having a hip replacement, I have written about all the seminars and camps that I have attended or organized, all the anniversaries and celebrations of my school, of my PAWMA family schools, all the promotions, all the struggles and joys, of death and birth. What is the most prevalent memory/experience that always seems to rise up and face me as if it was happening again? Photo courtesy of Koré Grate. That would be the memory/experience of my very first PAWMA Camp in 1982 at Camp Minualta in the Sierra Mountains of northern California. I trained in a school that had few women, and a lot of lovely, strong men who I still to this day I call my brothers. I loved my teacher, also male, but felt I was missing something that directly spoke to me as a woman in the martial arts. When my dojo sister, Ginny Howe, told us that Sifu Michelle Dwyer (one of the original founding mothers-pre-pawma) had asked her to teach healing arts at a special martial arts camps just for women in the mountains, and did we want to come too? We all said yes! We were four women from Wu Tao Kuan-the only four women training at that time. We thought it would be fun to all go camping together. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 5

6 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer We each arrived with our (one)training uniform, belt (white), sleeping bags, canteen, sweatshirt, t-shirts, shorts, sneakers, flip-flops, a few sundries, undies, and a bathing suit (they told us there was a lake we could swim in). The check-in was outside the giant log cabin room where we would get our vegetarian meals cooked by our one hired cook (I loved the food, but that was not the consensus at the time) and after meals, it would double as one of the training areas and where the demo would be held. The other training areas were outside in the archery field, or down by the lake or, on the folding mats which were on the cement patio right outside the big hall. Back then, the arts were separated if you did karate, you went to karate based classes, if you did gong fu, you went to gong fu classes, if you did any mat art at all, you went to the mats, etc. There were no taiji classes that I can remember. Since our art was traditionally based in judo, jujitsu, gong fu, taiji, healing arts and meditation, we felt comfortable going to any class offered. It kind of confused the teachers but we were white belts, so they pretty much let that go. I think around 50 women attended. Going to that first camp changed the way I saw women, the way I saw martial arts, especially after I watched a certain woman walking along a path above us in the distance. Her hair flowed like a lion s mane, her step had definite purpose, she had muscled arms and carried a wooded staff across her back. She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyes single focused. I will always remember my first vision of Professor Coleen Gragen. I took every single class she taught. I remember she was one of the only teachers that was not confused that I cross-trained in Japanese and Chinese styles. Photo courtesy of Koré Grate. We were all so tough! The showers had no hot or cold faucets just one spigot and I think it was snow run-off. We trained all day in the hot sun, and ate quickly so we could jump in the lake to cool off in the afternoon after lunch. We slept under the stars, telling many stories, making up funny katas/forms: Our animal kata/foms were: dog, chipmunk and mosquito to name a few. We had a series of Kitchen Weapons Forms too. I remember laughing, singing and telling stories around the fires, falling asleep for a minute, and then taking one of those wonderful showers to wake up and start the day again. I wanted to stay forever, but I did wish for hot water. No one Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 6

7 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer would complain, because we were women warriors in the mountains. The teachers came from their old school teachers, so we trained HARD too! It was magical and powerful. The following year I joined the PAWMA board because I was so moved by the experience. I wanted this to go on forever, every year. I felt it was so important to feel this support and power from women in the martial arts. To this day, I still feel this way. I still support what I believe in. There have been ups and downs in the organization for sure, just like any family, or business, or dojo. We have all tried to learn from our mistakes, and grow to be inclusive and expanded in our vision. The friendships that have forged through being at camp span decades now. It is like a healthy family reunion for me now and my actual family reunions are healthier because of my relationships formed through PAWMA. My major experience in my martial arts career was attending my first PAWMA camp in 1982 as a student, 1983 as a board member, 1996 as my first time teaching, and 2005 as martial artist of the year and all the camps in between. My dear PAWMA family, thank you for everything you represent and support for all women in the martial arts. May we continue to inspire and manifest good on this planet. Notice of Annual Membership Meeting Tracy Reith President The annual membership meeting will be Sunday September 4 at 12:30pm in the general purpose room of Miller Community Center, during PAWMA camp. All current PAWMA members are invited and encouraged to attend. We will host a box lunch. When you register for camp, be sure to note any dietary considerations you may have. In accordance with article 4, section 8 of the PAWMA bylaws, this serves as notice of the annual meeting. We will discuss and vote on two topics that require advance notice to the membership. 1) Amend the bylaws: terms of directors Under the current bylaws, Article 8 section 4, all directors shall be elected by mail ballot in during the last half of each year to hold office for one year beginning the first day of January following the election. For the past several years we have elected directors by voice at the annual meeting for terms of three years. We propose to amend the bylaws to reflect that. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 7

8 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer We also propose changing the beginning of terms to either October 1 or November 1 following election, so the board, as it will be constituted at the time of the following year s camp, can get an earlier start with camp planning. This would have the effect of shortening by a few months the terms of currently serving directors, but none have objected. 2) Adopt a Code of Conduct We propose to adopt a Code of Conduct for the membership. The directors adopted this code of conduct for themselves this January The conduct and language of members of the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists (PAWMA) organization must meet acceptable social standards and must contribute to a positive work environment. Members conduct at PAWMA events must not compromise the integrity of the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists service. There is an expectation that members are to treat everyone within and outside the organization with respect and dignity and must not engage in discrimination or harassment based on any of the prohibited grounds covered by the Constitution of the United States. These prohibited grounds include race, color, ancestry, place of origin, religion, family status, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, illness, sexual orientation, age, and political belief. Additional discussion topics Other topics to discuss at the annual meeting: Alcohol at camp - we would like to address this issue in a rational manner Feedback about pluses and negatives for the commuter camp structure We want your feedback so we can make adjustments to this model for camp camp - we have begun planning for next year. Is the board fulfilling your communication needs (website, blasts, newsletter, etc.)? Requests for the future If you have a topic you want to bring before the membership at the annual meeting, please Tracy Reith president@pawma.org. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 8

9 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer An Aiki Story Sensei Kimberly Richardson A dead car battery left me flagging down a ride in West Seattle. It was a hazy, late afternoon in the winter of 1990 and I was due at The Seattle School of Aikido to teach in an hour. I stuck my thumb out and, after several minutes, a man in a 78 Chevy pulled over. I m looking to get to the Chevron down the road, I said as I jumped in the front seat. Okay, he muttered. I noticed Photo courtesy of Kimberly Richarson. his round, balding head, slumped shoulders and big belly. He was more than downtrodden. Had I been more awake I might have noticed something was awry. The car in front of us began to slow down and wander. From out of nowhere he started to rant. Women drivers, he spat. Can t hold the road. I wanted to ask how he could tell that it was a woman, but thought better of it. Fuckin women. They just want to mess with you. Nothing is ever right with them. Bitches, all of them. I hadn t counted on participating in this kind of dialogue on such a short trip. He continued his ranting facing straight ahead, never looking at me. We neared the gas station. My stop is coming up on the left here. You can just pull over and I ll let myself out. Then he looked at me for the first time. Shut up. I ll tell you when your stop is coming up. A cold shiver ran up my spine. It s right here on the left, I announced, as resolutely as I could. Do you need me to shut you up? Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 9

10 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Photo courtesy of Kimberly Richarson. By now we had passed the gas station and I felt the car accelerate. Study your options, I coached myself. I could open the passenger seat and take a roll. I could place the palm of my hand on his neck, jam my thumb into his carotid artery and request that he stop the car immediately. But immobilizing the driver in a moving vehicle had its problems. A third alternative -- I could attempt to appeal to his more conscious self. You don t sound happy, I started. That was lame, I chided myself. I told myself to consider what I study daily: that mental power -- an unperturbed mind, not brute strength -- is the key to handling jeopardy. You bet I m pissed. My wife split and took my two kids with her. No note, no nothing. Don t know where she went. What I am supposed to do? Goddamn bitch. Every one of you, all the same. How many times in the last twenty years as a therapist had I sat opposite my clients and listened to this kind of anger. Doing intakes eight hours a day with court-ordered clients provided me abundant opportunity to practice being firm and compassionate. That s got to be unbearable. I m sorry that she hurt you. I could feel the sweat pouring from my armpits and dripping down my rib cage. Keep it together, girl. You re all the same. Just walk out and leave a mess. Droplets of sweat pooled above his top lip and his shoulders cinched forward against the wheel. Maybe I should mess with you. Breathe now. I get it that you re mad. But I know and you know that it wasn t me who hurt you. I was careful to pronounce every word slowly and clearly. And I know that it s not me you want to hurt. I can t imagine how sad you must be. I concentrated hard now: feet on the floorboard, tailbone firmly on the threadbare seat. You re not interested in hurting me. If you gave it any thought at all you d want to let me out on the side of the road now. If not for me, then certainly for you. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 10

11 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Moments passed. It was growing dark. Give it one more shot. I took a deep breath. You can pull over now. I said again as gently as possible. Something must have clicked in him. He pressed his low back into the seat and slammed his foot onto the brake, lowering his head onto the steering wheel. The car pitched forward before coming to a stop. He pulled over and said, Get out bitch! I stepped out quickly. As the car sped away, perspiration rained down my chest. Tiny hammers pounded nails inside my head. My thoughts streamed: I m alive! I m dumped in the middle of nowhere. That was a near total disaster. I have to teach at 6. What a pain in the ass. Oh my God. I didn t get hurt and I didn t hurt him. As I walked to the gas station, I hovered short distance from my body the whole way. I did think twice before getting in the attendant s truck, but his sincere wish to help felt real. He gave me a ride to my car and charged the battery. Once in my car, my body began to shake like a rattle. I was both ecstatic to be alive and fuming that I had put myself in such a precarious position. You fell asleep and paid a dear price. I arrived late to class that evening and on fire. No one s attack could touch me. The moment that my uke raced toward me to strike, I could see the whole interaction, in slow motion. By the time she reached my body, I d shifted slightly off to the side and slipped behind her. With my hand firmly wrapped around her neck, I knew in that moment I could apply just the right amount of force to either neutralize the attack or break her neck. I considered how alike are the touch that protects and the touch that destroys. I guided uke gently to the ground. As I locked the dojo door, a light rain began to fall. I walked slowly in the dark towards my car, finally free to reflect on the life-threatening experience hours earlier. Tired and relieved, I asked the question like a mantra: Why did he finally pull over? Perhaps my commitment to appeal to the human being in him worked this time. Being in my vulnerability and in my power made me both glad to be alive and deeply inspired by O Sensei s teachings -- of looking at violence straight on and blending with it. That feeling is what I want more of in my practice. That evening forecasted the teacher I might one day become. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 11

12 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Call for Raffle Items Nikia Fenlin Board member-at-large Camp is right around the corner! Only two short months until we all descend upon Seattle, Washington for an action-packed weekend of training and community with fellow martial artists. We are actively engaged in working on a fun, high-quality training weekend, and looking forward to seeing all of you there! PAWMA is member-driven, and we need you! We are currently seeking donations for the annual raffle. All proceeds go towards the PAWMA scholarship fund making camp accessible for more women. Please donate an item (or items) to make our raffle a success! A list of suggestions is included, but anything you would enjoy receiving as a gift or would like to purchase is appreciated. School paraphernalia (t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags) Water bottles Martial arts gear (sparring gear, weapons) Martial arts DVDs/videos (documentaries, training entertainment) Books Photographs Artwork Jewelry Anything handcrafted Gift certificates (please keep location/time frame in mind) Work out clothes Accessories and so forth. Use your own preferences as a guide! To make a donation, volunteer to sell raffle tickets, or to assist in any other way, please contact Nikia Fenlin Antioquia at nikiafenlin@gmail.com / (425) Thank you, and please keep PAWMA s raffle in mind! Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 12

13 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer My Martial Arts Philosophy and Values Sifu Restita DeJesus My parents got me started in karate when I was a young girl, hoping that the activity and discipline would be a positive influence in my life. They were right! After my first karate lesson, I was hooked, and was determined to learn as much as a could about karate and other martial arts of the world. The things that motivated me as a youngster, still motivate me today: Learning about and being aware of how my body moves in space, the science of martial arts techniques, learning from other students as well as the teachers, the deeper philosophies of martial arts, and learning not only of my own relationship with myself, but with interpersonal relationships with others as well. Photo courtesy of Restita DeJesus. Being a teacher has indeed been a learning process and inspiring endeavor. My teachers have greatly inspired me through their training and helpful guidance; however it is the students that inspire me most. When I see them smile when they finally understand a technique, beam with pride when they receive a new rank, or say this was a fun class, thank you!, that s all the inspiration I need. No amount of monetary payment can compare to seeing students progress, learn, grow, and develop their senses of empowerment..that s the reward I look forward to. Martial arts have given me the opportunity to follow a path that allowed me to learn (sometimes the hard way) the road to self-improvement. The road has been enlightening in so many ways, and I hope to continue to learn along the path for decades to come. I want to send a big Thank you to all the people that have given me the pleasure and opportunity to share my passion for martial arts with them.i want them to know that I ve learned so much from them! Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 13

14 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer A Look Back: Letter from Janet Seaforth A long-time PAWMA member shares memories of PAWMA s earliest camps Editor s Note: This is a reprint of a letter originally published in October Hi PAWMA, This is in response to your request for information about the first camps. The main organizer was Betty Braver of Bidwell Way, Sacramento. She was a black belt in Shodokan Karate. She was friends with Jean Malley who was an Oakland instructor of Kuk Sool Wan. They came by our house to tell us about the 1st Woman s Martial Arts Camp. We were the meeting place for the Sonoma Women s Center at the time in They came to give support to the women who were accusing 5 men of gang rape and to the women who were marching against giving plea bargains to this group of gang rape bikers who were on trial at the Sonoma County Court House. No one had gone to jail for rape in a long time, like 20 years. These guys were getting away with rape and possibly murder, and they were regular guys, weekend bikers. One turned out to be our postman during the week! Three of the 5 were found guilty. It was a breakthrough for women s rights. And it was scary. These men were out on bail and Left to right: Denise McMilan, Janet Seaforth, and Michelle Dwyer at camp in Photo courtesy of Janet Seaforth. would drive by our house really slowly making threatening and obscene gestures. We were so scared that we kept a rifle by the door and took street fighting classes. I soon decided to fulfill my commitment to learning to defend myself with a gentler art and pursued a T ai Chi instructor in Sonoma where I met Michelle Dwyer and invited her to come with me to camp. The first camps didn t even have any Asian or African-American women. We were pioneers in that wave of the women s movement, before many groups even talked to each other. There was Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 14

15 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer hostility and distrust between schools and arts as well and we had to consciously seek out and ask women of color to be involved. It was wonderful! Totally exciting! Women sparring with women without interference from men. A great sense of freedom and strength I had never seen or felt before. It was absolutely thrilling. And there was the smell of the sugar pines, the canoes on the lake, and the good food we all helped with. We all had chores we were required to do (set up, clean up, etc.) and it broke a lot of barriers between schools because we were working together for the first time. Many of the workshops involved all 100 women. We would all be in the big lodge or down on the archery range together, especially the first year because as fate would have it, it rained most of that Labor Day weekend, so we were forced to be together inside. The sparring started informally one afternoon, different styles trying out their arts with each other for the first time. Very interesting! There was lots of laughter as the hard style of karate met the soft style of Aikido. Everyone learned a lot. It was great! Thanks for keeping up the good work. The seed has grown into a beautiful tree. With Love and Gratitude, Janet Seaforth Michelle Dwyer (left) and Janet Seaforth practice a twoperson sword form at Lake Vera, Nevada City, Photo courtesy of Janet Seaforth. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 15

16 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer A schedule from the second (?) camp. Courtesy of Janet Seaforth. Regional Rep Update - Utah PAWMA Regional groups are being restarted and revitalized, so we would like to let all the PAWMA members know that Utah has a new group. The number of Utah PAWMA members is currently a small, but by starting a Utah Regional group, we are hoping to build the strength of the PAWMA organization and women martial arts in Utah. Please find us on Facebook under Utah Women Martial Artist or contact Utah Regional Rep, Sunny Jones, to find out about the latest Utah regional events or to host an event. If you re interested in joining a regional group or starting one in your area, please contact us through Facebook or at regionalreps@pawma.org. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 16

17 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer National Martial Arts Events California First Friday each month, 6:30-8:00pm Friday Fight Night Open Sparring Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA Open to community martial artists of all styles. Jun 7 thru Aug 29 Self-Defense Classes for Teens and Adults Program flyer CRC Kempo Karate Contact Centennial Recreation Center for full schedule CRC Kempo Karate on Facebook Centennial Recreation Center Morgan Hill, CA Saturday, October 22, 2011, 1pm-4pm Free Self-Defense Class for Middle- and High-school girls Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center 5680 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA. Please register at Free Self-Defense classes at Hand to Hand made possible by a grant from War Taxes Redirected by People s Life Fund Sunday, October, 23, 2011, 2pm-5pm Free Self-Defense Class for Women Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center 5680 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA. Please register at Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 17

18 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Free Self-Defense classes at Hand to Hand made possible by a grant from War Taxes Redirected by People s Life Fund. Minnesota Wednesday, July Minnesota Women s Grappling Camp Alliance MN Join Emily Kwok and Val Worthington, two female Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts, for 5 full days of instruction, training, and shenanigans with Team Estrogen! Spaces are limited, so save yours today! Details, including information about hotels and amenities, will be available shortly. For now, if you are flying, plan to fly into the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, to arrive in time for a welcome dinner on Tues, July 19, and to stay until Sunday afternoon, July 24. To register please visit Womensgrappling.org New York July 21, July 24, 2011 NWMAF Self-Defense Instructors Conference and Special Training 2011 College at Brockport NY Registration at National Women s Martial Arts Federation Join us for an awesome lineup of workshops, workouts, networking and fun! Something for everyone, including: Sessions for self-defense instructors Martial arts workouts - many styles represented Self-defense strategies and techniques Classes especially for young martial artists Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 18

19 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Exceptional women trainers Oregon July Kids Martial Arts Camp Portland OR Kids camp run by 3rd dan Elaine Powell, a PAWMA board member from Portland, Oregon. For more information contact Elaine at cmstudios@gmail.com August Taiji Retreat Bandon OR A unique gathering of peers to learn with each other while enjoying one of Oregon s picturesque beaches. Classes in Qigong, solo forms, Push Hands, theory & principle study. Space is limited. More information: karin@karincollins.com to register. September 17 Instructors Workshop Portland OR Day-long workshop for instructors and assistant instructors on bringing and maintaining creativity in the classroom. Sponsored and run by 3rd dan Elaine Powell, a PAWMA board member from Portland, Oregon. For more information contact Elaine at cmstudios@gmail.com Washington 3rd Sunday each month, 10:30am-12pm Open Sparring Open to all styles and genders, $5 Seven Star Women s Kung Fu 7starwomenskungfu.org st Ave Seattle, WA Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 19

20 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer June Seminars with Master Su Zifang Olympia WA Movement Principles Taijiquan Taiji Sword Baguazhang Special Weekend Discount: $205-$255 Single Classes: $35-$100 Private Lessons available For more information, to register or schedule a private lesson, contact Debbie Leung ChineseArts@earthlink.net. It s another extraordinary weekend with world-renowned Master Su Zifang! Master Su trained full-time since a child with China s great martial artists in Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan and was named one of China s 100 Outstanding Wushu Practitioners by the Chinese National Wushu Association. Everyone is welcome from beginners to life-long practitioners of these and other martial arts. March through August Seven Star Women s Kung Fu 30th Anniversary Classes Class calendar July 5-8 Taiji Kidz Summer Camp 222 Etruria St, Suite 200, Seattle WA 4 days of mind and body fitness training, taiji drills & forms, non-competitive games. Active play to cultivate cooperative leaders and listeners. Cost: $225 Pre-registration required. karin@karincollins.com for details and to register July 9-10, August section Sword Form Intensive 222 Etruria St, Suite 200, Seattle WA Saturdays, July 9 & Aug 6, 1pm-5pm Sundays, July 10 & Aug 7, 9am-4pm The 20-movevment, 5-section Taiji sword form is an ideal way to begin and provides a solid foundation to learning the longer, traditional form and 2-person sword form. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 20

21 PAWMA News Vol. 34 No. 3 Summer Cost: $300 Pre-registration required.space is limited. karin@karincollins.com for details and to register. March through August Seven Star Women s Kung Fu 30th Anniversary Classes Class calendar From the Editor: Thank you to those who contributed, assisted, and took the time to write an article for this newsletter. If you are interested in writing an article for the upcoming newsletter, please Newsletter Editor at newsletter@pawma.org. The next submission deadline is October 1, Also, PAWMA is looking for Associate Editors to help develop content, as well as proofreaders and copy editors. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Newsletter Editor at newsletter@pawma.org for more information. Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 21