In this Issue In this Issue In this Issue In this Issue PagePagePagePage

Kids Tourney a Blast 1

Jits for Juliette, ZenQuest In The Cage, Masters In Mass. 2

2014 Tournament Results 3

Recent Promotions, Dates to Note, Welcome New Students,

Happy Birthday, Comprido Seminar 4

NEWSLETTER April 2014

Kids Tourney a Blast Dozens of students from as far away as the

Boston area performed martial arts before a crowd of over 200 on Saturday, March 22, at the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club. Many kids took home trophies and medals from ZenQuest’s 2014 Tournament but, more importantly...ALL gained valuable experience for advancing their skills, belt testing, and LIFE!

The kids enjoyed a variety of events at the 24th installment of the annual happening. These included the Mato-Waza or “target-attack” event, which is a nice introduction to the tournament for the youngest participants. For this, kids ages 3 to 6 practiced a “formal presentation” procedure (similar to that used in rank testing), they demonstrated a series of etiquette positions, and then demonstrated kicks and punches on a target. Sensei Connie assisted the youngsters with their performance, and each child was awarded a medal for their participation.

For slightly older kids there was Demonstration Kata or forms. This category is a nice introduction to tournament participation for ages 6 to 8. These kids also practiced a “formal presentation” procedure, then demonstrated a Kata or series of moves that could either be traditional (those used for rank testing) or creative. Each participant was awarded a medal for successful participation.

Participants up to 18 years old, participated in “Competitive” events including: Kata (traditional forms), Kumite (Point Sparring), Creative Kata (non-traditional forms), Jiu-jitsu, AND Submission Grappling (“No-Gi” Jiu-jitsu.) Participation ribbons and trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place were awarded in each of these divisions. A

demonstration event for Kobudo or classical weapons was also added this year. After a brief “halftime” intermission, an adult demonstration included a variety of material from Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Kobudo, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Traditional Weapons. Thanks to all of the kids for making this one successful! Thanks, too, to all of the instructors, volunteers AND families for their support in making it happen!! Let’s do it again next year. For full results of this year’s tournament, see page 3.

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Newsletter - Aril 2014 2

Masters in Mass.

Senseis Ed and Jean DeCosta will host three Okinawan Masters for a week of training this August! The camp is part of the 40th anniversary celebration for their dojo in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. This is an amazing opportunity to spend time with, and learn from some of the best authorities in Uechi-Ryu/ Shohei-Ryu Karate, including: Tsutomu Nakahodo, 10th Dan Hanshi and former President Okinawa Karatedo Association; Toshio Higa, 10th Dan Hanshi and current President Okinawa Karatedo Association; and Asao Nakasone, 4th Dan and Kata Champion in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 All Okinawa Championships.

For more information and registration, follow the links: Letter from Senseis Ed and Jean - www.shoheiryukarate.com/masters/letter.pdf Registration Form - www.shoheiryukarate.com/masters/app_form.pdf

These opportunities are becoming more rare these days...DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

“Jits” for Juliette

On Saturday, April 5, ZenQuest hosted it’s “Jits for Juliette” charity seminar. The event was to help fund a service dog for a four-year-old autistic girl named Juliette.

The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu clinic was taught by Charlie Liu, a Matt Serra Black Belt and friend of Juliette’s family. Charlie showed a group of fifteen participants a series of techniques involving controlling and submitting an opponent from a

position called side-control. The group was very happy with the techniques shown, which were simple, but very effective. Almost $800 were raised by the seminar participants, and additional donations. If you didn’t make the seminar, but would like to make a contribute, ZenQuest will be taking donations through the end of this month. 100% of the proceeds will go to the cause.

ZenQuest in the Cage

Two warriors from ZenQuest will step into the cage on Friday, April 11 as part of Kaged Kombat’s “Friday Night Fights” in Saratoga, New York. Neil “Beast Mode” Von Flatern is coming off of his dominating debut back in February, which was hailed as “fight-of-the-night” by the organizers. Neil will be fighting Andrew Whiting of Schaghticoke, New York, in his effort to go 2-0 at 170 pounds. Eugene Plekhanov will be fighting Robert Ives of Ticonderoga, New York, in his MMA debut at 145 pounds.

General admission tickets are $40, and “Fan Cards” are available at the front desk at ZenQuest A percentage of the proceeds go to support the ZenQuest fight team.

2014 Tournament Results

Newsletter - Aril 2014 3

Mato Waza (Target Demo) Division “A” - Medal Recipients Bryce Cody, Beau St. Peter, Jude Wojtkowski, Rose Gregg, Jack Ginsberg, Rylan, Walsh, Norrin Darby, Leilana Salvini & Lance Schroder

Division “B” - Medal Recipients Gavin Winger, David Kirchner, Jackson Almeida, Jackson Breard, Ahanu Phillips, Tucker Schroder, David Wildgoose & Addison Hall

Demonstration Kata (forms) Division “A” - Medal Recipients Kira Johnson, Mia Faggioni, Parker Smith, Lillian Colvin, Alec Ginsberg, Sam St. Peter, Isabella Pereira, Anthony Trapani, Gevevieve Buker, Brooke Sargent & Ayden Jezak

Division “B” - Medal Recipients David Kirchner, Leilana Salvini, Jackson Breard, Ahanu Phillips, Tucker Schroder, David Wildgoose, Lance Schroder, Autumn Biernacki & Abigail Winger

Traditional Kata Division “A” 1st Place – Alex Hall 2nd Place – Alec Ginsberg 3rd Place – Alex Navin

Division “B” 1st Place – Helen Sheehan (OKC) 2nd Place – David Ulmer III 3rd Place – Job Vengalil

Division “C” 1st Place – Simon Gold (OKC) 2nd Place – Mikael Badeau (OKC)

Division “D” 1st Place – Ben Vengalil 2nd Place – Alex Bock 3rd Place – Collin Wellman

Division “E” 1st Place – Mia Tess (OKC) 2nd Place – Sierra Stemp

3rd Place – Matt Moreau

Division “F” 1st Place – Sohil Apte (OKC) 2nd Place – Chanze Filippi

Division “G” 1st Place – Jason Kaplan (OKC)

2nd Place – Noah Farevaag 3rd Place – Joe Willson

Traditional Team Kata Division “A” 1st Place - Brayden Gerlitz & Alex Hall 2nd Place - Colin Layden & Job Vengalil Division “B” 1st Place - Connor Burt & Danie Halse 2nd Place - Derek Smth & Arwen Smith

Division “C” 1st Place - Matt Moreau & Joe Willson 2nd Place - John Sheeran & Robert Sheeran Creative Kata Division “A” 1st Place – David Wildgoose 2nd Place – Ethan Strazzulla

Division “B” 1st Place – Colin Layden 2nd Place – Tyler Woodbury 3rd Place – Jesse Scrimo Division “C” 1st Place – Emmitt Shove 2nd Place – Ryan Timm Division “D” 1st Place – Chanze Filippe 2nd Place – Daniel Halse 3rd Place – Ben Vengalil Division “D” 1st Place – Noah Farevaag 2nd Place – Joe Willson

3rd Place – Sierra Stemp

Creative Team Kata Division “A” 1st Place - Isabella Pereira & Gevevieve Buker 2nd Place - Lillian Colvin & Luna Wilhelm 3rd Place - Mia Faggioni & Brooke Sargent

Division “B” 1st Place - Kira Johnson & Jesse Scrimo 2nd Place - Alex Hall & Tristen Scully 3rd Place - Ray Lynch & Ethan Strazzulla

Division “C” 1st Place – Collin Wellman & Daniel Halse 2nd Place – Connor Burt & David Ulmer III

Division “D” 1st Place – Matt Moreu & Ed Trembay 2nd Place – Chanze Filippe & Alex Bock

Kobudo Kata Demonstration

Division “A” - Medal Recipients Collin Layden, Chanze Fillipi, Matt Moreau &Jason Kaplan

Kumite (Point Sparring) Division “A” 1st Place – Anthony Trapani 2nd Place – Isabella Pereira 3rd Place – Parker Smith Division “B” 1st Place – Ray Lynch 2nd Place – Alex Navin 3rd Place – Ethan Strazzulla Division “C” 1st Place – Colin Layden 2nd Place – Arwen Smith 3rd Place – Sam St. Peter

Division “D” 1st Place – Mikael Badeau (GOK) 2nd Place – Ryan Timm 3rd Place – Alex Hall

Division “E” 1st Place – Connor Burt 2nd Place – Alex Bock 3rd Place – Job Vengalil

Division “F” *Advanced 1st Place – Chanze Philippe 2nd Place – Sohil Apte (OKC) 3rd Place – Collin Wellman

Division “G” 1st Place – Robert Sheeran (OKC) 2nd Place – Brendan Joseph-Torres (GOK) 3rd Place – Mathieu Moreau

Division “H” *Advanced 1st Place – Noah Farevaag 2nd Place – Joe Willson 3rd Place – Jason Kaplan (OKC) Jiu-Jitsu (Grappling) Division “A” 1st Place – Matthew LeMay (GA) 2nd Place – Isabella Hanson (GA) 3rd Place – Yaniel Baez (GA)

Division “B” 1st Place – Liam Nester 2nd Place – Andrew Hanson (GA)

Division “C” 1st Place – Noah Farevaag 2nd Place – Braedan Dargi 3rd Place – Ryan Vargas (SJJ)

“No-Gi_Jiu-Jitsu Division “A” 1st Place – Isabella Hanson (GA) 2nd Place – Matthew LeMay (GA) 3rd Place – Yaniel Baez (GA)

Newsletter - Aril 2014 4

WELCOME NEW STUDENTSWELCOME NEW STUDENTSWELCOME NEW STUDENTSWELCOME NEW STUDENTS!!!!

YOUTH: Michael Morrill, Lena Mugridge Neilson, Andrew Hall, Audrey O’Leary, Atticus Clark

ADULTS: Frank Scago, Scott Martin, Angelo Dias

WELCOME BACK: Dan Harrington, Tony Corbett

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 4/1 Leilana Salvini 4/9 Beth Yanuskiewicz 4/4 Paul Celebi, Isabella Henessey 4/6 Eugene Plekhanov, David Kosla 4/8 Conrad Mathews, Jessie Scrimo 4/9 Gavin Winger 4/10 Corey Frydel 4/13 Shaun Aitken 4/14 Rose Gregg 4/16 Brennon Stockton, Dustin Eaton 4/18 Cooper Shepardson 4/20 Luna Wilhelm 4/24 Kyle Bienia 4/25 Cameron Martin 4/26 Vincent Dragonetti 4/26 Kimberly Stout-Els 4/29 Job Vengalil 4/30 Kenneth Mick, III

RECENTRECENTRECENTRECENT PROMOTIONSPROMOTIONSPROMOTIONSPROMOTIONS

TIGERS: 7kyu - Alec Ginsberg 8kyu - David Wildgoose 9kyu - Vincent Dragonetti, Rose Gregg Leilana Salvini

DRAGONS: 2kyu - Collin Wellman 4kyu - Dan Halse, Joe Weinberg 6kyu - Ben Ginsberg

COBRAS: 2kyu - Matt Moreau, Alex Bock

ADULT UECHI-RYU: 5kyu - Ray White 8kyu - Dan Dufur 9kyu - David Zick, Shawna Labbee, Jeremy Nicholson

YOUTH JIU-JITSU: 4th white - Brayden Gerlitz, Connor Burt 2nd white - Isabella Hennessey, Teresa Navin

ADULT JIU-JITSU: 5th white - Dan Dufur, Nicole Viale 4th white - Robert Haywood, Mike Jezak 3rd white - Jake Brodsky

IMPORTANT DATES April/May

Fri, 4/11: Kaged Kombat, Saratoga Springs, NY

Sun, 4/20: NO CLASSES

Sun, May 4, 1:30 p: Dan Test

Sat, May 10: NAGA Rhode Island

Sun, May 18, Noon: SPRING CLEANING DAY!

Sun/Mon, May 25/26: NO CLASSES

Sat, June 7: Comprido Seminar

Comprido Seminar

Coming to ZenQuest on Saturday, June 7th is Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros! Professor Comprido is a SEVEN time world Jiu-jitsu champion and an amazing coach. He is a long-time friend and training partner of Demian Maia, a big proponent of the Brasa Jiu-jitsu group. Comprido will provide three hours of proven techniques and strategies that have helped him become an icon in the Brazilian style.

Tentative times for the seminar are 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Pre-registration will be open until June 5th, with a cost of $90 per person. After which, straight registration will be $120 per person. For more information, contact ZenQuest at 413-637-0656.

Dojo - News August 2013 5

Patches, Uniforms, and Rashguards!

Custom ZENQUEST patches are now available to all students. These are high quality patches made with a cutting edge technology called “dye-sublimation” which colors the fabric so that the design cannot be worn off. These new patches can be applied to Karate uniforms, Jiu-jitsu uniforms, shorts or gear! Small patches are $9 and large are $14 each.

High-quality custom uniforms are also now available to both Karate and Jiu-jitsu students. Karate students can now purchase white, heavy-weight, 10-ounce cotton uniforms with embroidery and patches. On the left front chest area is a traditional embroidery for the Okinawa Karatedo Kyokai (shown below), on the back is a large ZENQUEST patch (right), and on the right upper-sleeve is a small ZENQUEST patch (below.) These are $160.

The Jiu-jitsu uniforms are high-quality, comfortable fitting Hyperlight “On-The-Mat” brand Gis. The OTM Hyperlite Gi is a 400 gram Pearl Weave competition Gi. It is made of the lightest competition legal fabric, and the top is one piece of fabric which leaves no seams. This is also one of the most durable Gis on the market. They come with three custom patches and have plenty of room for more! Students can choose between white or blue Gi colors. These are $160.

Also coming soon are custom ZenQuest RASHGUARDS! These are also high-quality athletic shirts that are idea for training. They can be worn under a traditional Gi or with shorts. These are $65.

Sizing for Gis are as follows:

ADULT SIZES ~ 5'2"-5'5" | 110-140 | A-1 5'5"-5'9" | 140-170 | A-2 5'9"-6'1" | 170-200 | A-3 6'0"-6'4" | 200-250 | A-4 6'0"-6'4" | 225-275 | A-5 6'4"-6'6" | 275-300 | A-6

KIDS SIZES ~ K1 -5'0- 5'4" 125lbs 0 - 4'9-5'1" 95lbs 00 - 4'6-4'10" 75lbs 000 - 4'3-4'7" 55lbs 0000 - 4'4" <55lbs

Large patch

OKK patch

Small patch

ZenQuest Martial Arts Center

55 Pittsfield Road, Bldg # 10

Lenox, MA 01240

(Label)

Jyukyu - White Belt Kyukyu - Yellow Stripe Hachikyu - Yellow Belt Nanakyu - Blue Stripe Rokkyu - Blue Belt Gokyu - Green Stripe Yonkyu - Green Belt Sankyu - Brown Stripe Nikyu - Brown Belt Ikkyu - Black Stripe Sempai - Brown/Black Belt Jun Shodan - Black/White Belt Shodan thru Godan - Black Belt Renshi Rokudan - Black Belt w/1 gold stripe Kyoshi Nanadan - Black Belt w/2 gold stripes Kyoshi Hachidan - Black Belt w/3gold stripes

Hanshi Kyudan - Black Belt w/4 gold stripes Hanshi Jyudan - Black Belt w/5 gold stripes Note: Students must demonstrate progress in Form, Strength and Spirit/ attitude for promotions. It is considered bad form to inquire about the timing of a students next test.

CRANES

1 Gold Star - 15 classes of appropriate behavior

2 Gold Stars - 35 classes of appropriate behavior

1 Red Star - 65 classes of appropriate behavior

2 Red Stars - 105 classes of appropriate behavior

Shohei-Ryu Karate Ranking System

Adults White Belt Blue Belt Purple Belt Brown Belt Black Belt Note: Each belt can have up to four stripes. Students must demonstrate progress in Form, Strength and Spirit/ attitude for promotions. It is considered bad form to inquire about the timing of a students next test.

Youth (ages 15 and under)

White Belt White/ Yellow Belt Yellow Belt White/ Orange Belt Orange Belt White/ Green Belt Yellow/ Green Belt Orange/ Green Belt Green Belt Note: Each belt can have up to four stripes. Upon graduation into Adult ranks, youth students are promoted to Blue Belt.

Jiu-jitsu Ranking System