Archive: Around Town

Five years ago Sensei Robin McColley and Sensei Gail Lejoie told Lansing Recreation Director Steve Colt that they would need 12 students to make a Seido Karate program fly in Lansing.  They got 31, including five adults.  Today they teach about 60 people in Lansing and about 50 more in Trumansburg.  Last Saturday their own teachers Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura and Nidaime Akira Nakamura came from New York City along with other teachers and students to join in the fifth anniversary of Cauga Lake Seido Karate.

"I am just humbled by where we are," McColley says.  "To find that we have this thriving , strong community... I'm happy with where we are.  That doesn't mean we're going to stop trying to spread Seido and help people learn the value of it.  It's always my hope I can share with them the importance and the strength and the values that I've received.  So I want to keep moving forward."

"I knew we had great people in Robin and Gail," says Colt.  "If you get top notch people doing it and get Parents to buy in... yes, I did think it would be successful.  It's still impressive when you look at it."


The celebration began with a demonstration by Cauga Lake Seido Karate students and a recognition of the three entities that have supported the program: the Lansing Parks & Recreation department, Lansing's R.C. Buckley Elementary School, and the Trumansburg Central School District.  That was followed by a clinic and lecture by the Nakamuras, and finally a dinner at the Ramada Inn.  89 people participated in the event.

"Today is really exciting for us," Lejoie said.  "Our Grand Master Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura and his son Nidaime Akira Nakamura are coming today.  It is a wonderful honor for us.  We study with both of them in New York City.  The reason for our  trip in March is for our students to meet and study with them as well.  it's a highlight for us for the year.  It's wonderful they are taking time out of their busy teaching schedules to visit us."

Kaicho Nakamura is a 9th degree black belt, Grandmaster and Chairman of World Seido Karate, and Nidaime Nakamura is a 5th degree black belt and Vice Chairman.  McColley and Lajoie are 4th degree black belts with 18 years of training and teaching experience.

The program today includes about 110 students.  McColley teaches a class in Trumansburg High School, as well as younger kids after school.  In Lansing the pair teach six seven to eight week sessions.  One 13 year old student has been with the Lansing program since its inception five years ago.  About a dozen more joined the program in its second session and are still with the two sensei.  Lejoie estimates the program has served between 250 and 300 in its five years.

"I love watching students grow," says Lejoie.  "They all have their own reasons for starting.  Some want to get in better shape.  Some people like the self discipline.  They find their own challenge.  The best part is watching people continue in spite of those challenges.  And everyone has their own story of how they persevere through it."

Taking their students to Honbu, the world headquarters of Seido Karate, has become an annual event.  This march 55 Lansing students bussed to New york City to study with the Nakamuras.


"I love the privilege and honor to bring them to New York City to train," McColley says.  "We have an annual trip.  It's a family-like atmosphere.  We drive on a bus.  We have developed close family bonds, so that annual trip has become quite a rewarding experience.'

McColley and Lejoie teach Karate in addition to their full time jobs.  They teach in Lansing three times a week and every other Saturday, and McColley teaches in Trumansburg fives days a week.  But she says this isn't a lot of work compared to the New York dojo which is open seven days a week.  The pair say they would eventually love to open their own dojo here in Tompkins County.


"Although we are very appreciative of being able to use the gym and the community center, our fantasy is that we could have a dojo here," McColley says.  "We wouldn't have to close on school holidays.  We could be open if people wanted to come.  People could take ownership and have that rigor."

"We'd also like to continue the growth of the program," Lejoie adds.  "We'd like to see the students we have continue their growth as much as they can, and certainly new students joining us.  Some of our senior students assist us with the younger kids.  It would be wonderful to see that continue to grow.  We have so many who are willing to help and so many who are really good at working with everyone.  Keeping them growing as students and passing that on so they can teach others as well."

v7i21