MIDDLE TENNESSEE ISSHIN-RYU KARATE GAMES 2009

LANEY STEEL HAND DOJO

9 COMPETITORS, 18 TROPHIES

MID-TENNESSEE KARATE GAMES

Part 1

Due to injuries and economic factors the Steel Hand Dojo only took nine competitors to Lebanon for the Middle Tennessee Isshin-Ryu Karate Games on June 6. We had another good day bringing home eighteen trophies. Tony Williams always bends over backwards to be hospitable and run a fair tournament. There were a few factors out of his control that day. There were some serious problems with some of the judging. We went there mainly to support Tony. He’s a great guy, martial artist, and friend. The problems being reported later in the article are in no way a reflection on him.

I want to acknowledge the prayers and condolences sent to me and my family after my father’s passing. They were very much appreciated and are a great comfort. I want to recognize those who showed me once again the meaning of true friendship and compassion. My deepest respect to Denny Shaffer and the Red Dragons, Willie Wilson and the Karate Five Association, The ICA Board of Directors and membership, the IIKA Board of Directors and membership, Harold Mitchum, Ralph Passero, Toby Cooling, Daryn Clark, Chester Holubecki, Bob Maxwell, Wayne Wayland, Clyde Stanley, Jerry Sullivan, Jerry Lewis, Chris Spruiell, Dennis Thomas, Tim McGhee, Maurice Msarsa, Jim Lindsey, Peter Keko, Gary Long, Rick Long, and members of the Steel Hand Dojo, and their families. My fear is that someone might be omitted from this acknowledgement, if so, please accept my sincere apology. Tommy True also came up to me personally with some kind words of support at the Lebanon tournament.

The purpose of the Harold Long Foundation is to honor the memory of Harold Long. It also proved to be an outstanding avenue to connecting with martial artists from across the country who still believes in honoring their own sensei. One of the goals of the Foundation is to preserve Mr. Long’s memorabilia, including his certificates and numerous awards. It’s literally a mobile museum.

It was decided by the Foundation Board that the best way to preserve these artifacts was to store them in sealed display shadow boxes with UV protective glass. On a suggestion by Ron Honeycutt, a capital drive was started in which a dojo or individual could sponsor a display. I’m proud to announce that four such boxes have been completed and money for four more has been raised. This will make a total of eight shadow box displays that will be shown at this, the 30^th year anniversary of the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame.

The tournament site is just two miles from our dojo. We’d like to extend an invitation to anyone arriving in town early to come visit us. You’re welcome to train on the mat for some last minute preparation or just hang out and fellowship. I remember folks from around the country coming in early just to train that week prior at Mr. Long’s dojo. It was great fun and we made many friends that we otherwise didn’t see that often. The training was also great and those sure were some good times. Our dojo is always open to any Isshin-Ryu practitioner in town for the tournament.

The Foundation was well received at the Don Bohan/Rick Niemera Memorial and the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame, as well as other venues. Support from around the country has been warm and sincere. It’s a shame that some of the very ones who should be at the head of the line to help sustain this effort have chosen to be a hindrance to it.

Some of what follows next will not be well received by some. Please stop reading now if you are offended by harsh points of view and language. This may not be appropriate for all ages.

Another purpose of the Foundation was to try to reconcile local and regional Isshin-Ryu karate-ka who’s friendships and alliances had been strained over the years do to political factors. Our dojo extended our efforts in that direction by attending all the major IIKA tournaments last year. The Long family expressed their willingness to support the effort by becoming at least having some type of honorary membership status in the IIKA. They were not only refused membership, but were snubbed and treated with unashamed disrespect.

These and other attempts at resolving past differences were summarily rebuked and in ways that were void of any honor. This is particularly evident in the behavior and attitude of total indifference to what is right.  I’m not thin skinned and was willing to overlook some attitude for a period of time in hopes if not a reconciliation, at least an understanding of mutual respect and cooperation. It became intolerable for me after witnessing the treatment given my students by some. That won’t fly. In the real world, I’ve been cut, shot at, struck with various foreign objects, and been otherwise abused in an assortment of ways. In the karate world, don’t mess with my students, don’t do it. I have no choice but the set the record straight.

A prime example of this is what occurred in the women’s black belt kata division at the Lebanon tournament. We all know kata scoring is subjective but usually falls in a range. A large variance in a judge’s scoring raises questions, especially if those scores in question vary greatly from the other judges. Generally, judges are advised to stay consistently in a high or low range to be fair to all contestants. A huge one full point scoring range would be if someone had to start their kata over or there were some other serious flaws.

What would one expect to see from a whopping 1.6 point difference in a judges scoring range? This is exceptionally outrageous in an adult black belt division. Surely, the contestant fell on their face and had to start over. Maybe they were disrespectful? Never mind that the rest of the judging panel stayed consistent with about a half point spread in all their scores throughout.

This is exactly what happened. Carol Burris scored one lady a 6.2 and gave a 7.8 to one of her favored competitors. She gave my Myrtle Ferguson, a 6.4. The other judges stayed in the low to mid 7 point range throughout. Myrtle just the month before made it to the kata grand championship in Rogersville. Her kata performance at Lebanon was every bit as good as it was in the previous tournament. The other competition was good, but certainly not 1.4 points better, as also indicated by the other judge’s scores. Myrtle should have at least placed. People were in disbelief and I was asked by an instructor from another school if Carol gave her that score because she was from my school, or because she was black. I said, “both.” That attitude has been borne out many times before.

The judging of Carol Burris that day was not only biased, but her actions were malicious, and chicken shit. She was true to form. I went to the judges table to look at the judges sheet for that division. Carol stated “that was the way she saw it.”. My reaction was she must have been drunk, but, the reasons were way too obvious. Tony Williams was so concerned he refunded Myrtle’s money and assured me Carol would not be allowed to judge the rest of the day. I can’t recall a tournament director in the past doing that. That’s how blatant her actions were.

Myrtle was fairly beat by Lacey Ketchmark in kumite. She walked into three straight side kicks and there was no doubt about those points. Myrtle was so distraught over the kata fiasco she let her emotions take over and wasn’t thinking. I felt her pain. This is no slight on Lacey. I’ve seen her win consistently in both regular point kumite and in continuous sparring. Not many can say that. She was better that day as well.

I realize some may view my admonishment of Carol as a cheap shot at a female. If you want to play in the big leagues, you have to pitch and catch. What makes this whole thing very hard to take is that I have a very senior black belt in my dojo that keeps reminding me of some history, for which I am grateful. Cas Cox considers Carol no more than “a glorified green belt.” You can all ask Cas about that.

I was sitting in Mr. Long’s office when JC called one afternoon to plea for Carol to be reviewed for Roku-Dan. The conversation didn’t go very well and after they hung up Mr. Long was red in the face had very colorful remakes about the matter. There was no review by him.

I’ve seen Carol workout and JC teach. The ones that were around Mr. Long a lot were and are a different type than the ones who came under and stayed with JC. We didn’t ever really seem to like each other that much. They considered us maybe a bit crude and unsophisticated. Some of us may have viewed them as, well, a bit soft. The other point is how much actual training time is either one of them putting in? As Cas is fond of fond of quoting “you can only coast downhill.” It’s impossible to maintain a proficient level at anything when you stop doing it.

Compare where the IIKA was when Mr. Long was at the helm and where it is now, enough said. One of the most prestigious events to come around in a while was the  Don Bohan/Rick Niemera Memorial Tournament. It was a who’s who of prominent Isshin-Ryu Masters. Guess how many IIKA Board members attended this event. That’s not leadership.

The apple never falls far from the tree, so they say. One of Carol’s students was center referee in a ring and did several things I’d never seen before. Two male contestants were moving around pretty good in a kumite division and almost ran over this official. She screamed “whoa”, stopped the fight, and arrogantly admonished them for not watching where they were going. I halfway expected her to re-start the match with a “giddy-up.”

Whatever happened to staying out of the way of the fighters and moving around a little bit to see some points. This was not biased as much as it was incompetence. At least an incompetent judge is somewhat fair because they should be just as incompetent with each competitor. She was.

I really felt sorry for Tony Williams that day. He planned and tried for a fair, well run tournament. We realized how tough it is to run a tournament and wanted to help Tony and Kelly. They appreciated our support and need as much as they can get. The IIKA leadership obviously doesn’t care about that and puts their own petty egos above the interest of some of their top people. We will not attend any more IIKA sanctioned tournaments. I will be writing a formal letter to the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame Board requesting that certain people not be allowed to judge. An event as prestigious as the Hall of Fame cannot afford the stigma of permitting this type of outrageous and openly bias type of judging.

One more example of the vicious nature and conniving nature of Carol Burris were some totally false accusations she made in order to discredit the Foundation. She and the IIKA can’t justify not supporting the Harold Long Foundation through any other means but to try to spread lies and try to harm its reputation. She told others that Foundation funds were supporting my dojo.

When hearing this, my initial reaction was to respond like I am now. In the interest of turning the other cheek and trying to get along, I let it pass, but not now. I will say she did apology through Denny Shaffer to me, but not directly to me, as neither were the accusations, again, chicken shit.

Each Foundation and ICA Board meeting includes a financial statement and Treasurer’s report from Rick Long. He’s solely in charge of funds. The Foundation operates under the strict guidelines of a non-profit organization and records are maintained to pass IRS inspection, if necessary. It’s the way it should be.

I understand the IIKA is also a non-profit organization but has refused to release financial statements as requested by some of its membership. I have no direct evidence of this and will stand corrected if misinformed. If true, the IIKA membership should be concerned about it. What happens to the money? It’s a fair question and the financial workings of a non-profit organization should be transparent. Questions on non-profit procedures can be addressed to the IRS hotline at 800-829-0433, for those so inclined.

There has also been a lot of behind the back talking about rank and who actually has it. Part two of this article will encompass a thorough history lesson about that subject including the not forgotten bogus rank certificates issue. Some were hoping this matter would fade away. A little known fact about the incident will be revealed in the second part. I’ll end this part with a clue. The answer can be seen in the artwork for the Harold Long Foundation patch shown below.