Students weren’t the only ones who were forced into temporary exile by the recent fire at J.W. Walker School; a handful of community groups also were displaced by the mishap.
But while students have since returned to their school, those organizations operating out of the gymnasium there have had no such luck.
Over the course of a typical week, the Walker gym saw a wide variety of patrons. The Girl Guides took to the gym twice a week with both Brownies and Sparks while a local church group claimed the space for one evening, as well.
However, the group that may have had the most difficulty in relocating was the Fort Frances Wado-Kai Karate Club.
With regards to size, schedule, and facilities, the karate club had a lot to manage in finding a new location. But things went even more smoothly than expected.
“It actually wasn’t too bad,” said Lew Kempf, an instructor with the club. “Like everyone, we were locked out while they did the work on the gym.”
However, after taking a few weeks off, the group has begun to settle in to their new home—the gymnasium at St. Michael’s School.
“We went to the school board and they managed to find us some space,” said Kempf.
Wado-Kai christened their new space with a practice earlier this week and the facilities seem to be working out just fine, with one small exception.
“It certainly looks like it will work,” remarked Kempf. “We don’t have lockers like we did at Walker, but we have a room we can use.
“Of course, before we had [the facilities at Walker], we didn’t have lockers, either, so that school spoiled us.”
Fortunately, the club didn’t miss too many classes during the relocation. “I think we only missed four,” said Kempf.
But the club decided to go ahead and make up that time over the coming weeks. So, an extra 30-minutes will be tacked on to each remaining session over the rest of the season.
The only concern for the club was whether or not they would see a full return from their Walker club members.
“We had over 25 [students] at Walker,” noted Kempf. “We’ll see how many we get out now. Sometimes when you take time off, you end up losing some interest.”
But now that they are settled and back into a routine, Wado-Kai can begin to refocus on their annual tournament.
“It’s scheduled for the first week in June,” said Kempf. “We’ll be doing a clinic on Friday night and the tournament will be on Saturday.”
It looks like club members are just happy to get back to the sport they love.
“We just really appreciate St. Michael’s letting us use the space. It’s good to be in there,” Kempf enthused.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
