Joey Payeur
The training sessions are not nearly as full as they used to be.
But those who oversee the Fort Frances Wado Kai karate club approach their plight with the same determination as they approach their craft.
While the number of club members is up slightly from a year ago, Head Sensei Chris Bazinet admitted the decline has been significant since the group’s peak in the early 2000s.
“Back then, we had 50-60 students but now we’re lucky to get 20,” noted Bazinet, who in 1990 started the club that runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at J.W. Walker School here.
“I can’t put my finger on what the issue is,” he admitted.
“I guess there’s just other things people want to do these days.”
While the drop-off would discourage others, and perhaps cause them to fold, Bazinet is resolute in his pledge to soldier on.
“I’ve always done this because I like the sport,” he remarked.
“I’ve said from the start if we have one student, then we will have Fort Frances Wado Kai.”
Bazinet spoke of the club producing 11 black belt-level athletes since its inception—some of whom now serve as instructors.
“I have been struggling with back ailments in recent years, but we have a good core of black belts to take over so that I don’t have to be here every night,” he noted.
“That alone makes us a success every single night.”
One of those who came up through the club, and remains to offer her wisdom to the next generation of karate enthusiasts, is Sensei Becky Kupila.
“It’s such a diversified sport,” she said.
“It helps your physical fitness, your mental fitness, and it’s a place to come and leave the world behind for an hour,” she reasoned.
Kupila said inclusion in Fort Frances Wado Kai opens up a host of possibilities for local participants who journey elsewhere in pursuit of honing their skills.
“When you’re a member of Wado Kai, you can go to any Wado dojo and be welcomed there,” she explained.
“You don’t have to pay,” she added. “It’s an open membership and you can even compete in tournaments there.”
Danielle Stamarski was on hand watching her son, Jameer Corneille, get his workout in as part of Wado Kai’s “Side Kicks” program for youths aged six-11 that starts at 5:30 p.m.
“His dad wanted to enroll him and [Corneille] loves it,” Stamarski said.
“He gets excited on Tuesdays and Thursdays to come,” she added. “It’s something different.”
Along with “Side Kicks,” there also is a class for ages 12 and up beginning at 6:15 p.m., which includes adults, with several of the adults’ children who take part in “Side Kicks” also working out with the older group.
Adam Onichuk, 16, has been with the club for four-and-a-half years after heeding his father’s advice to get involved in an athletic pursuit.
“The best part is coming here and making friends, and it’s also something to do if you’re not really that active, usually,” said Onichuk, currently a blue belt aiming to move up to a brown belt this year.
“It’s not as demanding as other sports, which is why I like it,” he added.
“A beginner could pick up on it very easily.”
Bazinet stressed there’s no high-pressure sales pitch put towards anyone coming out for the first time.
“We offer the first month free so nobody has to commit the first day to staying when they walk through the door,” he noted.
“I remember starting myself in karate in 1981, and going into a strange place and seeing all these people wearing pajamas,” he chuckled.
“Just try it and if you don’t like it, you don’t like it,” Bazinet added.
“What’s the harm in coming in a few nights and giving it a try?”
Bazinet trumpeted karate as a way of life for those who become dedicated to the sport.
“It affects your personal life, your professional life, and just generally how you live you life and treat other people,” he said.
Fort Frances Wado Kai will hold various grading sessions throughout the year, both here and elsewhere.
The club also will take part in two tournaments, including one tentatively scheduled for the end of January in Thunder Bay.
The second one is set for April 1 in Hearst.
