IKS Thoughts: Jeff Maistrosky

Editor's Note: Prior to the 30th anniversary celebration that we had, I asked people to submit to me their thoughts about the school to share with the headmasters. I have gathered these essays and will be adding them to this blog as "IKS Thoughts" over the next several months. Today's submission was made by Shihan Jeff Maistrosky. 

As I started pondering what to say in this essay, I couldn’t escape the truth that no matter what I wrote, many other minds, vastly superior to me in intellectual prowess, would have already written it.  It seems impossible to write praises to the Independent Karate School without repeating others.  However, the more I think about it, I am comforted and pleased by that fact.  If one person, group or organization can inspire people to write praises about them in similar veins, it stands as a testament to their mission and goals, now having been realized by the very people they hoped to impact. 

One thing about the school that always amazes me is how much it is preceded by its reputation.  Although I have been exposed to this fact several times throughout our history, I continue to be reminded of it today.  In June 2009, I had the distinction of attending an awards dinner for our most recent scholarship recipient.  Whenever someone was introduced to us and learned that we were representing the IKS, they began to get all starry eyed and awestruck.  Not only that, but our charity was the only one to get a distinct crowd reaction of “murmurs of amazement” as we presented.  No doubt, the size of our award contributed to those reactions, but the greater victory (aside from helping a young lady go to Nursing school) was the fact that our reputation continued to spread far and wide that night.  It did the exact same thing at the 2009 Rockin Ribfest, when more people, Rotarians included, recognized us for the values that we have been instilling in our students since the day they started at the school.  I cannot recall how many people told us that the dependable and energetic work of our students was an indispensable resource to the event.  The fact that we have presented an image of what Karate should develop in a person, and we continue to practice what we preach throughout the years, is a legacy in and of itself.

The IKS has also become one of the ‘great enablers’ of our community, instilling all of its students with two skills, among several others, that enable them to excel in life: discipline and courtesy.  It is not easy for many to maintain their drive to see tasks and problems through to completion. This stresses how important discipline in the dojo, as well as outside of it, is today.  Hand in hand with that, the virtue of courtesy exemplifies a greater goal for the school: promoting tolerance and understanding amongst people, allowing peace to triumph over war in a world that is in dire need of peaceful solutions.

For our motivated and innovative student minds, the school’s vision for them is clear: Allow the instructors to tell them what to do in class so that they can, eventually, tell themselves what to do in their lives.  The examples set by the past & present role models provide continued support to the school’s legacy and provide inspiration for today’s students to establish their own paths.  Even now, after having been at the school for over 20 years, I still find ways to contribute to and develop an entity that has done so much for my own development.  I have applied the discipline of the dojo to my various dealings in the professional world and the many volunteer projects that the IKS and I engage in.  Those skills have served me well, as I know they will continue to do as I grow into my role with the Scholarship Foundation.