When I was a short, skinny seventh-grader at Elm Street Junior High School, I met an equally short Jason Kittredge and an equally skinny Craig Hutchinson. Both were students at Independent Karate. For Christmas in December of 1985, I received a 3-month gift certificate to try it.
Having Jason Kittredge and Craig Hutchinson as my mentors proved somewhat challenging for the headmasters of the school. Jason lived on West Hollis Street at the time, and my mother worked part-time downtown. She was always willing to let me walk over to Jason's house.
I was tested for my orange belt three weeks after I joined. Needless to say, I was also an accomplished uke by this time. Two weeks with Jason taught me three, six, and seven combination as well as the fine art of not falling and breaking open your coconut. I believe he was a green belt at the time and going for first degree brown.
Jason and Craig were often told not to teach me advanced techniques, but they never taught them to me. Not really. They just used them on me. I became a blue belt rather quickly. Purple belt is a blur.
I really enjoyed the school. I loved that it was open on Tuesdays. And I attended all three Tuesday classes and at least three Saturday classes. Sensei Pete enjoyed calling me up in front of class and throwing roundhouse kicks near my temple because I had one of those dorky bowl cuts and a mop of really fine hair. A flurry of roundhouse kicks made it look like I had a blow dryer to my head.
Having learned from Jason and Craig and having spent my lower belts sparring with a green and brown belt, I had a different level of aggression that didn't seem to be consistent with my own ranks. Jason and Craig made contact when they sparred with me, and I made contact with them as well.
During tournament preparation (we were getting ready to spar the Tae Kwon Do Karate Club at Bishop Guertin) one Saturday, Sensei Pete had a school sparring tournament. Around the same time, Jason had introduced me to another green belt at the school named Stacy Conroy. She was an albino girl, nearly blind, and extremely fierce. I remember her as on roughly the same advancement track as Jason. She had amazing form. She also had very good control when doing jujitsu techniques. When she had to start a technique without touching you for a point of reference? Not so much.
I was a blue belt and won my matches easily, but with several warnings for contact to the midsection. After I won the purple and blue division, Sensei Pete decided on the spot that it would be fun to see if I could beat the girl's winner of the advanced division. He put me up against Stacy in a sparring match with no points.
She didn't receive any warnings for contact. I don't think I scored a point on her. I remember her running me out of the ring a few times and one particularly meaningful thrust punch to my floating rib. I also remember learning that when Sensei Pete warned you to take it easy and watch your control with students of the same rank, you listened.
Incidentally, my parents learned that when you give karate as a Christmas present in 1985, you may still be giving it in 1991. I received my black belt in 1990.
Happy Birthday, IKS, and thank you for the discipline and the memories.
