This morning, I was accosted by snow going almost all the way over my boots, and I regret to inform you all that Sanchin stepping did very little to help in clearing snow.
I ended up shoveling like a normal person, but I was not very happy about it. Rest assured, though, that when you all return the sidewalk will be both salted and shoveled! Until then, stay home, stay safe, and enjoy this picture that I took while looking longingly out of our front door, missing all of your faces.
Since we close when Wyoming Public Schools closes due to weather, we are once again closed for weather today. Dang, you Thursday people got lucky this week! Stay home, sip that hot cocoa, and bury yourself in ten blankets.
While you’re sipping that hot cocoa, why not recall that there will be hot tea tomorrow at the dojo? It is free for you guys, and it’s still happening as of this writing, since I am currently in the office ensuring that our heater works and that our building will not be If you haven’t yet registered and would like to attend, click here.
If we do end up needing to cancel the event (which may happen if Sam cannot get here from the icy wasteland of Muskegon), I will text everyone who is registered, hopefully well before you get into your car to head toward the dojo.
Thank you all, as always, for being members of the dojo! We look forward to seeing you next week!
And so we shall wait for the icy veil to lift, allowing us to once again see the horizon and find our way to the hallowed halls of the karate dojo.
Please note that putting your karate gi out in the snow is not a good way to bleach it. I wish that was the case, because then we would all look great in our crisp and shiny uniforms upon our return!
In any event, the dojo will be closed 1/20/26 due to weather. We hope that everyone is continuing to stay safe during this winter storm!
Hi everyone,
Due to inclement weather and Wyoming Public Schools closing, the dojo will also follow suit and close for weather on Monday, January 19th.
If you have questions or need to get in touch, please feel free to email/text/call. Stay safe and warm tomorrow!
Allison
Hi everyone!
If you’re reading this, congratulations; you have, in some way, shape or form, been a part of this incredible journey of starting and managing a martial arts school. Whether you’re a present student, past student, seminar attendee, or community partner, THANK YOU for being a part of our school. Can you believe it’s been four years!?
I’ve decided to start this almost-monthly newsletter to keep everyone up to date on all things dojo: news, events, and opportunities to connect with one another. My hope is that this can be both a useful reference and a tool that we can use to grow in our community of practice. In a world that’s somewhat disconnected and devoid of third spaces, it’s my hope that the dojo can be a place where we go not only to improve as martial artists, but also to stay grounded in our local community by engaging with one another as friends and fellow practitioners.
Now, onward to our news and events!
Our first quarter dojo event is an American tea ceremony on Saturday, January 24th! We’re partnering with Café Tamaki (a small business from the Muskegon area) for an afternoon of delicious tea and casual conversation. This event is for all ages and is FREE for current dojo members ($20 for the general public). That said, you still need to register here to reserve your spot. There are multiple times available (each ceremony is roughly 45 minutes long), so pick what works best in your schedule and enjoy the experience!
Coming soon: free friend February! Throughout the entire month of February, members can bring friends to as many classes as they want for free. You can bring a ton of different friends or the same friend every time. Whoever brings the most friends may even get a prize. Stay tuned for more details in February’s newsletter!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 28th, the date of our next black belt test. Cheer on your fellow dojo members as they test for their next degree of black belt! More details to come.
Please remember to sign in using the sheet on top of the shoe rack! This is important for promotion requirements. If I don’t see your name on the sheet, I can’t count your class toward promotion.
The more people we have working out in the dojo, the more important hygiene becomes. So get some D.O. for your B.O., everyone! And if you’d like me to stock your favorite product(s) to help with this, let me know. I know that a lot of you come straight from work, and so I’m happy to help make things easier (especially if it makes the dojo less stinky)!
Starting this week, I’ll be teaching at Grand Valley on Thursday nights for their winter semester. If you’re a student who regularly comes on Thursdays, you may not see me for a bit. But fear not! Our other Senseis (mostly Sensei Mike) have got this! And if you have any questions regarding payment or anything else business-related, please email, text, or call.
Finally, Fourth Form’s website has gotten a (slight) face lift. I’ve updated our schedule and pricing for incoming members. I’ve also tweaked a few promotion requirements and am now using MailPoet to get these newsletters into email inboxes rather than having them solely as blog posts. If you run into difficulties accessing anything or have any questions, let me know!
If you see these folks around the dojo, make sure to wish them a happy birthday month!
In the future, I’d love to use this community corner to better connect our dojo members to one another. So if you have something fun to celebrate, a need that’s arisen, or anything that you’d like shared, just shoot me an email so that I can include it in next month’s newsletter.
Thank you for sticking with me. Not just for this hopefully-longer-than-normal newsletter, but also through the last four years. I often feel like I stumbled into business ownership on accident, learning as I went, and it’s a marvel that I’ve managed to last this long. Then I remember that I’ve had the blessing of working with and beside people who not only show me patience and understanding, but also provide me with support and encouragement when everything feels like chaos.
So thank you. Thank you all for suiting up, showing up, and making the dojo my favorite place to be. I’m so excited for what 2026 has in store for us, and even more thankful that we get to find out together.
-Sensei Allison