July 26, 2010    Updated: July 29, 2010

Front Row: Whitney Edwards, Lauren Gassett, Britney Edwards, Ian Ericson, Cole Gassett, Courtney Gardell

Back Row: Alex Bell, Joe Bell, Jonathan McDaniel, Nick Reeder

Update: Read the full summary

July 26, 2010    Updated: July 29, 2010

On Thursday, July 22nd, CKA was invited to the Columbia Public Library to show a little about what we do. We had a great turnout with 10-12 kids attending. Sensei Reeder got all the kids to participate and ran a class like we do in the dojo. The kids had a good time and even got a little workout.

Thank you again to Annette and the Columbia Public Library for allowing us to share our art with you!

Update: Photo Gallery

July 26, 2010

CKA hosted two Women's Basic Self-Defense seminars (July 18 and 25) with resounding success. The purpose was to educate and practice basic self-defense tactics and maneuvers. We had a total of 22 young ladies attend! Many of whom will be attending their freshman year of college this coming Fall.

The ladies practiced:

• How to avoid a confrontation through communication
• How to voice their discomfort and draw attention
• Basic combat moves (knee strike, elbow strike, front kick, palm heel strike)
• Grab escapes (wrist, bear hug from front & rear)

CKA does a self-defense seminar each summer and if you would be interested in attending please contact us with so that we can get your email or phone number and put you on our contact list for next year. Thank you.

June 27, 2010

We are raffling off one chance to win FOUR (4) GREEN SEATS w/ VIP Parking (valued over $1000) to see the Cardinals play the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on August 13th @ 7:15pm.

Each raffle tickets has a price of $20, and we will draw the winner on Friday, August 6th. Please email this to everyone you know!

Remember that you do not need to be present to win. CKA Athletes will have tickets to sell, or you can request an electronic copy from Nick Reeder by cell (314-225-7736) or by email: nreeder@htc.net

» Raffle Details (PDF, 97 KB)

June 26, 2010

Thank you for making our 2010 Golf Scramble Fundraiser a success. There was an 80% chance of rain in the forecast, but the rain stayed away and it turned out to be a great day for some golf. We had a total of 10 teams and 14 sponsors this year and I am happy to announce that we raised over $1700 with your generosity!

This was a big help to our athletes who will be leaving in 2 weeks to compete for a National Championship (July 8-10) in Greenville, South Carolina. They are training hard and looking sharp. I will be sure to send you an email with their results and pictures from the event.

Thanks again for all the support!

June 15, 2010    Updated: June 24, 2010

We've pulled two names in the raffle, each Eagles Concert tickets: Alicia Friederich and Kathy Greenhill.

Thanks to everyone for entering the raffle and supporting our competitive team's goals:

• Karen Delia
• Christopher Wussler
• Nancy Schleich
• Michelle Brady
• Larry Lammert
• Cindy Jung
• Alicia Friederich - winner
• Tracy Houska (x2)
• Kathy Greenhill - winner
• Chris Neumann
• Nancy Braun
• Sandy Hermann
• Scott & Dawn Kohl (x2)
• Sandra & Keith Lane

Thanks again for the support. Alicia & Kathy, enjoy the show!

Original article below...

We have four tickets for the upcoming Eagles concert (featuring the Dixie Chicks) at Busch Stadium on June 24th. Tickets are located in Section 148 at the stadium.

All of the proceeds will go toward our competitive team as they prepare to represent our dojo at the National Championships this summer!!

Each raffle ticket costs $20, and the drawing will be made on June 22nd. Be sure to email this to everyone you know -- the drawing will be performed just two days before the concert!

» Raffle Details (PDF, 137 KB)

April 25, 2010

The details have been worked out and we are proud to announce that Columbia Karate Academy will host Sensei Frank Pugarita for a weekend of Training Sessions and Dan Exams on May 21st and 22nd.

In the link below you can download the registration form that also lists the events. There will be training sessions on Friday evening for brown/black belts only. Saturday morning will be the colored belt training sessions. Saturday afternoon will be the Dan Exam followed by a group dinner. On Sunday morning, there will be a special Sensei/Sempai only workout, followed by an Owner's meeting.

All of the training sessions will be held at the Columbia Karate Academy dojo. We have set a max of 25 people for each session to allow for enough space for everyone. Please send in your registration forms early; registrations are taken as first come, first serve. For the exams, I am asking that the senseis please email me a list of their applicants so that we can accommodate accordingly.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email me. Thank you again for your cooperation in this event.

Sincerely,
Nick and Amber Reeder

» Registration Form (PDF, 254 KB)

April 14, 2010

Dear CKA Students and Parents,

I first want to thank everyone who has participated in this year’s competitive season. All the local tournaments have been great learning experiences for all of our youth athletes because of your help. Amber and I feel blessed to have so many supportive families in our dojo.

This is the time of year when the local competition season is wrapping up and the higher level meets are getting closer. We are happy to announce that CKA will be preparing athletes for both the Illinois State Championship as well as the National Championship to be held in Greeneville, South Carolina. Our kids, and their parents, that are preparing for these events are sacrificing a lot, like any competitor trying to reach a goal.

They deserve some help. We have set a goal of raising $3000 to help with the incumbent travel costs. In order to assist them, we are again hosting our CKA Competitive Team Fundraiser Golf Tournament. Having a golf course next door made this an easy decision.

We are setting a low goal that each family from our dojo could find a Hole Sponsor and 2 golfers. It costs $50 for any business/person to sponsor one of the 18 holes. In return we will use their logo as a sign on the tee box for their hole and use their logo in our tournament program. Those golfing will receive 18 holes of golf, with a cart, lunch, and 2 drinks.

I know that there are many people who would like to help, but they may not be a golf enthusiast. We need volunteers to help with various contests and raffles that will be going on during the tournament. We appreciate any and all help that you can provide for our kids in their quest to bring us back a National Championship.

Sincerely,
Nick and Amber Reeder

» Golf Fundraiser Flyer (PDF, 1280 KB)

» Gold Registration Form (PDF, 72 KB)

April 7, 2010

Whitany and Britany Edwards are the proud winners of a FREE 1 hour Private Class with Sensei Reeder.

We want to thank everyone who is contributing to our Cell Phone/Ink Cartridge fundraiser. Remember - for every phone or 5 cartridges you bring in you receive an entry into that months drawing for FREE stuff. We hope next month we can bring in even more!

April 7, 2010

Jake Simpher, a CKA student and national medalist, is organizing a charity fun run to raise money for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. The fundraiser will be held at John Burroughs school on Sunday, June 6th @ 10am.

Register for either the 1.5 mile walk or the 5K run, and help support a great cause!

» Information and Registration Form (PDF, 720 KB)

» Informational Flyer (DOC, 878 KB)

March 24, 2010

Now it is time to step up your conditioning in preparation for the 2010 Illinois State Championships.

In order to prepare for the regional meets, you will need to regularly attend our Wednesday 6:45-7:30pm Competition Team practice. It will start on Wednesday, March 31st. It is designed specifically for conditioning and sport play. Also try to be more active outside the dojo walls. Remember that the athletes who exercise and practice outside the dojo, will perform at a higher level than those who do not.

There is one regional event and two national events coming up on our calendar: April 5-7, April 18, and July 8-11.

All first year athletes should prepare for and attend the April 18th event. All athletes wanting to attend the National Championships need to attend the April 18th event as well as the Wednesday night conditioning classes up until the National Championships.

Please wear shorts and t-shirts to the conditioning class -- No Gi’s. Also, please bring all your kumite (sparring) gear. We will do some drills as well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to us.

Thank you for your time, see you in class.

Sincerely,
Nick and Amber Reeder

» Click here to see the upcoming regional and national events

March 6, 2010

The Columbia Karate Academy Competition Team needs the help of the entire dojo to help with travel expenses to tournaments.

This fundraiser will not cost you a dime. We are collecting used cell phones, MP3 players and inkjet print cartridges to send to Phoneraiser.com. Raising funds is free and easy with Phoneraiser! Phoneraiser offers a fast, easy, and environmentally friendly way to get cash by collecting used cell phones and inkjet cartridges from people in the community.

For those families that participate we will raffle off one of the following every month:

• Tuition for one month
• Free private lesson with Sensei Reeder
• Gift certificate valued at $40 for karate equipment of your choice
• Karate t-shirt

We would like to keep this fundraiser going for six months. Here are some tips for collecting:

• Put up a box flyer. While sending an e-mail at work is a great start toward collecting phones, I didn’t have success collecting phones at work until I put up the box flyer, it was a constant reminder to all who walked by. Further, I put a huge old cell phone the size of a brick in the box. People walked by picked up the phone, laughed about the size of their first cell phone and most remembered to bring an old cell phone with a few weeks. It’s like putting a dollar in a tip jar to get it going.
• Ask your IT department at work. If they have old phones lying around I am sure they will part with them.
• Does your child play other sports? If so ask the parents on the team for their old cell phones
• Consider taking a flyer and box to your local police or fire station. They will likely be willing to help kids in their community.
• E-mail your neighborhood contact list and ask for items. Your neighbors may be looking for a responsible way to recycle/reuse old devices.

Other ways include asking your friends, family and neighbors for their old cell phones, MP3 players, empty ink jet cartridges, and toner cartridge from their work. Kids can ask aunts, uncles, grandparents and family friends to do each of the above listed items.

We don't get paid for cell phones with cracked LCD screens or damage beyond normal wear and tear. Please do not give accessories or chargers; PhoneRaiser does not accept these items. Please note that recycling fundraising companies no longer take re-manufactured cartridges. Re-manufactured cartridges are more common with larger commercial toner cartridges, not the cartridges used in home printers. If your office or a friend’s office offers you toner cartridges please ask if they are re-manufactured before you take them.

Bring your items in to the office at the dojo. Make sure you put your name on the bag so we can put your name in the raffle. Christi Gardell will be collecting and mailing items off the last week of the month.

The team appreciates your help. As you can imagine, the costs to out of town tournaments quickly adds up!

Sincerely,
Nick and Amber Reeder

» Neighbor Flyer (PDF, 160 KB)

» Collection Bin Sign (PDF, 145 KB)

February 2, 2010

Jon McDaniel was featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch recently to talk about his world hopping adventures and competitive success in 2009. Here's a clip:

"I went to China in the middle of August," McDaniel said. "We were there for two weeks. We ended up flying back from China on Thursday, I went to school on Friday and then I had Saturday and Sunday to basically repack my bags. Monday morning I traveled to Houston first, where the whole US team joined up, and then we all went to El Salvador."

» Link to St. Louis Post Dispatch Article

January 6, 2010

When you or your child began your training karate with us, the desired result has always been and will continue to be to:

• Build character
• Develop a stronger mind and body
• Learn some self-defense in the process

That is what we offer and the values of respect, courtesy, and honor is what we always try to instill first and foremost. However, the sport aspect of our art has been continuously growing and evolving. And the training required to compete has proven to be both physically and mentally beneficial to its participants.

The sport season for our dojo has begun. So over the next four months in class, we will prepare for the surrounding local scrimmages that everyone should try to attend. Our dojo will also host a scrimmage, which we ask for required attendance from all CKA athletes.

It doesn't matter if your have only been training 3 months or if you are trying to make the US team. We have scrimmages to fit your level of play.
Karate is one of the few sports where people will practice for months and months and never play in a scrimmage -- What is the point in playing?

The scrimmages are a tool for you to judge and gauge your performance and skill level in a safe and controlled environment. I hope that many of you take advantage of these upcoming opportunities. It is a great chance for everyone to participate and experience karate outside the dojo.

If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to us. Thank you for your time, see you in class.

Sincerely,
Nick and Amber Reeder

» CKA Scrimmage Signup Sheet (PDF, 160 KB)

Here are links to past articles posted to the website:

2009 News Archive